Twins beat White Sox 4-3 in 10 innings on throwing error

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hanser Alberto’s throwing error allowed the automatic runner to score from second base and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 in 10 innings on Tuesday night.

With pinch-runner Willi Castro on second, Michael Taylor put down a sacrifice bunt. Alberto’s throw to first sailed and hit off the top of Taylor’s helmet, allowing Castro to score the game-ending run.

“It’s a regular play, so I should have made that one easy,” Alberto said. “Unfortunately, I make a bad throw.”

Taylor, who also homered for the first time with the Twins in the third, had a sacrifice bunt a day earlier that went straight to the pitcher and led to the lead runner being thrown out.

“Today I was looking to drop it down third base and actually got a really good pitch to bunt,” Taylor said. “I was able to maintain my angle and tried to deaden it as much as I could.”

Minnesota reliever Griffin Jax (1-1) worked a perfect top of the 10th, standing Chicago’s automatic runner at third.

Jesse Scholtens (0-1) was on the mound in the 10th for the White Sox, who got the game into extras after Luis Robert Jr. homered on the first pitch he saw from Twins closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth.

Duran, who blew his first save in three chances this season, responded by striking out the next three batters.

The dramatic finish capped a whirlwind day for both teams, which sent key players to the injured list. Chicago lost shortstop Tim Anderson to a knee sprain for two to four weeks. Minnesota placed Joey Gallo on the injured list with a right intercostal strain.

Minnesota’s Byron Buxton added a first-inning, two-run homer that erased an early 2-0 deficit.

“There’s electricity in his body,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “The way that when he puts a good swing on the ball. The way that he can hit the ball so flush and squarely, and backspin the ball the way he does, it’s very rare in this game that you see someone that’s so geared.”