DETROIT—For at least a day,Mark Kotsay will get White Sox Fans off his back.Kotsay must have been burning before Thursday’s game.He hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, then lined a two-run triple in the 11th that sent the Sox past the Detroit Tigers 6-4 Thursday.Kotsay is hitting .223 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Jones, who singled ahead of Kotsay’s triple, is at .204 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI.The veteran left-handed hitter has been making this season.Detroit’s Ryan Raburn hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth off Bobby Jenks that made it 4-all.Although he has blown only three of 26 saves, Jenks has struggled since the All-Star break.
“I keep saying Bobby will be the closer and our bullpen is great,.” Ozzie Guillen said. “But we’ll see over the next couple of days.”
Jenks said the home run wasn’t what upset him most about the ninth inning.A 1-2 curveball hit pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago and put two on with one out.Sergio Santos (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his first major-league win. Freddy Garcia pitched 6 2/3 strong innings for the AL Central leaders, who took three of four games in the series. Kotsay’s go-ahead triple came off Jose Valverde (1-3). Brent Lillibridge and Jones hit one-out singles in the 11th before Kotsay’s drive into the right-center field gap.With the White Sox leading 4-1 in the ninth, Don Kelly singled with one out and Jenks hit Santiago. After Austin Jackson struck out, Raburn, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, homered into the left-field stands.Kelly also homered for Detroit, 5-17 since the All-Star break.Juan Pierre stole his 500th career base, which was also his major league-leading 41st swipe of the season, in the first inning.The Sox took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Alexei Ramirez drew a leadoff walk, Ramon Castro doubled and Max Scherzer threw a wild pitch that scored a run. Pierre added an RBI single.Kelly led off the seventh with his second home run. Garcia allowed a run and five hits, walking four and striking out four.Kotsay hit his seventh homer in the ninth off Robbie Weinhardt for a 4-1 lead.
NOTES—Pierre was thrown out on his next two steal attempts after his milestone stolen bases. He went 2 for 5 at the plate and stretched his hitting streak to a season-high 12 games. He’s 19 for 48 (.396) in that span….Detroit 2B Carlos Guillen, on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf strain, will join Single-A West Michigan Friday to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment…..Raburn also made an outstanding diving catch at second base, going to his right for Castro liner’s to end the top of the ninth.