Mickey Gasper drove in a career-high three runs, and Matt Wallner hit his 21st home run of the season, but Minnesota’s bullpen melted down in the seventh inning and the White Sox rallied to sweep a four-game series with a 11-8 victory Thursday at nearly empty Target Field.

Luke Keaschall went 4 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored — the rookie’s first four-hit game — and Taj Bradley pitched in and out of trouble for five innings to leave with a 6-4 lead.

Taj Bradley #26 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Target Field on Sept. 04, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Gasper made it 7-4 with a run-scoring fielder’s choice against a drawn-in infield in the sixth, but the White Sox posted rocked relievers Travis Adams and Genesis Cabrera for five runs in the seventh inning to earn their fifth straight win.

“We were in a good spot,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We just couldn’t stop them from scoring.”

The White Sox ripped Twins pitchers for 14 hits, and Colson Montgomery sealed Chicago’s victory with a two-run home run off Noah Davis in the ninth inning.

It was cool and raining at the game’s 6:40 p.m. starting time, and it didn’t clear until shortly before the game got underway at 8:10 p.m. By then, there were few of the announced crowd of 13,188 left in the stadium to see the Twins swept by the team with the American League’s worst record (53-88).

Adams pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning before running into trouble in the seventh. He allowed back-to-back singles to Michael A. Taylor and Edgar Quero before Kyle Teel hit a four-seam fastball 418 feet, at 113.7 mph, into the right-center bleachers to tie the game, 7-7.

Adams (1-3) then hit Lenyn Sosa with a pitch before being pulled for Cabrera, who hit the first batter he faced and allowed two more runs on a balk and sac fly by Andrew Benintendi to give the White Sox a 9-7 lead.

The Twins blew a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning on Wednesday, losing 4-3.

“We’ve got to close the door at some point and win one of these games,” Baldelli said.

Bradley gave up three runs in the third inning on three hits and a walk, but the Twins scored five in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead. The young right-hander was charged with four earned runs on eight hits and a walk but struck out seven. He gave up a run in the fifth but had done enough for his seventh major league victory.

Gasper was pinch-hitting for Ryan Jeffers, who left the game with a head contusion, when he capped a five-run fourth inning with a two-run single to center off left-hander Tyler Alexander.

Jeffers, who took two baseballs off his helmet in quick succession in the third inning, was evaluated during the game and will be re-evaluated Friday in Kansas City, where the Twins start a three-game series against the Royals.

“Basically, we’re just going to monitor him tomorrow when we get to the ballpark, run him through some sort of workout,” Baldelli said. “I don’t know if it’s a baseball workout or not. But we’ll monitor him and evaluate him and see how he is. So overall, relatively positive, but we’ll see how he is tomorrow.

Gasper fielder’s choice grounder to first with the infield in scored Keaschall in the sixth inning to give the Twins a 7-4 lead.

Briefly

The Twins were expected to make a late roster move to get Pablo Lopez, out since June with a shoulder injury, back on the 40-man and active rosters. He’s expected to pitch sometime in Kansas City, possibly as early as Friday.

 

When the Lynx played the New York Liberty four times in a three-week span just over a month ago, there was plenty of talk about it being a possible preview of a WNBA Finals rematch.

With the league’s best record, Minnesota has continued to do its part in making that happen. While the Liberty have faded, Thursday’s Lynx opponent entered with 12 straight wins and in a tight battle to finish second before the playoffs begin Sept. 14.

In a matchup of arguably the two best teams in the league right now, Las Vegas made it 13 in a row by pulling away early in the fourth quarter for a 97-87 win over the Lynx. The last Aces’ loss was 111-58 at home to Minnesota Aug. 2.

Through three quarters both teams were shooting better than 50%, the Aces had one more turnover at 9-8 and rebounds were 19-18 Lynx.

Up by four starting the final quarter, Las Vegas turned up its defensive intensity, made six of its first eight shots, and used a 9-1 run for an 85-72 lead with 4:42 left.

Minnesota was 2 for 6 with four turnovers to that point in the quarter. With the postseason No. 1 seed locked up, the Lynx’s starters sat the rest of the game. The Lynx have three games left.

Natisha Hiedeman led Minnesota (32-9) with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists off the bench. Courtney Williams had 14 points, Alanna Smith 13 and Napheesa Collier 12. The Lynx shot 53.7% from the field, making at least 51.5% in five of the past six outings.

A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas (27-14) with 31 points and eight rebounds. Jackie Young added 20 points. The Aces shot 55.1%.

“It was disappointing to waste a solid offensive effort,” coach Cheryl Reeve said after the game. “It means our defense didn’t rise to the occasion. We were pretty pedestrian.”

Up by three at the break, the Aces used an 11-4 run midway through the third quarter for a 63-55 lead. Minnesota got seven straight points by Hiedeman, including a 3-pointer after an aggressive offensive rebound by Bridget Carleton.

Carleton, who had four 3-pointers Monday, made three triples early but did not take another shot.

The Lynx played without high-energy DiJonai Carrington, who is day to day with a left shoulder subluxation.

“I know it’s improved. We want to make sure she’s ready when she gets back on the floor,” Reeve said pregame.

Wilson scored 17 points and Las Vegas had a 47-44 lead after an opening half where neither team led by more than five points and both teams shot over 50%. Every Lynx starter had at least seven points, led by 10 from Williams.

