Last-place ChiSox hold playoff-seeking Tigers in check

White Sox 3, Tigers 1

DETROIT (AP) -- A visit to Comerica Park was just what Jon Garland needed on Tuesday night.

Josh Fields and Alex Cintron homered, Garland scattered seven hits over seven innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1.

Garland (9-10) ran his career record to 13-6 against the Tigers, who fell a season-high seven games back of Cleveland in the AL Central. Detroit also is 3½ games back in the wild-card race after New York beat Seattle.

Garland improved to 9-1 at Comerica Park, allowing a run and striking out four without a walk for his first win since July 27.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable here or it's just a mental thing," said Garland. "But I sure do well here."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen hasn't seen the Garland he saw Tuesday night in a while.

"That's the Jon Garland who won 18 games [in 2005, and 2006], you got it tonight," he said "Pitching to early contact, was aggressive to the plate. That's the way he's been pitching for me for a long time."

Ehren Wassermann and Matt Thornton pitched a scoreless eighth, and Bobby Jenks worked the ninth for his 37th save in 42 chances.

It didn't come without a little bit of drama.

After retiring 53 of his previous 55 batters, Jenks gave up a two-out walk to Brandon Inge and a single to pinch hitter Sean Casey before striking out Curtis Granderson with runners on the corners to end it.

"We did nothing offensively," said Detroit manager Jim Leyland.

The last-place White Sox improved to 9-4 against Detroit this season.

"We just play good against them," Ozzie Guillen said.

With two out in the third, Fields lined Jeremy Bonderman's first pitch over the left-center field fence, his 18th homer of the year, to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.

Paul Konerko singled in the sixth before Cintron's homer chased Bonderman and made it 3-0. Cintron's first home run of the season came on a 3-1 pitch, which he lined just over the right-field fence.

"He made a couple of mistakes, I put a good swing on it," Cintron said.

Zach Miner replaced Bonderman (11-8), who allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three.

"I threw the ball well tonight," Bonderman said. "I only had two bad pitches. I was able to pound the zone and not fall behind the hitters."

Miner threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Tigers close.

Detroit broke up Garland's shutout in the sixth on Carlos Guillen's run-scoring single, which put runners on first and third with one out. But Garland got Ivan Rodriguez to foul out and fanned Marcus Thames to end the inning.

Garland had already worked out of two early-inning jams.

Singles by Rodriguez and Inge gave the Tigers runners on first and second with two out in the second, but Ramon Santiago grounded out to end the inning. Carlos Guillen doubled with one out in the fourth, but Garland retired Rodriguez and Thames on groundouts.

"We had our chances," said Leyland. "We had one hit here and one hit there, but couldn't put anything together. We just didn't get enough big hits."

Game notes
Detroit DH Gary Sheffield, on the 15-day disabled list because of a troublesome right shoulder that has bothered him since late July, said he should be ready to play when he is scheduled to come off the DL on Thursday. ... White Sox C A.J. Pierzynski was in Orlando, Fla., attending a family funeral. ... Chicago purchased the contract of RHP Lance Broadway from Triple-A Charlotte, and recalled LHP Heath Phillips from the same team. ... The Tigers' Magglio Ordonez was the AL Player of the Month for August. He hit .393 (46-for-117) with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 29 games. ... Chicago right fielder Jermaine Dye left the game after the fourth because of a left groin injury and is day-to-day.