Just when it appeared that right-hander Carson Fulmer had turned the corner on a rough start to the season, the Twins broke out the big bats against him.
Fulmer allowed a career-high four home runs (all solo shots) — including three in the third inning — as Minnesota topped the White Sox 6-4 on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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The Sox fell for the fifth time in six games, and Fulmer, who had yielded two earned runs over his previous two starts, suffered the loss to drop to 2-2.
“I didn’t make the pitches I wanted to,” Fulmer said. “I just missed some spots, and when you miss some spots to a lineup like that, you’re going to pay for it.”
After the Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead courtesy of a two-run blast by Jose Abreu, the Twins tied it in the second on Eduardo Escobar’s first homer of the game and Ryan LaMarre’s run-scoring single.
In the third, Brian Dozier (3-for-5), Escobar (3-for-4, three RBI) and Logan Morrison launched homers off Fulmer. The Sox clawed back to 5-4 on a run-scoring groundout by Abreu (3-for-4, three RBI) in the third and a homer in the fourth by Leury Garcia, but Escobar struck again with an RBI double in the fifth to complete the scoring.
The Sox had chances to tie or take the lead, but Matt Davidson ended the fifth and seventh innings by making outs with the bases loaded.
Fulmer lasted 3‰ innings and allowed five runs — four earned — and seven hits. Jose Berrios picked up the win for the Twins.
Hobbling
Second baseman Yoan Moncada left the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left hamstring.
After drawing a one-out walk, Moncada went halfway to second base on a Yolmer Sanchez (three hits, two runs scored) flyout to center field and returned to first gingerly before leaving.
“I don’t think it’s anything serious, but it’s something that is there,” Moncada said. “I can’t play my game. I can’t play free because I feel it when I’m running.”
Moncada added that some time off might be in order to fully recover.
“With two, three, four days off, I will be able to get a rest and recuperate that area and then maybe I can come back 100 percent healthy,” he said.
Fry guy
The Sox recalled left-hander Jace Fry from Class AAA Charlotte and optioned right-hander Juan Minaya to the Knights.
Fry, 24, was 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 11 strikeouts in five appearances with Charlotte. Fry made 11 appearances with the Sox in 2017 and finished with a 10.80 ERA.
Fry said the ’17 stint helped his preparation for this season.
“Getting the feet wet and learning from last year, [I saw] I was maybe trying to do too much,” said Fry, who pitched a scoreless inning against the Twins. “[I’ll] just stay within myself, get ahead of hitters [and] execute.”
Farquhar update
Jake Odorizzi and Morrison of the Twins reportedly visited Sox reliever Danny Farquhar before the game. Farquhar remains hospitalized after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm during an April 20 game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“Danny’s doing fine,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We know things are moving along in a positive manner.”