It’s rare when the Chicago White Sox win at Comerica Park.

It’s becoming a common occurrence for White Sox slugger Adam Dunn to hit the ball out of the park.

Dunn and the White Sox go for a second consecutive victory in Detroit on Sunday, while the Tigers look to get back on track before opening a road-heavy portion of their schedule.

The White Sox (13-14) had dropped 11 of 13 games in Detroit including five straight following Friday’s 5-4 series-opening defeat, but ended both that skid and their overall three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory on Saturday. Paul Konerko homered in the seventh and Dunn hit a go-ahead two-run shot in the ninth off Tigers closer Jose Valverde to help Chicago win for the first time this season when scoring fewer than four runs.

“We needed to win this game today,” said Dunn, who has hit four of his team-best eight homers in the last six games. “I definitely didn’t want to chase anything – just got a pitch that I could get in the air and it happened to go out.”

Before heading to Cleveland for four games, Chicago will try to climb back to .500 with Dylan Axelrod (0-0, 2.70 ERA) on the hill.

The right-hander will make his third appearance – and first start – since being called up April 27 when reliever Jesse Crain went on the disabled list. He has a chance to earn a permanent spot in the rotation after the White Sox moved Chris Sale into the bullpen.

“Heck, (Axelrod is) pitching Sunday, so certainly we got faith in him to go out there,” pitching coach Don Cooper told the White Sox’s official website. “We’ve seen him in the big leagues last year and he did a fine job, and there are going to be opportunities knocking on Axe’s door and he’s going to get that chance to show more what he can do.”

Axelrod was 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA in four appearances – three starts – during a call-up last September. His first career start came at home against Detroit on Sept. 14, when, he allowed two runs over six innings and struck out eight but was denied the victory after Chicago’s bullpen allowed three ninth-inning runs en route to a 6-5, 10-inning defeat.

The Tigers (13-13), who will play 19 of 24 away from Comerica Park following this contest, will give the ball to Rick Porcello (2-2, 5.64) for the series finale.

The right-hander gave up three runs over a season-high eight innings in Tuesday’s 9-3 victory over Kansas City. Porcello had surrendered 14 total runs while losing his previous two starts.

“(Pitching coach Jeff Jones) just suggested something to slow down my delivery,” Porcello said. “My biggest problem has been my tempo – I’m getting out too quick and leaving pitches up in the zone. (Tuesday), we slowed everything down.”

Porcello has won his last three starts against the White Sox, including throwing 7 2-3 innings of one-run ball in a 5-2 road victory April 15.

Konerko is 8 for 20 with three doubles and a home run off Porcello, and 6 for 18 with two homers in five games against Detroit in 2012.

Dunn, the team leader with 22 RBIs, has one hit – a double – in three at-bats versus Porcello.

After a strong start to the season, the Detroit Tigers‘ hitters have been relatively quiet this weekend against the Chicago White Sox.

Chris Sale will try to become the latest White Sox pitcher to contain the Tigers on Sunday as Chicago aims for its first three-game home sweep of Detroit in nearly six years.

The Tigers batted .304 and scored 40 runs during a 5-1 start to the season, but have totaled just three runs and 11 hits in two losses at U.S. Cellular Field.

Austin Jackson had three of Detroit’s five hits in Saturday’s 5-1 defeat, while Brennan Boesch drove in the lone run for the Tigers (5-3) with a solo homer.

Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers all hit solo shots for the White Sox (5-2), who moved into sole possession of the AL Central lead for the first time since April 2, 2011.

“You want to win divisional games. Tigers are going to be there. They’re too good of a team,” Konerko said. “All we can hope is that we’re going to be in the mix at the end and be in that fight, too.”

Sale will try to lead his team to a fifth consecutive victory overall with another strong outing. The converted reliever gave up one run and three hits over 6 2-3 innings to win his first career start, 4-2 at Cleveland on Monday.

“Very happy with what he did,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura told the team’s official website. “He had velocity and a slider to go with it. He’s been kind of doing that all spring and it’s kind of nice to see him bring that outside of Arizona.”

