Tigers 5, White Sox 4
DETROIT -- J.D. Martinez led off the eighth inning with his 19th home run of the season and 10th in 16 games Friday night to power the Detroit Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Martinez missed hitting a home run in his first at-bat and in his last took a 1-0 pitch to left to break a 4-4 tie. Left-hander Zach Duke (3-3), the winner Thursday in the series opener, took the loss.
Right-hander Bruce Rondon (1-0) faced just three Chicago batters in the top of the eighth to pick up the win. It was his second appearance since being called up from the minors.
Right-hander Joakim Soria picked up his 17th save in his first chance since June 7, but not without difficulty. Right fielder Avisail Garcia doubled to start the ninth and stopped at third on a one-out ground single to left by pinch-hitter J.B. Shuck.
Second baseman Carlos Sanchez tried a squeeze bunt but popped it up to first baseman Miguel Cabrera and center fielder Adam Eaton grounded into a forceout at second to end the game.
Eaton smacked a fat 2-1 pitch into the right field seats for his second leadoff home run in two games, a feat last achieved by the White Sox on May 8-10, 2013, by outfielder Alejandro De Aza and May 8-10, 2002, by outfielder Kenny Lofton.
The Tigers tied the score in the bottom of the first inning on second baseman Ian Kinsler's single and an RBI double by Cabrera.
First baseman Jose Abreu put Chicago ahead 2-1 with two outs in the third when he bounced his 13th home run off the padding atop the fence in left center.
Detroit tied the score 2-2 in the fourth on singles by right fielder Martinez, third baseman Nick Castellanos and shortstop Jose Iglesias.
Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez lined a two-out single to left in the fifth and scored from first on a triple off the wall in deep right center by left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, breaking the 2-2 tie.
Left fielder Melky Cabrera tripled down the first base line in the sixth to score designated hitter Adam LaRoche, who had doubled, and get Chicago back into a tie at 3.
The home runs allowed by Sanchez were the 16th, 17th and 18th off him this season, two from his career highs in 2011 and 2012.
NOTES: SS Alexei Ramirez returned to the Chicago lineup Friday after sitting out the first seven innings Thursday. Manager Robin Ventura slotted him second in the batting order. ... RHP Justin Verlander has a bullpen session scheduled for Saturday, with an eye toward returning to Detroit's rotation on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. ... White Sox RHP Matt Albers (broken right pinkie finger) began a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Rochester. ... Tigers RF J.D. Martinez entered Friday having hit nine home runs in his last 15 games with 22 RBIs.