A .096 month, and then one pitch
Munetaka Murakami went into Thursday hitting .096 for September. Five hits in 52 at-bats, 31 strikeouts, and a demotion to fifth in the batting order. Waiting for him was Framber Valdez, who had not conceded an earned run in two starts this month covering 13 innings.
Two on, two out, first inning. Murakami swung at the first pitch he saw and put it over the center-field wall. Three runs, his 32nd home run of the season, and all the scoring the White Sox needed in a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Both trends broke on the same swing, which is roughly how September tends to work.
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Back level with Cleveland
Chicago move to 78-75, tied with the idle Guardians at the top of the American League Central. Cleveland had beaten the White Sox on Wednesday and pushed them out of first place for the first time since July 3. The stay outside the lead lasted about 24 hours.
The numbers underneath the result were not flattering. Chicago were out-hit 8-5 and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Detroit went 0-for-9 in the same spots, which settled the argument.
Erick Fedde gave up one run on four hits across 4 2/3 innings and matched his season high with six strikeouts. Three relievers covered the last 4 1/3 without conceding. Bryan Hudson struck out Riley Greene to end a fifth-inning threat. Grant Taylor worked the final 2 1/3 for his ninth save and got Gleyber Torres to ground into a double play with two runners aboard in the ninth.
Detroit running out of road
The Tigers fall to 72-81 and have lost two in a row after winning six straight. They sit six games behind Cleveland for the last American League wild card with nine to play, which is the sort of arithmetic that stops being a race.
Valdez dropped to 10-11 after allowing three runs on three hits in five innings with four walks and eight strikeouts. Kevin McGonigle collected two of Detroit’s hits. Dillon Dingler’s fifth-inning double was the only extra-base hit the Tigers managed all night.
Chicago took the season series 7-3 and did it without shortstop Colson Montgomery, who sat out with left wrist soreness after being hit by a pitch on Wednesday.
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