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Buehrle, White Sox keep Tigers winless

Apr 7, 2008 - 4:24 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers may have revamped their lineup, but that didn't matter to Mark Buehrle.

Buehrle worked seven strong innings and Carlos Quentin drove in four runs as the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game series sweep of the struggling Tigers with a 13-2 triumph on Sunday.

Buehrle (1-0) gave up just two runs - one earned - and seven hits in rebounding from his lackluster outing on Opening Day, when he was tagged for seven runs in 1 2/3 innings at Cleveland.

"Everything was working, but I had my best movement on my change-up," Buehrle said. "When I'm getting ground balls and breaking bats, I know that I'm in a grove."

With this game tied at 1-1 in the fifth inning, Chicago took the lead for good against Detroit starter Justin Verlander (0-1) as Joe Crede delivered an RBI single and Carlos Quentin scored on a groundout by Juan Uribe.

"I actually thought Verlander had good stuff," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought in the fifth inning he extended his pitch count a little bit - not the inning where they got the six runs, but I thought the end of the fifth he extended his pitch count.

"He didn't catch any breaks either, obviously, but I thought he actually had pretty good stuff, but there's a lot of bad combinations going on right now."

The White Sox continued to reach Verlander an inning later as Crede and Nick Swisher hit RBI singles to chase the young righthander. Orlando Cabrera capped the six-run sixth with a three-run double to right-center field off reliever Aquilino Lopez, opening a 9-1 lead.

Swisher began Chicago's onslaught with a leadoff homer in the first inning.

"I was really excited," Swisher said. "With a great pitcher like Verlander, I just wanted to up there and mix things up. I got a fastball down the middle, got the wood on it, and it went out."

The 25-year-old Verlander surrendered nine runs - four earned - seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts in just 5 2/3 frames to remain winless in two starts this season.

"All I know is we're not really clicking right now in any aspect," Verlander said. "We're not pitching well. We're not hitting well, and it's just kind of one of those situations where (when) it rains, it pours.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we're a good team, and we'll get the ball rolling in the right direction, but it'll take some work. I think everybody needs to do a little soul-searching and come out and remember what it's like to come out and play and have fun."

Ramon Santiago hit a run-scoring double in the third for the Tigers, who welcomed Miguel Cabrera and Gary Sheffield back to the lineup.

With the loss, Detroit remained the only club in the major leagues that has failed to register a win this season. The Tigers had not started 0-6 since the 2003 campaign, which saw them post an American League-record 119 losses.

"You just don't sense that right feel of cohesiveness even during batting practice and things like that," Leyland said. "When you manage a long time, you smell that stuff. You watch and you can tell that that's just not quite right yet."