*Photo from the Star Tribune*
For a brief time, the Bomba Squad returned. Alex Kirilloff drove in 4 runs, Byron Buxton homered twice, and the Minnesota Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox with a 9-4 victory on Friday night in Minneapolis.
The Twins won their 6th game out of 10 with the win on Friday, blasting 4 home runs on the night to do so, with Kirilloff and Buxton combining to drive in 8 of the 9 runs scored. It was Buxton who stole the show with his two home run game, snapping an 0-26 drought.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said of Buxton that "He cares about the organization. He cares about the team, his teammates, the community, doing things right. He cares about those things so much, and he shows that out on the field, the way he plays. He loves to play, and people respond to him. They have, and they always will."
Andrew Benintendi hit a leadoff homer for the White Sox in the top of the first to make it a 1-0 game. Kirilloff hit a two run home run in the bottom of the first, followed by a 3 run shot from Buxton to put the Twins ahead 5-1 after one inning. Buxton then hit his second home run of the night in the 4th inning to make it a 6-1 game.
Ryan Jeffers hit a solo home run later in the 4th to pad the Twins lead to 7-1. In the 5th, Tim Anderson hit an RBI single for the White Sox to cut the deficit to 7-2. Yasmani Grandal then hit a two run home run in the 6th inning to make it a 7-4 game. In the 7th, Kirilloff hit a two run double that scored Edouard Julien and Carlos Correa, making it a 9-4 score.
Twins starter Joe Ryan said of Buxton's two homer game that "He’s the face of the organization, and just having success and doing what he can do, he’s been hitting the ball so hard too, and they don’t always land. It was good to see him finally go a lot farther than the stadium walls."
Ryan toed the rubber for the Twins, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and a walk while striking out 10 hitters in 6 innings pitched. Emilio Pagan pitched a scoreless 7th inning, followed by two shutout innings from Jovani Moran to close out the win.
Lance Lynn got the start for the White Sox, getting tagged for 9 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 6 2/3 innings, falling too 6-9 on the season with a loss. Bryan Shaw then pitched the final 1 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Asked about his start, Lynn said that "I didn't have bad stuff. I just didn’t execute pitches, that’s part of it. When I did execute a pitch, it didn’t go my way. That’s part of the game. It’s kind of been my year so far. And you have to keep going. I was able to get deep into the game and made sure the bullpen didn’t get overused, and we still have a chance to win the series."
Up next, the series continues on Saturday night. The Twins give the start to Sonny Gray, while Dylan Cease takes the mound for the White Sox.
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