Season-high 16R, 18H for White Sox in big W

There’s something special about the 2021 White Sox.

It was evident before their 16-4 blowout win over the Twins on Monday night at Target Field, with seven of the nine starters producing multiple hits. It was clear before Nick Madrigal launched his first career home run in the third and Danny Mendick followed two innings later with his first career grand slam.

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But Monday’s dominance reinforced the point for the short-handed South Siders. They set season-highs with their run total and with their 18 hits.

“Today we put on a little bit of a clinic hitting-wise,” said Mendick, who had a career-high five RBIs.

“People always say hitting is contagious,” Madrigal added. “We were in a really good rhythm out there tonight. Hopefully we keep it going. It was a lot of fun.”

Not so much fun for Minnesota starting pitcher J.A. Happ (2-2), who needed 37 pitches to get through a three-run White Sox first inning. The southpaw went 22 pitches without recording an out, as Chicago improved to 23-2 over the last two seasons when facing a left-handed starter.

Fun was absent overall for the lethargic, last-place Twins (13-26), who have gone from preseason co-favorite as two-time defending American League Central champion to 11 1/2 games out of first place just six weeks into the season. The White Sox (25-15) hold a 4-0 head-to-head edge over Minnesota this year, outscoring the Twins, 42-17.

Manager Tony La Russa’s crew has put together the best record in baseball and opened the biggest lead of any division’s top team -- despite one significant injury piling up after another. José Abreu was the latest standout to be sidelined, with the White Sox announcing their first baseman and leader will miss the entire Minnesota series due to left ankle inflammation suffered while sliding into home with the game-winning run Sunday against the Royals.

The series-opening victory was achieved with Abreu in mind, if not on the field contributing.

“When a guy is hurting like that, everybody wants to step up,” Mendick said. “So if your name is in the lineup, you want to play for the guy. He’s the best.”

“This wasn’t a competitive game from the start, so it’s almost like you’re finding a way to -- one, try to still win the game and get through it,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But then you get to a certain point where you’ve got to get through a game and find a way to get outs and get through innings and things like that.”

Madrigal’s homer came in his 245th career plate appearance, as he finished a triple short of hitting for the cycle. His 389-foot drive to left-center field, with an exit velocity of 99.9 mph, per Statcast, set off a raucous celebration in the visitors’ dugout.

Until he reached third and saw the celebration beginning, Madrigal managed to keep it together. It was tough for him eventually to contain a big smile, although he didn’t view the home run as something he had to prove.

“If I didn’t hit one for the rest of the year, I feel like I’m still contributing to the team in a lot of different ways,” Madrigal said. “But I mean, it’s nice to get at least one out of the way.”

Center fielder Luis Robert (right hip flexor tear) and left fielder Eloy Jiménez (surgery to repair left pectoral tendon rupture) already are out of action. But the next man up mindset continues to work wonders for the White Sox.

Chicago improved to 9-2 in a stretch of 13 straight games against the Royals and Twins, building on a resiliency and cohesiveness formed as far back as 2020 when this team first experienced playoff baseball together.

“Once you hit that kind of first stepping stone, that's when you really kind of believe in one another,” said White Sox starter Dallas Keuchel, who earned the win by allowing three runs over seven innings and fanning six. “First yourself, and then one another, and then as a whole.”

“Stepping up in tough circumstances, losing key players, that’s extra credit,” La Russa said. “Enjoy the moment and can't celebrate because there is so much ahead starting with tomorrow, win the series. Can’t get satisfied, nothing automatic about it, have to make a decision and play every day.”