Detroit Tigers starter Zach Miner barely lasted an inning on the mound in last night’s game against the Chicago White Sox, giving up four runs by the time he got the hook in the second. Tigers manager Jim Leyland went through four more pitchers after that, but the Sox’ early offensive burst carried them to a 7-5 victory.
The Sox’ scoring efforts were driven mostly by Jermaine Dye, who hit a three-run dinger in the first, and Joe Crede, who hit a solo homer in the second and another seventh. Also, Chicago starter Freddy Garcia did not pitch badly enough to lose the game, which is about as much as the Sox can hope for from him right now.
However, the game wasn’t all wine and roses for the Sox. Slugger Jim Thome might be out a little while with what was believed to be a hamstring injury at press time. This was actually a Cubs-level stroke of bad luck, considering that Thome pulled the hammy while trotting leisurely around the bases on a ground-rule double.
Even with Thome out, the Sox hope to even up the series Thursday afternoon in what many expect will be an epic battle of facial hairstyles, as Chicago ace John Garland and his subtle yet stylin’ soul patch go head-to-head with Nate Robertson’s obnoxiously bushy goatee.
Number of the Night: 33
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