Buxton, Larnach homer to help the Twins beat the White Sox, 6-3

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach homered help the Minnesota Twins beat the last-place Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Wednesday night.

Larnach hit a solo shot in the sixth, his second blast in two games, to make it 4-3. Buxton hit a two-run homer an inning later as Minnesota won its second straight in the series.

Chicago scored all three of its runs in the fifth, one on a wild pitch and another on an error by second baseman Luke Keaschall. Minnesota tied it in the bottom of the inning on Brooks Lee's sharp single that drove in Ty France.

Twins starter David Festa was pulled after facing two batters in the fifth, marking the third time in three starts that the right-hander didn’t make it through five innings. He allowed two runs — his first runs allowed this season — on four hits and three walks.

Justin Topa (1-1) worked the sixth for the victory, and Danny Coulombe threw the ninth for his first save.

Chicago's Bryse Wilson made his first start of the year after appearing in relief in nine games this season. He was lifted after 55 pitches in 2 2/3 innings, giving up just one run on five hits. Jordan Leasure (0-1) took the loss.

Buxton, who was 0-4 with three strikeouts in his first four at-bats, homered off Cam Booser in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 6-3 game. He jumped on the first pitch he saw and connected for a 414-foot drive to left-center field.

Keaschall stole two bases Wednesday and has five steals in his first five career games, matching an MLB record for most stolen bases through five games.

Right-hander Shane Smith (0-1, 2.82 ERA) will look to salvage a win in the series for the White Sox. Minnesota counters with Chris Paddack (0-2, 7.27), who had his best start of the year last time out in a no-decision.

Minnesota Twins' Luke Keaschall (15) reacts after being hit by a pitch seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Chicago White Sox's Joshua Palacios (47) hits a single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25), left, tries to field a single hit by Chicago White Sox's Miguel Vargas (20) during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins' Luke Keaschall (15) beats the tag by Chicago White Sox shortstop Jacob Amaya (8) to steal second base during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Bryse Wilson (46) delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher David Festa (58) winds up to deliver during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Chicago White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi (23) tries to catch a double hit by Minnesota Twins' Ryan Jeffers (27) during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton (25) runs the bases after hitting a 2-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a second major drone and missile bombardment of Ukraine in four days, officials said Tuesday, aiming again at the power grid and apparently snubbing U.S.-led peace efforts as the war approaches the four-year mark.

Russia fired almost 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles at eight regions overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media.

One strike in the northeastern Kharkiv region killed four people at a mail depot, and several hundred thousand households were without power in the Kyiv region, Zelenskyy said. The daytime temperature in the capital was -12 C (around 10 F). The streets were covered with ice, and the city rumbled with the noise from generators.

Four days earlier, Russia also sent hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack and, for only the second time in the war, it used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in what appeared to be a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies that it won’t back down.

On Monday, the United States accused Russia of a “ dangerous and inexplicable escalation ” of the fighting, when the Trump administration is trying to advance peace negotiations.

Tammy Bruce, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Washington deplores “the staggering number of casualties” in the conflict and condemns Russia’s intensifying attacks on energy and other infrastructure.

Russia has sought to deny Ukrainian civilians heat and running water in the freezing winter months over the course of the war, hoping to wear down public resistance to Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian officials describe the strategy as “weaponizing winter.”

In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the Russian attack also wounded 10 people, local authorities said.

In the southern city of Odesa, six people were wounded in the attack, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the regional military administration. The strikes damaged energy infrastructure, a hospital, a kindergarten, an educational facility and a number of residential buildings, he said.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is counting on quicker deliveries of agreed upon air defense systems from the U.S. and Europe, as well as new pledges of aid, to counter Russia’s latest onslaught.

Meanwhile, Russian air defenses shot down 11 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Tuesday. Seven were reportedly destroyed over Russia’s Rostov region, where Gov. Yuri Slyusar confirmed an attack on the coastal city of Taganrog, about 40 kilometers (about 24 miles) east of the Ukrainian border, in Kyiv's latest long-range attack on Russian war-related facilities.

Ukraine’s military said domestically-produced drones hit a drone manufacturing facility in Taganrog. The Atlant Aero plant carries out design, manufacturing and testing of Molniya drones and components for Orion unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Explosions and a fire were reported at the site, with damage to production buildings confirmed, the General Staff said.

It wasn't possible to independently verify the reports.

Katie Marie Davies contributed to this report from Manchester, England.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)