MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jake Peavy struck out a season-high nine and Alex Rios homered to help the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

Peavy (7-7) allowed four hits and walked two in 6 1-3 innings against a Twins team that had three players who were called up from Double-A in the last two days.

Alejandro De Aza had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI, and Sergio Santos picked up his 29th save for the White Sox, who have won three in a row and eight of 12.

Liam Hendriks (0-1) allowed three runs and four hits over seven innings in his major league debut. Chris Parmelee had two hits in his first game as a pro, but the Twins lost for the 14th time in 17 games.

Paul Konerko, who hasn’t hit a homer in his last 60 at-bats, got a much-needed day off, but the White Sox still managed to scratch together enough offense for Peavy. Brent Morel added an RBI single as the Sox beat the Twins for the eighth time in the last nine games in the series.

The White Sox are in the middle of a stretch of 28 straight games against the AL Central, but they only have three games left against division-leading Detroit. The Tigers beat the Indians 10-1 on Tuesday night, keeping the White Sox eight games back.

“We’re still in the pennant race,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I know it’s going to be hard. … One thing about it, we’re not going to quit.”

There was a time when the Twins owned the White Sox, going 29-7 against them in a stretch that included six straight victories to open 2011. But the wheels have come off for a Twins team that expected to contend for a third straight division title.

Calling up Hendriks, Parmelee and center fielder Joe Benson from Double-A New Britain gave the Twins three players in the starting lineup making their major league debuts for the first time in franchise history, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.

Benson misplayed a fly ball from De Aza in the fifth inning, diving for it and letting it get past him for a triple. Morel followed with a single to give the White Sox a 3-0 lead.

That was plenty for Peavy, who stranded runners on third base in the second and fourth innings but never really ran into trouble all night long. Joe Mauer went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, hearing plenty of boos when Matt Thornton got him swinging in the eighth.

The Twins were shut out for the 12th time this season, tied a season high with 14 strikeouts and have managed just two runs in their last four games. They trail the Tigers by 22 games in the Central and were officially eliminated from the playoff race on Tuesday night.

NOTES: The Twins said Justin Morneau will go through early batting practice on Wednesday to test his concussion symptoms. Even though he is not on the DL, he will have to get approval from Major League Baseball before being cleared to return to the field. When he does, Morneau will only DH and not play 1B. … The last team to debut at least three players in the starting lineup on the same day was the San Diego Padres, when they had four in 1986. … The last time three Twins made their big league debuts in the same game was April 7, 1999, against Toronto, when Joe Mays, Dan Perkins and Mike Lincoln all came out of the bullpen. … Guillen said he considered giving Konerko one of the games of Monday’s doubleheader off, but wanted to get him a full day’s rest. Konerko will be back in the lineup on Wednesday night. … White Sox OF Juan Pierre went 0 for 4 and remains two hits shy of 2,000 for his career. … RHP Carl Pavano (7-11, 4.60) takes the mound in the series finale on Wednesday night against White Sox LHP John Danks (6-10, 4.01). Danks is just 2-7 on the road this season, the fourth-lowest winning percentage in the majors. But he’s 6-2 with a 2.85 ERA over his last 12 starts after starting the season 0-8 with a 5.25 ERA. Pavano is 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts against the Sox this year. He’s given up an AL-high 221 hits this season and has allowed nine or more in eight of his last nine starts.

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – Up 16-0 after six innings - the Detroit Tigers roll to an easy 18-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night.

As heard on 97.1 The Ticket - the Tigers sweep the series from Chicago and leave the White Sox 8 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central.

Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in four runs, and the Detroit Tigers finished a three-game sweep of Chicago in emphatic fashion Sunday.

Max Scherzer (14-8) allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings, and Alex Avila had a career-high four hits for Detroit, which leads the AL Central by 6 1/2 games heading into a three-game series at second-place Cleveland.

Mark Buehrle (11-7) allowed seven earned runs in 3 1-3 innings.

The Tigers trailed 8-1 in the fifth Saturday before rallying to win 9-8. They’d scored 26 consecutive runs and led 18-0 Sunday when the White Sox finally scored two in the ninth.

