Chicago @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2019 ) Minnesota 10, Chi. White Sox 5

The Minnesota Twins did what they had to do over the weekend and look to begin putting away the American League Central title as their final 13 games are against the bottom three teams in the division, including the opener of their three-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday. The Twins swept a doubleheader from second-place Cleveland on Saturday before losing the series finale 7-5 and lead the Indians by 4 1/2 games with two weeks left in the regular season.

“We’ve been playing great. It was a great series, it really was,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters on Sunday. “It was a tremendous job by our guys to come in (Saturday). The resiliency, the effort we got from everyone, top to bottom, it was amazing.” Baldelli held Jose Berrios back one day to make the start on Monday while Chicago’s Reynaldo Lopez tries to limit the power of Minnesota, which has tied the major-league record with four players (Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Mitch Garver) registering at least 30 homers and need one from Miguel Sano to set the all-time mark. The White Sox coughed up a five-run lead in Sunday’s 11-10 setback at Seattle - their 14th loss in 19 games despite three more hits from Yoan Moncada, who has gone 10-for-19 over his last four contests and has reached base in 13 straight. Chicago’s Tim Anderson leads the AL with a .332 batting average and has registered a major league-high 66 hits since the beginning of August.

TV: 7:40 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Reynaldo Lopez (9-13, 5.35 ERA) vs. Twins RH Jose Berrios (12-8, 3.63)

Lopez has sandwiched two rough outings around his first career complete game on Sept. 5, when he held Cleveland to one run on one hit and three walks. The 25-year-old Dominican gave up six runs and nine hits (four homers) over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Kansas City on Wednesday and retired just two batters while yielding six runs at Atlanta on Aug. 31. Cruz is 3-for-6 with a homer versus Lopez, who has gone 0-2 with a 10.24 ERA in two starts against the Twins in 2019.

Berrios broke out of a slump Tuesday with one of his best outings of the season as he limited hard-hitting Washington to two hits over seven scoreless innings en route to victory. The 25-year-old Puerto Rican had given up 33 runs - 29 earned - and 47 hits over 32 1/3 frames in his previous six turns, serving up eight homers in the process. James McCann is 7-for-21 with three blasts against Berrios, who is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts versus the White Sox this year.

WALK-OFFS

1. White Sox 1B Jose Abreu has gone 12-for-35 during his 10-game hitting streak and leads the AL with 117 RBIs.

2. Minnesota rookie OF-INF Luis Arraez has reached base in each of his last 14 contests, going 20-for-50 in that stretch.

3. Chicago rookie LF Eloy Jimenez has hit safely in seven straight games, going 11-for-28 with three homers and 11 RBIs.

PREDICTION: Twins 5, White Sox 3