Quentin's home run, 4 RBI lifts Sox over Twins
MINNEAPOLIS - Carlos Quentin has been showing up every day for the White Sox this season.
And, following a 3-start lull, Gavin Floyd also was back on the job Wednesday night.
With a third straight loss to the Twins - not to mention a drop from first place - hanging over the Sox' heads, Quentin and Floyd teamed up to spark a critical 8-3 victory in front of 42,705 at the Metrodome.
"We needed this game badly,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said after the White Sox upped their lead over Minnesota to 1 games in the AL Central.
Quentin did most of the offensive damage, hitting a solo home run off Twins starter Livan Hernandez in the first inning and breaking the game open with a 3-run double in the fourth.
The Sox' left fielder leads the American League with 28 home runs and is tied for second with Minnesota's Justin Morneau in RBI (83).
"He's been doing that all year long,'' Guillen said of Quentin. "Day in and day out, he's continued to do it.''
Outfielder Nick Swisher gave Quentin the same off-the-wall compliment he paid Jermaine Dye in Detroit last weekend: "Carlos Quentin is hotter than doughnut grease.''
Floyd was cold in his last 3 starts while going 0-2 and allowing 10 earned runs in 14 innings. The right-hander came out against the Twins and looked much more like he did in the first half of the season.
"I've been working on trying to get my fastball to come in a little better,'' Floyd said. "Today it was working, and I was able to keep the ball down in the zone.''
Floyd also was able to throw his nasty curveball for strikes, and he rode the two pitches for 7 innings while yielding just 1 run on 5 hits.
"I believe in what I can do,'' Floyd said. "I think every game is a big game for me. I just try to attack them and get outs.''
Floyd gave plenty of credit to his defense, and it was Swisher who made one of the best plays of the season. Even though the White Sox held a comfortable 8-1 lead in the eighth inning, Swisher made a highlight catch with one out after moving from center field to right.
The Twins' Brendan Harris hit a slicing drive that Swisher gloved in foul territory before smashing into the padded wall.
He looked to be seriously injured after dropping on his back, but Swisher was able to stay in the game after getting a whiff of some smelling salts.
"I really thought I was going to throw up on the field,'' he said. "I just didn't think the wall was going to creep up on me that fast.''
Minnesota has been creeping up in the standings, but the Twins were taken down a notch as the Sox continued their run of being in first place since May 17.
"We don't take anything for granted,'' Guillen said. "We just go out there and play. The way we lost yesterday, it was tough. We came out and swung the bats today. Hernandez couldn't find the plate, and we took advantage of it.''
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