Chicago is going for its first three-game sweep of the Tigers at home since Aug. 11-13, 2006. The White Sox swept a home doubleheader against Detroit on Sept. 14, 2008, and a rescheduled game from that series Sept. 29.

They had dropped six in a row overall to the Tigers and 21 of 27 in the series prior to this weekend.

Rick Porcello will seek to help Detroit avoid the sweep. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA in his last three matchups with the White Sox, and gave up three runs over 6 2-3 innings Sept. 12 to earn his first career win at U.S. Cellular Field.

Porcello yielded two runs over seven innings in his season debut Tuesday but did not get a decision in the Tigers’ 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay.

Konerko, batting .407 with at least one hit in all seven games this season, is 7 for 17 in his career against Porcello. The current Tigers roster is a combined 4 for 36 off Sale, with Miguel Cabrera striking out three times in four at-bats.

Brandon Inge, 0 for 2 with one strikeout versus the left-hander, is expected to start at second base Sunday. Detroit activated from the disabled list (strained groin) on Saturday.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Paul Konerko figures the Chicago White Sox can be successful this season, even if they fall short of the playoffs.

Before the White Sox’s first full-squad workout of spring training Tuesday, Konerko said he wasn’t conceding the season. But he noted that the White Sox have several young players and a new staff led by first-time manager Robin Ventura.

“Cleveland last year, not that they won the division, but all in all I think it was a very successful season.” said Konerko, who is entering his 16th major league season and will turn 36 next Monday. “But this year this (White Sox) team is different from a lot of teams we had recently. I hope I don’t throw anybody off with this — this can be a very successful year without making the playoffs.”

Konerko tempered his comments by saying the Sox could compete, and there’s “a fine line” between first-place division teams and those that finish second and third. If young players such as third baseman Brent Morel, second baseman Gordon Beckham and reliever Addison Reed produce good seasons, that can be a success, Konerko said.

“Those are all good signs it’s moving in the right direction,” said Konerko, who was a candidate for player-manager before the White Sox hired Ventura last October.

The White Sox finished 79-83 and third in the AL Central last season, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Manager Ozzie Guillen and ace Mark Buehrle headed to the Miami Marlins, and the White Sox were left to rebuild.

Ventura said he understood Konerko’s perspective.

“If we play well and play good team baseball, it can be (a success), but we’re obviously looking for more than just that,” Ventura said.

Off-the-field issues distracted the team last season, Konerko said. After managing the team for eight seasons, a stint that included a World Series championship, Guillen was let go in September before the end of the season.

“There were definitely some times late in the year last year there were probably games and days given away because of people worrying about things that were not related to the game of baseball,” Konerko said. “(This year) I don’t see that being an issue. I have a good feeling no matter what happens, whatever our record winds up being, you can look at that record and say, ‘That’s what this team did.’”

Konerko is one of the team’s few remaining veterans. He acknowledged the absence of Buehrle, who spent all 12 of his major-league seasons with the Sox.

“Not seeing Mark’s locker, I don’t know what to say other than it’s not right,” Konerko said.

Konerko said he believes that teammates who struggled last season – including Beckham, Alex Rios and Adam Dunn, who batted .159 last season – can bounce back. He especially sees promise in the 25-year-old Beckham.

“Knowing where he’s at in his head, I think it’s a good place,” he said. “I think he’s going to have a big year.”

Last season, Konerko produced his fifth All-Star season. He hit .300 with 31 home runs and 105 RBIs. He and catcher A.J. Pierzynski are the last remaining members of the 2005 World Series team.

“I’m happy I won a World Series, and I’ll always have that in my pocket. I’d love to get another one, but if I don’t, that’s cool too,” Konerko said. “I look at it this stage in my career, if it means I have to play two or three years, whatever it is, so I can hopefully leave here and help people and try to get this organization back on track, and I leave and those guys do the job, then that’s fine. I think that’s what I owe the team.”

Notes: In his first address to the whole team, Ventura said he emphasized having fun but also taking camp seriously. “We’re here to win games, but it’s important for me and the staff they show up every day and give good effort,” he said.