Tigers 7, White Sox 3
Max Scherzer pitched eight strong innings for his 14th victory and visiting Detroit claimed the opener of a four-game series despite the loss of reigning American League MVP Miguel Cabrera to an injury.
Victor Martinez recorded four hits and three RBIs while Torii Hunter added two hits, including his eighth homer, for the Tigers. Cabrera, who has 31 homers and 96 RBIs, left in the fifth inning with a sore left hip flexor muscle and will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
Scherzer (14-1) allowed two runs, four hits and struck out five without walking a batter to tie Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore for the major league lead in victories. Chris Sale (6-9) yielded four runs (two earned), seven hits and struck out 11 over eight innings while Dayan Viciedo and Conor Gillaspie belted solo homers for the White Sox.
Hunter singled with two outs in the third inning, moved to second on a Cabrera walk and scored on Prince Fielder’s RBI single to right field for the game’s first run. An error and a pair of walks loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth before Martinez took a 1-2 pitch from Sale up the middle to extend Detroit’s lead to 3-0.
Scherzer retired the first 12 batters he faced before Adam Dunn singled in the fifth. Gillaspie’s solo blast brought Chicago within 4-2 in the eighth inning, but the Tigers added three in the ninth with the help of two errors, an RBI double by Austin Jackson and a run-scoring single from Martinez.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The White Sox activated 1B/DH Paul Konerko from the 15-day disabled list Monday and he went 0-for-3. To make room on the roster, INF Brent Morel was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. … Chicago 2B Gordon Beckham sat out his second straight game with a sore left wrist. … It was Hunter’s 37th multi-hit game of the season.