White Sox' winning streak ends at 7
DETROIT -- The White Sox floated up to the Motor City after going 7-0 on a homestand that saw them outscore the Royals and the Twins 61-26.
It didn't take long for the disappointing Tigers to burst the Sox' bubble.
"You're not going to win every game,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said after the White Sox lost to Detroit 6-4 at Comerica Park. "But when you have that many hits (12) in a game, you're continuing to have good at-bats. Just give yourself a chance.''
When last seen on the road, the Sox were losing three straight at Tampa Bay while scoring a combined 4 runs. The lack of production sent Guillen over the edge, but the offense wasn't at fault in Tuesday's loss.
White Sox starter Jose Contreras pointed the finger of blame at himself after pitching 6 innings and allowing 6 runs on 13 hits in his worst outing of the season.
"Everything was fine and I felt really strong,'' Contreras said through a translator. "I actually felt real strong. But my pitches were high, my slider was high. I left everything high, and they hit it.''
The offense staked Contreras to a 2-0 lead on Jim Thome's solo home run in the second inning and A.J. Pierzynski's RBI single in the third.
It looked like that would be enough for Contreras, who had allowed a meager 7 earned runs over 42 innings in his previous 6 starts.
But as Contreras continued to work up in the zone, Detroit finally caught up.
The Tigers scored 3 runs on 4 hits in the fifth inning, 1 run on 2 hits in the sixth and 1 more run on 3 straight hits to open the seventh, closing the book on Contreras' evening.
"I feel bad,'' Contreras said. "I couldn't help my team out. I let my team down.''
The offense was guilty of letting White Sox starters down countless times during the first two months.
Trailing 5-2 in the seventh, the Sox came back with 1 run on 2 hits while knocking out Tigers starter Nate Robertson.
The White Sox scored another run in the eighth and threatened to add more, and they twice brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth before seeing their seven-game winning streak come to an end.
Afterward, the obvious tension that drifted through the clubhouse in Tampa was nowhere to be found.
"We just came up against a pitcher (Robertson) who hit his spots tonight,'' Jermaine Dye said. "That's about it. We had double-digit hits; we just couldn't scratch that big hit. There are going to be games like that.
"We just came up against a pitcher who beat us. We battled, but we were just 1 or 2 hits away from getting back in the game.''
Contreras felt bad about his own performance, but not about the White Sox' overall position.
"I'm glad we fought back,'' Contreras said. "We're a first-place team for that reason. It's just one game. I'm not worried about myself. The only reason I ever worry is when I'm not healthy, but I feel strong. I just have to work hard the next four days and be ready for my next start.''
Tigers 6, White Sox 4
At the plate: Jim Thome was 3-for-4 and he hit his 520th career home run, a solo shot in the second inning. Alexei Ramirez raised his average to .300 after going 2-for-3. Carlos Quentin was 2-for-4 after going 5-for-32 in his previous eight games.
On the bases: Quentin was thrown out at home plate in the eighth inning. Orlando Cabrera and Ramirez were cut down trying to steal.
-- Scot Gregor