White Sox 6, Tigers 4: Back to comebacks

If you reacted to Saturday's 6-0 loss to Tarik Skubal on Saturday with a shrug, so did the White Sox.

They picked up right where they left off, overcoming a less-than-stellar beginning by creating one scoring opportunity after another, and eventually they converted enough of them to win a late-season series in Detroit for the second consecutive season -- and the opposition wasn't hung over this time.

Will Robertson and Lenyn Sosa each contributed a pair of two-run swings in the two-run victory. Robertson opened the seventh by tracking down Spencer Torkelson's high, wind-swept fly to the left-field corner and timing a max effort leap to bring back a solo shot that would've given the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

When he came to the plate in the top of the seventh with two outs and two on, he stung a Tommy Kahnle changeup for line-drive single that tied the game at 4.

Sosa's accounting was more straightforward. After the White Sox loaded the bases on Kahle with two singles and a walk, Will Vest entered to face Sosa. He got a first-pitch chase with a sinker up and in, but his next one found the middle of the plate, and Sosa bounced it through the drawn-in infield for a two-run single that put the Sox ahead 6-4. While Kyle Teel was picked off third to prevent additional insurance, Mike Vasil made it unnecessary with a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Vasil's save capped off another excellent showing from the White Sox bullpen, which stabilized the game after a rickety start from Davis Martin, who exited the game right after Robertson's robbery of Torkelson. Brandon Eisert gave up a double to open his afternoon, but retired the next two batters without incident. He also gave up a leadoff double to Jake Rogers to start the eighth, but he won a lefty-lefty battle against Parker Meadows, and then turned it over to Grant Taylor, who struck out both batters he faced to close out the seventh.

Jordan Leasure, who is the closest thing to a closer, was called up in the eighth inning with the two-run lead to face the heart of the Tigers order, and pitched around a two-out walk to preserve the margin.

The end of the game was far more orderly than the beginning. The White Sox jumped ahead 2-0 on Andrew Benintendi's two-run double off Charlie Morton, but trailed by one after the bottom of the first. Martin found himself with the bases loaded and nobody out after a pair of walks sandwiched a ground-rule double.

He then got Torkelson to fly out to shallow center, but even though Gleyber Torres had no intent of tagging from third, two runs managed to score on the play. In a play that was reminiscent of Alex Rios at Target Field, Baldwin's throw home was both high and up the third base line, so much so that while Teel went to try to catch the bounce, Martin felt more compelled to make sure home plate was covered than back up the catcher. The throw took a high hop past Teel and went in the Detroit dugout, allowing two runs to score. An actual sac fly by Wenceel Pérez -- with Robertson making a long running catch in the left-field corner -- put the Tigers ahead for the first time, and then Baldwin caught the third out despite Mike Tauchman nearly running him over.

Sosa tied the game in the top of the third with his first momentous swing, which produced a 451-foot blast into the shrubbery behind center field at Comerica Park, but the Tigers regained the lead by converting Pérez's leadoff double with a pair of productive outs in the bottom of the fourth.

Robertson had a chance to tie the game when he came to the plate with the bases loaded against Troy Melton, who had suddenly lost control of the strike zone. He got ahead 3-0, but Melton grooved a fastball for strike one, then found the zone with a second pitch. Robertson didn't want to let a second middle-middle fastball go past, but he could only ground out to short with it. Fortunately, the game would find him again.

Notes:

*Chase Meidroth made a great diving catch on a 103-mph Kerry Carpenter line drive in the third, so the White Sox had highlights to go with their lowlights.

*The White Sox lost two baserunners by pickoff. Prior to Teel getting nabbed at third, Colson Montgomery was picked off third, with the play holding up under review.

*Morton had to work far harder against the Sox than he did the first time they met. He gave up three runs over three innings, throwing 72 pitches.

*Teel was called for catcher interference on half-swing by Carpenter, which was his fourth of the year.

Record: 55-89 | Box score | Statcast