Peavy Gets The Win In What Could Be His Last Start For Sox
CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Peavy pitched into the eighth inning and the Chicago White Sox beat Justin Verlander and Detroit 7-4 Thursday as the Tigers again played minus Miguel Cabrera.
Cabrera missed his third straight game because of an injured left hip flexor. The AL MVP left in the middle of Monday's game.
Torii Hunter homered for the third time time in the series. But the Tigers outfielder exited in the eighth and is day to day with a sore left Achilles.
Peavy (8-4), the subject of trade speculation as the July 31 deadline approaches, was replaced by Matt Lindstrom after allowing Brayan Pena homered to start the eighth.
Peavy allowed four hits, three of them homers, and four hits while striking out seven in the matchup of former Cy Young winners.
In two starts since returning from the disabled list with a broken left rib, Peavy is 2-0 and has given up six earned runs in 13 innings. He does not have no-trade protection in his contract.
Verlander (10-8) gave up seven runs and 11 hits in six innings. Tyler Flowers, catching for the first time since July 21, homered off the Tigers star.
Addison Reed allowed the tying run to get to the plate in the ninth but struck out Pena to pick up his 26th save in 30 tries, keeping the White Sox from falling 21 games below .500 for the first time since Sept. 25, 2007.
Verlander matched his loss total from last season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner lost for the third time in his last four decisions, snapping the Tigers' four-game winning streak.
Detroit also missed a chance to sweep Chicago in a four-game series for the first time since Aug. 18-21, 1988, and for the first time in Chicago since June 20-22, 1980.
Verlander, who fell to 0-2 against the White Sox this season, struggled early.
Chicago scored twice in the first for its first lead in the series. Paul Konerko and Jeff Keppinger hit RBI singles with two outs.
Peavy allowed his first hit in the fourth when Austin Jackson singled. Hunter followed with his 10th homer.
The White Sox scored four times in the bottom half. Flowers hit an RBI double off left fielder Andy Dirks' glove, Alexei Ramirez had a two-run single and Alex Rios singled home a run.
Flowers homered in the sixth. Victor Martinez connected for the Tigers in the seventh.
NOTES: White Sox RHP Jesse Crain, out since July 3 with a strained right shoulder, played catch but pitching coach Don Cooper termed it a "slight" setback. Crain did not throw a bullpen session as hoped. ... Detroit manager Jim Leyland said closer Joaquin Benoit, who worked in three of Detroit's previous four games, was unavailable. ... White Sox 2B Gordon Beckham was out of the lineup for the fifth straight game with a strained left wrist but could play Friday. .... Tigers 2B Omar Infante, on a rehab assignment with Single-A West Michigan after spraining his left ankle July 3, could return to the Tigers on Friday if he feels ready to return. ... LHP Darin Downs, on the DL since July 7, was also scheduled to make a rehab appearance Thursday for West Michigan. ... Jose Quintana (5-2, 3.61) will pitch Friday for the White Sox in Chicago against the Royals' James Shields (4-7, 3.24). ... The Tigers' Doug Fister (8-5, 3.90) will face Philadelphia's Cole Hamels (4-12, 4.16) in Detroit.
(© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)
