White Sox beat Twins 6-1 to tie for first
The White Sox downplayed their 6-1 win over the Twins on Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, but don't believe it.
It was the Sox' biggest game of the season, and they desperately needed the victory.
"We need to beat the teams in our division," said John Danks, the main reason the White Sox did just that. "They're ahead of us. We don't want to dig ourselves too deep of a hole. That said, there's still plenty of game left."
Both the Sox and the Twins have 48 games left on the schedule, and the rivals are tied at the top of the AL Central at 64-50.
While Minnesota shredded White Sox starter Freddy Garcia in the series opener Tuesday, they had their hands full with Danks, who allowed just 1 run on 6 hits over 8 innings.
The Twins had their chances early, but Denard Span got greedy after leading off the game with a double and was cut down trying to stretch it into a triple.
In the second inning, Delmon Young led off with a walk and Michael Cuddyer followed with a single, but Danks worked out of the jam.
"Danks gets off the hook by himself," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's pretty good. He kept the ball in, and he can throw a great changeup. He's a battler out there on the mound. You don't get very many opportunities and when you do, you have to make good swings on the ball."
While Danks approached his start like any other, the left-hander was aware of the importance of the game.
"It was definitely a game where I felt I had a little more adrenaline," Danks said after the White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak. "I felt like I had some of the best stuff I've had all year. I didn't have the best command at all times, but I felt pretty good most of the game."
Danks got all the offensive support he needed in the second inning, when Carlos Quentin drove a 2-run homer over the center-field fence off Twins starter Glen Perkins.
"You go out every day and you try to help the team win," Quentin said. "Danks was unbelievable tonight."
After his second home run in as many games, Quentin was hit by pitches from Perkins in the fourth inning and fifth innings. The second one prompted home plate umpire Mike DiMuro to warn both benches.
Afterward, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was angry - at Perkins.
"I know Gardy and all the staff very well," Guillen said. "I don't think anyone in baseball talks higher than I do of those guys. If (Perkins) threw on purpose, I don't think he did the right thing, if he did it. It looked like he did it. If not, the umpire wouldn't do any warning. Easy scenario. First base open, this kid hit a home run. Do I say he did it on purpose? It's up to him.
"It seemed like it was. Everything was there. He wasn't pitching well. I'm not 100 percent he did it. I know 100 percent it don't come from the bench. I was very upset because they kicked our butts (Tuesday) big time and we didn't come close to pitching in."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Scot Gregor's game tracker</p>
<p class="News">White Sox 6, Twins 1</p>
<p class="News"><b>Even up:</b> John Danks has struggled against Minnesota throughout his career, but the Sox' starter was dominant Wednesday, allowing 1 run on 6 hits in 8 innings. Danks is a lifetime 6-6 (5.01 ERA) vs. the Twins.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Hit parade:</b> Carlos Quentin hit a 2-run homer off Glen Perkins in the second inning, a 412-foot shot to center field. Quentin was hit by pitches from Perkins his next 2 at-bats, and home-plate umpire Mike DiMuro warned both benches after the second plunking.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Play of the night:</b> In the first inning, Denard Span doubled to right-center and tried stretching the hit into a triple. Alex Rios made a strong throw to cutoff man Gordon Beckham, who nailed Span at third base.</p>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=400151">Jenks as closer again? Not yet<span class="date"> [8/11/10]</span></a></li>
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