Sox swept as Dotel gives up 9th inning HR
DETROIT -- Following an impressive homestand which saw them score 62 runs during seven straight wins over the Royals and Twins, the White Sox headed to Comerica Park looking to take two of three from the Tigers before returning to U.S. Cellular Field for six more games.
After losing their third straight to Detroit on Thursday afternoon, 2-1, the Sox just wanted to get out of town.
"We can't wait to get back,'' catcher Toby Hall said. "Get back and get on a roll.''
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Considering they've won eight in a row at home and are 20-9 overall, the Sox should have plenty of confidence when they host the Colorado Rockies tonight in the first of three interleague games.
Conversely, the White Sox continued to struggle on the road, where they've dropped six straight.
"We've got to start playing better on the road,'' said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "If we want to get where we want to get, we have to win some games on the road, too. Homefield advantage, I believe in that in basketball and football, but in baseball it's a little different scenario.
"I think the ballpark we have is built for this type of ballclub. But we have to chip in and get a little better on the road. You have to win games on the road if you want to make the playoffs.''
After losing the last three at Tampa Bay in their previous trip, Guillen took his frustrations out on the Sox' offense.
The White Sox scored just 6 total runs against the Tigers -- 1 each in the last two losses -- but Guillen's take on the series was much more upbeat.
"We faced three good pitchers,'' Guillen said. "We're playing good; they just beat us. They swung the bats better than we did and pitched better than we did.''
Sox starter Mark Buehrle and Detroit counterpart Kenny Rogers locked up in a classic duel of crafty left-handers.
The White Sox got to Rogers first, with Paul Konerko leading off the second inning with a double, advancing to third on right fielder Ryan Raburn's error and scoring on Jermaine Dye's sacrifice fly.
Buehrle made the slim advantage hold up until the Tigers answered with three straight singles to open the sixth.
In his second straight dominant start, Buehrle pitched 8 innings and allowed 1 run on 7 hits.
"I've been throwing the ball well lately,'' said Buehrle, who also allowed 1 run over 8 innings against the Twins last week. "I was attacking the zone and throwing all my pitches. We just ran into a good team. We came in here pretty hot and they kind of put us out.
"We're going to have more three-game losing streaks during the season, we just have to keep them to a minimum.''
With the game tied at 1 in the ninth inning, Octavio Dotel relieved Buehrle and Detroit's Miguel Cabrera secured the sweep with an opposite-field home run to right field.
Dotel wanted to keep the ball up and away from Cabrera.
"I didn't want to throw inside to him,'' Dotel said. "I wanted to stay away. If he was going to beat me, beat me the other way. Today was his day.''
Tigers 2, White Sox 1
On the mound: Mark Buehrle pitched 8 innings and allowed 1 run on 7 hits. In his last three starts, Buehrle has pitched 22 innings and allowed 5 earned runs. Octavio Dotel gave up the game-winning home run to Miguel Cabrera with one out in the ninth inning.
At the plate: Carlos Quentin (1-for-3) is 8-for-43 over his last 11 games. Orlando Cabrera (1-for-3) extended his hitting streak to 11 games. In the last two losses to the Tigers, the Sox only had 2 runners in scoring position.
-- Scot Gregor