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(Copyright 2011 WWJ Newsradio 950. All Rights Reserved.)   (Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

DETROIT  — The Chicago White Sox know they are running out of time.

The White Sox came up against overwhelming AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander on Friday night and lost 8-1 to the first-place Detroit Tigers.

The loss drops Chicago into third place in the AL Central, 61/2 games behind Detroit. Chicago has five games remaining against the Tigers this season, including the final two of this series.

“We’re almost out of games,” said White Sox starter John Danks, who struggled badly on the mound. “We have to win a lot more than we lost from here on out. We’re going to have to win out against the Tigers, and we’re still going to need some help.”

The White Sox had won five of six, but didn’t score off Verlander until the eighth inning.

“They definitely had everything rolling tonight, and they had their big gun out there,” Chicago’s Juan Pierre said. “He pretty much went through us any way he wanted.”

Verlander (21-5) improved to 19-2 since May 1, allowing one run on seven hits in 7 1-3 innings. He walked one and struck out six in Jim Leyland’s 500th win as Tigers manager.

“I didn’t change my game plan when we were leading 3-0 early, but once it got to be 8-0, I started throwing first-pitch fastballs,” he said. “I figured if they were hacking, I could get some quick outs. It hurt me a little in the eighth, but you certainly can’t complain about a game like this.”

On a 95-degree day, Danks (6-10) never came close to matching Verlander, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 4 2-3 innings.

“Danks wasn’t around the plate, and he was facing a pretty good hitting club that is swinging the bats well,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

After Verlander needed just six pitches in the top of the first, Detroit staked him to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.

Jackson led off with a single, took second on Magglio Ordonez’s groundout and scored on Delmon Young’s triple. Young came home on Miguel Cabrera’s RBI single, and Cabrera then stunned the sold-out crowd of 42,352 by stealing second base.

That put him in position to score on Alex Avila’s single.

“That was all Miggy’s doing — don’t give me any credit for that one,” Leyland said. “He saw that Danks wasn’t paying attention and he got the base. That’s a huge play, because it gets us a run.”

Against Verlander, Guillen knew the game was almost over after one inning.

“When it is 3-0 in the first inning against that guy, you’ve got a pretty rough slope to climb,” he said.

The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the fifth, with the White Sox only putting one runner in scoring position.

Brandon Inge led off Detroit’s fifth with a single, and scored on Jackson’s ninth homer of the season.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with two out, and Guillen pulled Danks in favor of Josh Kinney. The move didn’t pay off, as Peralta lined a bases-clearing double to give the Tigers their eight-run lead.

Tyler Flowers broke up Verlander’s shutout with a 425-foot homer on the first pitch of the eighth, and Chicago loaded the bases with one out before Joaquin Benoit came out of the bullpen. Paul Konerko flew out to left, and A.J. Pierzynski lined out to Cabrera at first.

NOTES: Tigers reliever Alberto Alburquerque is expected to throw an inning for Triple-A Toledo on Saturday before rejoining Detroit. Alburquerque has been sidelined with a concussion since being hit with a liner in batting practice on August 12. … Chicago’s Eduardo Escobar made his major-league debut, replacing Alexei Ramirez at shortstop in the seventh inning. Shane Lindsay, the first Australian to play for the White Sox, started his career by pitching the eighth. … Verlander has thrown at least six innings and 100 pitches in all 30 starts this season. … The teams play again Saturday afternoon, with Detroit’s Brad Penny (9-10) against Chicago’s Gavin Floyd (12-10).

The loss drops Chicago into third place in the AL Central, 6½ games behind Detroit. Chicago has five games remaining against the Tigers this season, including the final two of this series.

“We’re almost out of games,” said White Sox starter John Danks, who struggled badly on the mound. “We have to win a lot more than we lost from here on out. We’re going to have to win out against the Tigers, and we’re still going to need some help.”

The White Sox had won five of six, but didn’t score off Verlander until the eighth inning.

“They definitely had everything rolling tonight, and they had their big gun out there,” Chicago’s Juan Pierre said. “He pretty much went through us any way he wanted.”

Verlander (21-5) improved to 19-2 since May 1, allowing one run on seven hits in 7 1-3 innings. He walked one and struck out six in Jim Leyland’s 500th win as Tigers manager.

