The Tigers jumped out to a 4-1 lead through three innings on the strength of a 3-run second, and for a few innings it looked like Detroit might snap its skid at home. Chicago had other plans, chipping away with 2 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth, 2 in the seventh and 1 more in the ninth to pull away late.
Chicago's bullpen and lineup depth carried the day, and it's part of a pattern — the White Sox have now won 3 straight against Detroit and enter this one having gone 4-1 over their last 5 games overall. Detroit, meanwhile, has lost 3 straight and sits at 1-4 over the same stretch, a rough version of where this club has been trending since the deadline sell-off.
Both rosters are banged up, but Detroit's list is the more alarming one. Riley Greene (hamstring) and James Outman (concussion) are both out, Kerry Carpenter is still working back from a foot issue, and former ace-caliber arms like Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander remain on extended injured-list stints. Chicago has its own issues behind the plate with both Kyle Teel and Joey Bart out, but its offense found enough over the final six innings to make it not matter.
This series sweep pushes Chicago's case in the AL Central further, while Detroit now has to regroup with a rotation that looks nothing like the one it opened the season with. The Tigers' whole second half is starting to read like a cautionary tale about what a deadline sell-off does to a clubhouse in real time.