Tigers 5 - 4 White Sox
Final
  for this game

Tigers beat White Sox on Betemit's hit

Jul 27, 2011 - 5:47 AM

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Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Wilson Betemit's RBI single in the eighth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox in the middle contest of a three-game set.

Justin Verlander (14-5) earned the win despite allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk through eight innings. He also struck out seven in Detroit's sixth win in nine games.

Jose Valverde tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 27th save of the year.

Will Ohman (0-2) took the loss when he allowed the game-deciding run to reach base in the eighth.

Jake Peavy started the contest for the White Sox and allowed four runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out six through six innings.

"They pulled it out late and we didn't. That's just the way it goes sometimes," said Peavy.

Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko each had two-run homers for Chicago, which had its three-game win streak come to an end.

Ohman threw a scoreless seventh inning for Chicago and returned for the eighth. But after allowing a leadoff walk to Victor Martinez, Ohman was relieved by Jesse Crain.

Andy Dirks replaced Martinez as a pinch-runner and, after a Jhonny Peralta strikeout, Dirks stole second during a Carlos Guillen at-bat. Guillen eventually flied out to left, and Ohman was removed in favor of Matt Thornton, who allowed a Betemit liner up the middle that scored Dirks and gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead.

"Peavy had real good stuff there, so early on in the game we really couldn't get anything going. But we were able to break it open a little bit and Betemit came up with a huge hit," said Detroit outfielder Brennan Boesch.

After Konerko's two-out double in the bottom of the first, Dunn hammered a ball into the right-center seats on the ninth pitch of his at-bat to give the White Sox an early 2-0 lead.

Detroit got on the board in the fourth. Austin Jackson led off the frame with a bunt single and Magglio Ordonez followed two batters later with a base hit to put runners on the corners. Miguel Cabrera then sent a single into center field, scoring Jackson. A Peralta infield single loaded the bases with two outs, but Guillen flied out to left to end the threat and keep it a 2-1 game.

The Tigers then took the lead with a three-run sixth. Boesch laid down a bunt single to lead off the inning and Ordonez's single put runners on first and third. Cabrera stepped up next and blooped a single into shallow right field to bring home Boesch. Martinez's RBI base hit scored Ordonez. Peralta then sent a sacrifice fly to center, plating Cabrera.

But Chicago knotted the game at four in the bottom half of the frame. Alexei Ramirez singled up the middle before Konerko lifted a two-run home run over the left-field wall. Prior to Ramirez's single, Verlander had retired 14 of the 15 batters he faced following Dunn's homer.

Game Notes

Detroit outrighted the contract of third baseman Brandon Inge to Triple-A Toledo Tuesday...Verlander improved to 7-2 in 12 road starts this year...Chicago fell to 29-22 against opponents with a winning record...Konerko's home run was the 389th of his career, tying him with Johnny Bench for 54th all-time.






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