important game, general manager Mike Rizzo said about the possibili

MINNEAPOLIS -- Theres still plenty of time for Byron Buxton to master the majors.His most recent stint with Minnesota has sure started strong.Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe each homered during an eight-run third inning, Buxton hit a two-run shot and the Twins went deep four times in an 11-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.Buxton is 6 for 10 with five runs, five RBI and two homers without a strikeout in three games since his latest call-up from Triple-A. The second overall pick in the 2012 draft has raised his batting average 20 points to .213.Just going up there and having fun, not pressing, not thinking about anything, Buxton said, just going up there and letting my ability take over.The 22-year-old has elite speed and defense, but until this weekend hes been mostly been overmatched in 336 career at-bats.Its a lot to throw at a young kid, and hes just continued to try to find ways to be successful up here, manager Paul Molitor said.Buxton went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles to go with his soaring home run in the second inning against beleaguered starter James Shields (5-17).I try to get higher, Shields said, but I didnt get it up enough.Brian Dozier led off with his 34th homer. The Twins have 162 homers with 26 games to go, the most theyve hit in six years with a pace to post their highest total since their championship season in 1987.Max Kepler had two doubles among his three hits and Dozier stole two bases, helping build an 11-2 lead for Hector Santiago to take into the fourth.Santiago (11-8) won for the first time in six starts since the Twins acquired him in late July from the Los Angeles Angels, finishing six innings with three runs allowed and six strikeouts.Santiago was coming off his best performance with Minnesota -- 6 1/3 scoreless innings at Cleveland. The left-hander cruised through this one after allowing a leadoff home run to Adam Eaton.I definitely feel like I got stronger tonight as the game went on, Santiago said.Shields -- also a midseason acquisition -- kept on struggling. Shipped east by the San Diego Padres in early June, he is 3-10 in 17 starts for the White Sox. Shields has a 7.50 ERA with his new club, averaging exactly five innings per turn.Shields was checked by a team athletic trainer following a leadoff walk to Plouffe in the third and pulled with one out. He was charged with five runs after giving up four walks and five hits, including a two-run smash by Sano that landed in the third deck above left field. The White Sox needed two more relievers to finish the inning, capped by a three-run shot by Plouffe.Shields experienced some tightness in his back after leaving the game.I know he can pitch better than that, manager Robin Ventura said. But these guys on the other side, theyve hit a lot of homers against us.FOR STARTERSWith Eaton and Dozier going deep, this was the fourth time in the majors this season that both leadoff batters homered. Dozier has 16 career leadoff homers, the second-most in club history behind Jacque Jones (20). Since the All-Star break, Dozier leads the league in home runs (20), extra-base hits (37) and runs (41).Hes just not missing many pitches. Hes on a quite tear, Molitor said.REDEMPTION OPPORTUNITYThe Twins recalled catcher John Ryan Murphy from Triple-A Rochester, a chance for him to improve upon the 3-for-40 start to the season that prompted his demotion. Acquired from the New York Yankees for outfielder Aaron Hicks in a winter trade, Murphy hit .236 with 39 RBI in 83 games for Rochester.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: Rookie SS Tim Anderson returned to the lineup after a day off for a bruised right calf muscle.Twins: RHP Trevor May (back) and LHP Tommy Milone (biceps) threw in the bullpen before the game and are set to face live batters in a session on Tuesday.UP NEXTThe White Sox will send RHP Anthony Ranaudo (1-1, 8.76 ERA) to the mound on Sunday for the finale of the four-game series, with LHP Andrew Albers (0-0, 6.97 ERA) set to take the mound for the Twins. 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Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. WASHINGTON -- Injured Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg would not be able to pitch in the NL Championship Series if Washington were to advance.We know hes not going to be ready for the next series. You know, hes progressing as well as wed like. Its never as fast as youd like, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Thursday before his club hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers in a win-or-go-home Game 5 of their NL Division Series.But again, he wont be available for the next series, Baker continued. It would be a miracle if he was.That doesnt really come as a surprise, given that Strasburg has been sidelined since hurting his pitching elbow in early September and cut short a bullpen session Tuesday.The Nationals knew the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft would have to miss the NLDS, but they had been hoping he might become available if the NL East champions extended their postseason stay.You look at the calendar and just the math doesnt work out. Hes not stretched out and prepared to take on such an important game, general manager Mike Rizzo said about the possibility of an NLCS appearance for Strasburg. Nothings changed. Hes still on hiss return-to-throw program.dddddddddddd Were trying to build him up to see where hes at. Were certainly not going to rush him into doing something that hes incapable of doing.Strasburg threw his first bullpen session from a mound last week, exactly a month after his last regular-season appearance, then stopped another session a few pitches early because of what Baker said was discomfort in Strasburgs elbow.Strasburg famously missed Washingtons trip to the playoffs in 2012, when the club shut him down that September to protect his surgically repaired right elbow. He had Tommy John surgery in August 2011.This season, he started 13-0 with a 2.51 ERA, and in the midst of that stretch signed a $175 million, seven-year contract that begins in 2017. He went on the DL with elbow soreness in August after allowing 19 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings over three outings, then left his first start back in the third inning and hasnt pitched since. Strasburgs final stats: 15-4 with a 3.60 ERA and 183 strikeouts in only 147 2/3 innings. ' ' '