CHICAGO — Brooks Lee is just days into his major league career, but the early returns have shown just how ready, just how polished the infielder is.

Lee has a hit in each of his first six games and in four of those six, he has at least two.

His second hit on Monday came at the best possible time for the Twins, driving in Max Kepler to break open a tied game. The Twins and Chicago White Sox had gone back-and-forth all night, but Lee’s 11th-inning single finally gave the Twins the lead for good in their 8-6 extra-inning win in the series opener at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The switch hitter lined a single to center to put the Twins on top. The next batter, Manuel Margot, grounded out to first, allowing Byron Buxton to race home and give the Twins a cushion.

The Twins got contributions from their veterans — Buxton had three hits and scored two runs and Carlos Correa hit a home run — and their youngsters in the win.

Chicago White Sox’s Nicky Lopez, right, and Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, left, watch Lopez’s RBI double off Twins relief pitcher Griffin Jax during the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 8, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Lee drove in Buxton with his first hit of the game and came home to score as Matt Wallner, recently called up from Triple-A, lasered a pitch at 116.7 miles per hour, tying the game up at the time after the Twins had fallen behind by three runs a half inning earlier.

Every Twins starter had at least one hit  — Jose Miranda, the hottest hitter on the planet currently, was one of five Twins with at least two — as the offense continued its assault on opposing pitchers.

In the Twins’ last five games, they have now scored 44 runs. In four of those games, they’ve scored at least eight runs.

But while the Twins’ offense was on the attack all night, beginning with Trevor Larnach’s home run in the first inning, the White Sox simply would not go away.

After the Twins took leads in both the first and fourth innings, the White Sox rallied to tie the game.

Starter Chris Paddack, back after a stay on the 15-day injured list for shoulder fatigue, gave up two runs in his five innings, surrendering just three hits.

But the White Sox surged ahead after his departure, rallying for three runs in the sixth inning and then tying the game up in the sixth. In the end, though, they couldn’t keep pace with the Twins’ relentless, well-balanced offensive output.

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Two teens were killed and one seriously injured after a high-speed crash in Sherburne County on Saturday.

The driver of the vehicle, Donovan Paul Gobel, 17, of Elk River, and passenger Anthony Scott Krider, also 17, of Elk River, were killed in the crash, according to a Minnesota State Patrol report.

Another passenger, Charles Walter Gabrelcik, 17, of Elk River, suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, according to the report. He was taken to Hennepin Healthcare for treatment.

The one-vehicle crash occurred at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Highway 25/Pleasant Avenue in Big Lake, according to the report.

According to the report, a Big Lake police officer was southbound on Highway 25 and observed a 2011 BMW 535 traveling northbound on 25 near Tarrytown Road in excess of the posted speed limit.

The officer turned around in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop on the BMW. The officer came upon a crash where the BMW left the roadway to the right and rolled, according to the report.

All three in the BMW were wearing their seat belts, according to the report. The car’s airbag deployed.

Big Lake police and fire, CentraCare Ambulance; Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office and Becker police responded. The crash remains under investigation, according to the report.

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CHICAGO — The Twins had no idea how long Chris Paddack would be down when they placed him on the injured list on June 25 with shoulder fatigue.

But Paddack himself expressed his hope that he would be back before the all-star break to make one or two final starts in the first half.

He got his wish.

Paddack was activated ahead of Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, taking the mound for the first time since June 21. Over the month of June, Paddack, who spent much of last season rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery, described his body and arm feeling heavy. His velocity took a dive, and the results suffered.

But now, “he’s in a much better spot,” than he was when he landed on the injured list, manager Rocco Baldelli said.

“His arm, his body, I think he was wearing down a little bit,” Baldelli said. “I talked to (pitching coach) Pete (Maki) specifically about it this week. He said, ‘I think he’s in a great spot. I think his arm is feeling the way he wants it to feel. The stuff has been very good in the bullpen. He’s ready to pitch.’ When I hear he’s ready to pitch, that’s what it really comes down to.”

While Baldelli said they knew a shutdown period was “probably likely” at some point, they couldn’t predict when or how long it would be.

It ended up being just two starts.

“I think it was, ultimately, clearly the right move,” Baldelli said.

Miranda named Player of Week

For a week in which he tied a long-standing Major League Baseball record, recording 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit, Twins infielder Jose Miranda has been named the American League Player of the Week.

Miranda hit a cool .700 (14 for 20) on the week, leading the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and hits. In the process, he set a new team record by reaching base in 13 straight plate appearances — 12 hits and a hit by pitch.

Miranda had five hits in the Twins’ win over Detroit on Thursday and followed that up with four the next day, only the 11th time in team history that a player had consecutive four-hit games.

Stewart to start rehab

At long last, Brock Stewart is finally set to begin a rehab assignment, a good sign that his return is near. Stewart, one of the top relievers in the Twins’ bullpen when healthy, was placed on the injured list on May 3 with right shoulder tendinitis.

He is scheduled to pitch on Tuesday in Louisville. The Twins have not laid out a plan for him publicly, though given the length of time he has missed, it’s expected that he will make multiple rehab outings.

Briefly

Bailey Ober will take the mound on Tuesday in the second game in Chicago, opposed by White Sox starter Eric Fedde. … Josh Winder was sent down to Triple-A to make room on the roster for Paddack. Winder pitched in one game this week and gave up four runs, three of them earned, over two innings. … Carlos Correa was in the lineup Monday a day after exiting the game early after getting hit by a pitch on the hand.