DETROIT — A successful bunt, a double steal, a timely hit and a sacrifice fly.
After Liam Hendriks pitched out of a jam in the 10th, stranding the winning run at third with a short fly ball and strikeout, the White Sox used that combination to push across two runs in the 11th inning Saturday for a much-needed 4-3 victory against the Tigers.
Yoan Moncada singled in the go-ahead run against left-hander Gregory Soto after Soto misplayed Elvis Andrus’ sacrifice bunt into a single, and Andrus scored on Eloy Jimenez’s sacrifice fly after stealing third ahead of Moncada on a double steal.
Andrus, “a very smart player,” acting manager Miguel Cairo said, was in the middle of the two-run ruckus.
“Heck, yeah, I’m going to be aggressive,” Cairo said. “I told him the first pitch is yours, and after that, if you want to bunt, bunt. He decided to bunt, and it worked out. Yesterday it didn’t work out, but today’s a new day, and we scored two, and we got the ‘W.’ That’s where it counts.”
Aaron Bummer (second save) pitched the 11th inning, allowing the free runner to score a harmless run to give the Sox a win one night after Hendriks (4-4) took the loss in the 10th. The result left the Sox (75-71) four games behind the Guardians with 16 to play, pending the outcome of the division leaders’ second game of a doubleheader against the Twins.
Rookie right-hander Davis Martin, called up from Triple-A Charlotte and pitching in place of an ill Johnny Cueto, gave a Cueto-like performance with six innings of one-run ball to give the Sox a chance.
After getting blanked by left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who retired 16 batters in a row in one stretch, the Sox took a 2-1 lead in the seventh on a two-run single from AJ Pollock against reliever Jason Foley.
“He had good stuff, and [umpire Sean Barber was] expanding the zone on both sides of the plate, which made it a little more tricky,” Pollock said. “He knows how to locate. He didn’t really have to throw it over the plate, so that’s kind of what I saw. If you could force him in the zone, you could whack him pretty good, but kudos to him for taking advantage of that.”
The Tigers took advantage of a bad throw by Andrus when Akil Baddoo scored from second on Riley Greene’s infield single. Baddoo could have been out easily. Andrus made a diving stop of Greene’s two-out bouncer headed to left field, and Baddoo, who was on second, didn’t stop at third apparently unaware that Andrus made the stop. Andrus hesitated, then threw wide from the outfield grass, and it was 2-2.
Martin allowed three hits, walked one and struck out five. He threw 85 pitches, 57 strikes. Cairo was hopeful that Cueto could pitch Sunday.
Robert returns
Luis Robert returned to center field, batting eighth as Cairo wasn’t fully confident in what Robert could give offensively because of his sore wrist. Robert went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
“He can cover a lot of ground,” Cairo said. “Trying to put the best lineup in there. I know he can play through it. I just have to be careful. I don’t want him to get hurt or nothing like that. Those [last] two days, he said he was better, so I’m going with him.”
