Shane Greene battles red-hot Chicago offense in series rubber match

White Sox scored 12 runs in blowout win Saturday

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers (9-2) will look to win their fourth straight series to start the year Sunday after falling 12-3 to the Chicago White Sox (4-6) Saturday afternoon.

Anibal Sanchez suffered his second straight loss after allowing nine earned runs for the first time in his MLB career. Sanchez, who allowed four home runs in his 21 starts last season, has surrendered five blasts in his last two starts.

Recommended Videos



On Sunday, Shane Greene will try to right the ship and lead the Tigers to a bounce back win, as he did in his last start against the Pirates.

First Pitch: 1:08 p.m. on FSD

Greene has pitched eight dazzling innings in each of his first two starts with the Tigers. In his first outing, he shut down the Twins to the tune of four hits and five strikeouts while allowing just one unearned run. Last Tuesday, the Pirates could muster only three hits and no runs against the 26-year-old.

Greene made one start against the White Sox during his rookie campaign in New York, allowing three runs on nine hits in five innings. He struck out seven White Sox batters, but finished with a no-decision. All three runs came on a Jose Abreu home run to left field in the very first inning.

Chicago will send out their own 26-year-old starter in Jose Quintana, a lefty who pitched well against the Tigers in four starts last year. Quintana saw Detroit in back-to-back starts near the end of April and allowed three earned runs each in a pair of six-inning efforts. In two second-half starts against the Tigers, Quintana allowed just four runs in 13 innings and picked up two wins.

In his last start, he held the Indians to one unearned run on three hits over six frames.

Rajai Davis will start in center field for Detroit as he carries a lifetime .385 batting average (10-26) into Sunday's game against Quintana. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez hit a combined .368 (14-38) against the lefty.

Detroit's starting lineup for Sunday's game will be:

Rajai Davis, CF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
J.D. Martinez, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
James McCann, C
Jose Iglesias, SS

After a 1-4 Saturday at the dish, Jose Iglesias' average dropped to an AL-leading .457. His teammate, Cabrera, is second at .442.

J.D. Martinez, who hit a solo home run (5) in the loss, trails Nelson Cruz by one home run for the AL lead.

The White Sox starting nine will be:

Adam Eaton, CF
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Abreu, 1B
Adam LaRoche, DH
Avisail Garcia, RF
Conor Gillaspie, 3B
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Tyler Flowers, C
Micah Johnson, 2B

Melky Cabrera crushed the Tigers Saturday, racking up four hits and driving in two runs. Abreu and Adam LaRoche each hit homers and drove in four runs on three hits.

Thanks to a Royals loss against the Oakland A's Saturday, the Tigers held on to sole possession of first place in the AL Central Division by one game. A win Sunday would keep Detroit in first place heading into a four-game series with the New York Yankees.