DETROIT (AP) — Tarik Skubal struck out eight while pitching into the sixth inning, and Matt Vierling and Kerry Carpenter hit home runs to help lift the Detroit Tigers past the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Friday night.
Skubal allowed three runs and seven hits with a walk in 5 2/3 innings in the left-hander’s second start since returning from the injured list after having a loose body removed from his elbow last month.
Drew Anderson (3-3) earned the win in relief, allowing one hit in 1 1/3 innings. Kenley Jansen got three outs for his eighth save for Detroit, which entered having lost four of five.
Tigers rookie Trei Cruz struck in his three at-bats in his major league debut. He batted ninth and played right field joining grandfather Jose Sr. and father Jose Jr. as the fifth three-generation family in MLB history. They joined Gus, Buddy, David and Mike Bell; Ray, Bob, Bret and Aaron Boone; Joe P., Joe H. and Casey Coleman; and Sam, Jerry, Jerry Jr. and Scott Hairston.
Randal Grichuk homered and doubled, and Junior Perez hit his first major league homer for Chicago, which had won five of its last eight.
Erick Fedde (2-6) allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings, entering the game after opener Brandon Eisert gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings.
The White Sox took a lead in the first on Grichuk’s solo homer, but Vierling’s two-run homer off Eisert in the bottom of the inning put Detroit up 2-1
Chicago tied it at 2 when Tristan Peters grounded into an RBI force at second base. The White Sox loaded the bases with one out, but Chase Meidroth grounded into a force at the plate and Colson Montgomery struck out.
Perez’s solo homer gave Chicago a 3-2 lead in the sixth, but Carpenter blooped a two-run double into shallow center to put the Tigers back in front in the bottom of the inning.
Up next
The teams continue their weekend series on Saturday with Tigers RHP Troy Melton (3-0, 2.81) scheduled to face a Chicago bullpen game.
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