Tigers 7, White Sox 5: Miguel Cabrera notches four hits, 1500th career RBI in win

Michael Fulmer was not his sharpest on Friday night, struggling with his command and lasting only five innings. Thankfully, Miguel Cabrera had himself a night and the offense finally showed some life, propelling the Detroit Tigers to a 7-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox to take a 2-0 series lead.

The Tigers had a chance to get on the board right away against Jacob Turner. The former Detroit No. 1 prospect loaded the bases with two outs, but got Justin Upton to strike out swinging. The White Sox struck in the bottom of the inning, partly thanks to a rare miss by Jose Iglesias at shortstop. Fulmer did end the rally with a double play, but only after going down 1-0.

The offense did jump on Turner in the top of the third, taking a 3-1 lead during a 46-pitch inning. Ian Kinsler was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on an errant throw instead of being tagged out in a rundown. He scored on a Cameron Maybin double, who then scored on a wild pitch. The third Tigers’ run was knocked in by Nick Castellanos, bringing home Miguel Cabrera who walked earlier in the frame.

The Tigers looked threatening in the fourth inning as well, loading the bases with one out. Victor Martinez brought home Kinsler on a sacrifice fly, but the Tigers had to settle for just one run to go up 4-1.

Fulmer showed some struggles with his command, but was able to avoid damage from the second to fourth innings. However, his luck ran out in the fifth as the Tigers’ lead quickly disappeared. With two outs and two men on, Jose Abreu hit an RBI double and Justin Morneau then nailed a three-run shot to give Chicago a 5-4 advantage.

In the seventh inning the Tigers’ offense fought back against Chicago’s own Fulmer, Carson. Two walks and a single opened up the rally, and Iglesias hit into an RBI groundout to tie the game at five. Carson Fulmer was removed after loading the bases again with two outs, but the Tigers were not done yet. Cabrera drilled a single up the middle to bring home two more runs, giving the Tigers the 7-5 lead and notching a career milestone as well.

The Tigers’ bullpen was excellent after Fulmer left, with Kyle Ryan taking the sixth inning, Alex Wilson starting the seventh, Justin Wilson pitching through the eighth, and Francisco Rodriguez locking down the ninth. On a night where the Tigers needed to pickup their young starter, the bullpen came through in a big way to secure the win.

ROARS:

Miguel Cabrera: Whenever the whispers about his struggles begin to grow louder, Cabrera always finds a way to shut them down. After homering the night before, Cabrera went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

The bullpen: Kyle Ryan, Alex Wilson, Justin Wilson, and Francisco Rodriguez combined to pitch four scoreless innings to seal the game.

Ian Kinsler: Though he recorded just one hit and struck out three times, Kinsler still somehow scored three runs.

HISSES:

Michael Fulmer: The rookie did not have his best stuff, and it finally caught up to him in the fifth inning. He gave up five runs (four earned) and six hits through five innings pitched.

Bottom of the order: A 2-for-14 night from Tyler Collins, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jose Iglesias.

STATS AND INFO:

• Miguel Cabrera recorded his 1500th career RBI. Congrats Miggy!
• The Tigers scored more than four runs for the first time since the All Star Break.
• Victor Martinez was intentionally walked more than once in a game for the first time since April 8, 2015.
• Four earned runs matches the highest total allowed by Fulmer in his last 12 starts.

WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH: