Kaelen Culpepper hit second for the first time in his career on Saturday night, and after a 6-4 win in Chicago his catcher had a strong opinion on why the move worked.
Down three runs after one inning at Rate Field on Saturday night, the Minnesota Twins needed somebody to start something, and the rookie that Derek Shelton had just moved up to second in the order was the one who did it.
Kaelen Culpepper had never hit higher than sixth in a big league lineup, but with left-hander Anthony Kay starting for the White Sox, Shelton bumped him up, and Culpepper answered with two hits, two runs and a run-scoring double.
How the Twins Came Back
Taj Bradley gave up a two-run homer to Munetaka Murakami and a solo shot to Colson Montgomery in the first, and through three innings the only Twins baserunner had reached on an error.
Culpepper opened the fourth with a single, Josh Bell doubled, and both scored to make it 3-2.
In the fifth, Culpepper reached on a force out with Luke Keaschall on base before Ryan Jeffers hit a three-run homer to left that put Minnesota ahead 5-3.
Miguel Vargas cut it to 5-4 with a single in the bottom of the fifth, but Keaschall singled to open the seventh and Culpepper doubled him home.
Four relievers covered the last four innings without allowing a run, and Yoendrys Gómez picked up his 21st save.
What Jeffers Sees in Culpepper
The Twins had lost 4-1 to Erick Fedde and the White Sox the night before in a game with almost no offense, so the shuffle was partly about desperation.
Shelton said afterward that Culpepper has hitting ability and that the question against a left-hander was where to put him.
Jeffers went further.
Jeffers said, "It's really hard to get him out. He puts together really good ABs nonstop for the whole game. Wherever he's at in the lineup, whether it's in the two hole or down in the eight, wherever he's been, he's going to be a really tough out, and that's annoying for pitchers."
That is a fair read on a player who is hitting .307 with 27 hits in 88 at-bats through his first 24 games, and it fits what the Twins have seen since his debut in Milwaukee in early August.
Jeffers is hitting .271 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs in 78 games.
Where the Win Leaves Minnesota
One win does not change much.
The Twins are 68-74 after Saturday, six games behind the White Sox in the AL Central and three and a half games out of the last wild card spot with 20 games to play, and they have gone 4-6 over their last 10.
Byron Buxton is on the injured list for the third time this season with a right hip injury, and Shelton said on Friday that surgery looks likely.
Joe Ryan threw a bullpen on Saturday and Shelton said there is a good chance his next start comes in the big leagues.
The real value of Saturday is what it showed about next year's team.
Culpepper, Keaschall and Jeffers look like a real core, and the resilience Jeffers talked about back in August showed up again in a game they trailed early.
The road trip continues on Monday afternoon at Comerica Park, where the Twins open three games against a Tigers team sitting below them in the standings.
