The Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers are two similar teams battling for the same goal. It was no surprise then that in their final meeting of the year, the teams played nearly the exact same game. And a look at the standings indicates no surprise that the White Sox won, barely.
Entering the contest separated by two games, the Sox and the Tigers each sent a quality starting pitcher to the mound. Both men were treated rudely. Both men lasted four innings.
Jose Quintana, the 23-year-old rookie lefty, pitted Chicago down 3-0 in the top of the third when the bottom part of the Detroit order gave him trouble. Singles by #8 hitter, Avisail Garcia, and #9 hitter, Gerald Laird, preceded an RBI single by Detroit’s superb leadoff man, Austin Jackson. Detroit’s Omar Infante followed with a sacrifice bunt, which moved the runners to second and third. Chicago manager Robin Ventura countered by intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera. Quintana followed the walk by striking out Prince Fielder, but then allowed a two-run single to Delmon Young. A wild pitch, an intentional walk, and a Brandon Boesch strikeout later, the White Sox were lucky to find themselves only down three.
The White Sox responded in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Tigers pitcher Doug Fister hit Chicago second baseman (and #9 hitter) Gordon Beckham for a hurts so good RBI. Dewayne Wise followed with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3.
The Tigers responded immediately, reclaiming the lead in the top of the fifth with Delmon Young’s third RBI of the game. Following a Miguel Cabrera double and an exceedingly rare Prince Fielder infield single that bounced Jose Quintana from the game, Young welcomed reliever Nate Jones with a single to center. That would be the last Tigers hit of the game.
Following his opponent’s lead, Doug Fister exited the game after allowing a leadoff single and double in the bottom of the fifth. In the play of the game, following an Alex Rios walk and an A.J. Pierzynski lineout, Infante booted a potential double play ball. The error cost the Tigers two runs, and potentially a whole lot more.
Five Chicago White Sox bullpen pitchers combined to allow one hit over five innings. Trade deadline acquisition Brett Myers pitched a spotless inning-and-a-third and rookie closer Addison Reed recorded the final out for his 27th save of the season.
Detroit’s bullpen pitched admirably as well, allowing two hits over four scoreless innings.
The win leaves Chicago three games up in the AL Central with 16 games left. The respective teams’ next three games loom large. Detroit, desperate to make up ground, host the surging Oakland Athletics while Chicago visits the Kansas City Royals, against whom the Sox are 5-10 this season. Now would be a good time for the Sox to beat up on a team everyone has whooped this season.
The Tigers do end the season with 13 games against the Royals and fellow AL Central cellar dweller Minnesota, but by that point they may be in need of nothing less than a miracle. The Sox have held off the Tigers all season. In the final stretch of the season these two similar teams will need suddenly disparate finales.
The Big Guy