CHICAGO — There was little doubt, after the early innings of Monday’s game, who would be walking away victorious. Things got so out of hand so early that manager Rocco Baldelli pulled stars Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton after just three innings.
The only remaining intrigue in the later innings was whether the Chicago White Sox, led by journeyman starter Martín Pérez, would be able to pull off a combined no-hitter against the still winless Twins. Willi Castro ensured that wouldn’t happen, lining a single off rookie Mike Vasil to right field with two outs in the seventh inning.
But that did little to ease the sting of a 9-0 smackdown from the White Sox — who are expected to be one of the worst teams in the major leagues again this season — at Rate Field on Monday afternoon in the opener of a three-game series in Chicago.
“It’s four games, but also it’s not about losing the games — it’s about the way we’re playing collectively right now,” Correa said. “We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to make adjustments quick, because the last thing you want is to go two weeks and this keeps dragging.”
Pérez threw six no-hit innings. It wasn’t until the fourth that he allowed a baserunner, walking Ryan Jeffers with two outs. He struck out nine, matching his career high, and left with his pitch count at 93 before making way for Vasil, who was making his major league debut.
Castro’s single off Vasil and a little squibber down the third-base line from Jeffers that just stayed fair were the only two hits for the Twins, whose offense has scored a combined six runs in four games.
“The offense, we haven’t gotten rolling yet,” Baldelli said. “We have to have better at-bats. It’s not as though the at-bats are good enough. There’s a few guys that do look good at the plate. But as a group, we’ve just got to tighten it up a little bit and hit even more balls on the barrel and draw some walks and get on base. You’ve got to force the issue sometimes.”
A quiet day for the offense was combined with an ugly Chris Paddack start. Paddack, who hadn’t pitched in a game since July 14 because of an injury, allowed all nine White Sox runs — all in the first three innings.
The starter gave up a three-run home run in the first inning and another in the second, marking the second consecutive day that a Twins starter had given up a pair of three-run blasts. Paddack allowed a third home run — a two-run shot to former Twin Michael A. Taylor — in the third inning.
“They put together some really good at-bats today. They didn’t chase,” Paddack said. “My misses, you’re talking about a ball, a ball and a half off the zone. With two strikes, that’s where I want to be. They just didn’t expand. Whenever I tried to bring that ball, whatever pitch it was, over the plate, they put good bat-to-ball on it.”
Paddack pitched into the fourth before an early hook just a day after Bailey Ober was pulled in the third inning.
The loss is the Twins’ fourth this season in as many games and second that became noncompetitive early.
“It’s been a challenging four games, no doubt,” Baldelli said. “There’s no way around it, but we have guys that they’re going to hit their stride and they’re going to play great baseball. We have not done it to this point, but we have the guys to do it.”
Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Chicago, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Originally Published: March 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM CDT
