Munetaka Murakami went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and three pitchers delivered 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Thursday to move into a tie atop the American League Central.
Chicago (78-75) pulled even with the idle Guardians (78-75). Cleveland had defeated visiting Chicago on Wednesday to put the White Sox out of the division lead for the first time since July 3.
Brenton Doyle singled twice for Chicago, which was out-hit 8-5. The White Sox went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position compared to 0-for-9 for the Tigers.
Grant Taylor worked the last 2 1/3 innings to notch his ninth save. With two on in the ninth, he induced Gleyber Torres to ground into a game-ending double play.
Detroit (72-81) lost its second straight after a six-game winning streak, leaving the Tigers six games behind Cleveland for the final AL wild-card spot with nine games to play.
Murakami entered the night batting .096 (5-for-52) with 31 strikeouts in September and was facing Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez, who had not allowed an earned run in two starts covering 13 innings this month.
Both trends reversed course with two on and two outs in the first inning. Moved down to the fifth spot in the batting order, Murakami blasted the first pitch he saw from Valdez over the wall in center field for his club-leading 32nd home run.
White Sox right-hander Erick Fedde allowed one run and four hits over 4 2/3 innings with one hit batter and two walks. He matched his season high with six strikeouts.
Detroit scored its lone run on Torres’ RBI forceout in the third after the Tigers opened the frame with a hit batter, a single, a strikeout and a walk. Fedde escaped further trouble by retiring Dillon Dingler on a lineout to shortstop.
Bryan Hudson entered after Detroit collected successive two-out hits in the fifth and struck out Riley Greene to end the threat. Hudson (5-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Valdez (10-11) gave up three runs and three hits in five innings with four walks and eight strikeouts.
Kevin McGonigle had two hits for Detroit. Dingler’s fifth-inning double was the Tigers’ lone extra-base hit.
White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery missed the game due to left wrist soreness after he was hit by a pitch on Wednesday.
Chicago clinched the season series, improving to 7-3 against the Tigers.