MINNEAPOLIS — Some road trip this has been for the White Sox.
After spending two days in Baltimore without playing a game because of postponements due to violence and looting around town, they played a game in front of no fans and lost 8-2. Then they came to Minnesota and lost three in a row.
Saturday’s 5-3 loss, fueled by home runs from Trevor Plouffe and Torii Hunter against starter Hector Noesi, dropped their record to 8-13 and hiked the Twins’ mark to 12-12. The Sox hope to salvage one game on this road trip Sunday with John Danks going to the mound against Mike Pelfrey.
The Sox got their three runs on RBI singles by Micah Johnson, J.B. Shuck and Avisail Garcia, the first two coming in the second to give them a 2-0 lead.
The Sox had 10 hits, but hit into two double plays (Adam LaRoche, Alexei Ramirez) and caught stealing twice (Ramirez, Avisail Garcia). Shuck was also thrown out at second for the third out of the second trying to stretch a single into a double.
Hector Noesi lasted only 4 1/3 innings after allowing home runs to Trevor Plouffe and Torii Hunter. Plouffe’s leadoff shot inthe second cut a Sox lead in half, and Hunter’s two-run homer in the third with two outs made it 3-3.
Carlos Rodon, who could take Noesi’s spot in the rotation at some point as the Sox groom the first-round draft choice to become a starter, relieved Noesi with runners at the corners with one out and the game tie in the fifth. Rodon threw three scoreless innings. He gave up six hits and a walk but did not allow a run while striking out three.
Rodon walked Joe Mauer, then allowed an RBI single to Trevor Plouffe and a sacrifice fly to Kurt Suzuki to put the Twins in front 5-3. Noesi (0-3) was charged with five runs on five hits and two walks.
Ricky Nolasco improved to 1-1, and Glen Perkins got his eighth save with a perfect ninth for the Twins.
