White Sox 5, Twins 3: Chris Sale battled into the eighth inning and Alejandro De Aza homered twice as Chicago topped visiting Minnesota on Opening Day.

Cuban import Jose Abreu added an RBI single among two hits and newcomer Adam Eaton scored for the White Sox. Sale (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits while striking out eight in 7 1/3 frames and Matt Lindstrom worked around a double in the ninth to close it out for Chicago.

Kurt Suzuki drove in all three runs on two hits for the Twins, who have dropped six straight openers. Ricky Nolasco (0-1) made his Minnesota debut and was knocked around for five runs on 10 hits and a pair of walks in six innings.

De Aza ripped a 2-1 slider from Nolasco into the stands in right to give the White Sox a 2-0 cushion in the second. The Twins fought back to tie it on Suzuki’s two-run single in the next half-inning but Abreu, who doubled in his first at-bat ahead of De Aza’s homer in the second, delivered an RBI single in his second at-bat to put Chicago on top for good in the third.

De Aza knocked a solo blast into the bullpen in right-center to make it a 5-2 gap in the sixth and Suzuki tightened things with an RBI single in the eighth. White Sox left-hander Donnie Veal came on to get the final out of the eighth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Twins 1B Joe Mauer made his first Opening Day start at his new position after beginning the previous nine campaigns at catcher. … The White Sox had five players (Abreu, Eaton, Avisail Garcia, Conor Gillaspie and Marcus Semien) make their first Opening Day starts, marking the first time the franchise has had five or more since 1944. … Minnesota CF Aaron Hicks doubled and scored twice.