CHICAGO (AP) – Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano each hit a two-run homer, and the Minnesota Twins denied the Chicago White Sox a chance to clinch their first playoff berth in 12 years with a 5-1 victory Wednesday night.
Eddie Rosario also went deep and Minnesota pitchers retired their final 18 batters against the AL Central leaders. Chicago, which had won six straight and nine of 10, could have secured its first postseason spot since 2008 with a win and a Mariners loss.
Seattle lost later to the San Francisco Giants.
After dropping the first two in the four-game series, the second-place Twins moved within two games of Chicago in the division standings.
Minnesota won despite losing starter Jake Odorizzi to a blister in the fourth inning.
Minnesota reliever Cody Stashak (1-0) relieved Odorizzi and was perfect for 2 1/3 innings with two strikeouts.
Tyler Duffey worked the seventh and the eighth with two strikeouts, and Trevor May struck out the side in the ninth to finish the two-hitter.
Jose Abreu homered in the fourth for the White Sox, who have lost just six times in 28 games.
Twins pitching got 18 consecutive outs after Abreu’s homer.
Rosario led off the second with a homer against Giolito (4-3), his 11th of the season.
In the fourth, Rosario opened with a walk and, one out later, Buxton homered on the first pitch to straightaway center field to increase the lead to 3-0. It was his 10th of the season and second in two nights. Buxton hit his third career inside-the-park homer Tuesday.
White Sox reliever Matt Foster issued a leadoff walk in the eighth and then gave up a two-run homer to Sano, his 12th.
Abreu hit his 16th home run in the fourth, a leadoff shot that cut it to 3-1.
Giolito allowed three runs and three hits in six innings. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA in four starts since throwing a no-hitter against Pittsburgh on Aug. 25.
Odorizzi, reinstated from the injured list before the game, had his outing cut short. The blister appeared to burst and spew blood on his right hand.
Odorizzi began the season on the 10-day IL with a right intercostal strain and returned to the club on Aug. 8. He made three starts in August, going 0-1 while allowing nine runs in 10 innings. He returned to the injured list with a chest contusion after being hit by a line drive on Aug. 21 against the Royals.
The right-hander pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run and two hits. He struck out three and walked one.
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