CHICAGO — With only 33 games left in the season and just about a month left before the playoffs, the Twins embarked Friday on the first of 26 games against divisional opponents.
With the the Guardians, Twins and White Sox all bunched at the top, that means a lot could change in the coming weeks as far as the postseason picture.
Against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, the Twins had a chance to reclaim a share of first place with a victory, something that's eluded them since early August. But the White Sox pulled off a walk-off victory — twice, actually — and beat the Twins, 4-3.
The bottom of the ninth was a tense one. Jorge Lopez, the Twins closer, came into a tie game and nabbed the first out but then gave up back-to-back singles. He then hit Andrew Vaughn with a high pitch to load the bases, and a disagreement about that cleared both benches and the bullpens. While that eventually settled, Lopez then appeared to hit Jose Abreu with his next pitch to gift the White Sox a walk-off win.
While the fireworks went off and the White Sox ran around the field in celebration, the Twins challenged the call, and the officials overturned it — the ball was ruled to hit his bat. So everyone had to reverse.
But two pitches later, Abreu still drove in a run on his force out; the Twins attempted to turn a double play but couldn't. Lopez angrily pounded the grass a few times as the White Sox celebrations began again around him.
The Twins fell to 67-63 while the White Sox improved to 66-66. They are still second and third in the American League Central, respectively, where just three games separate the top-three teams — with Cleveland in first.
The White Sox went with an opener, having Joe Kelly throw the first inning before Davis Martin took the next five. But the Twins jumped on Kelly, with Luis Arraez nabbing a leadoff single before Carlos Correa drew a walk. Another walk from Jose Miranda loaded the bases with just one out on the board, and Nick Gordon stepped up to deliver a two-RBI double to right field.
That 2-0 margin stood until the fourth inning, when Twins starter Sonny Gray struggled. Vaughn started the inning with a double, and Yasmani Grandal sent him home with a two-out base hit. A walk and another hit loaded the bases, and Gray hit Josh Harrison with a pitch to let in the tying run.
Gray exited after that inning, giving up five hits and a walk with just two strikeouts. He also threw a wild pitch. The Twins later announced he had left the game with right hamstring tightness. Gray left just his second start of the season with a low-grade right hamstring strain and was out for three weeks in April and May.
Gordon again gave the Twins the lead in the eighth, helping Max Kepler trot home on his groundout to make it 3-2. That inning also saw the debut of Billy Hamilton, one of the Twins' September call-ups after he signed a minor league contract with the team a week ago. He came in as a pinch runner, but the White Sox caught him stealing third.
The White Sox tied it once more in the bottom of the eighth on Grandal's solo homer off Caleb Thielbar.
