Sale slices up Twins

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chris Sale threw six scoreless innings to notch his 17th victory after being rained out the night before, helping the Chicago White Sox keep their one-game AL Central lead by beating the Minnesota Twins 6-0 on Friday.

Sale (17-6) scattered three singles and struck out five without a walk, cruising to his third win in three starts against the Twins this year.

Sale was supposed to pitch on Thursday at home against Detroit, but the last matchup of the season between the two division front-runners was postponed until Monday by the wet weather. The Tigers, who beat Cleveland 4-0, are one game back in the race.

Dayan Viciedo had two RBIs, Kevin Youkilis homered and Alex Rios doubled, scored and drove in a run for the White Sox, who played without injured slugger Adam Dunn for the seventh straight game. Dunn, who has a strained right oblique muscle, could return to the lineup on Saturday.

The White Sox improved to 12-4 against the Twins this year. But they’re just 5-12 against the Tigers, with losses in nine of the last 10 meetings.

Tags: sports, baseball, mlb, twins