Twins win The Yohan Pino game
/The eighth inning did not go so smoothly for the White Sox in Minnesota, to be honest. There are quibbles, per usual, with sticking with Jake Petricka with no help throughout the tailspin that decided the game, sticking with him as he faced Joe Mauer with the go-ahead run on third, sticking with him after Mauer had doubled the Twins ahead, sticking him as the whiff-starved reliever faced a bases loaded scenario, and sticking with him as moths descended on Target Field to devour the populace as their home team won 4-2.
But this gets away from the main thrust, which is that the Sox offense got bushwhacked by 30-year-old Yohan Pino making his major league debut for the Twins. Despite not flashy stuff, Pino struck out seven over seven innings with only five hits.
Early notions that the White Sox would rout journeyman opposing starter Yohan Pino were nearly immediately cast asunder. He struck out Adam Eaton and Gordon Beckham on his big, doughy curveball to start the night, then climbed the ladder to whiff Jose Abreu on an 89 mph fastball to start out of the second. Perhaps it was too late to be starting a baseball game.
Jose Quintana had a decent feel for some of his wipeout breaking pitches and dotted the corners with his 93 mph fastball to the tune of six strikeouts in seven innings, but also kept making substantial mistakes and all of his hits went for extra bases (five doubles, one massive second inning home run to Josh Willingham in the second). He allowed two earned over seven strong innings
The Sox secured the briefest of leads in the third behind a bases loaded single from Conor Gillaspie, who plated two and put the Sox up 2-1, but Gordon Beckham quickly sucked the fun of the accomplishment by overruning second base and turning a situation with runners on first and second with one out into Gillaspie at first base with one out, which Abreu completely diffused with his second strikeout of the night.
It was tragic, but since the Sox would break open the raw Pino sooner than later, it wasn't a telling moment until it was. Alejandro De Aza singled to the leadoff the fifth and was stranded, which served as the Sox only hit until Abreu shanked an opposite-field single to right.
Team Record: 35-38
Next Game: Friday at 7:10 p.m. CT at Minnesota on CSN
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