Rodón sharp on a rainy night as White Sox beat Twins 4-1
Jul 6, 2021, 8:18 AM | Updated: 10:20 pm
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Rodón pitched six strong innings and the Chicago White Sox took advantage of sloppy play by the Minnesota Twins to win 4-1 on a rainy Tuesday night.
Catcher Zack Collins, making the start after Yasmani Grandal went on the injured list earlier in the day with a torn tendon in his left knee, had a two-run single in the second inning after two walks and two errors by the Twins.
“These guys refuse to give in, refuse to give up,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “They give you their best shot. They went out and there’s a win to show for it.”
Headed to his first All-Star game next week, Rodón (7-3) allowed one run on seven hits. He struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter as Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak.
“This team’s a bunch of bulldogs,” Rodón said. “We come to the park every day and we want to win the game.”
Michael Kopech pitched a scoreless seventh and Liam Hendriks pitched the final two innings for his 22nd save.
Collins’ single in the second was the only hit Chicago would put up in seven innings against Minnesota starter José Berríos (7-3). Just one of the runs was earned against Berríos, who struck out 10 batters.
“I mean it was a pretty damn good start no matter which way you spin it,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “A couple of walks in an inning, we didn’t play clean baseball behind him, resulted in a couple of runs. I mean besides that, every way you cut it up, this was just a very, very good, solid outing by him.”
PLAYING THROUGH
The two teams, who had a rainout last week in Chicago rescheduled for July 19, played through a steady, light rain for much of the game. The grounds crew tended to the mound, home plate and infield after most innings. The rain became heavier in the final two innings, but the game played without a delay.
Only once did weather appear to play a part in the outcome.
Chicago outfielders Brian Goodwin and Adam Eaton didn’t see Nelson Cruz’s high flyball in the sixth inning. Second baseman Leury García sprinted to the outfield and pointed the location to the outfielders, but the ball fell in safely for a hit.
Luis Arraez went to second base on the play and scored on Alex Kirilloff’s single to center.
“The wind’s blowing, the rain’s up there, it’s definitely not the easiest, especially for pitchers,” Collins said. “They don’t have any sticky stuff anymore. They don’t have anything to get a grip and it’s raining out there pretty hard. Obviously, it’s got to be pretty tough, but they didn’t look too shabby tonight.”
SLIP AND SLIDE
The worst of the weather didn’t bother Billy Hamilton. After coming on as a defensive replacement in center field, Hamilton made a highlight, leaping catch of a liner off the bat of Max Kepler in the ninth inning.
Hamilton jumped high to catch the ball before landing on his stomach and sliding on the muddy warning track. He turned around smiling and got up covered in mud.
“I’ve got a short-term memory and to see him, I’ve seen (Jim) Edmonds do some great things and Dave Henderson, but I don’t know if you’re going to see a better one than that,” La Russa said. “Just sensational.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: Grandal is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks. … OF Adam Engel is expected to be activated from the injured list and play in Wednesday afternoon’s game in Minnesota. Engel has been out since June 19 with a hamstring injury. … LHP Aaron Bummer (strained right hamstring) could possibly be activated for the weekend series at Baltimore. La Russa said “fingers crossed” that Bummer would return, but only if he’s “really ready.”
Twins: Cruz was back in the lineup after missing two games with a stiff neck that has been exacerbated by a lingering chest cold and severe coughing. Cruz was examined by doctors and cleared of any other complications. … 3B Josh Donaldson was out of the lineup for the third straight game due to a strained right hamstring.
UP NEXT
RHP Lance Lynn (8-3, 2.02 ERA) starts the afternoon series finale for Chicago on Wednesday. Minnesota will activate RHP Michael Pineda (3-4, 3.70) from the injured list to start. Pineda has been out since June 13 with right elbow inflammation. Lynn is 1-0 with two earned runs allowed in 11 innings against the Twins this season.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
