MINNEAPOLIS _ The tables have been turned in this series between the Twins and White Sox.
The Twins were coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Indians, during which their lack of depth in the starting rotation was exposed and the club scrambled for starters. Cleveland took advantage to knock the Twins out of first place in the AL Central division.
But now, with top starters Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios in play this week, they have run into a White Sox team with injured starters and a leaky bullpen.
The result has been two victories in two days, including their 4-2 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday. The Twins now have a chance to sweep Chicago in the three-game series and finish their 11-game homestand with a 5-6 record, which was doubtful at the start of the series.
The Twins took control with a three-run third inning, highlighted by Miguel Sano's second home run in two days, a 414-foot blast to right. Right-hander Jose Berrios had his curveball working Wednesday and roared through the White Sox batting order, giving up two runs on four hits over eight innings. Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Twins hitters took advantage of left-hander David Holmberg's shaky control to knock him out of the game in the fourth inning. In two games, White Sox starters have pitched a total of six innings. That has allowed the Twins to get into the bullpen early, and Chicago is shaky there, too.
The Twins were frisky on the base paths as well, stealing four bases _ three by Ehire Adrianza. He swiped third base in the third inning when Holmberg didn't even bother to check him at second. Brian Dozier got a big jump on Holmberg in the fourth when he swiped second.
Chicago scored a run in the first but the Twins tied it at 1 in the second when Byron Buxton singled and later scored on a fielder's choice.
The White Sox pushed home a run in third to retake the lead. But Sano led off the bottom of the inning by tagging a Holmberg pitch over the wall in right to tie the game. Sano was only 2-for-15 in the weekend series against Cleveland but has homered in the first two games of the series against Chicago. It was the 18th home run of the season for Sano, who leads all third basemen in voting for the All-Star Game next month in Miami.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria had seen enough. He had Sano intentionally walked in his next two plate appearances because a runner was on second and first base was open.
The Twins scored two more runs in the third, on a RBI single by Max Kepler and when Kennys Vargas scored on a fielder's choice. Holmberg was replaced the next inning by Gregory Infante. The Twins hit several other balls hard but they were within reach of White Sox fielders, or the game could have gotten out of hand early.
Berrios, 7-1, won his fourth consecutive outing and has beaten the White Sox in his two career starts against them. He walked leadoff hitter Alen Hanson to start the game and watched him come around to score on Avisail Garcia's single to left. Twins outfielder Robbie Grossman's throw from left was perfect, but the ball popped out of catcher Jason Castro's glove as he tried to tag Hanson.
But Berrios settled down as his breaking ball became a force. Chicago hitters chased it all night and Berrios breezed through innings in which he threw 12, 11, 10 and seven pitches. He entered the eighth having retired 14 of 15 Chicago hitters.
