CHICAGO — Miguel Cabrera watched for a brief moment as his towering drive sailed into the Chicago night.
That nagging left hamstring looked just fine as he trotted around the bases.
It was teammate Rick Porcello who never got comfortable Monday.
Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Eugenio Suarez homered for the Detroit Tigers, but Porcello labored through
five-plus innings in a 6-5 loss to the White Sox.
“I just couldn’t find any consistency in executing pitches,” Porcello said. “I mean, we face these guys a
lot. They know what you’re going to do, and when you’re not on point, on your game, they’re going to get
all over it.”
Cabrera hit a long solo drive to left for his 12th homer, then singled and scored on Martinez’s homer in
the sixth. The slugger served as the designated hitter after he left Sunday night’s 5-3 loss to Boston
with left hamstring tightness.
“I feel better than yesterday,” Cabrera said. “In the last couple innings, it was tightening.
But hopefully I can come back tomorrow in the field and get loose again.”
Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer in Chicago’s three-run fifth inning, helping the White Sox bounce back
from a sluggish trip to Southern California. They took two of three from the Dodgers before getting
swept in a weekend series against the Angels.
Gordon Beckham had three hits and Conor Gillaspie drove in two runs in the opener of a nine-game
homestand. Hector Noesi (2-4) pitched into the sixth inning in his second straight win and Ronald
Belisario worked a shaky ninth for his sixth save.
It was the seventh loss in the last nine games for the AL Central leaders. Porcello (8-4) allowed six
runs and nine hits, and also committed a costly throwing error that set up Adam Eaton’s key RBI single
in the sixth.
“It was a struggle from the get-go,” Porcello said.
Porcello was 9-1 with a 2.35 ERA in his previous 12 starts against the White Sox. The 25-year-old
right-hander went 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in three starts at U.S. Cellular Field last season.
Alex Avila hit an RBI double off Belisario before the right-hander retired Suarez on a deep fly to
center. Pinch-runner Rajai Davis advanced to third on the play, but Belisario struck out Ian Kinsler and
got pinch-hitter Torii Hunter to ground to third for the final out.
“We came back and got in the game,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “We had the tying run at third, and
that was the bright spot.”
Noesi was charged with four runs and seven hits over 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander, claimed off waivers
from Texas in April, pitched six solid innings against the Dodgers in his previous start.
“He’s giving us a chance to win,” manager Robin Ventura said. “He has been great. The changeup for him
has really been a factor that has got him to this point.”
The White Sox scored three times in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Gillaspie drove in Beckham with his
second RBI single and Abreu followed with a drive to center for his 18th homer.
Suarez went deep in the fifth, tying it at 2. It was his second homer in his fourth major league game
since he was promoted from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.
NOTES: It was career homer No. 377 for Cabrera, snapping a tie with Carlton Fisk for No. 71 on the
all-time list. “It’s a great accomplishment, but you know, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Cabrera said.
“We’ve got to worry about the game tomorrow.” … Martinez has 15 homers and 15 strikeouts this season.
… Detroit matched a season high with three errors. … Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (6-5, 4.19 ERA)
faces LHP John Danks (4-5, 4.32) on Tuesday night. Verlander is 13-3 with a 2.67 ERA in his last 17
starts against the White Sox.