Strange night at the Cell as Sox fall to Tigers

The lunar calendar says it's still a week or so away, but it sure felt like there was a full moon hovering over U.S. Cellular Field on Friday night.

Any weird occurrence that could happen seemed to as the White Sox dropped their second straight game and the Detroit Tigers picked up just their second victory of the season, pulling away for a 5-2 victory in front of 26,094 wet and chilly fans.

The oddness began early.

First, Detroit starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis slipped during his delivery to the second batter he faced and had to leave the game one batter later (hyperextended right knee) after having thrown only 14 pitches.

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Then, midway through, the White Sox' Mr. Congeniality, Jim Thome, went bananas over a called third strike and got the boot, just the third time in his career he's been tossed.

With Willis out, Detroit's shaky bullpen came through, but Sox batters didn't, managing just 1 hit in their final 25 plate appearances.

"Not many times when your starting pitcher goes out three hitters into the game do you win that game," Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said.

But that's what the Tigers did, thanks in large part to reliever Aquilino Lopez, who replaced Willis and went 4 solid innings to pick up his first win of the season.

"You've got to credit him," Konerko said. "He's down there in 30-degree weather with a coat on, and the next thing you know he's in the fire.

"Tip your hat to him. That was the difference."

It looked like Sox starter Jose Contreras might be the difference early on. After all, the big righty had a little revenge on his mind after a poor performance in Detroit last week.

He rolled through a pair of 1-2-3 innings to start things out, but the Tigers' bats came alive for 3 runs in the third.

"It was a big step up from the last time out," Contreras said. "I'm going to train harder for next outing, and we're going to see better than that."

With Nick Swisher out of the lineup, Carlos Quentin batted leadoff for the first time in his career and came through in a big way, walking and scoring in the first and singling in a run in the second to put the Sox up 2-0.

But that was it for the Sox scoring, and Detroit's 3-run third proved the difference.

"He kept the club in the game," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Contreras, who pitched into the seventh. "He just couldn't find his rhythm early on."

Things really took a bizarre twist in the fifth inning as the Sox were threatening with runners on first and second, one out and Thome at the plate.

After working the count full, Thome took what he -- and most everyone on hand -- thought was ball four.

Home-plate umpire James Hoye didn't think so.

And once Thome got over the initial disbelief, the next stage for the usually mild-mannered designated hitter was anger. And he sure let it Hoye feel it, so much so that he eventually got ejected.

"It's kind of like seeing your father getting upset," Konerko said. "But I've got to say I think he got his money's worth.

"That's a big call, and I think he was right. Sometimes you can't lay down. You have to speak your mind."

Tigers 5, White Sox 2

At the plate: Carlos Quentin, leading off for the first time in his career, walked, singled, was hit by a pitch, drove in a run and also scored a run.

On the mound: Jose Contreras ran into some serious trouble in the third inning when he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, but he settled down quite nicely after that. Contreras went 62/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits.

-- Mike Spellman