Tigers hit three HRs in 6th, beat White Sox 7-2

[August 24, 2018]  Matthew Boyd tossed six scoreless innings, Detroit batters hit three homers in the sixth inning and the Tigers cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon.

Ronny Rodriguez hit his first major league homer and drove in two runs. Mikie Mahtook and Nicholas Castellanos supplied solo shots, and Jim Adduci added two hits, including a two-run double.

Boyd (8-11) gave up six hits and a walk while striking out six. The Tigers have defeated the White Sox in 10 of 13 meetings this season.

Jose Rondon hit a two-run homer for the White Sox. James Shields (5-15) surrendered seven runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The Tigers had a runner picked off third, yet still took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Nicholas Castellanos led off with a single and advanced to third on Adduci's bloop single. When left fielder Ryan LaMarre bobbled the ball, Adduci took second.

Shields then caught Castellanos napping for his 40th career pickoff. Mahtook was hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count, and Rodriguez ripped a ground-rule double to left, bringing home Adduci. Grayson Greiner's sacrifice fly brought in the second run.

A baserunning mistake prevented the White Sox from getting on the board in the fifth. With runners on first and second and two out, LaMarre singled to center. Coming from second base, Yolmer Sanchez wasn't running at full speed heading home, and when Tim Anderson tried to reach third, he was thrown out by center fielder Mike Gerber before Sanchez crossed home plate.

Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos (9) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Castellanos made up for the pickoff in his next at-bat by drilling a Shields cutter over the left field wall.

One out later, Mahtook crushed another Shields offering over the left field fence. Two pitches later, Rodriguez made it back-to-back homers with his breakthrough long ball, which just cleared the left field wall to make it 5-0.

Shields was still in the game when Adduci smashed a double to right to bring home two more runs in the seventh.

Rondon's homer off Louis Coleman in the eighth ended Detroit's shutout bid.

--Field Level Media

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