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 (AP)—Mark Buehrle(notes) 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(notes) and A.J. Pierzynski(notes)
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(notes) (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(notes), 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(notes) in his major league debut.

Miguel Cabrera(notes) connected on his 21st homer for Detroit, a solo shot off
reliever Jesse Crain(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) singled with two outs and made it to third
when White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham(notes) dropped Cabrera’s popup into
shallow center for an error.

Victor Martinez(notes) added an RBI single before Jhonny Peralta(notes) hit another
shallow pop to left center that Chicago center fielder Alex Rios(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) 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.)