Hector Noesi's first inning went so badly, what happened afterward didn't much matter.
Noesi retired only one of the first nine hitters he faced, allowing six early runs to Detroit in the Tigers' 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. Noesi did manage to keep Detroit off the scoreboard for the rest of his outing, but the damage had been done.
"Hector battled, but the first inning just killed us," manager Robin Ventura said. "He got (Austin) Jackson, but then everything was up in the zone, and they were all over it. That's unusual for him — there are times that we see him start getting up later in the game, but not right at the start like that."
Detroit's Nick Castellanos homered and drove in four runs. His three-run shot capped the Tigers' early outburst.
Max Scherzer (13-3) allowed a run and five hits in seven innings for the Tigers, who snapped a four-game losing streak. He struck out six and walked one.
Detroit allowed seven runs in the seventh in an 11-4 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday night, but this time the big inning belonged to the Tigers.
Noesi (5-8) allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings. Chicago slugger Jose Abreu singled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. He has hit safely in 37 of his last 38 games.
Chicago Baseball
Adam Dunn homered for the White Sox, a solo shot with one out in the ninth. It was his 17th of the year.
Noesi struck out Jackson to start the game, but the next eight Detroit hitters reached base. Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter and J.D. Martinez hit consecutive RBI singles, and Castellanos followed with an opposite-field homer to make it 6-0. Castellanos would add an RBI single in the seventh.
Scherzer is unbeaten in his last seven starts. He faced the minimum 15 hitters through the first five innings — the Tigers turned double plays after singles by Adam Eaton in the first and fourth. Dayan Viciedo ended Scherzer's bid for a shutout with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and that ended up being the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner's final inning.
The game started after a 29-minute rain delay.
