Stiever and the Sox sweep Detroit, win 5-2

The rookie performed admirably in his MLB debut

CHICAGO — Jonathan Stiever, the No. 5 prospect in the White Sox farm system, had a rough start for his first career game. 

Throwing nearly as many balls as strikes, Stiever looked visibly nervous, missing so far outside at one point to Daz Cameron that Nuke Laloosh would have asked him to reel it in. Thanks in part to a controversial out call on a James McCann throw to second, the damage was minimized to a single run, scored on a flare single. 

After ending the first with a strikeout, Stiever found himself in a rhythm, getting ahead of every batter in the second inning and inducing minimal contact. He would go on at that pace, retiring the last nine hitters before being lifted in the fourth inning due to a pitch count limit.

On offense, the Sox continued to roll, knocking Tigers starter Spencer Turnball out of the game after five earned runs over five innings. Tim Anderson increased his chances of winning back-to-back batting titles by going 2-for-4. Yoán Moncada's hot bat continued, hitting the ball hard and capping the bottom of the second with an RBI double. Eloy Jiménez also joined in on the fun, with a single and a searing, 408-foot homer to center field, giving him an extra-base hit in six straight games, for his 19th multi-hit game of 2020.

All bats fell silent after that three-run fifth inning from the Sox, until an ill-fated attempt at a second inning from Steve Cishek led to another Tigers run before Alex Colomé came on for his 11th save.

With the Sox sweep, they finish 7-0 or better at home against a team for the first time since 2010 (7-0 vs. Seattle). The Sox also maintain sole possession of first place over the Minnesota Twins.

On Deck

The White Sox start their pivotal home series against the Twins tomorrow night, with Dylan Cease (5-2, 3.33 ERA) facing off against José Berríos (4-3, 4.40 ERA).