White Sox Fall 2-1 To Tigers In Rain-Shortened Home Game

Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera hit fifth-inning solo homers off James Shields to lead the Detroit Tigers to a rain-shortened 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field Thursday night.

White Sox Fall 2-1 To Tigers In Rain-Shortened Home Game

The game became delayed in the middle of the seventh inning, and was ended prematurely after two hours and five minutes of persistent storms.

Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey (3-9) dueled Shields over five-plus innings, each overcoming ground-ball singles to stop early threats. Chicago’s Adam Eaton doubled off the center-field fence and scored on Tim Anderson’s chopper over Cabrera’s head and into right field in the third inning for the game’s only run until Kinsler and Cabrera struck.

“If you’re hitting balls on the nose and you’re making outs, that’s just part of the game,” Kinsler said. “It’s a tough game, it’s a weird game and sometimes you go through stretches like that. But we continue to have good at-bats and give ourselves opportunities to score runs; it just wasn’t happening. For Miggy to hit that home run and give us the lead, it was big.”

Kinsler is the first Detroit second baseman to hit 20 homers in a season in the Comerica Park era. The last Tigers second baseman to do it was Damion Easley, who hit 27 in 1998, the team’s next-to-last season at Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers racked up as many homers in one inning as they did in their entire previous three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park, which they lost 2-1. Shields (4-12) took his third straight loss, despite making his fifth consecutive quality start. The right-hander two runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

The White Sox, meanwhile, have now lost seven of their last eight games, and have scored 10 total runs in the seven defeats.

“We found another way to lose a ballgame today in a little bit different scenario,” Eaton said. “I don’t really agree with it. I want to stay here until we finish the game. It’s three innings. What’s three innings? But not my call. Just a tough go at it, but we have to continue to push forward. We’ve got three more games vs. these guys, three winnable games that we need.”

Shields faced Nick Castellanos twice in tight spots within the first three innings and got out of both jams with a key strikeout. The pitcher whiffed Castellano swinging with runners on first and third to end the first inning, then fanned him swinging again– with the bases loaded– to end the third.

“I threw him some pretty good change-ups,” Shields said of Castellanos. “He worked the count on me pretty good. I got him on a 3-2 change-up the first time. Just tried to locate my pitches on him and mix it up. He’s a dangerous hitter.”

Storms were less than 30 minutes away when Pelfrey gave up a single and walk with one out in the sixth. Rather than going to middle relief, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus sent on right-hander Shane Greene, who struck out Todd Frazier, hit Tyler Saladino and retired J.B. Shuck to close the threat on the last pitch thrown by Detroit before the delay.

“Greeney came into a tough situation and got us out of it,” Ausmus said, “which ultimately became very important in a rain-shortened game.”

Anderson also got to a ground ball in shallow left field in the top of the second, ranging far to his right to make the stop before his off-balanced toss across the diamond robbed Mike Aviles of a single at the end of the frame.

The two teams will face off again for the second game of their four-game series in Chicago on Tuesday night. Rookie right-hander Michael Fulmer (9-2, 2.13 ERA) will start for the Tigers in his first meeting against the White Sox.

Former Tigers prospect Jacob Turner (0-1, 18.00 ERA), selected ninth overall by Detroit in 2009, will take the mound for the White Sox. The right-hander made his first start for Chicago on Sunday in Anaheim, taking the loss after allowing eight runs in four innings against the Angels.

CHICAGO, IL – JULY 21: James Shields #25 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field on July 21, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)