“I didn’t change my game plan when we were leading 3-0 early, but once it got to be 8-0, I started throwing first-pitch fastballs,” he said. “I figured if they were hacking, I could get some quick outs. It hurt me a little in the eighth, but you certainly can’t complain about a game like this.”

On a 95-degree day, Danks (6-10) never came close to matching Verlander, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 4 2-3 innings.

“Danks wasn’t around the plate, and he was facing a pretty good hitting club that is swinging the bats well,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

After Verlander needed just six pitches in the top of the first, Detroit staked him to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.

Jackson led off with a single, took second on Magglio Ordonez’s groundout and scored on Delmon Young’s triple. Young came home on Miguel Cabrera’s RBI single, and Cabrera then stunned the sold-out crowd of 42,352 by stealing second base.

That put him in position to score on Alex Avila’s single.

“That was all Miggy’s doing — don’t give me any credit for that one,” Leyland said. “He saw that Danks wasn’t paying attention and he got the base. That’s a huge play, because it gets us a run.”

Against Verlander, Guillen knew the game was almost over after one inning.

“When it is 3-0 in the first inning against that guy, you’ve got a pretty rough slope to climb,” he said.

The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the fifth, with the White Sox only putting one runner in scoring position.

Brandon Inge led off Detroit’s fifth with a single, and scored on Jackson’s ninth homer of the season.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with two out, and Guillen pulled Danks in favor of Josh Kinney. The move didn’t pay off, as Peralta lined a bases-clearing double to give the Tigers their eight-run lead.

Tyler Flowers broke up Verlander’s shutout with a 425-foot homer on the first pitch of the eighth, and Chicago loaded the bases with one out before Joaquin Benoit came out of the bullpen. Paul Konerko flew out to left, and A.J. Pierzynski lined out to Cabrera at first.

NOTES: Tigers reliever Alberto Alburquerque is expected to throw an inning for Triple-A Toledo on Saturday before rejoining Detroit. Alburquerque has been sidelined with a concussion since being hit with a liner in batting practice on August 12. … Chicago’s Eduardo Escobar made his major-league debut, replacing Alexei Ramirez at shortstop in the seventh inning. Shane Lindsay, the first Australian to play for the White Sox, started his career by pitching the eighth. … Verlander has thrown at least six innings and 100 pitches in all 30 starts this season. … The teams play again Saturday afternoon, with Detroit’s Brad Penny (9-10) against Chicago’s Gavin Floyd (12-10).

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

DETROIT (AP) — The Chicago White Sox know they are running out of time.

The White Sox came up against overwhelming AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander on Friday night and lost 8-1 to the first-place Detroit Tigers.

The loss drops Chicago into third place in the AL Central, 6½ games behind Detroit. Chicago has five games remaining against the Tigers this season, including the final two of this series.

“We’re almost out of games,” said White Sox starter John Danks, who struggled badly on the mound. “We have to win a lot more than we lost from here on out. We’re going to have to win out against the Tigers, and we’re still going to need some help.”

The White Sox had won five of six, but didn’t score off Verlander until the eighth inning.

“They definitely had everything rolling tonight, and they had their big gun out there,” Chicago’s Juan Pierre said. “He pretty much went through us any way he wanted.”

Verlander (21-5) improved to 19-2 since May 1, allowing one run on seven hits in 7 1-3 innings. He walked one and struck out six in Jim Leyland’s 500th win as Tigers manager.

“I didn’t change my game plan when we were leading 3-0 early, but once it got to be 8-0, I started throwing first-pitch fastballs,” he said. “I figured if they were hacking, I could get some quick outs. It hurt me a little in the eighth, but you certainly can’t complain about a game like this.”

On a 95-degree day, Danks (6-10) never came close to matching Verlander, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 4 2-3 innings.

“Danks wasn’t around the plate, and he was facing a pretty good hitting club that is swinging the bats well,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

After Verlander needed just six pitches in the top of the first, Detroit staked him to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.

Jackson led off with a single, took second on Magglio Ordonez’s groundout and scored on Delmon Young’s triple. Young came home on Miguel Cabrera’s RBI single, and Cabrera then stunned the sold-out crowd of 42,352 by stealing second base.

