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The Tigers scored a pair of runs in the first inning, added a run in each of the next three frames, and Detroit’s bullpen threw four scoreless innings as the Tigers hung on to defeat the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park on Sunday afternoon by a score of 6-3.
Matt Boyd surrendered a two run home run in the top of the first inning to Eloy Jimenez, then held Chicago to just one more run to improve his record to 9-11 for the season.
After Jimenez homered to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead, the Tigers answered in the bottom of the first inning with two run homer by Jeimer Candelario with Victor Reyes on base to tie the score at 2-2.
Gordon Beckham hit a solo shot in the bottom of the second inning to put the Tigers on top to stay. In the third frame, Harold Castro doubled, Candelario walked, and Christin Stewart hit an RBI single, all with two outs, to make it 4-2 for the Tigers.
Victor Reyes hit the Tigers’ third home run of the game in the fourth inning, a solo shot to put Detroit up by a score of 5-2. All of the Tigers first five runs came with two outs.
Boyd surrendered a two out double in the fifth frame to Yoan Moncada and he scored on a single by Welington Castillo to make it 5-3 after five innings.
Boyd’s day was done after five innings pitched, allowing 3 earned runs on 8 hits, while striking out six batters.
Boyd was relieved by John Schreiber who threw 1 2⁄3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out three batters. Nick Ramirez faced one batter, striking out Moncada on three pitches.
Willi Castro led off the seventh inning for Detroit with his first career home run, a 354 shot to left field, making it Detroit 6, Chicago 3.
Buck Farmer worked around a two out double in the eighth inning, keeping the White Sox off the board.
Detroit threatened in the bottom half of the eighth inning when Dawel Lugo reached on a one-out infield single, moved to second on a ground out by Grayson Greiner, and over to third on a wild pitch, but he was stranded when Beckham grounded out to end the threat.
Joe Jimenez came on for a rare save opportunity for the Tigers in the ninth inning with Detroit leading 6-3. Leury Garcia led off the inning with a single, but was erased when Jimenez got Tim Anderson to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Jose Abreu popped out to Candelario at first base in foul territory to seal the victory for the Tigers.
Final lines
Detroit: 6 runs, 12 hits, no errors
Chicago: 3 runs, 11 hits, no errors
Matthew Boyd gets the win and is now 9-11. Reynaldo Lopez takes the loss and drops to 9-15. Joe Jimenez picked up his 8th save for Detroit.
With the win, the Tigers avoid becoming the first team in American league history to lose 60 games at home in a season. They do, however, move closer to clinching the worst record in the major leagues and with it the first overall pick in next June’s amateur draft, as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners by a score of 2-1.
The Tigers now have a day off on Monday, and will then host the first place Minnesota Twins for a three game series before closing out the season with a four game series in Chicago against the White Sox, starting with a double header on Thursday.