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Twins Series Recap
Series recap (4 games @ Minnesota)
You walked out of Target Field with a 2–2 split, moving your club to 61–80. The Twins held serve in the bigger picture at 72–69, and the series had a very “September baseball” feel: three tight games, then one avalanche inning that decided the finale.
Total runs: Twins 18, White Sox 9 — Minnesota did most of their damage in two huge swings (Rodriguez’s HR in Game 2, and the 7-run 2nd in Game 4).
Game 1 — White Sox 2, Twins 1 (9/1)
Tone-setter. You jumped on Bailey Ober immediately: Quero double → Vargas single → Montgomery walk → Rosario double and it was 2–0 before Minnesota could settle in.
From there it was a bullpen-script win:
Mike Vasil: 6.1 IP, 1 ER, calm traffic management.
Bridge work did its job, and Grant Taylor slammed the door.
Quiet subplot: aggressive baserunning was a mixed bag (a steal for Robert, but also a couple big outs on the bases that kept the score from getting padded).
Game 2 — Twins 7, White Sox 4 (9/2)
This one hurt because you earned the lead and still watched it flip.
Your offense clawed back from an early 0–3 hole, then took a 4–3 lead (big hits sprinkled through the middle; you got production from multiple spots).
The turning point was Emmanuel Rodriguez: a 3-run homer that snapped Minnesota ahead for good, and the Twins kept adding.
Notable note: Harrison Bader was injured by a pitch (Twins side), which changed some of their late-game alignment.
Game 3 — White Sox 2, Twins 1 (9/3)
Best “complete” win of the set. You did just enough early, then won the margins.
The decisive blow: Colson Montgomery’s solo HR (6th) to break the 1–1 tie.
Your staff pieced it together and protected every inch late — another night where the bullpen plan worked.
Wild layer of chaos:
Pablo López injured while pitching
Shane Smith injured while pitching
And Kyle Teel struck out 5 times (tying the AL regular-season record in this universe). Brutal box score… but you still took the game.
Game 4 — Twins 9, White Sox 1 (9/4)
The whole game was essentially decided by one inning:
You scored first (early RBI sequence, 1–0 Sox), and then…
Minnesota detonated a 7-run 2nd inning, turning it into survival mode immediately.
Minnesota tacked on with another Rodriguez blast later — he was the biggest “series problem” for you when it mattered.
Also: Mark Mathias left after being hit by a pitch (Twins), another injury note in a series full of them.
Themes that defined the set
When your pitching stayed out of the crooked inning, you won. Games 1 and 3 were textbook: early lead + contained damage + clean finish.
One guy torched you at the worst times: Emmanuel Rodriguez’s big swings directly decided two games.
Your offense was “situational” but not explosive. You didn’t get many innings where you stacked extra-base hits together — Minnesota did.
News / Transactions impact
RP Sean Burke to the 15-day IL with a rotator cuff strain — expected to miss the rest of the season. That’s a real gut-punch for late-inning stability and workload management down the stretch.
RP Jarold Rosado had his contract selected — and the profile screams “fresh-arm leverage option”: 95–97 mph power pitcher with a big curveball and high work ethic. Even if he’s not instantly a shutdown guy, just having another capable bullpen body matters a ton with Burke out.
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