Tigers 3, White Sox 2: Mikie walked off

By this point of their teams’ respective seasons, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox fans come into every game expecting a loss. When both teams play each other, however, one of the teams must emerge victorious. The Tigers were the winners Friday night at Comerica Park with a final score of 3-2.

Almost everything clicked for Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez. He didn’t get the win, but he threw six solid innings of one-run ball and kept Detroit in the game. His only real mistake was a solo home run to Yoan Moncada. Sanchez’s final line was six innings, six hits, one run, one walk, and 11 strikeouts on 96 pitches (64 strikes).

Consecutive singles by Alex Presley, Miguel Cabrera, and Nicholas Castellanos in the fourth inning gave the Tigers their first run of the game. Their second run came in the seventh inning courtesy a Tyler Collins home run ball, barely fair down the right field foul line.

Detroit’s bullpen did better than expected... at least the first two pitchers to come out in relief. Drew VerHagen and Daniel Stumpf combined to face and retire four batters between them.

Alex Wilson came into the game in the eighth inning with one out. He drilled Jose Abreu in the hand with his second pitch of the evening, then Avisail Garcia reached on an infield hit. Wilson got a second out, but manager Brad Ausmus decided to go to Shane Greene for a four-out save attempt.

Greene gave up the tying run to Chicago... but he retired the next batter to end the inning, then pitched a perfect ninth.

Mikie Mahtook stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with two on and two out after the White Sox Ventura’d Renteria’d their bullpen, using three pitchers in the inning.

Mahtook delivered, hitting a single up the middle to score Jeimer Candelario from third base.

Stats and info

• Castellanos has hit safely in 12 straight games

• #OldFriendAlert: Former Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque came out of the Chicago bullpen in the bottom of the eighth and struck out Miguel Cabrera