Nelson Cruz collects 7 RBI as Twins trample White Sox
Nelson Cruz continued to torture the White Sox as his seven RBI helped lead the Twins to a 14-2 win to take the season-opening series on Sunday afternoon.
The win was paced by another strong start in the first inning that included Cruz delivering a one-out double. The Twins eventually loaded the bases for Jake Cave and the center fielder delivered with his second career grand slam to put Minnesota ahead 4-0.
After Chicago starter Reynaldo Lopez left due to injury, Cruz got on the scorecard again in the second delivering a three-run double that put the Twins up 7-0. The Twins added two more runs off an RBI double by Eddie Rosario and an RBI single to go up 9-0 before Cruz unleashed his first home run of the afternoon in the fourth inning.
Armed with a 10-0 lead Kenta Maeda had a solid Twins debut allowing two runs over five innings with six strikeouts and a walk for a 10-2 lead that went into the eighth inning where Cruz launched a three-run blast to pile on.
Marwin Gonzalez added a solo shot in the ninth and the Twins took home an important series victory with the win. The Twins will head back to Minnesota to face the St. Louis Cardinals in their home opener on Tuesday night.