That put him in position to score on Alex Avila’s single.

“That was all Miggy’s doing — don’t give me any credit for that one,” Leyland said. “He saw that Danks wasn’t paying attention and he got the base. That’s a huge play, because it gets us a run.”

Against Verlander, Guillen knew the game was almost over after one inning.

“When it is 3-0 in the first inning against that guy, you’ve got a pretty rough slope to climb,” he said.

The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the fifth, with the White Sox only putting one runner in scoring position.

Brandon Inge led off Detroit’s fifth with a single, and scored on Jackson’s ninth homer of the season.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with two out, and Guillen pulled Danks in favor of Josh Kinney. The move didn’t pay off, as Peralta lined a bases-clearing double to give the Tigers their eight-run lead.

Tyler Flowers broke up Verlander’s shutout with a 425-foot homer on the first pitch of the eighth, and Chicago loaded the bases with one out before Joaquin Benoit came out of the bullpen. Paul Konerko flew out to left, and A.J. Pierzynski lined out to Cabrera at first.

NOTES: Tigers reliever Alberto Alburquerque is expected to throw an inning for Triple-A Toledo on Saturday before rejoining Detroit. Alburquerque has been sidelined with a concussion since being hit with a liner in batting practice on August 12. … Chicago’s Eduardo Escobar made his major-league debut, replacing Alexei Ramirez at shortstop in the seventh inning. Shane Lindsay, the first Australian to play for the White Sox, started his career by pitching the eighth. … Verlander has thrown at least six innings and 100 pitches in all 30 starts this season. … The teams play again Saturday afternoon, with Detroit’s Brad Penny (9-10) against Chicago’s Gavin Floyd (12-10).

TIME: 07:05 P.M. EST
VENUE: Comerica Park

Justin Verlander has been unbeatable since the last time he faced the Chicago White Sox at home.

The Detroit Tigers ace looks to win his ninth straight start and help the AL Central leaders pull further away from one of their pursuers when they host the White Sox on Friday night.

Verlander (20-5, 2.38 ERA) became the first pitcher to win 20 games before September since 2002 on Saturday, defeating Minnesota 6-4. He gave up four runs over six-plus innings in one of his poorer outings during this streak.

The right-hander, who leads the majors with 218 strikeouts, has posted a 2.61 ERA over his last eight starts.

“To get to 20 at this point in the season, obviously you can’t do it all on your own,” Verlander said. “These guys have helped me along the way and today was a good example of that.”

Verlander yielded five runs over six innings of an 8-2 loss to the White Sox (68-66) on July 15, just before his run started. He beat them 11 days later with eight innings of four-run ball, and is 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA in four starts against them this year.

He has gone 8-1 with a 2.67 ERA versus Chicago over the past three seasons.

Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin have homered twice against Verlander this year, although Konerko is a .152 career hitter against him. Struggling Adam Dunn is 2 for 13 with nine strikeouts against Verlander in 2011.

Detroit (75-62) leads Chicago and Cleveland by 5 1/2 games going into this three-game set. The Tigers and White Sox have six meetings left.

“I feel like we have to win the series to be really optimistic for the rest of the year,” Chicago’s Brent Lillibridge said. “We’re ready. We’ve been playing good baseball.”

The White Sox, winners of five of six, should be confident with John Danks (6-9, 3.63) on the mound. Danks has gone 6-1 with a 2.03 ERA over his last 11 outings after posting an 0-8 record and 5.25 ERA in his first 11.

“It’s definitely something that builds strength, I guess, is the way to put it,” Danks told the White Sox’s official website. “Confidence, strength. I know I can take a shot to the face for two months and bounce back.”

The left-hander’s last outing was his best of the season, a three-hitter with a season high-tying 10 strikeouts in a 3-0 victory at Seattle on Saturday.

Danks is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against the Tigers this year. He’s posted a 4.76 ERA in losing his last three outings at Comerica Park.

Detroit leadoff hitter Austin Jackson is 4 for 8 with a homer against Danks in 2011. Magglio Ordonez is 15 for 29 in his career versus Danks.

