CHICAGO (AP) - Matt Lindstrom’s second outing as Chicago White Sox closer didn’t go as well as his first.
Lindstrom allowed two runs in the ninth inning to squander a lead, and the White Sox lost 10-9 Thursday to the Minnesota Twins.
Named the closer on opening day, Lindstrom (0-1) saved that day’s win, but he couldn’t hold the 9-8 edge they had Thursday after Marcus Semien hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning off Caleb Thielbar (1-0).
With two outs in the ninth, Trevor Plouffe singled to tie it. Oswaldo Arcia’s triple off the wall in center then gave Minnesota a 10-9 lead, depriving the White Sox their first 3-0 start since 1992 and handing them a tough loss on a day played in raw 37-degree weather.
“The biggest thing that I’m feeling right now is the guys battled so hard in the cold weather,” Lindstrom said. “We put up some runs on the board, we came back when we were down, guys putting together great at-bats, playing good defense, so it feels bad kind of letting the team down in that sense.”
Lindstrom wasn’t the only White Sox reliever to struggle on a day where they couldn’t hold an 8-5 lead and the offense came back from a 5-1 deficit. Along with Semien, Alejandro De Aza and Adam Dunn homered while Jose Abreu had four runs batted in and Tyler Flowers had four hits.
Nate Jones faced two batters in the seventh, was charged with two runs and had a relapse of the strained gluteal muscle he struggled with in spring training. Ronald Belisario gave up Josmil Pinto’s tying homer in the eighth, giving Jose Quintana his first no-decision after getting 17 last year, and then Lindstrom couldn’t hold the lead.
Quintana went six innings and allowed five runs - two earned.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura wasn’t too concerned about the slow start of the bullpen, which also allowed four runs Wednesday.
“I think it’s a pretty small sample,” Ventura said. “If you look around the league, there’s been a lot of stuff happening with bullpens so I’m not going to sit here and overreact to it.”
Ventura gave credit to the Twins offense, and Arcia and Chris Colabello did especially well.
Arcia had been 0 for 13, but his empty start ended at the best time for Minnesota, which gave manager Ron Gardenhire his 999th career win.
“Obviously, every day we’re just going out and trying to compete,” Arcia said through a translator. “We competed the whole series and looking forward to carrying this one over.”
Colabello would like to do the same.
Colabello’s three-run double in the third gave Minnesota a 3-1 edge, and his fifth-inning double off Quintana gave the Twins a 5-1 lead. He also had an RBI groundout in the seventh to complete a career game.
“Obviously, I had to have guys on base in front of me,” Colabello said. “Just tried to have good at-bats.”
What Colabello and Arcia did helped the Twins win in starter Phil Hughes’ debut.
Signed by the Twins to a three-year, $24 million contract after spending seven years with the Yankees, he lasted five innings in his debut and allowed four runs, seven hits and two home runs while striking out seven.
Glen Perkins got his first save after blowing a chance Wednesday.
NOTES: White Sox 2B Gordon Beckham was expected to start a rehab stint Thursday night for Double-A Birmingham. Beckham is on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. . Ventura joked that delays for instant replays are annoying “if they go against us” before saying “that’s part of it and we’re going to have to deal with it.” .. The White Sox went 26-50 against the AL Central last season, and Ventura stressed that the White Sox must improve against the division. “You got some people that made the playoffs probably because of our won and loss record.” . The Twins reinstated LHP Brian Duensing from the paternity list before the game. RHP Michael Tonkin was optioned to Triple-A Rochester… RHP Erik Johnson is scheduled to start Friday for the White Sox in Kansas City against RHP Jeremy Guthrie. . Twins RHP Mike Pelfrey will face Indians RHP Danny Salazar on Friday in Cleveland.
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