MINNESOTA 7, CHI WHITE SOX 4


CHICAGO (AP) -- Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer each hit two-run homers, and the surging Minnesota Twins beat plummeting Chicago 7-4 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep and move into a second-place tie with the White Sox.

Minnesota and Chicago trail Detroit by 8½ games in the AL Central and are tied atop the AL wild card race. The Twins, who have won 34 of 42, open a three-game series at home against Detroit on Friday.

Cuddyer homered in the first inning, and Morneau broke a 3-3 tie with a long shot to right in the fifth.

The White Sox had been running neck-and-neck with Detroit but have fallen back during a skid in which they've dropped 12 of 15. All-Star left-hander Mark Buehrle (9-9) lost his fifth straight start, allowing 10 hits and seven runs in 5 1-3 innings.

He left with two runners on in the sixth. Both scored on Nick Punto's single off Brandon McCarthy that made it 7-3.

But Morneau put the Twins ahead with two outs in the fifth. With a runner on second, he connected for his 27th homer -- a shot that sailed an estimated 437 feet and landed a few rows shy of the concourse in right.

Morneau and Jason Bartlett had three hits each, and the Twins had 16 in all. Punto singled twice, extending his career-high hitting streak to 18 games.

Carlos Silva (6-9) allowed three runs and six hits in five innings, struck out three and walked one for the Twins. Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 22 chances.

The White Sox tied it at 3 with three runs in the fourth on Jermaine Dye's two-run homer and Joe Crede's RBI single.

But it didn't last thanks to Buehrle's struggles and Minnesota's hot hitting.

Buehrle's ERA has jumped from 3.22 to 4.81 during his slide. The Twins were 25-33 in early June but now are in the thick of playoff contention.

Punto singled to left in the first inning and scored when Cuddyer drove a 3-2 pitch over the left-field fence with two out. It was his 14th homer and second in three games.

The Twins added a run in the third.

The White Sox intentionally walked right-handed Cuddyer -- putting runners on first and third -- with two out to set up a lefty vs. lefty matchup between Buehrle and Morneau. The strategy failed as Morneau lined a single to left to drive in Luis Castillo, who led off with a triple, making it 3-0.

Chicago's Rob Mackowiak led off the seventh with a homer off Pat Neshek to make it 7-4.

Game notes
Buehrle's losing streak is his longest since dropping a career-high nine in a row from April 20-June 11, 2003. ... Twins manager Ron Gardenhire scrapped his plan to have C Joe Mauer serve as the designated hitter and held him out of the lineup. Mike Redmond caught and Josh Rabe served as the DH. "This gives (Mauer) an opportunity to get back-to-back (days off)," Gardenhire said. "As hard as it is to write him out of the lineup, it is the right thing to do every once in a while for him."


http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260726104

can we get a fuck yeah?

fuck yeah!!
I love it

Hells MotherFUCKIN' YEAH!!!!!!

mark buehrle sucks.

i'll support it

Justin Morneau ROCKS.












AL MVP Votes should start coming.










I am dead serious.

hell yeah... id rather see the twins in the playoffs than the pale hoes... or the spankees...

I'm waiting for Ozzie's head to explode.

venezuela!

i hate the white sox as much as the yankees, fuck them bitches

man, he's killing me fantasy team right now. although i'm in like second to last place anyways.

I made a bet at the begining of my season with my brother (who is a sox fan, I'm a cubs fan), and we each picked 2 pithchers from each of our teams and compared them based on wins, quality starts, and era. I have maddux and zambrano vs. his contreas and buehrle. I thought i was dead to rights about a month ago, but buerles suckiness (and zambrano's domination), has made it an interesting race.

He's no Garland.

Garland couldn't hit a batter if he tried.

Er...

well played indeed