For the first time since the day before the All Star break,the White Sox are in second place. Freddy Garcia was throwing up batting practice and the Minnesota Twins obigued him with five homers and went on to rout the Sox 12-6. Scott Baker had all the run support he needed. The Twins started quickly with back to back doubles by Orlando Hudson and Joe Mauer in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead,and had it not been for a nice grab by Paul Konerko on Denard`Span’s lead off liner,it may have been worse since the visitors left two runners on base. After the Sox failed to score against Baker(10-9)in the bottom of the first, Garcia was lit up in the top of the second. Former teammate Jim Thome hit his 579th career homer.One out later, former Brewer J.J.Hardy lifted his 5th of the season into the Twins bullpen.Span next singled,and with two gone,Mauer crushed one the opposite way into the left field seats to make it 5-0. The Sox got three back with one swing by Alex Rios in the bottom of the second after singles by Konerko and Alexi Ramirez. His three run homer into the Minnesota pen cut the Twins lead to 5-3,but Garcia(10-5)did not survive the top of the third. Jason Kubel led off with a single and took third one out later on Thome’s double into the RF corner. Tony Pena relieved Garcia and Danny Valencia greeted him with a sac fly to CF making it 6-3. The Twins added a pair in the 4th on Michael Cuddyer’s double which scored Delmon Young and Kubel. Each team scored a pair in the 6th. The Twins got a two run blast from Cuddyer and the Sox an RBI single by Mark Kotsay and a sac fly off the bat of Ramirez leaving it 10-5 Minnesota.Kubel added a two run blast off Scott Linebrink in the Twins 8th.Baker left after the sixth,giving way to Matt Guerrier who pitched the 7th and 8th and Jon Rauch who pitched the 9th and gave up the Sox final run.
NOTES—Attendance was 30,900 with many empty seats in the upper deck…..John Dan ks(11-8)faces Glen Perkins(0-0)in Wednesday night’s game…This was the Sox second loss in their last 15 games at home…..Juan Pierre had his 16 game hitting streak snapped.
LES