Yet another sign that things are going quite well for the White Sox this summer: A home run by Juan Pierre.Pierre hit his first homer in almost two years, Alex Rios and Dayan Viciedo also connected and the AL Central leaders routed the Detroit Tigers 12-2 Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.Detroit won the nighcap 7-1 behind Jeremy Bonderman.With Tampa Bay’s 6-4 win over Minnesota, the Sox finished the day a game and a half ahead of the Twins.In the afternoon contest,Mark Buehrle (10-8) pitched into the eighth inning, allowing two runs and seven hits. It’s the 10th straight season he has won at least 10 games.Pierre also doubled, drove in two runs and stole a base, the 499th of his career. Pierre’s last home run was Sept. 15, 2008. He lined a shot from Rick Porcello over the right-field fence to lead off the fifth.It was Pierre’s second career home run at Comerica Park. He hit an inside-the-park homer in Detroit in 2004, while a member of the Florida Marlins.Rios, Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez drove in two runs each.Porcello (4-10) was tagged for seven runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings and was chased as the White Sox took a 7-1 lead in the fifth. Austin Jackson had three hits for the Tigers.Buehrle walked one and struck out one in 7 2/3 innings.In game two,Jeremy Bonderman got back in the win column.Bonderman allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings for his first win in two months, Brennan Boesch and Johnny Damon each drove in two runs, and the Detroit Tigers earned the split with a 7-1 victory.Damon was 3 for 5.Bonderman (6-6) allowed five hits, walking one and striking out five. His last win had come on July 10.Robbie Weinhardt and Ryan Perry finished it for Bonderman.Carlos Torres (0-1), who was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte before the first game, was the loser, giving up five runs and nine hits in six innings with five walks and four strikeouts.He gave up all of the runs in the first two innings.Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first on Boesch’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice grounder.The Tigers made it 5-0 while batting around in the second. Alex Avila’s RBI double into the left-field corner plated the first run, Will Rhymes hit a two-out, run-scoring single and Damon and Boesch each had two-out, run-producing doubles.Konerko put the Sox on the board in the seventh with his 26th home run.Detroit added two runs in the eighth on pitcher Tony Pena’s throwing error and Damon’s fielder’s choice.
NOTES—Vizquel was 3 for 3 in the nightcap. With his 2,756th hit, he moved past Vada Pinson into sole possession of 49th place on the career list and now has 2,758. Damon was Detroit’s DH for both games of the doubleheader after missing three games with a sore back. Konerko’s home run was estimated at 424 feet. Jackson has 122 hits, which leads AL rookies and is the most by a Tigers’ rookie since Milt Cuyler had 122 in 1991.