Twins Closing Fast on the White Sox

The way Johan Santana sees it, this is how it’s going to be the rest of the season -- the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox locked in step.

At the moment, they’re teams headed in different directions.

Santana (12-5) outpitched Jose Contreras, and Jason Bartlett hit a three-run home run as the surging Twins pulled within a game of slumping Chicago with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night.

“That’s the way it’s going to be,” Santana said. “We’re going after each other pretty good. Unfortunately for both teams we’re in the wrong division. At the same time, that’s what made this game so interesting.”

The Twins have won 33 of their last 41, while the White Sox suffered their 11th loss in 14 games. Chicago is 7 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the American League Central, and the Twins are another game out in third. The White Sox lead the New York Yankees by half a game in the wild-card race, with Minnesota right behind.

Santana gave up three runs and seven hits while striking out six and walking none. He is 8-1 in his last 10 starts against the White Sox.

Contreras (9-3) gave up four runs and seven hits in seven innings.