Trending up: Sox claim second straight walk-off

CHICAGO -- Winning two games in a row during a 162-game season doesn’t quite qualify as an accomplishment to write home about.

For the White Sox, following a 3-2 victory in 10 innings over the Twins on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, that second straight victory represented a definitive step forward. In fact, the White Sox (9-21) picked up two consecutive wins for the first time in 2023 following an April to forget.

This second straight walk-off win certainly beats losing 10 in a row, as Chicago had done heading into its seven-run ninth inning against the Rays on Sunday. But the White Sox aren't looking beyond Wednesday night’s game in following manager Pedro Grifol’s short-term-focus mantra.

“Great ball game. Anytime you have a chance to win a couple in a row, you start building a little momentum, but I'm not getting too far ahead,” Grifol said. “I'm going to stay on tomorrow's game and get ready for tomorrow.

“We dug ourselves a hole, and now we probably are going to have to take our time to get back to where we want to be. I'm not going to let anyone get too far ahead. We've got to be ready to play tomorrow."

There were contributions across the board as the White Sox improved to 2-2 overall against the Twins (17-13). But left fielder Andrew Benintendi bracketed his night’s work with a home run-stealing catch on a Carlos Correa drive with two outs in the first and a game-winning single to left off Caleb Thielbar with two outs in the 10th.

Benintendi connected on a 2-2 four-seam fastball, scoring Hanser Alberto from third. Benintendi didn’t start either of the club's last two games against the Rays after he took a pitch off his right elbow, something that still ailed him in Tuesday's series opener.

“It’s going to be sore for a while,” Benintendi said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever been hit on the elbow. It’s good enough to get out there and play. Just keep doing treatment.”

"We're not going to really appreciate everything [Benintendi] can do until Game 162, and then everyone's going to see how much he really brings to the table,” Grifol said. “I've been around him. I know him. He's a gamer; he's a winner. I wouldn't expect anything less from him than that last at-bat right there."

That run made a winner of reliever Jimmy Lambert, who kept the Twins scoreless in the top of the 10th by striking out Byron Buxton with a runner on third. Prior to that Michael Kopech and Joe Ryan engaged in an impressive pitchers' duel over six innings, with each fanning seven and allowing just one hit.

Kopech also walked five, leading to the one run scored off him by the Twins in the sixth.

“I have to eliminate walks, two-out walks,” Kopech said. “Five walks, gave away a lot of free bases. Fortunately, we were able to limit damage and keep us in the game. I have to do better keeping guys off the base.”

Not only was Benintendi back in action, but Tim Anderson returned to shortstop and the top of the White Sox order. The team went 3-15 in his absence due to a sprained left knee sustained on a play at third base at Target Field.

Sunday and Tuesday -- with an off-day between -- marked Chicago's first back-to-back walk-off victories since May 1-2, 2019, and produced the required postgame celebrations under frigid May conditions. But by the time the White Sox players and staff returned to the clubhouse, their focus was on Wednesday.

“At this point, you just have to take it day by day,” Benintendi said. “If you look any further than that, you are going to put yourself in less of a good situation. So, just focus on one day at a time and try to win each day, and hopefully, that amounts to a good streak, 10 or 11 in a row. Who knows?”

“What we did in the ninth against the Rays the other day was a huge momentum change for us and everyone knows we needed it,” Kopech said. “We kind of carried that into today and carrying that same momentum and same confidence makes all the difference for us moving forward. If we can continue to do that, we’re going to be the team that people expected us to be.”