Sawyer Gipson-Long pitched five-plus innings and won his major league debut, Spencer Torkelson had a two-run double and the host Detroit Tigers edged the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Sunday.
Gipson-Long, a rookie right-hander acquired from Minnesota last season, gave up two runs and four hits while striking out five. A quartet of relievers went an inning apiece. Alex Lange recorded his 23rd save with a spotless ninth that included two strikeouts.
Torkelson had two hits and also scored a run. Andre Lipcius added two hits and an RBI.
Detroit (66-77) won the season series against its American League Central Division rival 8-5.
White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens (1-8) gave up all three runs and eight hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jimenez drove in one run apiece for Chicago (55-88).
The Tigers left two runners on base in the first inning, but Scholtens couldn’t escape trouble in the third.
Zach McKinstry and Matt Vierling led off the inning with singles. Torkelson then ripped a double to left, knocking in both runners. After Kerry Carpenter flied out, Andy Ibanez reached on an infield single. Lipcius followed with a single to right to bring home Torkelson.
Chicago got one of those runs back in the fourth. Andrew Benintendi smacked a one-out triple and scored on Jimenez’s two-out double to left.
The White Sox scored another run in the sixth but squandered an opportunity to erase Detroit’s advantage.
Lenyn Sosa led off with a double and Tim Anderson had an infield single. Gipson-Long was removed in favor of Will Vest, who retired the first batter he faced. Robert then reached on an infield hit, scoring Sosa. Jimenez walked to load the bases, but Yasmani Grandal bounced into a double play.
Detroit had a runner in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings but couldn’t add to its lead.
Tigers reliever Miguel Diaz got three ground ball outs in the eighth.
Lange struck out Robert and Jimenez, then set down Grandal on a routine grounder to finish the victory.
–Field Level Media