Jackson is hitting .366 against Chicago this year, joining Alex Avila (.381), Miguel Cabrera (.349, four homers) and Jhonny Peralta (.342) as Tigers who have fared well in the season series.

Quentin and Konerko have combined for half of Chicago’s 14 homers against Detroit, which has won seven of 12 meetings.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

CHICAGO — Mark Buehrle overcame some shaky defense and kept the Chicago White Sox close early in the game Monday night.

Neither rattled nor perturbed by two popups that weren’t caught, Buehrle hung around for six innings and the Chicago White Sox got a pair of key two-out hits in the fifth inning and solo homers from Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3.

The win moved the White Sox within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Tigers in the AL Central.

“I know they feel bad when they don’t make a play and you try to pitch out of it. I try to pick them up,” Buehrle said, adding that the victory in the opener of a three-game series is important but should be enjoyed with some perspective.

“We can’t sit here and say `Oh we’re going to win the division now, we won the first game against these guys.’ Obviously it’s big to win first game, but it’s a tough task tomorrow with (Justin) Verlander on the mound. They’re one of the toughest lineups I’ve faced 1-9, these guys.”

Buehrle (8-5) allowed 10 hits and Detroit had a runner on in each of his six innings, but the Tigers managed just two unearned runs off the left-hander.

“Buehrle’s been like that all his life,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. “You pick the mistake up and that’s what Buehrle does. He got out there and regardless of  what happens behind him, he continues to do what he does and never complain about anything.”

Detroit rookie Duane Below (0-1) surrendered six hits and four runs in 4 2-3 innings.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected before the start of the sixth for questioning balls and strikes against Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez, who had the first of the two, two-out hits in Chicago’s three-run fifth.

“I thought we had Ramirez struck out and the umpire didn’t think so. I told him that and he didn’t appreciate that. I understand that, no big deal,” Leyland said after his third ejection this season and 59th of his career.  This one came from home plate umpire Jim Wolfe.

“I thought the pitch to Ramirez was a pitch that Jim  was calling all night, really. Jim’s a very good umpire.”

Konerko hit his 23rd homer and Pierzynski his fourth for the White Sox, both off Chance Ruffin in his major league debut.

Miguel Cabrera connected on his 21st homer for Detroit, a solo shot off reliever Jesse Crain in the seventh.

A gaffe by Cabrera at first base helped Chicago take the lead with a two-out, three-run rally in the fifth. Juan Pierre reached on a fielder’s choice and was caught leaving early for second, but Cabrera dropped Below’s throw to first. That allowed Pierre to reach second on the stolen base and he went on to score on Ramirez’s two-out RBI single.

Konerko was walked intentionally and Adam Dunn walked to load the bases, ending Below’s night. Quentin then greeted Ruffin, promoted from the minors earlier Monday, with a two-run double to make it 4-2.

“All year long we’ve been struggling with two outs and men in scoring position. And then all of a sudden we got that one,” Guillen said of Ramirez’s game-tying hit. “I think it pumps everybody up.”

Chicago’s defense came unglued in the second, leading to a pair of unearned runs for the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez singled with two outs and made it to third when White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham dropped Cabrera’s popup into shallow center for an error.

Victor Martinez added an RBI single before Jhonny Peralta hit another shallow pop to left center that Chicago center fielder Alex Rios let fall in front of him, thinking shortstop  Ramirez was going to catch it. Detroit’s second run scored on the play.

After an infield single loaded the bases, Rios went near the fence in center to track down Ryan Raburn’s long drive to end the inning.

Chicago got a run in the bottom half on Konerko’s sacrifice fly that followed singles by Brent Morel and Pierre and a sacrifice.

“Where we are at in the standings right now, it’s like you know we are certainly not out of it but we would like to stick our nose in there a little bit further and start making up some ground,” said Konerko, who also added two nice plays at first base.

“We’ve been treading water and teams have allowed us to tread water all year.

“It’s time to make a move and get in there and make ourselves known in the division. It’s still going to be another two months before there’s an answer.”

Notes: Buehrle improved to 18-9 in his career against the Tigers and to 7-1 in his last 11 starts against them. … After Cabrera’s homer in the seventh, Detroit had runners at first and second, but when Crain’s low pitch bounced off catcher Pierzynski, the ball ricocheted to Crain, who threw to second to get Carlos Guillen for the final out.  … Detroit has captured 14 of the last 19 meetings with the White Sox. Chicago has won 3 of the last 4.

