DETROIT (AP) - Lucas Giolito didn’t have his best stuff against the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.
His manager loved the way he responded.
Giolito allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings, good enough to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Tigers 7-4.
“That’s a really good sign for a young pitcher,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He had to go out there, make adjustments to what he was throwing and still find a way to get outs. He had to work through a lot of traffic on the bases, but he gave us six innings and a chance to win.”
The victory was the first for Giolito (12-5) since June 30. The All-Star went 0-3 with a 5.65 ERA in five July starts.
“Obviously, our win-loss records aren’t always a perfect representation of how we’ve pitched, but you still like your games to end with a team win and a personal win,” Giolito said. “My slider was inconsistent and my fastball was all over the place, but I was able to do a lot with my changeup.”
All nine starters for the White Sox had at least one hit and seven either scored or drove in a run. Chicago has won three of four after a 2-8 homestand.
“We are finally putting some good at-bats together after a lot of struggling,” Renteria said. “Today it was everyone in the lineup doing something, which is exactly what we need to see.”
JaCoby Jones homered and tripled for Detroit, which has lost 10 of 12 and gone 10-34 since June 1. The Tigers are last in the majors with 3.59 runs per game while the White Sox (4.12) are 28th.
“I thought we competed against the kid pretty good,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He’s got great stuff with his cutter and a really, really good changeup. He pitched well, but we battled him.”
Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull, returning from the injured list after a back injury, allowed two runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter in three innings. He struck out seven.
“There were some positives, but I was too inefficient with my pitch count,” he said.
The White Sox loaded the bases in the first on two walks and a hit batter. Turnbull struck out Eloy Jimenez, but Matt Skole blooped a two-run double.
The Tigers made it 2-1 with three two-out singles in the second, with Jake Rogers driving home Travis Demeritte. Rogers and Demeritte each made their major league debuts during Detroit’s 2-8 road trip and were playing at Comerica Park for the first time.
“I got fooled on the pitch, but I stayed with it and found some green grass in the outfield,” Rogers said. “Give Travis credit - he got a good jump and was able to score.”
Jones led off the third with his 11th homer, tying the game. Yolmer Sanchez made it 3-2 with an RBI groundout off Gregory Soto (0-5) in the fourth and Ryan Goins hit a bloop single later in the inning to drive in the fourth run.
The Tigers had runners on the corners in the fifth, but Miguel Cabrera grounded into his 14th double play.
Brandon Dixon tripled and scored on Harold Castro’s RBI groundout in the sixth, but the White Sox scored three times in the eighth to go up 7-3.
The Tigers added a run in the ninth off White Sox closer Alex Colome, who pitched with a four-run lead and a doubleheader on Tuesday.
“He was the most rested guy out there - we’ve had to run our relievers out there a lot lately,” Renteria said. “Can we still use him twice tomorrow? We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: Kelvin Herrera (oblique) remains on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. Herrera made his first appearance on Friday, allowing four runs, including two homers, in his only inning of work.
Tigers: Detroit placed Jordan Zimmermann on the 10-day injured list with cervical spasms and called up reliever Eduardo Jimenez. Zimmermann, who has struggled with injuries throughout his four seasons in Detroit, is expected to miss at least two starts. . 3B Jeimer Candelario missed the game with a thumb injury and will be evaluated on Tuesday morning.
UP NEXT
The teams continue a four-game series with a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday. Detroit’s Daniel Norris (3-8, 4.67) faces Dylan Cease (1-4, 6.43) in the first game, with the White Sox expected to bring up Hector Santiago (1-0. 6.75) to face Drew VerHagen (1-2, 11.66) in the nightcap.
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