DETROIT — Since he beat them in his big league debut back in 2019, White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease has dominated the Tigers. He came into Comerica Park Tuesday with a 9-0 career mark in his 10 starts against them with a skinny 2.08 ERA.
He didn’t dominate them this time. But he beat them. Again. For the 10th time.
The White Sox, playing without starters Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal as well as closer Liam Hendriks, handled the Tigers easily for the second straight night, 5-1.
Tigers' hitters made Cease work, made him throw 108 pitches in five innings. They had him on the ropes twice. But they couldn’t put him on the mat.
Twice, in the first and fifth innings, Victor Reyes and Harold Castro reached with no outs. Reyes had three straight hits off Cease and Castro two. But the Tigers managed only one run, unearned, a gift from Cease.
The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the first inning and had Javier Báez at the plate. Cease struck out Báez swinging and he almost ended the inning by picking off Harold Castro at second base. His quick pick-off move froze Castro, but Cease threw the ball into center field, allowing Reyes to score.
In the fifth inning, Reyes (6 for 12 since coming off the injured list) and Castro singled again, and the Tigers came up empty again. Willi Castro was called out on strikes on a pitch that Statcast showed was above the strike zone.
Cease, his pitch count climbing over 100, got a fielder’s choice ground out from Austin Meadows and a weak fly out to left from Báez.
Veteran Drew Hutchison, whom the Tigers designated for assignment in March before re-signing him, got the spot start Tuesday and pitched four solid innings. He had a four-batter lapse that cost him two runs.
With two outs in the second inning, the White Sox slapped four straight singles — Danny Mendick, A.J. Pollock, Andrew Vaughn (four singles on the night) and Luis Robert.
Hutchison retired the last seven batters he faced.
The White Sox added two runs against Wily Peralta (RBI double by Yoan Moncada) and another against Tyler Alexander, who was activated off the IL before the game and pitched two innings.
It's three straight losses for the Tigers.