Related Articles

Lynx breeze past Dallas and Paige Bueckers

Lynx clinch top seed in WNBA playoffs by beating Connecticut

Seattle blitzes Lynx with 60-point second half

Timberwolves and Lynx hire Florida Panthers CEO to same position

Lynx top Fever in Napheesa Collier’s return

Kylee Paben, the top girls basketball recruit in Nebraska, has committed to Dawn Pitzuweit’s Minnesota basketball team for the 2026 season.

Paben, 6-foot-1 forward from West Millard High School in Omaha, is the state’s top recruit, according to prepgirlshoops.com. She announced her commitment Thursday on her x.com and Instagram accounts.

“I am beyond grateful and excited to announce my commitment to the University of Minnesota to continue my academic and athletic career!” she wrote on X. “I would like to thank all my coaches, teammates, trainers, and family for all the support!”

This summer, Paben averaged 19.9 points for UAA team Nebraska Attack. She chose Minnesota over a long list of suitors that included Creighton, Lehigh and North Dakota.

Paben joins Crosby-Ironton point guard Tori Oehrlein and shooting guard Natalie Kussow of Hartland, Wis., as Minnesota commitments for the 2026 class. Both are four-star recruits, according to 247Sports.com.

Related Articles

Gophers football vs. Northwestern State: Keys to game, how to watch, who has edge

Get to know breakout Gophers receiver Jalen Smith

Minnesotans can now wager on sports winners. Here’s how

Gophers football: Is Drake Lindsey’s debut being overlooked?

Gophers football: Oklahoma lineman leaves U class for 2026

Rocco Baldelli hopes Twins fans are seeing what he and his staff are seeing. The team might be 11-20 since it sent 10 of its best players to other teams at the trade deadline, but it’s learning to play a different brand of baseball.

And the Twins manager sees it happening.

“We’ve made a ton of positive moves and adjustments since the trade deadline and our roster changed,” Baldelli said before Thursday’s series finale against the White Sox at Target Field.

Brooks Lee #2 of the Minnesota Twins throws the ball to first base to get out Jose Iglesias #7 of the San Diego Padres during the seconds inning at Target Field on Aug. 31, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images)

With a roster full of young players trying to plant their flag in the major leagues, there is a lot of teaching going on, he said. A lot of these players are getting their first real chance to play every day — from utility man Austin Martin to infielder Luke Keaschall, a revelation in his first 32 major league games.

Although the Twins are closing out a lot of games — since going 4-3 in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, they’re 7-17 — Baldelli is seeing plays that make him to turn to bench coach Jayce Tingler and say, “That’s a good sign.”

“You could (assess) it player by player, or you could look at the team as a whole and say, ‘We’re playing a different style. I think it has a chance to be a real effective style going forward,’” the manager said.

Asked to describe the team’s new style, Martin said, “It’s just playing baseball.”

“We’re not a one-dimensional team,” he added. “Even if you have a team full of sluggers one through nine, you’re not gonna hit a home run every day. You have to learn different ways to beat teams. … Pitching, defense, getting on base, putting pressure on the defense; it impacts every part of the game, as well.”

The experience is invaluable for a player trying to establish credibility.

Martin, called up from Class AAA St. Paul after the deadline, has played in 29 of the team’s 31 games since the deadline — starting two at second base, 10 in center field and 13 in left field.

His running, backhanded catch of an opposite field line drive to left on Wednesday robbed Kyle Teel of a likely double to end the fifth inning. The jump he got was a tangible sign of improvement in the outfield.

“Getting those types of jumps consistently, those are the types of plays that have the chance to make Austin a really good player,” Baldelli said. “He is that type of athlete … and adding the element of being an above-average left fielder to his game, I think, is vital, and something he’s fully capable of doing.”

Brooks Lee, the team’s top draft pick in 2022, is getting his first extended shot to show the Twins he can be an everyday shortstop. He played 14 full games there in the Twins’ first 89 games, but since Carlos Correa was traded back to Houston, he has played short in all 31 games.

A sure-handed infielder, Lee knows that if he wants to stay at short, he has to keep expanding his range and get to more balls.

“That will be the biggest focus,” he said. “It’s always been, honestly, to make sure I stay at shortstop.”

To that end, he has added a new tool to his belt — the long hop. Until this year, the strong-armed infielder had never done it, not intentionally.

“My whole life, I just tried to get everybody through the air,” he said. “Then just this year, playing third and playing short, I’ve tried to utilize that a little more. It definitely makes it a little bit easier.”

If the Twins didn’t officially cede a chance at the postseason when they traded away players such as Correa, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Willi Castro and Ty France, they certainly made it more difficult. What’s left now — the Twins are 11th in line for the third wild card spot, 10 1/2 games back — is working for next season and beyond.

With many of the young players, there are daily successes, Baldelli said. Steps toward being productive major leaguers — a good jump, an opposite field line drive, a stolen base, laying off a pitch out of the zone. If it’s a good baseball play, enough of them will eventually lead to wins.

“With a lot of young players on the active roster right now, you might end up with a few more of those things on a game-by-game basis than you would in other years or with other groups — which gives you more to do and more to talk about,” he said. “Which is good.”

Briefly

Right-hander Pablo Lopez, out since June with a shoulder injury, is likely to be activated from the 60-day injured list and make a start in this weekend’s series at Kansas City.

Related Articles

Twins cough up lead in ninth in loss to White Sox

Could Byron Buxton get to 30/30? Don’t ask him

Twins blown out in front of sparse Target Field crowd

Twins not expecting starter David Festa to return this season

Twins give up two in the eighth, fall to White Sox