CHICAGO -- As the Twins rookies boarded their aircraft to Chicago on Wednesday, they had been in costumes picked out by starter Pablo López and shortstop Kyle Farmer. One day later, these rookies contributed in an enormous manner on the sphere.

Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis each launched homers, and Matt Wallner introduced in two extra runs to assist carry the Twins to a 10-2 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday night. The win pushes Minnesota one step nearer to clinching the American League Central.

“I just think we’re playing good baseball right now for the most part,” Wallner stated. “Just kind of trying to not do too much or focus on it too much but just keep building on how we’ve been playing this past three weeks ... and keep it going.”

Julien began the scoring for Minnesota within the fourth inning when he linked with a fastball for a 381-foot homer. Then three batters later, Lewis one-upped him by blasting a 426-foot house run.

Both gamers have now homered in two of the previous 4 video games and proceed to be huge bats for the Twins on the high of the lineup.

“Our young players, they've started their Major League careers very well,” supervisor Rocco Baldelli stated. “They came in and produced from the very beginning. They came in and looked comfortable like they could just come in and resume the good play they were giving us in Triple-A.”

After his house run on Thursday, Julien is slashing .270/.382/.460 with 13 homers, 14 doubles, and 27 RBIs on the 12 months. The 24-year-old second baseman has seen his common drop over the previous 23 video games, coming into the day with a .191 common throughout that span.

But the Twins know the expertise and the way impactful his bat may be on the plate. The crew will certainly want high quality at-bats from him within the postseason.

“To have a rookie leadoff hitter out there, it says how we feel about him,” Baldelli stated.

Lewis is one other younger participant who Minnesota wants to point out up down the stretch. The slugging infielder has overcome a number of accidents over the previous two seasons (an ACL tear and an indirect pressure) and continues to be making an influence on the sphere at a excessive degree.

His thirteenth homer in 53 video games this 12 months reveals the kind of hitter he's when wholesome. The Twins are hopeful that every one their younger gamers, together with Julien and Lewis, can finish the common season sturdy.

“There's a physical aspect and a mental aspect to that,” Baldelli stated. “It will get you to the top stronger. Sometimes, it is laborious to do while you've by no means performed till October and past.

"But that is the problem forward of those guys proper now. We do not know what they will do. But I place confidence in them.”

While Julien and Lewis blasted towering house runs on Thursday, Wallner additionally contributed with a pleasant 2-for-4 day with two RBIs and one run scored. The outfielder pulled a single to proper discipline which pushed two runs throughout within the seventh.

That two-run single is a optimistic signal for Wallner, who was within the midst of a hunch for weeks. The younger outfielder was hitting simply .169 (14-for-83) in 29 video games from Aug. 7 to Sept. 10. However, with 4 hits in three video games since then, Wallner is joyful to see a few knocks fall his manner.

“Yeah, it’s enjoyable," Wallner said of his rookie teammates. “They’re just doing so much. I’m just trying to play catch-up with them. It’s fun to have us three in the lineup and the veterans just show us the way."

Julien, Lewis, and Wallner have all been an enormous a part of the place Minnesota is at present within the American League Central race. The Twins are absolutely hoping that continues with an eye fixed towards postseason play.

“We wouldn't have as many wins if those guys didn't come up and really get the job done,” Baldelli stated.

Content Source: www.mlb.com