Tigers 6, White Sox 3
Johnny Damon had four hits, Rick Porcello continued Detroit’s string of strong starting pitching and the Tigers sent the Chicago White Sox to their third straight defeat with a 6-3 victory on Thursday.
Damon went 4-for-4 and rookie second baseman Will Rhymes equaled his career-high with three hits as the Tigers pounded Chicago starter Gavin Floyd (10-12) for 13 hits and five runs - four earned - in six innings.
The loss ended Chicago’s 10-game trip on a sour note. The White Sox won the first seven, but now slip six games behind idle Minnesota in the AL’s Central Division.
Porcello (9-11) had struggled against the White Sox throughout his brief career, but held them to three runs in eight innings to win for the first time in six starts against them.
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead on a run-scoring single by Damon and a groundball double play from Ryan Raburn. They added two more in the on another Raburn groundout and an RBI single from Jhonny Peralta. Alex Rios hit his 21st homer of the season for the White Sox.
Damon went 8-for-13 in the series with a pair of runs scored and three RBIs.