CHICAGO — Sean Burke gave them seven innings. Munetaka Murakami gave them a two-run homer in the eighth to tie it. Rikuu Nishida's arm held the score there through the tenth. None of it held.
Brooks Lee hit a three-run double off Tyler Davis in the top of the eleventh, and Minnesota walked away with a 5-3 win Tuesday night at Rate Field to even this four-game series. The White Sox fell back to .500, and the seven-game winning streak they had built over the Twins is done.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| CHW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
Burke Was the Best He's Been All Month
Coming in with a 5.59 ERA in May, Burke pitched like his April self.
He went seven innings, scattered three hits, struck out eight — tying his season high — and walked two. His ERA dropped from 4.08 to 3.90. Joe Ryan's line was cleaner, but Burke matched him frame for frame and gave this game to the offense to decide.
All of the damage came in one inning. To open the fourth, Trevor Larnach doubled to right. Kody Clemens tripled to score him. Austin Martin singled Clemens home. Two runs, three straight hits, nobody out. Burke pulled himself together — Drew Romo caught Martin trying to steal second, and Burke struck out the next two hitters to end it. The Twins didn't threaten again until the tenth.
One hundred pitches. Eight strikeouts. Three hits, all in the same inning.
Murakami Ties It in the Eighth
Joe Ryan was working on a shutout.
Rikuu Nishida singled with one out in the eighth. Murakami stepped in and drove a ball 380 feet to right field — his 19th home run of the season, the most in the American League, and a two-run shot that made it 2-2. Ryan had struck out nine, issued zero walks, and held the White Sox to three hits through seven-plus innings. One swing changed the ballgame.
It was Murakami's second home run in as many nights against Minnesota. He went deep off Zebby Matthews in the series opener Monday. Whatever the Twins try with him right now, it isn't working.
Nishida Keeps It Alive
Orlando Arcia came up as a pinch hitter in the top of the tenth with two outs and singled to right. Kody Clemens was heading home.
Nishida's throw beat him. Clemens was out at the plate. Rate Field got loud for the second night in a row.
It was Nishida's second outfield assist in two games. On Monday, in his MLB debut, he threw out a runner at the plate in the second inning. Tuesday night he did it again in the tenth, and kept the score at two apiece heading into the eleventh.
Lee Ends It
Kreidler was the automatic runner placed at second to open the top of the eleventh. Luke Keaschall singled. Byron Buxton drew a walk on an ABS challenge to load the bases. Three on, nobody out, Lee at the plate against Davis.
Lee saw three pitches. The third was a double to right field. All three runners scored. Five to two.
Chase Meidroth singled Murakami home in the bottom half — Murakami had been placed at second as the automatic runner — to make it a two-run game, but Yoendrys Gómez got the next two outs and that was it.
The White Sox went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight. Montgomery and Meidroth each had two hits. The opportunities were there. Eleven innings of them.
Pitcher Stats
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PC-ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 100-65 |
| Newcomb | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34-25 |
| Hudson | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14-9 |
| Davis (L, 2-2) | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25-14 |
| Ryan | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 98-77 |
| Banda | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10-8 |
| Morris | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8-4 |
| Rogers (W, 1-1) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16-11 |
| Gómez (S, 3) | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18-11 |
What's Next
Game 3 is Wednesday night at Rate Field. David Sandlin will make his major league debut for Chicago — recalled Tuesday from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move that placed Noah Schultz on the 15-day injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis. Sandlin goes against Minnesota left-hander Connor Prielipp (1-2, 4.03 ERA). First pitch is 6:40 p.m. Central.