Tigers 8, White Sox 5: Late rally keeps win streak alive in MLB The Show simulation

Like many of our friends throughout the SB Nation network, we are simulating the 2020 MLB season with MLB The Show 20. While we are unable to stream the games as they would otherwise be happening, we will try to get ahead of the curve and post about the games on the same day they would have taken place. Or, you know, at least get them back on schedule. Now, onto the recap!

Buck Farmer gave up two runs in the top of the eighth inning on Wednesday evening, and it looked as if the simulated Detroit Tigers’ four-game win streak was set to end. But the Tigers offense erupted for five runs in the bottom of the frame, and collected 16 hits in total, as they won an 8-5 decision over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.

This was a tight game throughout. The Tigers scored first, plating a run in the bottom of the first inning. Victor Reyes stayed hot, leading off the inning with a single to right field, and Miguel Cabrera brought him around to score with a double to deep right-center. The White Sox answered quickly in the top of the second. Eloy Jimenez doubled to lead off the inning, then came around to score on consecutive flyouts from Jose Abreu and Edwin Encarnacion.

The same pattern happened again in the third inning. Christin Stewart led off the inning with a double, the first of four hits for him on the game, then moved up to third base on another Reyes single. Jeimer Candelario’s fly ball was just barely deep enough to score Stewart, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead. But Jimenez knotted the score by himself in the top of the fourth, sending a Jordan Zimmermann fastball over the left field wall for his 19th homer of the year.

The score stayed knotted at 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh, when the Sox went to their bullpen. Kelvin Herrera struck out Clint Frazier to open the inning, but Austin Romine got the rally started with a one-out double to right. Stewart followed with hit number three on the game, a sharp single up the middle that brought Romine in to score. Reyes followed with a walk, but Herrera set down the next two hitters to keep the score at 3-2.

The Sox didn’t waste much time taking the lead in the eighth. Danny Mendick sent Buck Farmer’s first pitch into right field for a leadoff single, and Leury Garcia followed with a first-pitch sacrifice bunt to move Mendick to second. Farmer retired Yoan Moncada on a deep fly ball to right field, but Tim Anderson gave Chicago the lead with a two-run homer that just barely cleared the left field wall.

But as quickly as the White Sox took the lead in the top of the eighth, the Tigers struck back just as fast. Cron, Schoop, and Goodrum all singled off reliever Alex Colome to open the inning, and a slight bobble by Garcia in center field brought Cron around to score. Colome was pulled after just six pitches, but lefthander Jace Fry did not fare much better. Frazier sent a double down the left field line that scored two runs before Romine popped out, the first out of the inning. But Stewart and Reyes added extra-base hits to score two more runs before Fry recorded another out, extending Detroit’s lead to 8-4.

Jose Cisnero surrendered a solo home run to Jose Abreu in the top of the ninth, but retired the next three White Sox batters to seal the win. The victory, Detroit’s fifth in a row, improved their record to nine games over .500, their best of the season thus far.

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