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 Johnson won for the third time in four starts since his Sept. 1
call-up and tied his career high with nine strikeouts as the White
Sox completed a doubleheader sweep with a 3-2 victory over the
Detroit Tigers on Monday night at Comerica Park.
The 25-year-old right-hander started 22 games for Triple-A Charlotte
prior to his promotion and was the International League's Most
Valuable Pitcher. Johnson, who has gone six innings in all of his
wins with the White Sox, gave up two runs on five hits. He also
struck out nine against the Boston Red Sox on April 15, 2014.
"He's aggressive in the zone and that's been the biggest thing since
coming back up here," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "He's
coming after you, and he has to pitch that way."
The Tigers scored both of their runs off Johnson in the third. They
also loaded the bases in the fourth but Johnson struck out second
baseman Josh Wilson to snuff out that threat. He only allowed one
baserunner in his last two innings before the bullpen took over.
David Robertson pitched the ninth and struck out the last two
batters for his 31st save.
"We tried to go inside for effect to a lot of the hitters and then
later we were doubling up on sliders and getting away from the
sequences that we used early in the game," Johnson said. "Sometimes
in the middle you just kind of grind things out and then you get
back in a nice rhythm."
Third baseman Gordon Beckham supported him with a solo home run in
the second. Designated hitter Jose Abreu added an RBI double for
Chicago (72-78). The White Sox tied the season series at seven games
apiece while recording their 9,000th victory in franchise history.
Detroit starter Randy Wolf (0-4) lasted seven innings, allowing
three runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts. Catcher
Alex Avila homered for the Tigers (69-81), who lost their third
straight.
"You get seven innings out of your starter, that's an excellent
outing," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. "We just couldn't muster
enough offense at this point."
Jeff Samardzija tossed his first career one-hitter as the White Sox
won the opener 2-0. Samardzija, who struck out six, limited the
Tigers to first baseman Victor Martinez's bloop single in the fifth.
His previous best was a two-hitter against the White Sox as a member
of the Chicago Cubs on May 27, 2013. Second baseman Carlos Sanchez
scored both runs, including a solo home run.
Johnson drew inspiration from Samardzija's performance.
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"Jeff did a spectacular job in the first game," he said. "I was in
tune with that game. I was seeing the hitters and what he was doing
against them."
The Tigers also got a quality start from Kyle Ryan in the opener but
came up empty because of their offensive futility.
"It's never a good day when you lose a doubleheader," Ausmus said.
The White Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Left fielder
Trayce Thompson led off with a triple and scored on right fielder
Avisail Garcia's sacrifice fly. With two outs, Beckham drove the
ball to the opposite field for his fifth home run.
Shortstop Tyler Saladino's two-out triple and Abreu's double in the
third made it 3-0.
The Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning on Avila's leadoff
home run and designated hitter Ian Kinsler's sacrifice fly.
NOTES: White Sox CF Adam Eaton, who extended his hitting streak to
10 games in the opener, sat out the second game. ... The White Sox
collected their 34th and 34th road victories of the season. They
managed just 33 road wins last season. ... The Tigers were playing
their second doubleheader of the season, while the White Sox were
playing their fourth. Both teams' previous doubleheaders were
splits. ... Detroit 2B Josh Wilson made his fifth start of the
season and first since July 4 in the nightcap. He struck out in both
of his at-bats. ... White Sox RHP Jeff Samardzija's complete-game
one-hitter was the team's first since LHP Chris Sale's shutout
against the Los Angeles Angels on May 12, 2013. ... The Tigers, who
are in last place in the American League Central, have a 39-26
record in games started by CF Rajai Davis.
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