Lucas Giolito gave up two hits over eight innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts, guiding the White Sox over the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Wednesday.

Giolito (3-4) threw 111 pitches in his longest start of the year, another stride forward after a rough first month. The third-inning fastball that Nelson Cruz hit to center for his 10th home run accounted for Minnesota's only runner past second base. Cruz also singled in the first.

Giolito faced the minimum batters from the fourth inning on.

Liam Hendricks pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances, celebrating a game-ending strikeout of Max Kepler with a shout and an exaggerated arm pump. The White Sox are 14-2 after losses this year.

The White Sox just finished a 13-game stretch against the Twins and Kansas City Royals at 10-3.

Leury Garcia hit a leadoff double against Matt Shoemaker (2-5) in the fifth inning and scored the tying run on an infield single by Adam Eaton. Then Garcia gave the White Sox the lead with an RBI single in the sixth, zapping whatever spark the Twins were seeking from their 5-4 comeback win on Tuesday. Shoemaker finished six innings for the third time this season, one sign of encouragement for a Twins team that has lost 11 of its last 14.

Jose Abreu sat out for the third straight game with left ankle inflammation. With an off day on Thursday, La Russa said he still has ''fingers crossed'' that the team's home run and RBI leader will return to the lineup this weekend in New York.

Carlos Rodon (5-1, 1.47 ERA) will pitch the opener of the three-game series against the New York Yankees on Friday. He took his first loss in his previous turn against Kansas City, the only time he's allowed more than one earned run this season.