Josh Donaldson had a lot to say before the game. He backed up his talk launching a Dylan Cease fastball for another first-inning solo home run to give Minnesota the lead. The villain punched first.
Unfortunately for Donaldson, his pitching teammates could use some sticky stuff as the White Sox bashed six home runs en route to a 13-3 victory.
The White Sox home run parade began in the second inning. On a 3-2 curve from Twins starter Bailey Ober, Brian Goodwin golfed the pitch over the right field wall for his second home run of the season and tying the game.
Yermin Mercedes walked and trotted home when Andrew Vaughn launched Ober’s hanging slider to the center field bleachers. Vaughn’s seventh home run of his rookie campaign gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead.
Jose Abreu was probably happy today was the last day of June. Suffering through one of his worst months, Abreu just had hit one home run in June. Abreu had just enough on a 2-2 fastball that it barely went over the right field wall for an oppo taco home run. His 13th home run of the season pushed the Sox lead to 4-1.
Matt Shoemaker replaced Ober in the fourth inning and whupped in the fifth inning. Yasmani Grandal hit a deep fly to center field that, for a moment, Twins outfielder Nick Gordon had made the terrific catch. When he collided with the wall, the ball popped out of his glove resulting in a three-run homer. Grandal’s 13th home run of the season put the Sox ahead, 8-1.
Before Vaughn’s home run in the second inning, Gavin Sheets hit a towering fly out that he just got a bit under. His swing and the contact made had the aesthetics of becoming his first home run in the majors. After Mercedes reached on base via walk again, Sheets had a couple of loud foul balls that suggested if he could straighten out one, it’ll leave the yard.
Sure enough, on a 2-2 sinker, Sheets homered.
While his first home run was almost caught, Grandal didn’t give any Twins outfielders a chance to rob his second dinger of the night. In the bottom of the sixth, Grandal unloaded, hitting a deep fly to the tune of 447-feet. That homer gives him the team lead with 14, and eight of those hit in June.
Despite giving up the solo shot to Donaldson, Dylan Cease was very effective on the mound. Covering six innings, Cease allowed just three hits and two runs while striking out seven.
In the second plate appearance against Donaldson, Cease induced a half swing on his knuckle curve for strike three. Next at-bat, Cease froze Donaldson on a changeup that clipped the lower part of the zone. While Donaldson got his moment and landed the first punch, Cease got the last laughs.
Cease did this while spin rates were 200+ RPMs below the season average.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli replaced Donaldson in the sixth inning with the game out of hand. Talking smack is entertaining but still doesn’t beat embarrassing your rival on the scoreboard.
Game Notes:
- In addition to his home run, Andrew Vaughn hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. His final line was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
- Gavin Sheets went 2-for-4 with the two-run homer.
- Tim Anderson had an RBI single and was replaced by Danny Mendick as a healthy scratch.
- Garrett Crochet relieved Cease, and it looks like his premium velocity returned, touching 98 mph.
- The Chicago White Sox are now 7-1 against the Minnesota Twins in 2021, outscoring them 68-32.
