30 August, 2017
Six of his nine home runs this season have come in the past nine days, and seven of those have come against the White Sox.
The White Sox defeated the Tigers, 7-1, on Sunday to win the series against Detroit.
The Twins' season has been goofy enough that making any assumptions about success would be misguided, but the next 20 days will provide manager Paul Molitor's club with an opportunity to create significant space between themselves and the six teams that started Tuesday within three games of them for that second wild card. "As of late, he's been an important part of our overall team with the way he's swinging the bat and the way he's playing defense". Against every other team, Polanco has five homers in 525 at-bats (one per 105.0 AB).
Boosted by a surge of production from their promising young hitters and buoyed by the steadiness of veteran starters Santana and Bartolo Colon, the Twins are 18-10 this month.
Not only was this Polanco's first career multihomer game, the 24-year-old shortstop became the fifth player in Twins hitter to go deep from both sides of the plate in the same contest.
In Polanco's last six games against the White Sox, going back to the beginning of last week, he's 7 for 21 with 11 RBIs and six home runs. "But I don't try to think about the past and just move forward".
Santana (14-7) allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings while striking out seven.
An overslide by Anderson of second base cost him a double in the fifth inning.
"He's doing everything right now", Santana said in praise of Polanco, who made a diving stop of Tim Anderson's groundball to start an inning-ending fielder's choice in the second. The Sox counter with James Shields. It was the first time Shields earned a decision in three starts against the Twins this season.
"He's got some juice from both sides of the plate, obviously", manager Rick Renteria said.
Minnesota Twins' Eddie Rosario hits a grounder during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday. "But no excuses, I should have pitched better".
The Twins have two more games against Chicago this week.
Since 2007, the Twins have gone 57-43 in their home games against the White Sox. Matt Belisle gave up a run in the ninth, but struck out Avisail Garcia to end the game.
Minnesota took the lead on a pair of first-inning runs. Chicago was only able to get one out from the potential double-play ball, with Brian Dozier scoring from third on the play.
There appears to be more unsafe intent recently behind Polanco's swings, and it looks as if he's trying to get more loft with his swing. "I have to do a better job of throwing the ball to second base and getting the double play". Polanco has six homers over his past nine games - all against Chicago. Polanco's blast just cleared the right field fence, putting Minnesota up 3-0. He left with a 4-0 deficit.
NOTES: The Twins announced that they would host the retirement press conference for former closer Joe Nathan on Friday.
Santana closed August with the Twins winning in five of his six outings, the right-hander not allowing more than three earned runs in any of those. It was the first AL Player of the Week honor of Buxton's career.
White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (back strain) threw another trouble-free bullpen session.
