Willis slipped as he delivered a pitch in the first, hyperextended his right knee and managed to throw only 14 pitches before being removed. But Detroit's bullpen was solid on a blustery, cold and wet night at U.S. Cellular Field.
Ordonez, who had just one RBI entering the game, hit a two-run single in Detroit's third to put the Tigers ahead 3-2. Brandon Inge also had an RBI single in the inning that started with Edgar Renteria's double off Jose Contreras.
Willis walked leadoff hitter Carlos Quentin. On his first pitch to Orlando Cabrera, his right knee that he plants while delivering gave way and he slipped in front of the mound. The mound may have been slick because the start of the game had been delayed 6 minutes by rain on a 46-degree night.
A trainer and manager Jim Leyland came out, but Willis told them he was OK to continue.
After Willis walked Cabrera and threw a wild pitch with a 1-1 count on Jim Thome, the trainer and Leyland went back to the mound. Willis again appeared to tell them he was OK, but Leyland removed the lefty and brought in Aquilino Lopez.
Willis will undergo further evaluation. The severity of the injury was not immediately known.
Lopez (1-0) gave up three hits and a run in four innings.
Contreras (0-1) allowed six hits and four runs in 6 2-3 innings.
Clete Thomas doubled in a Detroit run in the seventh and Miguel Cabrera added an RBI single in the eighth.
The White Sox managed just one hit after the second, thanks to strong relief work by Lopez and Jason Grilli, who pitched three hitless innings of relief. Denny Bautista worked the eighth and Todd Jones a perfect ninth for his first save in his first opportunity.
Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly in the first after Willis departed gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead and Chicago tacked on a run in the second on singles by Brian Anderson, Toby Hall and Quentin.
