White Sox halt Twins' winning streak at four with 3-1 victory

Bonny Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 25, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — The Twins learned they have a solid starting rotation and a pesky offense through the first two months of the season.

The next two weeks will show if they have much staying power in a mediocre American League Central Division.

The Twins, who lost, 3-1, in their series opener to the Chicago White Sox on Monday at Rate Field, have exceeded their low external expectations with a 26-28 record through the first third of their season.

In their first chance to reach a .500 record since April 22, they were outpitched by the White Sox, a team they’re chasing in the standings. The loss ended the Twins’ four-game winning streak, which matched their longest of the season.

The Twins, beginning Monday, play 14 of their next 17 games against AL Central opponents, including seven games against the White Sox in 10 days.

In their first test against the resurgent White Sox, the Twins’ offense fell flat. They had a 1-0 lead after four pitches Monday. Brooks Lee, who will be the primary third baseman moving forward, deposited a sinker from White Sox lefty Anthony Kay into the left-field seats for a solo homer.

The lead didn’t last long.

Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami greeted Twins starter Zebby Matthews during the bottom of the first inning by driving a 97.5-mph first-pitch fastball over the right-field wall for his American League-leading 18th home run. Matthews gave up only two hits in 20 at-bats against left-handed hitters in his first two starts of the season.

The Twins ran their way out of the second inning after recording three singles against Kay. With two runners on base and two outs, Alex Jackson lined a single to right field. Orlando Arcia attempted to score from second, with Byron Buxton on deck, but Arcia was thrown out by Rikuu Nishida, an energetic 5-6, 150-pound outfielder who was making his major league debut.

Matthews issued a leadoff walk in the second inning, then watched switch-hitting White Sox catcher Drew Romo drill a first-pitch 95-mph fastball to right field for a two-run homer. Matthews, afterward, retired 14 of his final 15 batters.

The Twins couldn’t keep up against White Sox pitching. Buxton was stranded after a two-out double in the fifth, Jackson didn’t advance after a two-out double in the seventh and Austin Martin was left on third base after a two-base error in the eighth.

Teams often use Memorial Day as one of the first checkpoints to see how they stack up relative to the rest of the league. The Twins, two games below .500, had a stretch where they went 5-16; even after this loss, they are 10-5 in their past 15 games.

Offensively, the Twins are averaging the eighth-most runs per game in the majors. The Twins will take that considering Ryan Jeffers, amid a breakout season offensively, is out for at least the next month with a broken hamate in his left wrist. Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner were demoted to the minor leagues. Offseason signings Josh Bell and Victor Caratini have struggled offensively. Luke Keaschall hasn’t built off his promising rookie season.

The rotation, despite injuries to Taj Bradley and Mick Abel, has continued to hold up well with Matthews, who owns a 2.37 ERA through three starts, and rookie Connor Prielipp. The bullpen is in the middle of a solid stretch.

The next two weeks against mostly AL Central teams, however, will provide another key benchmark.