Twins at White Sox
The Minnesota Twins are well on their way to shattering the major league record for home runs by a team, no club has felt the brunt of their power more than the Chicago White Sox. The homer-happy Twins will go for their fifth consecutive victory when they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the host White Sox on Thursday afternoon.
Jonathan Schoop belted his second and third homers of the series and drove in four runs in Wednesday's 8-2 victory as Minnesota maintained its 3 1/2-game lead atop the American League Central. Mitch Garver went deep among three hits for the Twins, who have clubbed 34 homers against Chicago this season and are within nine of tying the New York Yankees' single-season record of 267. While Minnesota moved 30 games over .500 for the first time since September 2010, the White Sox have scored a total of five runs while dropping three of their last four. Jose Abreu delivered an RBI double for Chicago to become the first player in franchise history with at least 30 doubles in six consecutive seasons.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), NBCS Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH José Berríos (10-7, 3.53 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Dylan Cease (3-6, 5.76)
After posting a 2.06 ERA in June and a 2.43 mark in July, Berrios fell to 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in four starts this month after giving up five runs and 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings versus Detroit on Friday. Part of the problem is an inability to keep the ball in the park -- he's allowed six homers in his last four turns. Berrios is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA versus Chicago this season but must be wary of James McCann, who is 7-for-18 with three homers and nine RBIs against him.
Although Cease allowed at least one homer for the ninth straight start, he earned the victory last time out against Texas, recording a career-high nine strikeouts while permitting three runs and four hits over six innings. The 23-year-old rookie surrendered two homers in each of his last two starts, losing both while giving up a combined nine runs and 12 hits against the Los Angeles Angels and Houston. Cease gave up five runs in five innings in a loss to Minnesota on July 26.
WALK-OFFS
1. Schoop became the seventh Minnesota player with at least 20 homers, tying a major league record.
2. Chicago's Tim Anderson has 42 hits in August, the most by a White Sox shortstop in one month since Luis Aparicio (44 hits) in July 1970.
3. Twins OF Max Kepler (sore knee) and Marwin Gonzalez (abdominal/oblique) both sat out Wednesday.