Murakami hits game-tying homer in 8th inning, but Sox to Twins fall in extras

The Japanese duo of Munetaka Murakami and Rikuu Nishida eventually had White Sox fans roaring at the Rate for a second straight game on Tuesday.

It wasn’t quite good enough for a win this time. The Twins prevailed 5-3 in 11 innings, closing to one-half game behind the second-place Sox in the AL Central.

Murakami hit a two-run homer, his AL-leading 19^th, in the eighth with Nishida on base via a single to the game at 2. The slugger launched Joe Ryan’s low sweeper 380 feet into the right field stands as the Sox finally broke through against the Twins starter.

Nishida is still learning to play right field, but threw out his second runner at the plate in two days. This time he gunned down Kody Clemens, Minnesota’s automatic runner in the 10^th, cleanly off pinch-hitter Orlando Arcia’s single for the final out of the inning. It kept the game tied at 2.

But Nishida struck out in the bottom half, fouling off a bunt for a third strike.

Then Murakami grounded into a funky double-play with the potential winning run in pinch automatic runner Luisangel Acuña at third with one out. Twins first baseman Josh Bell made the twin-killing unassisted when he caught Sam Antonacci, who had singled, off the bag.

“Its obviously disappointing that we got a tough loss today,” Murakami said through translator Kenzo Yagi. “I just came up in the last at bat and I had my chances, I just couldn’t covert him (Acuña from third). I could have hit that flyout and, you know, scored a run.”

Then Minnesota’s Brooks Lee launched a double off Tyler Davis with the bases loaded in the 11^th. It sailed over Nishida to the wall, scoring all three runners. The White Sox plated a meaningless run in the bottom half as Minnesota won for the fifth time win in six games

The ending deflateda jaunty mood on the South Side, with some fans chanting “MVP” during Murekami’s final at-bat.

It also negated a chance for the Sox to eventually capitalize on a resurgent start by Sean Burke. The big righty allowed just two runs on three hits in seven innings. He struck out eight, walked two and retired the last 11 Twins hitters he faced, depite feeling ill the past couple of days.

“I honestly felt like my legs were under me and I felt a lot better as the game went on,” Burke said. “Tonight it felt like me and (catcher Drew) Romo were on a good page, we had a good game plan coming in.”

Despite their late surge, the Sox fell back to .500 at 27-27.