CHICAGO (WWJ/AP) – The Tigers took an early lead but couldn’t hold on as the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Monday night.

As heard on 97.1 The Ticket – the Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the third but couldn’t hold on even with the error prone White Sox.

Mark Buehrle pitched six innings and Carlos Quentin hit a bases-loaded double to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Tigers and take game one of the three game series.

Buehrle (8-5) allowed 10 hits and Detroit had a runner on in each of his six innings, but the Tigers managed just two unearned runs off the left-hander.

Detroit rookie Duane Below (0-1) surrendered six hits and four runs in 4 2-3 innings.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected before the start of the sixth. There was no immediate word on why he was thrown out.

Paul Konerko hit his 23rd homer and A.J. Pierzynski his fourth for the White Sox.

Miguel Cabrera connected on his 21st homer for Detroit, a solo shot off reliever Jesse Crain in the seventh.

A gaffe by Cabrera at first base helped Chicago take the lead with a two-out, three-run rally in the fifth. Juan Pierre reached on a fielder’s choice and was caught leaving early for second, but Cabrera dropped Below’s throw to first. That allowed Pierre to reach second on the stolen base and he went on to score on Alexei Ramirez’s two-out RBI single.

Konerko was walked intentionally and Adam Dunn walked to load the bases, ending Below’s night. Quentin then greeted Chance Ruffin, promoted from the minors earlier Monday, with a two-run double to make it 4-2.

Chicago’s defense came unglued in the second, leading to a pair of unearned runs for the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez singled with two outs and made it to third when White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham dropped Cabrera’s popup into shallow center for an error.

Victor Martinez added an RBI single before Jhonny Peralta hit another shallow pop to left center that Chicago center fielder Alex Rios let fall in front of him, thinking shortstop Ramirez was going to catch it. Detroit’s second run scored on the play.

After an infield single loaded the bases, Rios went near the fence in center to track down Ryan Raburn’s long drive to end the inning.

Chicago got a run in the bottom half on Konerko’s sacrifice fly that followed singles by Brent Morel and Pierre and a sacrifice.
(Copyright 2011 WWJ Newsradio 950. All Rights Reserved.)   (Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Mark Buehrle pitched six innings and Carlos Quentin hit a bases-loaded double Monday night as the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 to pull within 3 1/2 games of first in the AL Central.

 

Buehrle (8-5) allowed 10 hits and Detroit had a runner on in each of his six innings, but the Tigers managed just two unearned runs off the left-hander.

 

Detroit rookie Duane Below (0-1) surrendered six hits and four runs in 4 2-3 innings.

 

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected before the start of the sixth. There was no immediate word on why he was thrown out.

 

Paul Konerko hit his 23rd homer and A.J. Pierzynski his fourth for the White Sox.

 

Miguel Cabrera connected on his 21st homer for Detroit, a solo shot off reliever Jesse Crain in the seventh.

Copyright 2011 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Written by

The Sports Network

“Some teams are different. Those guys are really aggressive, and they’re doing me a favor by swinging first and second pitch every time,” Penny said. “I’m throwing strikes, and they’re helping my pitch count, when they had me a little bit on the ropes in the second inning.”

The first time the Tigers hosted the White Sox this season, Detroit outscored Chicago 21-3 in a three-game sweep. The White Sox seemed ready to return the favor, but Humber ran out of steam.

Brennan Boesch’s solo homer in the fourth made it 3-1, and Andy Dirks led off the Detroit sixth with a hard-hit ball that shortstop Alexei Ramirez deflected but couldn’t stop. Dirks hustled all the way to second as the ball rolled into short center field, and Magglio Ordonez walked one out later.

Miguel Cabrera hit a grounder to Ramirez, but with the runners moving, Chicago couldn’t turn a double play.

“If he hits a line drive at the third baseman, I look like a fool, but you don’t manage like that,” Leyland said. “That was the right play, and fortunately it worked out good for us, but it wasn’t anything that 30 out of 30 managers wouldn’t have done, in my opinion.”

