MINNEAPOLIS — The White Sox salvaged the Minnesota portion of their 10-game road trip with a 3-0, seven-inning victory Thursday to avoid a sweep. The game was called after an approximately 60-minute rain delay.
The Sox snapped a 14-game losing streak at Target Field, the longest road skid against one opponent in team history. They won their second of 13 road games this season and have a 1-8 series record after losing two out of three to the Twins.
Lenyn Sosa homered in the second inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Their second run came on Joshua Palacios’ bases-loaded walk in the fourth. Miguel Vargas’ solo homer in the sixth, his first since Sept. 22, 2024, rounded out the scoring.
“Sosa, we’ve seen him put good swings on balls the whole season,” manager Will Venable said. “For Vargas, to make some adjustments, to work as hard as he’s been working and to see those adjustments pay off the last two days has been great. He’s got to continue doing that moving forward.”
It was important for Vargas, who was acquired last season from the Dodgers in a three-team trade, to see results. He’s batting .163/.258/.256 for the season. Vargas went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
“Always feel good, especially after we win today,” Vargas said. “I’ve been having better at-bats, and I’ve been consistent a little bit more at the plate, too.”
The conditions were suboptimal for baseball, with rain coming down throughout the game. The field steadily got worse, and the grounds crew had to work in between innings to make it playable.
“It got really messy out there,” Venable said. “[The players] talked about it a lot but were able to bear down and make plays and pitches and get swings off when we needed to.”
The Sox are 1-6 on the trip, which concludes with a three-game set against the Athletics in Sacramento, California. The A’s swept the Sox in a three-game series April 15-17.
Dalbec at shortstop
Infielder Bobby Dalbec entered the game Wednesday as a pinch hitter for Jacob Amaya, then remained in the game at shortstop, his fifth major-league game at the position.
Venable said after the 6-3 loss Wednesday that he liked the switch because the team gets Amaya’s defense with Dalbec’s power. Dalbec started at shortstop Thursday and batted ninth.
“That was a game plan coming in where we were going to use a pinch hitter if it was the right spot,” Venable said. “Get Jacob’s defense up front and also expose Bobby to the position. So it was a good opportunity to do that. I wish he had gotten some action over there, but I think that could be part of the game plan moving forward.”
Quero’s hot stretch
Catcher Edgar Quero went 1-for-3 with a walk, giving him eight hits in his first eight games. He doesn’t carry himself like a rookie at the plate. He has a discerning eye and rarely chases on pitches out of the zone. Quero has drawn three walks and struck out just twice.