MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Winless for almost a month, the Chicago White Sox are making the worst kind of history.

The woeful White Sox lost their 20th consecutive game Sunday, the majors’ longest skid in 36 years and one short of the American League record, as Chris Flexen was chased early in a 13-7 defeat against the Minnesota Twins.

“Running out of words for it,” Flexen said.

Royce Lewis hit a three-run homer off Flexen in a six-run second inning that gave Minnesota an 8-0 cushion. The White Sox (27-87) rallied and cut it to 10-7 in the eighth, but couldn’t get any closer.

“At the end of the day, we’ve lost 20 in a row. That’s painful. That sucks,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “We’ve just got to find a way to put that behind us and go out there and be professionals and do what we have to do tomorrow.”

Chicago’s franchise-record losing streak is the longest in the big leagues since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles dropped 21 games in a row — the AL mark — to begin the season. The NL record since 1900 is held by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost 23 straight.

The major league low belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels, an American Association team that endured a 26-game slide during a 27-111 season.

Next up, the White Sox head to Oakland for a three-game series beginning Monday night against the Athletics, who are last in the AL West.

“It’s very difficult,” Chicago center fielder Luis Robert Jr. said through a translator. “There’s nothing else we can do, just try to come here every day as we’ve been doing it and try to win games.”

Chicago’s losing streak is tied with four other clubs for the third-longest since 1900: the 1969 Montreal Expos; the 1943 and 1916 Philadelphia Athletics; and the 1906 Boston Americans.

The latest defeat dropped the White Sox 60 games below .500 for the first time in franchise history. They are on pace to finish 38-124, which would be the most losses since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders of the National League went 20-134.

Chicago last won on July 10 against Minnesota, 3-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.

The White Sox have been outscored 131-48 during the losing streak. Their seven runs and 12 hits Sunday were both their most in a game during the skid.

Flexen (2-11) didn’t make it out of the second inning. The right-hander allowed eight runs — six earned — and seven hits. He also walked three batters.

Minnesota took advantage of a two-out error by second baseman Brooks Baldwin to score twice in the first. Cole Sands (5-1) pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.

“We don’t take two steps back and look at big-picture stuff, or how teams are playing. It really doesn’t change what we do,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Whether teams are playing really well, or not well, it doesn’t matter.”

Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson went four innings, allowing three runs in his first start since a clunker against the Mets. He was handed an 8-0 lead before allowing two runs in the third and another in the fourth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

With the Twins leading 8-3, Manny Margot pinch-hit for Twins center fielder Byron Buxton in the bottom of the sixth after Buxton ran into the wall to make an inning-ending catch. Buxton was slow to get up after the grab but jogged off the field and appeared OK. The Twins said Buxton was removed for precautionary reasons and has been medically cleared.

UP NEXT

White Sox: Had not announced a starting pitcher for Monday’s series opener at Oakland.

Twins: RHP David Festa (1-2, 6.98 ERA) makes his fourth career start Monday when Minnesota opens a three-game series in Chicago against the Cubs.

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AP MLB:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Health Canada has issued a recall for Gerber brand Oat Banana & Mango Baby Cereal due to possible Cronobacter contamination.

The affected products were sold online and in stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and possibly other provinces and territories.

The cereal was sold in 227 g packages with a best-before date of May 30, 2025.

Health Canada says people should not consume the recalled product and should throw it out or return it to the location where it was purchased.

The agency says food contaminated with Cronobacter may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick, and in rare cases it can cause serious or fatal infections.

It adds the bacteria can be especially harmful to newborns, and has been associated with severe intestinal infections and blood poisoning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 4, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

SAN DIEGO – Jayson Potroz’s boot accounted for 15 points Sunday as the New England Free Jacks defeated the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 to win the Major League Rugby championship for the second year in a row.

New England had significant Canadian help in defending its title.

Canadians Andrew Quattrin, Cole Keith, Kyle Baillie, Conor Keys and Piers von Dadelszen started in the New England pack.

Fellow Canadians Foster Dewitt, Josh Larsen, Ethan Fryer (a U.S.-Canadian dual citizen) and Ben LeSage started on the Free Jacks bench.

Other Canadians on the New England roster are Gabe Casey, Isaac Olson and Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti (who was born in Fiji but also qualifies for Canada).

Baillie, Keith, Quattrin and LeSage all played for the Toronto Arrows, who folded last November following the death of Bill Webb, the club’s president and general partner.

Le Roux Malan scored the lone try for New England, which led 14-8 at the half. Potroz a New Zealand-born fly half who was the league’s player of the year in 2023, kicked five penalties.

Joe Taufete’e scored a try for Seattle, which played a man down for 10 minutes of the second half when Tavite Lopeti was yellow-carded in the 52nd minute for a high tackle on Malan. Mack Mason booted two penalties for the Seawolves.

It was 27 C at kickoff at Snapdragon Stadium.

New England led 8-0 after the first 15 minutes early on a Potroz penalty and an acrobatic Malan try in the corner. Malan, a Namibian international centre, suffered a horrific injury — breaking and dislocating his right ankle — at the Rugby World Cup in September 2023 in a 71-3 loss to the All Blacks.

Mason missed his first penalty attempt from distance but was on target in his second in the 28th minute, and Potroz traded penalty kicks to make it 11-3.

Taufete’e powered his way over in the corner in the 31st minute, taking an offload from a fellow forward following a lineout win, to make it 11-8. Potroz added to the lead with a penalty on the stroke of halftime after Seattle was called for a no-arms tackle.

New England added two penalties and Seattle one in the second half.

Both the Free Jacks and Seawolves have championship pedigrees.

New England edged the San Diego Legion 25-24 in last year’s final in Bridgeview, Ill. Seattle hoisted the trophy in 2018 and ’19, the pro rugby league’s first two seasons, and was runner-up to Rugby New York in 2022.

New England finished atop the Eastern Conference at 11-5-0, while conceding a league-low 344 points. Seattle (11-5-0) was runner-up to the Houston SabreCats (14-2-0) in the West.

New England, which went 14-2-0 last season, beat Old Glory DC 33-29 in the Eastern semifinal and the Chicago Hounds 23-17 in the final.

Seattle downed the San Diego Legion 30-28 in the Western semifinal and the Dallas Jackals 28-25 in the final. The Jackals had ousted Houston 34-22 in their semifinal.

Both New England and Seattle came into the final on a run of form.

The Free Jacks had won six of their last seven, with the lone loss a 27-17 decision at NOLA Gold on June 22. Seattle had won five of its last seven.

Seattle won 29-21 when the teams met April 20 in Quincy, Mass.

Five New England games this season were decided by two points or less with the Free Jacks winning three of those.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.