Joe Ryan picked up his first win of the season for the Twins on Wednesday night at Target Field, and he did it with flair.

Making his fifth start of the season, the 27-year-old right-hander struck out eight over six innings as the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 6-3 before an announced crowd of 12,546.

The Twins go for a sweep of the four-game series on Thursday afternoon before beginning a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday.

Ryan (1-1) recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts on April 13, a no-decision against Detroit, when he allowed three runs in six innings of work. He entered Wednesday’s game with a strikeout rate of 11.91 per nine innings, second in the American League to his opponent on the mound, the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet.

The Twins set a season high with 13 hits.

Ryan was staked to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. After Christian Vazquez brought in a run on an RBI single to right, Willi Castro lined a three-run home run into the left-field stands.

Carlos Santana #30 of the Minnesota Twins scores a run at home plate against Korey Lee #26 of the Chicago White Sox on an RBI single by Christian Vázquez #8 of the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)

It was Castro’s second home run of the season, and it came on his 27th birthday.

Ryan retired the first six batters he faced, including the first three on strikeouts, before Kevin Pillar led off the third inning with a home run to left. One out later, White Sox catcher Korey Lee homered into the second deck in left to cut the Twins’ lead to 4-2.

The White Sox stole a run in the fifth inning to cut the Twins’ lead to 4-3. Braden Shewmake reached on a one-out bunt single and moved to second on a walk to Lee. Ryan then had Shewmake picked off second, but his throw to third was late.

Shewmake was then credited with a steal of home when Vazquez was unable to throw out Lee on a steal of second.

The Twins added to their two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth. Manny Margot led off the inning with a double, and two outs later, pinch-hitter Max Kepler drove him in on a bloop single to left.

Kepler moved to third on a single by Vazquez — his third hit of the game — and scored on a wild pitch.

Matt Bowman, Brock Stewart and Griffin Jax each followed Ryan with a shutout inning.

A series sweep would be a first for the Twins this season. They have been swept twice. Bailey Ober (1-1, 4.91 earned-run average) will pitch for the Twins against Michael Soroka (0-3, 7.50 ERA).

The White Sox (3-21), already guaranteed to lose their seventh series of the season, have lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11.

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Naz Reid went undrafted in 2019 after his freshman season at LSU. He spent much of his first professional season in the G-League. He was out of Minnesota’s rotation as recently as the start of last season.

But every time a challenge hit, he pushed forward and adapted.

He got leaner and more athletic. He honed his jumper. He developed as a defender.

Ask him to play center, and he’ll do that. Small forward? He can do that, too. He may have to guard Anthony Davis on the interior one night and chase Grayson Allen around the perimeter on the next. He might play 30 minutes one night and 15 the next. But rest assured, whenever he is on the floor, he’ll give you his best effort.

Whatever Minnesota has needed from the 24-year-old in his young career, Reid has provided. He’s everything a team could ask for in a sixth man, which made Wednesday’s announcement so fitting.

Reid was named the NBA’s 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year. The honor was announced on TNT’s pregame show ahead of the evening playoff action. Reid averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds this season while shooting a blistering 41 percent from 3-point range.

He played in 81 games and was highly productive in 14 starts late in the season when he filled in for the injured Karl-Anthony Towns. Reid’s play down the stretch run of the season kept Minnesota alive in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Reid is the third undrafted player to win the honor, joining Darrell Armstrong and John Starks. He edged Sacramento guard Malik Monk by 10 points — two first-place votes — for the award, making it the closest Sixth Man of the Year race since the current voting system was put into place for the 2002-03 season.

After the award was announced, Timberwolves fans and players alike raced to social media — all to say the same thing.

“Naz Reid.”

The franchise’s cult hero is now an award winner.

In a statement, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said the team “couldn’t be more proud” of Reid.

“His contributions to our team this year were a key reason for our team’s success,” Finch said. “His growth this season and attention to detail to improve his game in the offseason were a main factor in Naz becoming the best reserve man in the NBA.”

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli raised some eyebrows when he penciled in Alex Kirilloff as the team’s leadoff hitter the first two games of the series.

Wednesday it was 6-foot-4, 235-pound catcher Ryan Jeffers getting the nod and serving as the Twins’ designated hitter. It was the first time in Jeffers’ five-year career, which spans 294 games, that he hit at the top of the order

“He’s finally realizing how fast I am around the bases,” Jeffers said with a smile.

In reality, Baldelli said the idea was to get his best two right-handed hitters, Jeffers and Byron Buxton, as many at-bats as possible against Chicago White Sox left-handed starter Garrett Crochet.

“I have no concern with changing our lineup every day based on who is playing,” Baldelli said. “The way that we are functioning now, the way our roster works, we don’t have anywhere near the ability to put a set lineup out there.

“We’re mixing and matching every day based on who is available and based on how we match up against the opposing pitcher.”

Jeffers said he wasn’t shocked when he saw the lineup card.

“Facing a lefty, I wasn’t too surprised I would be up towards the top,” he said. “Rocco prefaced earlier in the year that there would be chances I would be leading off someday.

“I’ve been hitting second for a couple weeks now, and for me it’s wherever my name is in there I’m going to go out there and treat it the same if I was hitting sixth, seventh or wherever. I’ve had success with my approach, so I’m going to try not to change anything.”

