MINNEAPOLIS — Nick Blackburn fought through five innings and the maligned Minnesota bullpen didn’t flinch, pitching the Twins past the White Sox 3-2 on Wednesday night to pull within a half-game of first-place Chicago in the AL Central race.
Making up for Javier Vazquez’s flop in a 9-3 loss the previous night, Mark Buehrle (14-12) gave the White Sox the big-game effort they needed after he fell behind 3-1 in the second inning. He got plenty of Twins to chase pitches out of the strike zone, but that didn’t faze them.
“I think we probably got a little too aggressive at times, but I told our guys to play,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Play the game and have some fun.”
Blackburn (11-10) gave up eight hits and two walks, but he was tough enough when it counted to hold the lead. Craig Breslow, Boof Bonser and Jose Mijares followed, and Joe Nathan handled the ninth for his 39th save of the season and 200th of his career.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better than that,” Blackburn said. “They came in, did their job and got those guys out. No drama. It was great.”
After hitting three homers Tuesday, the Twins went back to what they’re used to — getting the ball on the ground and racing around the bases.
“They’re a pain,” Buehrle said.
