Sale Picks Up Win No. 11, Helps White Sox Past Tigers
CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Sale allowed three runs in seven innings to become the first 11-game winner in the majors, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.
Rookie Tim Anderson had three hits and three runs scored, and Todd Frazier drove in the go-ahead run as Chicago won two of three in the series between AL Central rivals.
Sale (11-2) was 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in his last four starts after beginning the season by winning his first nine. He survived a shaky third inning in which he allowed all three runs and five of the six hits he surrendered. The left-hander threw a season-high 119 pitches, giving a tired Chicago bullpen much-needed rest.
Nate Jones worked a perfect eighth inning and David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 16th save in 18 chances.
Jose Iglesias had a two-run home run for the Tigers. Mike Pelfrey (1-7) allowed four runs in six innings.
After the potent Detroit offense battered Chicago starters early and often in the first two games of the series, Sale looked to restore order. It looked promising early, as he retired the first six batters and the White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Melky Cabrera.
But then the Tigers started the third with four straight hits, including Iglesias' homer, to take a 2-1 lead. The advantage grew to 3-1 later in the inning on a two-out, run-scoring single by Nick Castellanos following an intentional walk to Miguel Cabrera.
Detroit might have scored more, but James McCann, who led off the third with a double, was thrown out at the plate by center fielder J.B. Shuck for the first out while trying to score on a single by Mike Aviles.
Sale settled down from there and held the Tigers to just one hit over the next four innings.
Chicago pushed across single runs in the fourth and fifth innings — on RBI ground outs by Brett Lawrie and Adam Eaton — to tie the score at 3. Frazier added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to put the White Sox on top 4-3, and put Sale in line for the win.
Anderson led off the seventh with a single and advanced to third on a ground-rule double by Eaton.
Chicago added an insurance run in the eighth on a RBI triple by Schuck.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
