With two outs in the sixth inning of a one-run game, Jose Abreu was denied an opportunity to add insurance runs because Adam Engel was picked off by the catcher at third base.
Two innings later, again with two outs and still in a one-run game, nobody in the bases-loaded situation did anything dumb, and Jose Abreu did his thing. He smashed a two-run single through the left side. His 120th and 121st RBIs turned a 3-2 game into a 5-2 game, and Alex Colomé took advantage of the cushion.
With the assistance of a dropped third strike from James McCann, Colomé had the tying runs on base with nobody out. However, Yolmer Sánchez was able to snag a hot shot to start a 4-6-3 double play, and Abreu threw his body on the ground while keeping his foot on the bag to complete it. Colomé recorded the final out without an issue to preserve the Sox' perfect record with ninth inning leads, and they now have a shot at ending their final road trip of the season with a winning record.
Along with Abreu, the usual suspects did the heavy lifting. The Sox needed a couple looks before they could get to Detroit lefty Tyler Alexander in a way that counted, but they eventually broke through with extreme prejudice in the fifth.
Tim Anderson broke the seal. After missing one opportunity to rip an inside slider, Alexander offered him another one in the same spot, and Anderson got all of it for his 18th homer of the season and the game's frist run.
Abreu followed by singling to left, Eloy Jiménez shot a grounder through the middle, and Yoan Moncada scored them both with a line drive that split the left-center gap for a triple.
The Tigers followed suit in the bottom of the fifth off Iván Nova by greeting him with a single and a double. They both came around to score on a couple of outs -- an RBi groundout by Victor Reyes, and a sacrifice popout by Brandon Dixon. Abreu made the catch while tumbling over the tarp and into the screen, so the runner on third was automatically awarded the final 90 feet.
Nova completed five three days after making a one-inning appearance to start Wednesday's game, and the bullpen preserved his 11th win of the season. Evan Marshall and Aaron Bummer worked around a couple of baserunners.
Bullet points:
*The White Sox turned three double plays, including a more acrobatic 4-6-3 earlier in the game that Travis Demeritte made possible by stumbling out of the box.
*The teams combined for 28 hits, but just eight runs.
Record: 68-86 | Box score | Highlights
