White Sox Can’t Stop Jones

Jacque Jones hit a pair of two-run homers off Bartolo Colon, helping the Minnesota Twins complete a pivotal three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a 5-3 victory Thursday night.

The defending Central Division champions lead the White Sox by 3 1/2 games and Kansas City by 4 1/2.

Minnesota has nine games left -- seven against the worst team in the majors, Detroit. The White Sox have 10 games left, including seven with the Royals.

After losing two straight in Chicago last week and falling two games back in the division race, the Twins have won five in a row against the White Sox in a span of eight days.

Minnesota has won six straight overall and eight of nine.

Kyle Lohse (14-11) worked 6 2/3 innings for the victory.

Colon (14-13) had a streak of three consecutive complete games end. He gave up seven hits, five runs -- four earned -- and three walks, striking out only one in six innings.

Trailing, 2-0, going into the bottom half of the first, Colon walked Shannon Stewart. Two outs later, Jones -- one of the game’s most aggressive hitters (he has only 21 walks this season) -- came to bat.

Colon threw a strike on the first pitch that Jones hit an estimated 436 feet into the upper deck in right field to tie the game.

Doug Mientkiewicz doubled with two out in the third. Then Jones homered to center to make it 4-2.