last four starts. He faces Hector Santiago (4-7).

MINNEAPOLIS -- Kennys Vargas homered for the second consecutive night and Eduardo Nunez had four hits as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox 11-4 on Wednesday. The Twins broke loose for five runs in the fifth inning to break a 3-all tie and set up Trevor May (1-4) for his first major league win. Vargas RBI single and Eduardo Escobars two-run triple did the bulk of the damage for Minnesota. Vargas added a two-run homer deep into the second deck in left field in the sixth. Since being called up from the minors on Aug. 1, Vargas has 31 RBIs -- third-most in the majors during that span. May allowed three runs and six hits while striking out six in five innings. The Twins jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first behind Nunezs RBI triple and back-to-back doubles from Josmil Pinto and Oswaldo Arcia. White Sox starter John Danks (9-10) settled down to hold the Twins scoreless for the next three innings, and Chicago got back into it. Dayan Viciedos two-run homer into the second deck in left brought the White Sox within a run, and Adam Eatons RBI single tied it in the fifth. The game was halted in the bottom half by a 16-minute rain delay. When play resumed, Vargas lined Danks first pitch into right field for an RBI single to give the Twins a 4-3 lead. Four batters later, Escobar hit reliever Matt Lindstroms first pitch into the right-field corner for a two-run triple. TWINS TIP CAPS TO KONERKO The Twins honoured White Sox captain Paul Konerko in a pregame ceremony commemorating his final game in Minnesota. First baseman Joe Mauer and closer Glen Perkins gave Konerko a bottle of wine, and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire presented a $10,000 check for the Bring Me Home Campaign, which supports foster care in Chicago. In his 18-year career, Konerko played 256 games against the Twins, more than any player in history. TRAINERS ROOM White Sox: Jose Abreu returned to the lineup at DH after being given a night off due to general soreness. "Its nothing major," manager Robin Ventura said. "I think at times its his ankle, at other times its his hamstring. When it all piles together he just doesnt feel all that great." UP NEXT The Twins open a four-game series against the Angels at Target Field on Thursday. Kyle Gibson (11-10) will look for his first win in his last four starts. He faces Hector Santiago (4-7). The White Sox wrap up a short road swing with a three-game series in Cleveland that starts Friday. Chris Sale (11-3) pitches against fellow lefty T.J. House (2-3). Cheap Patriots Jerseys Authentic . The commissioners office said Friday that Sears tested positive for metabolites of Methandienone. Sears will be 23 in March. He signed with the Braves in June 2013 out of Arizona Christian, an NAIA school, and is on the roster of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves. Wholesale Patriots Jerseys Authentic . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati. http://www.cheappatriotsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Sami Salo scored two goals as the Canucks overcame a hat-trick from Edmonton Oiler rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to win 4-3 in NHL action Saturday. Cheap Patriots Jersey . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland.Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild will be the captain of the U.S. mens hockey team at the Sochi Olympics. Minnesota defenceman Ryan Suter and centre Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings will be the alternate captains, U.S. general manager David Poile announced Friday. The 29-year-old Parise was an alternate captain at the Vancouver Olympics four years ago, scoring the goal that sent the gold-medal game into overtime. He has experience on U.S. national teams going back to 2002, and he welcomed the chance to take a leadership role in his second Olympics. "Its a special thing to be named captain of any team, but when its a national team, an Olympic team, its extra special," Parise said. "Weve got a lot of players who are great leaders. Im going to get a lot of help. Im going to need a lot of help. Its very humbling." U.S. coach Dan Bylsma said Parises work ethic and no-nonsense playing style are exemplary of the attitude he wants for his team. The Americans arent considered a gold-medal favourite, but a roster packed with NHL star power is expected to keep them in contention. "Were a team thats got a blue-collar mentality, and Zach embodies that," said Bylsma, also the coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. "Every time we play against Zach Parise, there has been a work ethic, a never-quit, a determination, an abrasiveness about a hard-to-play-against type of player. And its every time regardless of the score (or) the situationn our respective teams might be in.ddddddddddddThat is exactly how we want our team to play." Parises alternate captains have extensive leadership experience as well. Brown and Suter were both alternate captains to Jamie Langenbrunner on the U.S. team at the Vancouver Olympics. Brown is the longtime captain of the Kings and an international veteran, while Suter and Parise are both alternate captains of the Wild. Suters father, Bob, won a gold medal with the "Miracle on Ice" team in 1980. "Theres plenty of guys that wear letters with their own teams, so I dont think our team is going to be lacking in leadership at all," Parise said. "There are plenty of guys that are capable of doing that." The American team will hold its first practice in Sochi late on Feb. 10. Most players wont arrive until a few hours earlier, after the NHL begins its schedule break. Parise acknowledged the unique challenges of the Sochi Olympics, including the players adjustment to a hefty time change in just a few days before their first game against Slovakia on Feb. 13. He also recognized security concerns around the Olympics, calling it "unfortunate" that security "has dominated a lot of the conversation." "You have to put your trust in the Russian police and the security were sending over there as well," Parise said. "Were going to be in good hands. We can just relax, focus and concentrate on playing hockey." ' ' '