Series preview: White Sox at Twins

By the end of a brief two-game series that starts Tuesday night against the Minnesota Twins, there is a chance that Chicago White Sox rookie Jose Abreu could stand alone as the only player in the major leagues with 100 RBIs.

Abreu leads the American League with 99 RBIs, and is tied with the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton for the overall lead in baseball.

With his next RBI, Abreu will become just the fourth White Sox rookie to reach the 100 mark. Smead Jolley had 114 RBIs as a rookie in 1930, Zeke Bonura had 110 in 1934, and Ron Kittle was the last to do it when he had exactly 100 RBIs in his rookie season of 1983.

The milestone will also add Abreu to an elite list of players who managed to collect at least 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in their rookie season. Hal Troskey did it in 1934, Ted Williams managed it in 1939 and Albert Pujols was the last to do it in 2001.

Abreu will enter play Tuesday at Minnesota with 32 doubles and 33 home runs, along with his 99 RBIs. Abreu is three off the home run lead in the American League, behind the Orioles' Nelson Cruz as he tries to become just the third White Sox player to lead the AL in HRs along with Bill Melton (1971) and Dick Allen (1972, 1974).

Abreu also appears to be a lock to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, which will make him the sixth White Sox player to do so and the first since Ozzie Guillen in 1985.

HEAD TO HEAD

Players on the White Sox roster are a combined 8-for-45 (.178) against Twins starter Tommy Milone with no RBIs. Tyler Flowers is 0-for-8 against the left-hander. ... Twins starter Trevor May has never faced the White Sox. ... Twins batters have a combined 65 at-bats against White Sox starter Hector Noesei, with Eduardo Escobar delivering three RBIs against the right-hander and the rest of the roster delivering a combined four. ... The 12 losses White Sox starter John Danks has against the Twins are his most against any team. He also has a 5.35 ERA against them, his worst against any AL Central club.

NOTES

Even with a four-game series split against the Tigers this past weekend, the White Sox are just 3-10 over their last 13 games. ... Rookie second baseman Carlos Sanchez has a hit in nine of his last 10 games and is batting .317 (13-for-41) over that stretch. ... Conor Gillaspie, whose batting average dipped under .300 for the first time Saturday, ended a 12 at-bat hitless streak Sunday with an RBI single in the first inning. ... Flowers has three extra-base hits over his last three games. ... Since July 10, a stretch that includes a stint on the disabled list, Adam Eaton has seven games where he has delivered three or more hits. ... Paul Konerko needs one home run to tie Jason Giambi (440) for 41st place on the all-time list, while Alexei Ramirez needs two runs scored for 500. ... Abreu has driven in 15 runs in the 14 games played against the Twins. ... The Twins lead the season series 8-6 and have won five of the eight games at Target Field this year.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Tuesday: White Sox RH Hector Noesi (8-9, 4.75 ERA) vs. Twins LH Tommy Milone (6-4, 4.08), 7:10 p.m. CST

Wednesday: White Sox LH John Danks (9-9, 4.88) vs. Twins RH Trevor May (0-3, 8.79), 7:10 p.m. CST