Injuries have forced Baldelli’s hand when it comes to being creative with his lineup.

“When your everyday players are not out there and you’re deciding who is actually going to be playing, it takes time,” he said. “And then you piece together an order that goes with it. It’s a lot easier when I can sit in here by myself and sketch the lineup out on a piece of paper.

“That’s the way it feels like it should be for most of the year, but it hasn’t been like that for us from opening day until now.”

Needed production

Buxton, who hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s win, is heating up after a slow start to the season. He entered Wednesday’s game 7 for 16 on the homestand, including three doubles and a home run, and three runs batted in.

“I think he’s just gaining his timing over the course of the early season,” Baldelli said, “and I think that can be the case for almost any hitter. I think he’s just seeing the ball better.

“And I think he’s getting into his lower half a little better, which is letting him get some of these pitches. And he’s hitting the ball hard.”

Duran back on mound

Twins reliever Jhoan Duran, who made his first rehab appearance with the Saints on Tuesday, met briefly with reporters in the Twins’ clubhouse before Wednesday’s game. Duran has yet to pitch for the Twins this season as he recovers from a right oblique strain.

Duran pitched one inning for the Saints, allowing two runs on four hits, and acknowledged that his velocity was down. Duran said he was mostly focused on throwing all of his pitches, and not necessarily the results.

He expects to pitch for the Saints again on Friday, with a decision to be made after that on whether he should be activated.

“He doesn’t have a hard timeline,” Baldelli said. “At this point we want to get him feeling good. When he threw his live (batting practice) here his stuff was basically normal. I don’t think anything has changed between then and now.

“He’s probably just getting settled back in on the mound. He also threw a lot of pitches (27), more than you would think most rehab (appearances) would be. But it’s good for him to get out there and put a little stress on his body, because when he comes back we want him to be ready.”

Republican Minnesota senators on Wednesday unsuccessfully pushed to speed up an ethics investigation and expulsion of a Democratic-Farmer-Labor senator facing a felony burglary charge. But for now, it appears the DFL will hold on to control of the chamber — at least for the rest of the session.

The GOP is asking for an ethics investigation just days after Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, was arrested for allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home, throwing into question whether her party can keep its one-seat majority in the Senate

But more immediately, it presents a potential hurdle for bills backed by DFLers in the final weeks of the legislative session. Votes on several major policy bills have already been delayed.

Nicole Mitchell (Courtesy of the Becker County Sheriff’s Office)

GOP senators filed an ethics complaint against Mitchell Wednesday citing the felony charge as a major concern, but also discrepancies in what 49-year-old Mitchell said in criminal charges versus a statement about the case on social media.

In criminal charges filed in Becker County District Court, Mitchell admitted to police she entered her stepmother’s home through a basement window, saying she hoped to retrieve her father’s ashes and other items of sentimental value.

But in a post to social media on Tuesday following her release, Mitchell said she was checking in on her stepmother out of concern for her well-being, and denied allegations she was there to steal.

34-33 margin

In the 34-33 Senate, Republicans seized on the opportunity to call for Mitchell’s resignation and removal. Under the current Senate ethics investigation rules, the process can take up to 30 days to begin, meaning it could start after until after the session closes May 20.

In urging members to vote no Democrats said lawmakers should respect due process before removing a colleague from office.

“It’s important to acknowledge we don’t have all the facts but this obviously is a very tough and challenging moment for this institution,” Senate Majority Erin Murphy told reporters after Wednesday’s floor session.

Sen. Eric Lucero, R-St. Michael, said Mitchell had violated the public trust, and he introduced a resolution to speed up the process to potentially remove her.

“We must have a swift examination of this serious felony charge to ensure the integrity of this institution and the state of Minnesota is upheld,” he said.

The measure failed on a on a 33-33 party-line vote. If it had succeeded, the Senate Ethics Committee would have been required to start its investigation.

Actual removal requires a two-thirds majority in order to succeed, and it’s evident DFLers had no interest in signing off on ending their majority.

Murphy told reporters she’d consider allowing Mitchell to vote remotely for the rest of the session.

Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said the Senate needs to act on the ethics investigation of Mitchell with urgency because her arrest already led to the cancelation of committee hearings and floor votes on Wednesday and Thursday.

“What you’re seeing now is the DFL kicking that down the road 30 days later,” he said. “Already, today, and tomorrow, Senator Mitchell is having an impact on the business of the Minnesota Senate.”

Other lawmakers criminally charged

Several other sitting Minnesota lawmakers have been charged with a crime while in office, and none have stepped down. Most of them were for driving while intoxicated, and none have faced felony charges.

John Jasinski, R-Faribault, Tou Xiong, DFL-Maplewood, Brion Curran, DFL-Vadnais Heights and Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, have all pleaded guilty in DWI cases.

Northwest Minnesota Rep. Matt Grossel, R-Clearbrook, pleaded guilty to DWI in 2023, and was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing after refusing to leave a hospital he ended up at after being drunk and disorderly and shoving a security guard at a hotel near the state Capitol.

In 2021, House DFLers expelled St. Paul Rep. John Thompson from their caucus due to allegations of domestic abuse and misconduct. Thompson didn’t get expelled or resign, but he eventually lost a primary challenge and left office at the end of his first and only two-year term in 2023.

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