news-engine

DETROIT -- Any lingering doubt as to the top team in the American League Central was answered by the White Sox this weekend at Comerica Park. Their 7-5 victory Sunday completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers, in a venue where they lost three straight from June 19-21, and put them 5 1/2 games ahead of Detroit in the American League Central. No other team is within a series sweep of .500 in the division, but that fact shouldn’t diminish the on-field prowess shown by manager Will Venable’s crew. They trailed early Friday and powered their way to victory behind four home runs. They were behind 3-0 and 4-1 on Sunday and still cruised back to improve to 28-34 on the road. Even when they were losing, the White Sox still gave the feel of being a step or two away from victory. Munetaka Murakami delivered the knockout punch, as he has done so many times this season, via a two-run homer off Tyler Holton in the seventh. It was Murakami’s 28th home run and second of the series. Murakami, who tied Sammy Sosa on the franchise’s all-time home run list, also took a hit away from Hao-Yu Lee with two outs in the seventh to strand the tying run at second. In the ninth, Miguel Vargas hit his third homer of the series (his 28th of the season), making it the 10th time Murakami and Vargas have homered in the same game this year. That ties the White Sox franchise record by a duo, set by Luis Robert Jr. and Jake Burger in 2023, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye in 2006 and Frank Thomas and Carlos Lee in 2003. Colson Montgomery had two hits, including a game-tying single off Holton in the sixth, as the White Sox tied a season high at seven games over .500 with a 65-58 ledger. They move on to Wrigley Field for three games against the Cubs, who they beat in a home series from May 15-17. Sean Burke allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings with two strikeouts, but the bullpen came through behind their ace, with Hagen Smith getting his second victory in a week. Smith went 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings with one strikeout and one walk and he caught a Ben Malgeri liner against his stomach for the first out of the sixth, holding Spencer Torkelson at second.