MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Wallner hit a two-run homer, Bailey Ober had a career-high 10 strikeouts and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Wednesday night.
Ober (2-3) threw a career-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits.
“I was in control of the whole game,” Ober said. “I was controlling my tempo. I was keeping them off-balance and I wasn’t falling behind too much. I was able to stay in attack mode and I kind of noticed these guys were swinging a lot. I was able to expand a little bit.”
Wallner, the rookie outfielder from nearby Forest Lake, hit a towering homer in the sixth inning. It was his second homer in his 11th career game and first at home.
“The physical ability that Matt Wallner has, he has something in his bat and in his hands and in his body that can create some torque and hit the ball really hard and really far,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But the adjustment that he made today off of Lynn I think was probably the most important thing that I saw today from him. “
Wallner had struck out in his first two at-bats against Chicago starter Lance Lynn.
Jose Miranda added three hits for Minnesota.
Lynn (7-7) gave up four runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings. White Sox interim manager Miguel Cairo was ejected following Wallner’s homer.
Lynn was upset with third-base umpire Brennan Miller as Wallner checked his swing and Miller said Wallner didn’t go around. Wallner homered later in the at-bat, ending Lynn’s night. Cairo spoke with umpires as he went to pull Lynn from the game and was ejected.
“I think he swung and it was a strike, too,” Cairo said. “The third-base umpire missed and the umpire at home plate missed the pitch. But we’re humans. They’re humans and people make a mistake.”
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