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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
DETROIT (AP) -- Jeff Weaver hasn't had any leads to work with
lately. When he got one Monday night, he immediately gave it up.
|  | | Jeff Weaver retired the first 13 hitters he faced in beating the White Sox. |
Then Juan Gonzalez's infield single in the seventh inning put
Detroit ahead again and Weaver held it. He wound up allowing just
three hits in eight innings as the Tigers beat the Chicago White
Sox 5-2.
"He looked determined to finish that ballgame out," Detroit
manager Phil Garner said.
Weaver (10-14), who was 0-3 since beating Baltimore on Aug. 29,
led Detroit to just its third win in 10 games this year against the
White Sox. Todd Jones pitched a perfect ninth for his AL-leading
40th save in 43 chances.
"It's a W. That's the important thing," said Weaver, who
struck out six and walked one. "It would be nice to keep battling
them."
Weaver retired his first 13 batters before Carlos Lee walked on
16 pitches in the fifth, fouling off 10. Paul Konerko homered on
the next pitch to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.
"That was a great at-bat by Lee, and it might've taken a little
out of (Weaver)," Garner said. "You're so hyped up when the
at-bat's over, maybe you lose focus a little bit."
Weaver disagreed.
"Konerko hit a cutter that stayed over the plate," he said.
"I didn't think I let down at all. If I'd have done that, I think
they would've continued to pour it on."
The only other hits off Weaver were Frank Thomas' sixth-inning
double and Herbert Perry's leadoff single in the eighth.
With two on in the seventh, Gonzalez hit a liner off reliever
Lorenzo Barcelo (3-2) that caromed into the hole between first and
second. Second baseman Ray Durham tried to throw out Juan
Encarnacion at home, but catcher Charles Johnson couldn't handle
the throw -- he was charged with an error -- and both Encarnacion and
Bobby Higginson scored.
Damion Easley added a two-run triple off Bobby Howry in the
eighth.
Chicago's magic number for clinching the AL Central remained at
eight and its lead over second-place Cleveland was cut to 6 1/2 games.
The White Sox have scored only three runs in losing their last two
games.
Manager Jerry Manuel rested several of his regulars in Sunday's
14-1 loss to Toronto, but they were back in the lineup Monday.
"You can't win ballgames in late September or early October if
you're not executing situational hitting, whether it's moving
runners or bunting guys over," outfielder Chris Singleton said.
"The run production is not as easy as it might be in the middle of
summer, so you can't miss those."
The Tigers have scored two or fewer runs in 14 of Weaver's 28
starts, including 12 of his 15 losses. They were blanked in his
previous two starts, including a 1-0 loss to Jim Parque last week
at Comiskey Park.
Parque gave up seven hits and left with a 2-1 lead after six
innings.
"Jim pitched real well for us. Weaver did a solid job for
them," Singleton said. "We knew coming in it was going to be a
tight game. Two young quality pitchers out there."
Weaver got a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Wendell Magee hit a
bases-loaded sacrifice fly to the warning track in front of the 420
mark in straightaway center.
But that was gone when Konerko homered after Lee's long duel
with Weaver.
"You've got to tip your hat to Carlos," Tigers catcher Brad
Ausmus said. "He fouled off some really tough pitches."
Lee was down 1-2 in the count before he fouled off 10 of 12
pitches. He walked on an outside pitch.
"I was just trying not to give in," he said. "The prior
at-bat he threw a pitch away and he got the call (for a strikeout).
I knew if I got the pitch again he might get the call again, so I
was aware of everything. I didn't let it go through. No way was it
going to be a strike."
Game notes
White Sox hitting coach Von Joshua was ejected by plate
umpire John Hirschbeck for arguing balls and strikes. Garner also
had a brief argument with Hirschbeck... Detroit's Deivi Cruz
grounded into his 25th double play, third-most in the AL, during
the sixth. Only Oakland's Ben Grieve (28) and Chicago's Magglio
Ordonez (26) entered Monday with more. ... The Tigers have won
three straight after losing nine of 10.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chi. White Sox Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
RECAPS
Oakland 12
Baltimore 3
Detroit 5
Chi. White Sox 2
Cleveland 2
NY Yankees 0
Seattle 4
Tampa Bay 3
Minnesota 3
Texas 1
Montreal 11
Florida 4
Pittsburgh 6
Philadelphia 5
Atlanta 6
NY Mets 3
Milwaukee 2
Chicago Cubs 1
Los Angeles 2
Arizona 1
Cincinnati 7
San Francisco 1
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