CHICAGO (AP) - Phil Hughes surrendered five consecutive hits in the first inning. Eduardo Nunez dropped a fly ball and Eduardo Escobar misplayed a popup in the second. Blaine Boyer faced four batters in the eighth and each of them got a hit.
At least the Minnesota Twins are heading home.
Joe Mauer and Danny Santana had two hits apiece, but the Twins closed out a disappointing road trip with a 6-2 loss to Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
“It’s a bad week,” outfielder Torii Hunter said. “You have those weeks during the season, but it just so happened to start at the beginning.”
Minnesota dropped to 1-5 under new manager Paul Molitor heading into the home opener on Monday against Kansas City. The game against the AL champion Royals kicks off a six-game homestand.
“It’s not good. Not the road trip we wanted to have,” said Hughes, who lasted six innings after getting off to the slow start. “It’s so early. We’re going home and we know the atmosphere is going to be good there. So hopefully we’ll get in a little bit of a groove.”
Sale pitched six solid innings in his return from a foot injury, helping the White Sox to their second straight win after dropping their first four games. Adam LaRoche homered for the second straight day and Alexei Ramirez also drove in two runs, including an RBI single in Chicago’s three-run eighth.
Sale, who broke a bone in his right foot in an accident at home in February, threw 72 of his 98 pitches for strikes in his first start of 2015. He allowed one run and five hits, struck out eight and walked one.
“It can always get better, but definitely satisfied with what we had today,” Sale said. “Felt good to get out there, face some major league hitters.”
Minnesota trimmed Chicago’s lead to 2-1 on Santana’s RBI double in the third, but LaRoche drove Hughes’ first pitch of the bottom half into the visiting bullpen in right.
Gordon Beckham added a two-run homer in the ninth as Chicago set season highs for runs and hits (12).
“I like the way we’ve bounced back,” Beckham said. “Yesterday wasn’t a blowout win and we got down early and it kind of showed that we’ve got some belief in ourselves to come back and get that win. Come out today and keep that momentum going.”
Sale (1-0) struck out his final two batters after Hunter reached on an infield single. The ace improved to 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 17 games against the Twins.
Hughes (0-2) allowed eight hits, struck out four and walked none. The right-hander also pounded the zone, recording 69 strikes in his 98 pitches.
“We need to do a better job of getting some better starts out of our guys,” Hughes said. “It starts with me.”
COMING HOME
The home opener is Molitor’s first game in Minnesota since he became the manager of the Twins in November. It also marks a homecoming of sorts for Hunter, who agreed to a $10.5 million, one-year contract with his first major league team in December.
“It will be a great day,” Molitor said. “Obviously we’re playing one game tomorrow, but it’s the first time I’ll have the opportunity in this role. My hometown. My home ballpark. It will be an emotional day. It will be a good day.”
WHOOPS
Making his first start of the season in left field and No. 14 for his career, Nunez had an embarrassing drop on Micah Johnson’s fly ball in the second. Escobar, who was making his first start of the year at third, dropped Melky Cabrera’s popup later in the inning.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki also had a foul popup go off his glove on a difficult play near the White Sox dugout in the fifth.
“It was kind of strange to see it happen three times,” Molitor said. “The one that Suzuki dropped was tough because it was going towards the dugout.”
UP NEXT
RHP Trevor May gets the ball for Minnesota on Monday against Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy (0-0, 9.00 ERA). It’s the first game of the season for May.
Chicago gets a day off before beginning a two-game set at Cleveland. White Sox LHP Jose Quintana (0-0, 9.00 ERA) faces Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on Tuesday night.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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