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White Sox' offense erupts to take down Tigers

Apr 18, 2015 - 11:21 PM Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu and Adam LaRoche each homered and drove in four runs to lead the way in the Chicago White Sox's 12-3 rout of the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

The White Sox handed the surging Tigers only their second loss in 11 games this season behind a 17-hit barrage. Abreu's grand slam off Anibal Sanchez highlighted a seven-run fourth inning, while LaRoche socked a three-run shot in the third.

Melky Cabrera collected four hits and two RBI in five at-bats for Chicago, with Abreu and LaRoche both finishing a triple shy of a cycle.

The prolific hitting display was supported by a quality start from Chris Sale (2-0), who struck out six while holding Detroit's potent bats to two runs and four hits over six innings.

"I don't ever think I've seen 12 runs before," said Sale afterward. "It was impressive."

Sanchez (1-2) was battered for nine runs and nine hits before being lifted with one out in the fourth.

"Any mistake he made we took advantage of it," LaRoche said. "A lot of those were probably decent pitches, we just happened to find holes and put guys on base all day. It was nice to see that from our offense."

J.D. Martinez had a solo homer for the Tigers, while Miguel Cabrera and Nick Castellanos recorded RBI singles in defeat.

Sanchez was able to make it through the first two innings unscathed, but ran into trouble in the third. His four-pitch walk to Adam Eaton was followed by Cabrera's double to right that tied the game at 1-1, and after Abreu singled, LaRoche drilled a fastball into the right-field seats to send Chicago in front.

More problems came Sanchez's way in the fourth, which the White Sox began by loading the bases on back-to-back doubles by Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers and a walk. After Cabrera drove in a run with a single, Abreu hammered a slider into the home bullpen to extend the lead to 9-1.

"It's not that he pitched worse than any other day," Tigers catcher James McCann said of Sanchez. "(The White Sox) did a heck of a job today to battle and wear him down and get pitches they could handle."

Chicago wasn't finished, as LaRoche, Avisail Garcia and Conor Gillaspie greeted reliever Blaine Hardy with consecutive singles to tack on another score and Ramirez capped the seven-run outburst with a sacrifice fly.

Sale was touched for a run in the first inning, as Rajai Davis reached on a bloop leadoff double and crossed the plate when Cabrera ended a nine-pitch battle with a single to center.

The Chicago ace was outstanding thereafter, permitting just two more hits that included Martinez's fifth homer of the year to begin the bottom of the fourth. Sale then set down the next nine Detroit hitters to conclude his solid stint.

Detroit put up just one more run the rest of the way, with Castellanos plating Andrew Romine with a pinch-hit, two-out single in the eighth.

Game Notes

Tigers pitchers had combined to allow just one run over the team's three most recent games ... Victor Martinez, held out of the Tigers' lineup for the past four games by a sore left knee, went 0-for-3 as the designated hitter ... Sanchez served up three homers over 6 1/3 innings in his previous start, a loss at Pittsburgh on Monday ... Cabrera is now 14-for-27 lifetime off Sanchez ... LaRoche homered for the third time in six games.