Big hits, just enough runs

All the expected White Sox faces paced a just-enough, 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

While Tim Anderson (solo homer) and Yoán Moncada (two-run triple) gave Iván Nova a 3-0 pad in the fifth that helped him pocket his 11th win, the game was iced by José Abreu’s two-run single in the eighth. The safety, part of a 3-for-5 night for Abreu, gave the White Sox a 5-2 lead and supplied Abreu his major league-leading 121st RBI.

Nova did his job, keeping the White Sox in the game as they very inefficiently went about the first four innings of the game (six hits, two of them doubles ... six LOB, no runs). The savvy righty went five innings, giving up two earned on eight hits, with three Ks against no walks. The middle relief was strong, Evan Marshall and Aaron Bummer providing three innings of no-run, one-hit, one-walk, three-K ball, bridging to Alex Colomé. As has been the closer’s wont in the second half, he made things exciting, with an earned run on two hits and a wild pitch. But a 29th save was earned by a succession of double play and whiff to end the game.

Other heroes included Leury García, who duplicated Abreu’s 3-for-5 night, and two-hit men James McCann, Moncada, Welington Castillo and Adam Engel. All told, it was another weird offensive night for the White Sox (nine Ks/one walk, and 17 hits chipped away at by 12 left on base), but the Good Guys did plenty enough to win against the Erie SeaWolves.

The White Sox go for the sweep, and their 69th win of the season, tomorrow afternoon at 12:10 Central, as rocky Reynaldo takes the bump. It’s a double WGN game.