White Sox 4, Tigers 3
CHICAGO -- Designated hitter Leury Garcia flipped a single to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning to score J.B. Shuck and win a game for the Chicago White Sox, 4-3 over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.
The White Sox (76-85) scored twice in the ninth after falling behind 3-2 in the top half of the frame. The Tigers (73-87) took the lead on a pinch-hit double by catcher James McCann, whose hit off left-hander Dan Jennings scored Rajai Davis from second.
Right-hander Neftali Feliz (3-4) relieved right-hander Drew VerHagen to pitch the ninth for Detroit after VerHagen threw two scoreless innings of relief of starter Justin Verlander. Feliz walked right fielder Avisail Garcia to start the inning. He then allowed a one-out double to Shuck that scored Avisail Garcia with the tying run and gave up the game-ending single to Leury Garcia.
Right-hander Nate Jones (2-2) threw a scoreless third of an inning to earn the win.
Verlander, the Tigers' ace, took a no-decision after allowing two runs on five hits and striking out nine. Right-hander Erik Johnson started for the White Sox and also was saddled with a no-decision, yielding two runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 and hit a two-run homer to lead all hitters.
After falling behind 2-1 on Cabrera's homer in the top of the sixth, the White Sox knotted it 2-2 in the bottom half on a two-out double by shortstop Alexei Ramirez that scored rookie left fielder Trayce Thompson from first.
The Tigers put the potential go-ahead run at second base in the seventh and eighth, but couldn't convert either opportunity against relievers Zach Duke and Jake Pericka. The White Sox put a runner on third in the seventh and eighth, each time with two outs, but VerHagen got out of the threat each time. He struck out first baseman Jose Abreu in the seventh and got former Tigers catcher Rob Brantly to ground out to end the eighth.
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Verlander when Eaton led off with a single, stole second and scored on a double by left fielder Melky Cabrera. It took the Tigers five more innings to respond, but when they did it was with Cabrera's two-run homer to put Detroit up 2-1 in the sixth.
The ball just got over the fence in right-center field for Cabrera's first home run since Aug. 26, a span of 125 plate appearances.
NOTES: Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera was back in the starting lineup Saturday after getting Friday off. Cabrera is batting .338 and will win his fourth AL batting title in the last five seasons. ... White Sox RHP Matt Albers boasts a scoreless streak of 22 1/3 innings and 20 straight appearances. "You start next year, who knows, but I know right now he's the hot hand and he's been pitching great," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "For us, when you get toward the end of the game you're going with the guys that have been doing it."