DETROIT -- The Chicago White Sox think they've finally learned their lesson after walking in the winning run for the second straight game.
"Just can't walk anybody," reliever Cliff Politte said. "It's the same thing as last night."
Politte walked Carlos Guillen to force in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as Detroit beat Chicago 3-2 Saturday night and stretched the White Sox's season-high losing streak to seven games.
It was the Tigers third-straight one-run win over Chicago, and the second in a row that the winning run was brought in on a bases-loaded walk. Bobby Higginson's walk in the bottom of the eighth gave Detroit a 3-2 win Friday night.
Alex Sanchez started the rally Saturday night with a one-out single off Politte. Omar Infante singled, with the ball glancing off the glove of diving shortstop Jose Valentin. Sanchez went to third and Infante moved to second on the throw. Ivan Rodriguez was then intentionally walked.
Dmitri Young made a bid for the winning hit, but first baseman Paul Konerko made a diving catch of his liner. Guillen followed by walking on a 3-1 pitch, giving the Tigers the win.
"I was just trying to throw it down the middle," Politte said. "That's probably why it was so far outside."
Ugueth Urbina (4-5) pitched a perfect inning of relief to earn the victory. Politte (0-3) came in to start the 10th and took the loss, allowing one run and two hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Starters Mark Buehrle and Mike Maroth were both outstanding -- each allowed five hits in nine innings -- but neither was involved in the decision. Buehrle walked three and struck out three, and Maroth walked two and struck out three.
"It was a well-pitched game by both pitchers who changed speeds and used both sides of the plate to get hitters out," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said.
The White Sox tied it at 2 in the sixth on Konerko's single that scored Carlos Lee, who hit a leadoff double.
Chicago had a chance to take the lead, but Higginson, in right field, threw out Konerko at the plate as he tried to scored on Valentin's fly ball to end the inning.
"It was a great play. He made a perfect throw," Maroth said. "It gives the team a big boost when a big defensive play is made."
Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Aaron Rowand's RBI double.
Detroit came back with two in its half of the inning on Brandon Inge's groundout and Sanchez's single.
Rondell White led off with a walk and Marcus Thames singled. After Higginson sacrificed the runners over, Inge hit a chopper that deflected off of Buehrle's glove to second baseman Uribe, who threw out Inge at first while the tying run scored. Sanchez followed with a grounder off the glove of a diving Konerko at first to bring in Thames.
"It's hard to believe how bad we are," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We can't be this bad."
Notes
- The teams wore the uniforms of Negro League teams, with the White Sox wearing the Chicago Americans, and the Tigers wearing the Detroit Stars.
- Sanchez went 3-for-5, including his 29th bunt single this season.
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