White Sox thump Simeon Woods Richardson and Twins, 6-2, win three of four in the series

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on May 28, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO – Simeon Woods Richardson was bumped out of the Twins’ starting rotation two weeks ago because of ineffectiveness, and his one-day return Thursday didn’t look any better.

Woods Richardson made an emergency start after Kendry Rojas was scratched with a pregame injury. Woods Richardson gave up five hits and five runs in 2 2/3 innings, and the Twins never recovered from their early deficit in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field.

The Twins dropped three of four games to the White Sox in the first series of the season between the division rivals. The Twins have lost 10 of their past 12 games against Chicago dating to last year.

Rojas, the 23-year-old left-hander, was scratched for his second career start because of posterior elbow soreness, the team announced one hour before first pitch. He will undergo medical imaging on his sore elbow in Minnesota on Friday.

The Twins wanted Rojas, who owns a 1.26 ERA through 14 1/3 innings, to make a spot start to give Taj Bradley an extra day of rest between his outings. The Twins are in the middle of a stretch where they are scheduled to play games for 17 consecutive days before their next off day.

Woods Richardson made two relief appearances, yielding two hits and zero runs in three innings. His velocity was up during his two-inning outing Monday, reaching 95 mph with his fastball. Manager Derek Shelton remarked that it might have been the best Woods Richardson’s splitter looked all year.

Pressed into an emergency start Thursday, it was a step backward.

Woods Richardson walked three batters , and they all came around to score. In the first inning, he issued a two-out walk to Miguel Vargas, and it immediately cost him. Vargas stole second base and scored on a single to center from Colson Montgomery.

The White Sox loaded the bases with one out in the third inning through a single and two walks. Tristan Peters, who was thrown out at the plate in the second inning trying to score with the infield drawn in, drove in a run with a slow-rolling infield single.

Randal Grichuk, the next batter, cleared the bases with a three-run double that dropped down the right-field line, ending Woods Richardson’s outing after he totaled eight outs. The 25-year-old Woods Richardson has posted a 7.74 ERA through 47 2/3 innings this season.

When it rains, it pours — even on a sunny and clear 66-degree afternoon.

The White Sox added a run in the fourth inning. Sam Antonacci hit a one-out single, and he moved to second on an errant pick-off throw from Twins reliever Andrew Morris. Munetaka Murakami followed with a fly ball into medium-depth left field, and it dropped between shortstop Tristan Gray and left fielder Trevor Larnach as they tried to avoid a collision.

One day after the Twins took a 15-2 loss to the White Sox, which Shelton called “the worst game we’ve played all year,” the offense didn’t show much life until they were down by six runs.

White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, who has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this year, gave up two hits and one run across six innings. The Twins scored their lone run against him in the fifth inning after Orlando Arcia drew a leadoff walk and Tristan Gray hit a one-out double. Arcia scored on a groundout.

The Twins, after Josh Bell hit a leadoff double in the seventh inning and scored on a sacrifice fly, tried to mount a comeback bid in the eighth. Byron Buxton hit a one-out single and Brooks Lee reached on an error, but White Sox reliever Tyler Davis struck out Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens.

Next up for the Twins is a three-game series in Pittsburgh to complete their 10-game road trip. The Twins have a 6-16 record against teams with a record above .500.