Tigers 9, White Sox 1
Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings while Johnny Damon and Brandon Inge homered in Detroit’s 9-1 win over the White Sox on Tuesday, ending Chicago’s seven-game winning streak.
More importantly for the Sox, starter Freddy Garcia left after just two innings with recurring soreness in his back. It was the second time in as many starts Garcia was forced out early; he lasted just four innings (60 pitches) in his previous outing last week in Cleveland.
Garcia (11-6) threw just 33 pitches on Tuesday and allowed three hits, including the first-inning homer to Damon. Jhonny Peralta added a two-run double off reliever Lucas Harrell in the third inning, when Detroit scored four times to break the game open. Inge added a three-run blast in the eighth to remove all doubt.
Verlander (15-8) did the rest, allowing just a run-scoring single to Omar Vizquel in the third. Verlander allowed five hits, walked one and struck out seven to improve to 8-1 at home since the start of June.
It was Chicago’s first loss on its 10-game road trip. The White Sox are 7-1 on the trip with two games left in Detroit.