:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/36297838/452949840.0.jpg)
For those who tuned in to witness the Tigers' blitzkrieg in the bottom of the first and proceeded to tune out, you didn't miss much. Detroit batted around, plating six runs on six hits, including three straight first-pitch hits off Hector Noesi by Torii Hunter, J.D. Martinez, and Nick Castellanos. The last one was the big blow, as Castellanos hit a three-run homer to give the Tigers a lead that was never challenged.
The silver lining in this game was that the Sox out played the Tigers after the onslaught. Noesi's stat line is not pretty (6 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), but get rid of the first, and he held the Tigers to just four hits and one walk over five innings. That's the type of performance that instills hope for Noesi. Perhaps it's best moving forward to believe tonight's first inning ever happened.
It was probably not going to be the Sox' night anyway, because Max Scherzer was on the mound. All he did was turn in a typical performance against the White Sox, throwing seven innings of one-run ball on just five hits and a walk while striking out six. The Sox put a blemish on Scherzer's line int he seventh. After Scherzer gave up back to back singles to Alexei Ramirez and Jose Abreu (who extended his hitting streak to 19 games), Dayan Viciedo hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Ramirez for his 38th RBI.
One would have to believe that most fans in Chicago would be happy to see Scherzer: A) in a White Sox uniform or B) sign elsewhere and not have to face him for a minimum of two years. In his three starts against Chicago in 2014, Scherzer is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA and peripherals to match. He now owns 11 wins in his career against the Sox, most against any team, and his career K/BB ratio is 4.22 and K/9 is 9.4.
Bullet points:
- Adam Dunn hit a home run for the second straight night, his 17th of the season and 457th of his career. He is now just five behind Jose Canseco on the all-time list.
- Abreu has safely hit in 37 of his last 38 games. Also, he's the first rookie since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 to have multiple hitting streaks of 18 or more in a season.