Royce Lewis has 4 RBIs, Twins send White Sox to 18th straight loss with 10-2 romp

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Royce Lewis homered and had a season-high four RBIs and the Minnesota Twins sent the Chicago White Sox to their 18th straight loss, romping to a 10-2 victory Friday night.

The futility streak is the longest in the majors since Baltimore lost 19 straight in August 2021. Chicago had just three hits.

Willi Castro and Byron Buxton homered in a six-run eighth inning.

Miguel Vargas went deep for the White Sox.

The White Sox have been outscored 112-39 during their skid and scored three or fewer runs in 13 of 14 games since the All-Star break.

“Going out there and winning games is what we need to think about,” Vargas said.

Lewis lined a two-run home run in the first and laced a two-run double to the gap in right center in the third.

“I just got some pitches that I think he left over the middle plate a little more than he wanted to,” Lewis said.

A sparkplug for Minnesota’s offense when healthy, Lewis was 4 for 19 in his previous six games after missing 16 because of a right adductor strain. A right quad strain in the season opener led to 63 games being missed.

He has 12 home runs and 25 RBI in 31 games this season, and he has eight games of at least four RBI in 101 career games.

In the eighth, Christian Vázquez had a two-run double before Castro and Buxton each hit two-run home runs.

Joe Ryan (7-7) allowed three hits and struck out seven across 6 1/3 innings for his first victory in four starts. He has 25 straight starts of at least five innings. That includes all 22 this year, the fourth-longest streak in baseball.

“I think it’s a nice, real step for a Joe Ryan at this point in his career to sit here and say, `We expect him to go out and pitch like that,’” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I wouldn’t say that unless it was the case. It is the case. He’s doing his job and then some right now.”

Ryan struck out the first four Chicago hitters and did not allow a hit until Vargas went deep for his first White Sox home run, a two-run shot in the third. Vargas was acquired from the Dodgers on Monday as part of a three-team trade that included St. Louis.

Making his first start since Oct. 5, 2022, Davis Martin (0-1) allowed four earned runs on six hits and struck out five in 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander had Tommy John surgery in May 2023, and made his season debut with 2 2/3 innings of relief last Saturday.

He was one strike away from getting out of the first inning, but a 3-2 slider to Lewis landed halfway up the left-field seats for a 2-0 Twins lead.

“When you leave something over the middle of the plate he hits it. We wanted to try and do some stuff, but just didn’t execute very well and he capitalized on them,” Martin said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Drew Thorpe was placed on the 15-day Injured List, retroactive to Thursday, because of a right flexor strain. RHP Prelander Berroa was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Twins: RF Max Kepler did not play two days after striking out but getting hit in the helmet by Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez’s attempted throw to second base. Baldelli said Kepler passed all concussion-protocol tests but needs to go through a full workout.

LHP Garrett Crochet (6-8, 3.23) was scheduled to start for Chicago on Saturday night against RHP Bailey Ober (10-5, 3.76).

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