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Ordonez, bullpen carry Tigers past White Sox

Apr 12, 2008 - 4:57 AM By Gene Chamberlain PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer CHICAGO (Ticker) -- After one win in nine games and an early-morning flight here, the Detroit Tigers needed a little relief.

The Tigers got it when their bullpen threw nine innings of four-hit ball in a 5-2 victory Friday night over the Chicago White Sox.

After injured lefthanded starter Dontrelle Willis left without retiring a batter, Aquilino Lopez, Jason Grilli, Denny Bautista and Todd Jones were pressed into early duty.

Willis threw 14 pitches and left with a hyperextended right knee on a windy, rainy cold night at U.S. Cellular Field.

"You get in here at 3 O'clock in the morning, you just get beat up bad last night (12-6 in Boston) and you're 1-8 or whatever we are, to come out and give an effort like that, it can put to rest anybody who thinks this club doesn't bust their (rears) every day," Leyland said.

Willis, who was acquired from Florida along with Miguel Cabrera, slipped on the mound after delivering a pitch to Orlando Cabrera. Team medical personnel examined Willis and allowed him to continue.

However, after Willis walked Orlando Cabrera, he then threw a wild pitch in the dirt outside to Jim Thome and was replaced by Aquilino Lopez.

Willis' knee will be evaluated by team medical officials.

"It just feels stiff right now," said Willis, who said he hopes he can avoid missing a start. "After it happened I tried to continue to throw, but it was hard."

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly by Paul Konerko and extended the lead to 2-0 on an RBI single from Carlos Guillen in the second. However, Detroit's bullpen threw six hitless innings before Jermaine Dye's two-out single in the eighth off Bautista.

Lopez (1-0) allowed one run and three hits in four innings, Grilli struck out three without allowing a hit in three innings, and Jones picked up his first save with a perfect ninth.

"Everybody who came out of the bullpen did a great job," Leyland said.

"I think we started again real well, but all of a sudden their bullpen came out and did a tremendous job," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We didn't swing the bats as a team today and hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow.

"Their bullpen reminded me of two years ago when everybody they brought out there did a good job shutting you down."

Detroit trailed, 1-0, until Inge singled home a run in the third off White Sox starter Jose Contreras (0-1). Ordonez, who spent the first eight seasons of his career in Chicago, provided the key hit to stake the Tigers to 3-2 lead.

Inge then chased Contreras with a two-out double to left in the seventh and later scored on a double by Thomas. The Tigers added another insurance run in the eighth on Miguel Cabrera's RBI single.

Contreras allowed four runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. The righthander struck out two and walked three.

Chicago designated hitter Jim Thome was tossed from the game by home plate umpire James Hoye for protesting a called third strike in the third inning. It was Thome's third career ejection.