Sean Burke pitched five innings, allowing just two hits, and Andrew Benintendi hit his 20th home run, tying his career high, as the Chicago White Sox defeated the playoff-bound Detroit Tigers 4-0 on Saturday.
This win keeps the White Sox’s loss total at 121 as they head into their final game of the season.
In his fourth appearance in the majors, Burke (2-0) struck out six batters and walked three, helping end Detroit’s six-game winning streak. The Tigers had two runners on base in each of the first two innings, but Burke allowed only one baserunner in his final three innings.
“We had a couple of chances early to change his day,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch. “They got somebody up early because I think he had 30 pitches in the first and never really broke through.”
In his last outing, Burke held playoff-bound San Diego to one run and two hits in six innings. Despite the tough conditions on Saturday, he managed to perform well.
“It’s nothing I haven’t pitched in before,” Burke said, recalling his college days at Maryland. “I’m from Massachusetts and went to a Big Ten school, so I got used to pitching in this stuff. After the first two innings, I kind of settled in.”
Michael Soroka struck out five and didn’t allow any baserunners in three innings, while Gus Varland completed the shutout, marking just the seventh for the White Sox this season.
Detroit, which will be the No. 2 or 3 wild card in the AL playoffs, secured its postseason spot on Friday, marking its first berth since 2014 after winning 10 of its last 11 games.
After setting a post-1900 record for losses the night before, Chicago (40-121) celebrated its fourth win in five games, a feat they have only achieved twice this season. The White Sox also had a season-high four-game winning streak from May 8-11.
Benintendi contributed by also hitting a double and scoring two runs, while Bryan Ramos added a solo home run for the White Sox.
