Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Jose Abreu and Adam LaRoche each homered and
drove in four runs to lead the way in the Chicago White Sox’ 12-3 rout of the
Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
The White Sox handed the surging Tigers only their second loss in 11 games
this season behind a 17-hit barrage. Abreu’s grand slam off Anibal Sanchez
highlighted a seven-run fourth inning, while LaRoche socked a three-run shot
in the third.
Melky Cabrera collected four hits and two RBI in five at-bats for Chicago,
with Abreu and LaRoche both finishing a triple shy of a cycle.
The prolific hitting display was supported by a quality start from Chris Sale
(2-0), who struck out six while holding Detroit’s potent bats to two runs and
four hits over six innings.
Sanchez (1-2) was battered for nine runs and nine hits before being lifted
with one out in the fourth.
J.D. Martinez had a solo homer for the Tigers, while Miguel Cabrera and Nick
Castellanos recorded RBI singles in defeat.
Sanchez was able to make it through the first two innings unscathed, but ran
into trouble in the third. His four-pitch walk to Adam Eaton was followed by
Cabrera’s double to right that tied the game at 1-1, and after Abreu singled,
LaRoche drilled a fastball into the right-field seats to send Chicago in
front.
More problems came Sanchez’s way in the fourth, which the White Sox began by
loading the bases on back-to-back doubles by Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers
and a walk. After Cabrera drove in a run with a single, Abreu hammered a
slider into the home bullpen to extend the lead to 9-1.
Chicago wasn’t finished, as LaRoche, Avisail Garcia and Conor Gillaspie
greeted reliever Blaine Hardy with consecutive singles to tack on another
score and Ramirez capped the seven-run outburst with a sacrifice fly.
Sale was touched for a run in the first inning, as Rajai Davis reached on a
bloop leadoff double and crossed the plate when Cabrera ended a nine-pitch
battle with a single to center.
The Chicago ace was outstanding thereafter, permitting just two more hits that
included Martinez’s fifth homer of the year to begin the bottom of the fourth.
Sale then set down the next nine Detroit hitters to conclude his solid stint.
Detroit put up just one more run the rest of the way, with Castellanos plating
Andrew Romine with a pinch-hit, two-out single in the eighth.
Game Notes
Tigers pitchers had combined to allow just one run over the team’s three most
recent games … Victor Martinez, held out of the Tigers’ lineup for the past
four games by a sore left knee, went 0-for-3 as the designated hitter …
Sanchez served up three homers over 6 1/3 innings in his previous start, a
loss at Pittsburgh on Monday … Cabrera is now 14-for-27 lifetime off Sanchez
… LaRoche homered for the third time in six games.
