Bloop hits by Tigers knock Sox out of first in 5-1 loss
The White Sox figured out an optimal way to wake up in Detroit: Owning a share of the AL Central lead for the first time since May 2, not to mention a pleasant hangover from Mark Buehrle's perfect game the day before.
That nice buzz ended with the opener of Friday's doubleheader showdown against the co-leading Tigers.
Sox starter Jose Contreras' solid outing went for naught as Detroit ace Justin Verlander shook off early wildness to claim a 5-1 victory in Game 1 at Comerica Park.
Verlander (11-5) fired 127 pitches to earn the complete game. Gordon Beckham drove in the Sox's run - an unearned one at that - with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly.
In Game 2 of the split doubleheader scheduled for 6:05 p.m., Bartolo Colon starts for the Sox for the first time since June 7. Detroit counters with 28-year-old rookie right-hander Eddie Bonine (0-0, 9.00), who pitched in relief against the Sox on April 13. Carlos Quentin took him deep that afternoon.
The Sox will need to hit better with runners in scoring position in Game 2 if they're going to reclaim a piece of first place. They went 1-for-9 in the opener.
The final indignity came in the ninth after A.J. Pierzynski, Quentin and Chris Getz strung together singles to load the bases with nobody out. Beckham hit a one-hopper back to Verlander, who started a 1-2-3 double play. Dewayne Wise grounded out to short to end the game.
That ugly pattern began much earlier as Verlander left the bases loaded in the second, stranded two runners in the third, and allowed the Sox' first two batters in the fourth into scoring position with nobody out.
After Beckham's sacrifice fly drove in Pierzynski to make it 1-1, Verlander shifted into unhittable mode.
The hard-throwing righty, who entered the game with a 6-0 record and 1.34 ERA at home this season, retired 15 of 16 batters down the stretch. Jim Thome's fifth-inning walk was Verlander's only blip until Pierzynski led off the ninth with a single.
Meanwhile, Contreras (4-9) fell victim to a series of well-placed bloops. Ryan Raburn drove in the eventual winning run in the fourth with a bloop double down the right-field line that dropped perfectly between Jermaine Dye, Getz and Paul Konerko.
The Tigers chased Contreras in the seventh with RBI bloop singles by Adam Everett and Placido Polanco.
Lindsey Willhite's gametracker
Rested bullpens: Detroit all-star Justin Verlander saved his team's relievers for Game 2 as he hurled a season-high 127 pitches to pick up his third complete game of the year. Jose Contreras, meanwhile, went 62/3 innings and only needed help from Octavio Dotel.
Lackluster fielding: The White Sox committed 3 errors in the final two innings: Jermaine Dye had a bouncer go through him, Alexei Ramirez bobbled a slow grounder, and Octavio Dotel threw away a pickoff. They cost a grand total of 1 run, but that's not the point in this crucial series.
CQ with an XBH: Carlos Quentin ripped a fourth-inning double down the left-field line. It marked his first extra-base hit since a May 25 double at Anaheim that led to him being helped off the field and missing 47 games with a foot injury.