Martinez came up with men on second and third and two out. His single brought home both runners when right fielder Carlos Quentin overran the ball slightly.

“I really wouldn’t change anything I threw, but they have great hitters and they got some hits off me,” Humber said. “You just have to tip your cap to them.”

Humber left after Peralta’s hit, and Guillen followed with a clutch base hit off Chris Sale. Quentin tried to play the ball on a short hop, but it bounced off him and went several feet away. Martinez scored easily.

Al Alburquerque relieved Penny with two on and two out in the seventh and got Paul Konerko to fly out to center. Joaquin Benoit struck out two in a perfect eighth for the Tigers.

Penny struck out two and walked one. Continued…

By Noah Trister
AP Sports Writer

DETROIT — After watching his Detroit Tigers avoid a series sweep with a nice rally, manager Jim Leyland admitted his team has a lot to prove right now.

The Tigers have developed an unpleasant habit of fading in the second half, so there was an antsy vibe around Comerica Park when they lost two straight to Chicago immediately after the All-Star break.

“We’re not hiding from that,” Leyland said. “The only way you quiet that down is to do what we did today — go win games.”

Carlos Guillen hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Detroit’s three-run sixth inning, leading the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the White Sox on Sunday. Detroit came back from an early 3-0 deficit.

The Tigers haven’t played above-.500 baseball after the All-Star break since 2000, and they dropped the first two games of this series by a combined 13-2.

Chicago led 3-1 on Sunday before Victor Martinez tied it with a two-run single in the sixth. Jhonny Peralta then singled, and Guillen followed with a line drive to right field that drove in Martinez.

Detroit’s Brad Penny (7-6) allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. Three relievers finished for the Tigers, with Jose Valverde working the ninth for his 25th save in 25 chances.

Phil Humber (8-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings for the White Sox. He struck out eight and walked one.

Penny labored early on a hot afternoon, giving up three runs in the second. Alex Rios hit an RBI double, A.J. Pierzynski added a sacrifice fly and Gordon Beckham singled in a run.

But Penny was able to settle down after that. He ended up throwing only 78 pitches.

“Some teams are different. Those guys are really aggressive, and they’re doing me a favor by swinging first and second pitch every time,” Penny said. “I’m throwing strikes, and they’re helping my pitch count, when they had me a little bit on the ropes in the second inning.”

The first time the Tigers hosted the White Sox this season, Detroit outscored Chicago 21-3 in a three-game sweep. The White Sox seemed ready to return the favor, but Humber ran out of steam.

Brennan Boesch’s solo homer in the fourth made it 3-1, and Andy Dirks led off the Detroit sixth with a hard-hit ball that shortstop Alexei Ramirez deflected but couldn’t stop. Dirks hustled all the way to second as the ball rolled into short center field, and Magglio Ordonez walked one out later.

Miguel Cabrera hit a grounder to Ramirez, but with the runners moving, Chicago couldn’t turn a double play.

“If he hits a line drive at the third baseman, I look like a fool, but you don’t manage like that,” Leyland said. “That was the right play, and fortunately it worked out good for us, but it wasn’t anything that 30 out of 30 managers wouldn’t have done, in my opinion.”

Martinez came up with men on second and third and two out. His single brought home both runners when right fielder Carlos Quentin overran the ball slightly.

“I really wouldn’t change anything I threw, but they have great hitters and they got some hits off me,” Humber said. “You just have to tip your cap to them.”

Humber left after Peralta’s hit, and Guillen followed with a clutch base hit off Chris Sale. Quentin tried to play the ball on a short hop, but it bounced off him and went several feet away. Martinez scored easily.

Al Alburquerque relieved Penny with two on and two out in the seventh and got Paul Konerko to fly out to center. Joaquin Benoit struck out two in a perfect eighth for the Tigers.

Penny struck out two and walked one.

“That was probably one of the worst games I’ve thrown in a long time, for me,” he said. “That wasn’t a great game for me by any means.”

NOTES: The White Sox confirmed LHP John Danks is slated to start Wednesday night at Kansas City, although the team did not make a roster move. Danks has been on the DL with a strained right oblique. … Boesch struck out three times. … The temperature was 90 degrees at game time.