Sox give Floyd 3 homers, victory
Adam Dunn hit his majors-leading 29th homer, Gavin Floyd went six innings after coming off the disabled list and the White Sox ended a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
Paul Konerko and Alex Rios also homered off Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano to help the White Sox win in their first home game following a 3-7 road trip after the All-Star break that knocked them out of first place in the AL Central.
Making his first start in 16 days after being sidelined by elbow tendinitis, Floyd (8-8) wasn’t sharp but benefited from four double plays. He walked six, gave up six hits and three runs — two earned. Addison Reed got his 16th save in 19 chances and got some help when a leaping catch by shortstop Alexei Ramirez saved a run on Joe Mauer’s liner.
Floyd got out of a big jam in the first, allowing only one run after giving up a bunt single and two walks to load the bases with no outs. Josh Willingham then hit into a double play with the run scoring.
Floyd allowed a run to score on a wild pitch in the second and the Twins scored again in the fifth when center fielder Alejando De Aza overthrew second base on a relay when no one was at the bag. He was charged with an error.
Liriano (3-10), who pitched a no-hitter at U.S. Cellular Field on May 3, 2011, lasted only 2 2-3 innings. He gave up seven hits — including the three homers — and a season-high seven runs in losing his third straight. Entering the game, he’d yielded only three homers in his previous 70 2-3 innings and just nine all season.
Konerko’s three-run, opposite-field blast followed a single by De Aza and a walk to Kevin Youkilis in the first. It was his first homer since June 29 and 15th of the season.
Dunn, mired in a 2-for-27 skid, hit a two-run shot to center in the third. One batter later, Rios hit a long homer — his 15th of the season — to left to make it 7-2.
Minnesota’s Ryan Doumit hit his third homer in two games, a solo shot off reliever Jesse Crain in the eighth.