Twins 6, White Sox 4: Carson Fulmer can’t get off hook
For the second straight game, the Twins could’ve won this game going away.
This time, the Twins didn’t pay for letting the Sox hang around.
They took a big early lead by torching Carson Fulmer for four homers over the first four innings, but ended up surviving two bases-loaded-two-out situations over the final three innings to avoid another disheartening meltdown.
Credit the White Sox bullpen for keeping this one close, because it didn’t get the most pristine defensive support. Aaron Bummer, Chris Volstad, Jace Fry, Joakim Soria and Chris Beck combined to throw 5â…” innings of one-run ball. The Twins scored their only run in the fifth partially because Eddie Rosario caught Leury Garcia sleeping, stretching a leadoff single into a double.
The White Sox offense showed better against Jose Berrios this time, too. Berrios led the way to a shutout with dominant work the first time he faced the White Sox this season, but Jose Abreu took that off the board by crushing a hanging breaking ball out to left for a 2-0 lead.
Leury Garcia also homered off Berrios in the fourth, a half-inning after he cut down Jason Castro at the plate to end the inning. He contributed a two-run swing to the game by himself.
Alas, Fulmer just dug too deep a hole. The just-throw-strikes-and-see-what-happened strategy that fueled successes his last two times was foiled by the Twins, who took him deep once in the second and three times in the third. They were all solo shots, but the Twins also turned a couple of soft singles into a run with the help of another Omar Narvaez passed ball.
The Sox needed at least one more rally than they could muster. Yolmer Sanchez and Jose Abreu were both supremely effective from the 2-3 spots in the order, each going 3-for-5. Sanchez tripled and scored two runs, while Abreu homered and drove in three.
Unfortunately, the Sox couldn’t really get the 4-5-6 part of the order going. Nicky Delmonico loaded the bases twice for Matt Davidson by drawing two-out walks, but Davidson grounded out to end the fifth, then struck out to end the seventh. The Sox brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but Fernando Rodney set the side down in order for the save.
Bullet points:
*Palka dodged an error when he started the second by letting a Joe Mauer drive drift over his head for a double. Chris Beck pitched around that one.
*Delmonico ended up being the only outfielder without a misplay. In fact, he made a slick sliding catch in foul territory.
*Yoan Moncada’s hamstring once again acted up on him, forcing him to leave the game after he tweaked it retreating to first when Sanchez flied out on a steal attempt.
*Fulmer struck out a season-high six, for what it’s worth.
*Fry made his 2018 debut and stranded a runner for Volstad in a scoreless inning of work. His season is off to a far better start than his first time in Chicago.
Record: 9-21 | Box score
I’m ready for some Kevan Smith.
Tim Anderson in on pace for a 2 fWAR season, while having negative WAR on both offense and defense.
Smith is 0-for-9 throwing out baserunners at Charlotte in nine games, so that’ll get old, too.
Not expecting better. Just want different.
Sadly, if you’re looking for “better” in terms of actual catching, you’re not liable to find much of anything better in our system. Seems like pretty much everybody we have sucks in that regard.
I came away thinking, Jace Fry looked different. Better.
Why do they keep bringing Moncada back with these hamstring issues ? Â As much as I like watching him play, he needs a 10 day DL stint to get completely healthy. Â
Carson Fulmer seems like a bullpen arm and not a starter to me. Â
It didn’t seem to affect the quality of his at-bats or defense.
I still prefer the Fulmer that gets hit to the Fulmer that can’t find the strike zone.