A miserable April for the Chicago White Sox ended with another one-run loss.
Byron Buxton led off the ninth inning with a walk, advanced to third on a single and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly as the Minnesota Twins beat the Sox 6-5 in front of 11,609 on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“That’s tough when you put that guy on base there in the ninth inning,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “We’ve got to keep these guys off the bases, especially guys like Buxton.”
Buxton has found multiple ways to hurt the Sox early this season. He hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of an April 23 game at Target Field, which the Twins won 6-5. He had a leadoff double in the ninth inning Monday and scored the go-ahead run later in the inning of a 3-2 Twins’ victory at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Close losses have been an early theme for the Sox, who are 3-8 in one-run games.
“Unfortunately things have just not gone our way,” said third baseman Danny Mendick, who went 2-or-4 with a two-run home run. “They just kind of answered whenever we answered to them (on Tuesday). It’s tough for sure.
“Hopefully this is not how it’s going to continue to be. Hopefully we can be on the positive side where we just close them out and score some runs and we win the game.”
The Sox had ample chances Tuesday, going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
“I thought we had some better at-bats, we have to have those at-bats with runners in scoring position — and we will,” Grifol said. “These guys are looking better at the plate and executing their game plans. It will happen, we just have to keep fighting.”
Andrew Benintendi’s homer leading off the eighth tied the score at 5.
Buxton began the ninth by drawing the walk against Michael Kopech. With one out, Manuel Margot singled to right. Buxton went from first to third on the hit. Max Kepler — who had the go-ahead hit Monday — followed with the sacrifice fly to center, helping the Twins to their ninth consecutive victory.
Tommy Pham singled to begin the bottom of the ninth, but the Sox couldn’t keep the rally going to fall to 6-24 — their worst mark through the first 30 games in franchise history. They have the worst winning percentage (.200) in the majors.
“Another heartbreaker,” Grifol said. “We have to find a way to win these ballgames.”
First baseman Jared Walsh agrees to minor-league deal
The Sox signed first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor-league deal Tuesday morning.
The 30-year-old had a .226 average with one home run and seven RBIs in 17 games this season for the Texas Rangers. The Rangers designated Walsh for assignment on April 20, and he elected free agency on April 24.
Walsh has a career .239/.301/.438 slash line with 59 home runs and 191 RBIs in 381 games during six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels (2019-23) and Rangers (2024). He was an All-Star in 2021, a season when he had a career-high 29 home runs and 98 RBIs.
The Sox also traded left-handed pitcher Bailey Horn to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
Horn, 26, was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Friday. He went 1-1 with an 11.32 ERA and 15 strikeouts in nine relief appearances with Triple-A Charlotte this season.