CHICAGO -- Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe took a big swing, heard contact and worried he broke his bat.

Instead, Plouffe broke a tie. He watched the wind carry his towering fly ball over the left field fence for his second home run of the game, and the Twins pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

"I think I had a little assist from Mother Nature," Plouffe said with a grin. "But on a day like today, we'll take it."

The Twins will take anything they can get as they remain in the thick of playoff contention.

Right fielder Torii Hunter added two hits and two outfield assists for Minnesota (73-67). The Twins stayed one game behind the Texas Rangers in the race for the American League's second wild-card berth.

Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said he was not intentionally watching the scoreboard to track rival contenders. However, he inadvertently spotted the Rangers' score as he glanced up to see pitch velocity.

"You're aware," Molitor said. "I don't make it a focus. You try to win your game."

The White Sox (66-73) lost to Minnesota for the 12th time in 17 games this season.

Right-hander Ervin Santana (5-4) earned his third consecutive victory for Minnesota. He limited the White Sox to two runs and six hits in seven innings.

White Sox right-hander Nate Jones (1-2) drew the loss in relief. Chicago's bullpen squandered a wild but effective start by right-hander Erik Johnson, who held the Twins to one run in five innings.

Allowing ill-timed solo home runs proved to be the difference, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.

"If you have a lead, a big lead, those (solo home runs) don't bother you that much," Ventura said. "When we're tied or they're close, those come back to bite you."

After falling behind 2-1, Minnesota evened the score in the sixth. Hunter drove in the tying run with an opposite-field double that scored left fielder Eddie Rosario from first base.

Plouffe put the Twins on top 3-2 in the eighth with his second home run of the game and his 20th of the season. The blast into the left field bullpen marked Plouffe's third career multi-home run game and his first since July 1, 2012.

"Twenty is a nice number," Molitor said. "You look at his overall numbers, a guy that can play a steady third base and get you 20 home runs and drive in potentially 80, 85, 90 runs, that's a nice season in today's game."

Minnesota added three runs in the ninth to increase its lead to 6-2. Shortstop Eduardo Escobar homered, center fielder Aaron Hicks scored on a wild pitch and Plouffe singled to drive in second baseman Brian Dozier for his third RBI.

"To be able to add on the end makes it a lot easier to get through the last couple of innings," Molitor said. "A lot of guys contributed offensively. Winning -- that's the best thing about the game."

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead on Plouffe's home run to lead off the fourth.

A two-run homer by center fielder Adam Eaton gave Chicago a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Eaton drilled a low pitch over the center field wall for his 13th home run of the year.

A leaping catch by White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia saved at least two runs in the first. Garcia timed his jump near the wall to rob Rosario of an extra-base hit with two outs and the bases loaded.

Hunter also shined on defense. Hunter threw out White Sox third baseman Mike Olt at second base in the third and fired a strike to home plate to nail Garcia in the fourth.

"It's been awhile since somebody tested it," Hunter said with a grin. "It was a lot of fun that they were testing it today, and I was able to let loose and throw. Hopefully, they'll learn from that."

NOTES: Twins RHP J.R. Graham was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list before the game. Graham, 25, had been sidelined since Aug. 26 because of right shoulder inflammation. ... White Sox RHP Zach Putnam was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list Friday. Putnam was 3-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 41 relief appearances before he went on the disabled list retroactive to Aug. 27 because of a strained right groin. ... Twins RHP Phil Hughes is scheduled to rejoin the rotation on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers, manager Paul Molitor said. ... White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon will skip his turn in the rotation next week as the team tries to limit his innings count. Rodon, 22, has pitched 125 2/3 innings in his first full season as a professional.