MINNEAPOLIS – Andrew Benintendi might not circle the White Sox two annual road trips to Minnesota on his schedule. But it’s a safe bet he knows when he’ll be paying a visit to his own personal offensive playground.
Benintendi continued his Target Field dominance on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and two RBIs as the White Sox beat the Twins, 3-2.
Saturday’s game was the 90th for Benintendi in his career against the Twins. He entered the game slashing .316/.381/.525 with 17 home runs and 57 RBIs in 335 at-bats against Minnesota.
His numbers are even more explosive in 45 career games at Target Field (before Saturday): .343/.400/.607 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs.
And on Saturday, Benintendi played an integral role in all three White Sox runs. For the second straight day, he singled home a run in the first inning to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. He also hit a leadoff double and came around to score in the fourth, and he hit a tiebreaking home run off reliever Andrew Morris (4-7) in the sixth.
Meanwhile, for the second straight game the White Sox held the Twins scoreless for the final seven innings. Making his first start since July 31, Erick Fedde (7-8) allowed a single run in the first and second innings, then retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.
Lefty Sean Newcomb got into a bit of trouble in the sixth when Josh Bell and Royce Lewis hit back-to-back singles with one out. But he recovered quickly, retiring the side on two popouts, then pitched two more perfect innings before yielding to Bryan Hudson, who pitched a perfect ninth.