MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jose Berrios became the first Minnesota pitcher in eight years to reach 200 strikeouts, throwing seven smooth innings for the Twins in a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Berrios finished his All-Star season with a career-best 3.84 ERA and 202 strikeouts. The last time a Twins pitcher topped that milestone was Francisco Liriano (201) in 2010, with Johan Santana (235) in 2007 the most recent prior to that.
Berrios (12-11) struck out nine batters, allowing just three hits and one run on Leury Garcia’s RBI single in the third. Berrios walked four, including Avisail Garcia to lead off the sixth, but he followed that by fanning Daniel Palka, Matt Davidson and Omar Narvarez in a 10-pitch span to finish the frame with his fastball buzzing.
Though Berrios had a 4.15 ERA and just a 3-4 record in 12 starts after the All-Star break, the right-hander took another step toward being the ace at the top of the rotation the Twins have been lacking since Santana was traded 11 years ago.
Reynaldo Lopez (7-10) turned another strong start for the White Sox, with the exception of matching his season high with five walks. The righty struck out five in six innings with four hits and two runs allowed. Tyler Austin’s RBI groundout in the first and Willians Astudillo’s sacrifice fly in the sixth were all the Twins needed.
After four outs by Taylor Rogers, Trevor May struck out the last to batters to notch his second save and end the game that was a makeup from the mid-April weekend when the White Sox and Twins had three straight games postponed by a snowstorm. Paid attendance was still announced at 20,245, with a first-pitch temperature of 51 degrees.
Joe Mauer, playing possibly the final games of his career with an expiring contract and a pending decision about whether or not to retire at age 35, had two singles and is hitting .352 (19 for 54) over his last 14 starts while reaching base at least once in each.
Astudillo has 16 RBIs in his last 15 games for the Twins, who improved to 46-32 at home. They’re 27-12 since June 24, the fifth-best record in MLB in that span.
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (10-12, 5.81 ERA) takes the mound in the nightcap.
Twins: RHP Chase DeJong (0-1, 3.86 ERA) starts the second game.
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