Tigers 3, White Sox 2: JaCoby Jones’ big day helps sweep Chicago

DETROIT — A solid start from Justin Verlander, combined with two key runs in the fifth and eighth innings by the offense, kept the Tigers from a loss on Wednesday. Headed into the ninth with a tied ballgame, Detroit rallied on JaCoby Jones’ leadoff double, who scored on a sac fly for a 3-2 win and a series sweep of the White Sox.

Verlander was hot and cold in his start on Wednesday, but he still made it through seven innings and gave up just three hits. Two of them landed beyond the fences, though, and former Tiger Alex Avila punished a baseball into the bushes in dead center.

Those would be the only mistakes made by Verlander, but because of the lack of offensive support by the Tigers’ bats, they loomed large. Detroit ran into three double plays in the first four innings alone, despite six baserunners. They didn’t get on the board until the fifth inning when JaCoby Jones doubled and scored on Andrew Romine’s single

Because of Ian Kinsler’s two-hit day (a first-inning single and a leadoff double in the eighth), though, the Tigers were able to get to Chris Sale just enough that it tied the low-scoring game. A lights-out bullpen kept the White Sox quiet in the eighth and ninth, and

ROARS:

Justin Verlander: Gave up the two home runs but he was on fire in the first three innings, and recovered well to go seven innings and allow a total of just three hits.

Ian Kinsler: Had a two-hit day and scored the tying run on J.D. Martinez’s RBI single.

JaCoby Jones: Had a two-double day, scoring the first run in the fifth and getting the ninth started with one off the right-center field wall.

HISSES:

Tigers offense: Had several baserunners but the double play killed almost every rally.

STATS AND INFO:

• Ian Kinsler has back-to-back multi-hit games after going through a 19-game stretch without one. During that time (Aug. 8-29), he hit just .125/.259/.264 with four doubles and two home runs.
• J.D. Martinez is hitting .410/.454/.730(!) since coming back from his injury. He has 11 doubles and seven home runs in 26 games, not including Wednesday’s game.

WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH: