Tigers bounce back, sweat out win over White Sox

Chicago — Nine runs wasn’t enough on Monday night.

Would 11 runs be enough Tuesday?

Just.

The Tigers were able to find a lock-down switch against the ever-grinding Chicago White Sox — taking game two of the series, 11-8.

“Eerily similar,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Thankfully it was a different result.”

The Tigers line score through the first four innings went like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, and they led 10-2.

“We’ve been swinging the bats well,” Justin Upton said. “Guys are starting to settle in and have good at-bats. We’re not successful every at-bat but we keep pressure on the pitcher and we’re getting big hits.”

BOX SCORE: Tigers 11, White Sox 8

Upton had a double and a triple with four RBIs. Miguel Cabrera had three hits including two doubles. J.D. Martinez posted his sixth straight multi-hit game with two doubles and an RBI. Mike Aviles had a pair of hits and James McCann had two RBIs.

All this in four innings and most of it against White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez. After White Sox pitchers walked 11 batters Monday, Gonzalez and reliever Matt Purke walked six more. Through four innings the Tigers had six doubles and five walks.

“We have a couple of streaky hitters on this team,” Ausmus said. “I’d like it if they all jumped on the same streak.”

After the Tigers blew a 7-0 lead Monday, surely White Sox lightning couldn’t strike twice? Certainly the Tigers wouldn’t blow an eight-run lead with Jordan Zimmermann pitching?

Never say never.

Zimmermann, who gave up seven runs in his last start, wasn’t sharp again and the White Sox steadily clawed back into the game.

After scoring twice in the first inning, the White Sox got three runs off Zimmermann after two were out in the fourth. He walked Alex Avila to start his trouble, then gave up singles to Avisail Garcia, J.B. Shuck and Tyler Saladino.

That quickly it was 10-5.

“I got hit around a little bit, not real hard contact,” said Zimmermann, who improved to 9-3. “That two-out walk in the fourth inning; out of this whole outing, if I could take anything out of it, that’s what frustrated me the most. Then it was a couple of hits and all of a sudden they put up a three-spot.”

Then in the sixth, after getting Adam Eaton in a 0-2 hole, Zimmermann left a pitch in the heart of the plate and Eaton smashed it for a leadoff triple. After four hits and the winner Monday, Eaton got two more Tuesday.

He scored on a sacrifice fly by Jose Abreu to make a four-run game.

The worry for Ausmus at that point was a depleted bullpen that had worked seven innings Monday. Justin Wilson, who has struggled and was given a few days off, was not available. Ausmus also wanted to stay away from Shane Greene and closer Francisco Rodriguez.

“We had (Buck) Farmer, who could give us some innings, but we needed Zimmermann to give us that length,” Ausmus said. “Zimm, obviously, has been a very good pitcher at this level and he was able to get through.”

Zimmermann did regroup. He retired eight of the nine hitters he faced after the Eaton triple and worked through the seventh.

“That was huge,” he said. “I knew I had to go deep in the game.”

It was the first time in four starts he went beyond 5 2/3 innings. Over his last five starts, Zimmermann has allowed 25 runs and 37 hits in 30 innings.

“My fastball command isn’t where I need it to be,” he said. “But I threw a handful (nine) of really good change-ups. If I could take another thing from this, it’s the change-up. I was throwing it tonight the best it’s been in my career.”

Alex Wilson, who got six important outs Monday, worked an impressive eighth, going through Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie and Avila.

The Tigers got their 11th run with two outs in the ninth. Ian Kinsler, who had struck out four straight times, tripled and scored on an infield single by Jose Iglesias. Iglesias hit a slow bouncer to first, dived head first and eluded Abreu’s tag.

He was originally ruled out, but the call was overturned after video review.

Mark Lowe, who hadn't pitched since last Wednesday, gave up a two-run home run to Saladino in the ninth. After the home run, Ausmus had Greene and Rodriguez warming up, just in case.

"I didn't want to do that," he said. "I was going to have them pitch to one batter each."

J.D. Martinez wound up with a career single-game high three doubles, part of a Tigers’ season-high seven doubles in the game. He was on base five times (three doubles and two walks).

Cabrera wound up with a four-hit game, as well.

“It’s the second night in a row we’ve put up a bunch of runs,” Ausmus said. “We’re getting good at-bats, driving balls into the gaps, drawing walks and we kept adding on runs. It’s important to keep doing that.”

They face White Sox ace Chris Sale Wednesday.

Twitter: @cmccosky