More Max Kepler magic as Twins beat White Sox for ninth straight win

Jhoan Duran made his season debut and picked up his first save of the season.

Chicago White Sox catcher Martín Maldonado (15) slides to score but is tagged out by Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) at home plate during the third inning at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on April 30, 2024. / Kamil Krzaczynski / USA TODAY Sports

Max Kepler worked some magic for the second night in a row. 

Kepler broke a tie game with a sacrifice fly that scored Byron Buxton in the ninth inning to lift the Twins to a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. It came a night after Kepler hit an RBI single for the go-ahead run in the ninth inning in a 3-2 victory over the White Sox. The win is the Twins’ ninth straight. 

In a very much welcome sight for Twins fans, Jhoan Duran made his season debut and picked up his first save of the season in the bottom of the ninth. While Tommy Pham led off the inning with a single, he got the next two batters to ground into fielder's choices, each nearly ending in a double play. He struck out Andrew Vaughn to close the game and put a stamp on the victory.

Buxton drew a leadoff walk to begin the ninth inning, and Manny Margot singled after Edouard Julien struck out to put runners at first and third. Then Kepler drove in the go-ahead run for the second night in a row, leading the Twins to their ninth straight victory. 

It's the first time the Twins have won nine in a row since they won 10 straight in 2008.

Tuesday’s was a come-from-behind win for the Twins, who trailed 2-0 after four innings.

Simeon Woods Richardson pitched a 1-2-3 first inning and a shutout second inning before getting tagged in the third. Martin Moldonado led off the inning with a single, and, after Nicky Lopez fouled out, Pham doubled to center field, but Moldonando was thrown out at home. With two outs, Eloy Jimenez singled to score Pham for a 1-0 White Sox lead. 

Woods Richardson found himself in more trouble in the fourth inning after quickly getting the first two outs. Paul DeJong then hit a double to center field, and Woods Richardson walked Moldonado and Lopez to load the bases. That’s where his day would end. 

Woods Richardson pitched 3 2/3 innings in all, allowing seven hits and one run while fanning two. 

Kody Funderburk came on in relief and got Pham to hit a liner at Carlos Santana, but he dropped it and was hit with an error, which allowed DeJong to score for a 2-0 White Sox lead. 

The Twins tied it up in the fifth inning when Trevor Larnach led off the frame with a single, and after Carlos Santana grounded out, Willi Castro hit a triple to left field that scored Larnach. Then Kyle Farmer followed up with a double as he continued his resurgence at the plate. 

That scored Castro to knot the game up at 2-2. 

But Danny Mendick immediately answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, one that went 404 feet into left-center field for a 4-2 White Sox lead. 

The Twins pulled off a double steal in the sixth inning after Larnach struck out. Kepler beat the throw at second base as Ryan Jeffers took off and stole home to cut the Twins’ deficit to 4-3. But that excellent baserunning was followed up with some poor baserunning when Kepler got caught too far off third and was tagged out in a rundown to end the inning.

The Twins got back-to-back RBI singles from Carlos Correa and Larnach in the eighth inning to take a 5-4 lead, but Andrew Benintendi hit a solo homer to knot things back up in the bottom.

The score remained 5-5 until Kepler's go-ahead sac fly. The summer sausage just keeps bringing the Twins good fortune.