Donaldson drives in 2 in injury return as Twins beat Sox 8-1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Josh Donaldson returned from the injured list with two hits and two RBIs for the Minnesota Twins, who backed José Berríos with three home runs and beat the Chicago White Sox 8-1 on Wednesday night.

Jake Cave and Miguel Sanó hit solo shots, Eddie Rosario had a two-run homer and Berríos (3-3) pitched six sharp innings for the Twins. Two of Chicago's four errors directly contributed to Minnesota's highest score in 19 games.

White Sox starter Reynaldo López (0-2) struggled again, getting only five outs before Donaldson's two-run double in the second prompted a call to the bullpen. Chicago (22-15) fell one game behind AL Central leader Cleveland (23-14), with Minnesota (22-16) in third place, 1 1/2 games back.

López has logged just 9 2/3 innings in four turns this season, having missed about a month because of shoulder soreness. He managed to keep the Twins from scoring after loading the bases with no outs in the first, but Cave took him deep in the next inning on a drive that grazed the glove of center fielder Luis Robert as the rookie tried to snag it over the wall in front of the bullpen. With no crowd noise, the first sign the ball was gone came from a Twins reliever who thrust both arms in the air from behind the fence.

The Twins stopped a six-game losing streak Tuesday, directly boosted by the return of starting pitcher Michael Pineda from suspension and center fielder Byron Buxton from a sore shoulder.

Donaldson, the marquee winter addition for the Twins on a $92 million contract, missed exactly half of the 60-game season with a calf strain that has dogged him in the past. He was only 4 for 22 with four walks in seven games before getting hurt.

Just as Donaldson came back, the Twins watched two more regulars leave early with new injuries. Right fielder Max Kepler was removed after the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Donaldson-drives-in-2-in-injury-return-as-Twins-15539257.php