CHICAGO (AP) — After struggling in his previous five starts, Miguel Gonzalez decided to keep things simple on Sunday.
“Strike one from the get-go,” he said.
Worked out quite well for the right-hander.
Gonzalez took a perfect game into the seventh inning and Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Melky Cabrera and Matt Davidson also connected, helping the White Sox take three of four in the series. David Robertson got two outs for his seventh save.
Gonzalez (4-5) allowed three runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings while snapping a five-start losing streak. He struck out six and walked none.
“(The key was) getting ahead, especially against this team that’s aggressive,” he said. “It was fun to be out there again and get back on track.”
Gonzalez retired his first 18 batters before Andrew Romine led off the seventh with a hard one-hop liner to shortstop Tim Anderson, who couldn’t field the ball cleanly and was originally charged with an error. Alex Avila followed with a single into right field, and Romine’s ball was later changed to a hit.
The streak of 18 straight to begin the game was the longest by a Chicago starter since Chris Sale retired his first 19 against the Los Angeles Angels on May 12, 2013. Mike Trout broke up that gem.
Detroit right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (4-4) allowed seven runs and eight hits in five innings, raising his ERA to 6.47. He has allowed more than three runs in eight of his 10 starts this season.
“He’s got to stay away from the home run ball; the home run ball’s killing him,” manager Brad Ausmus said.
“My slider’s absolutely terrible right now, and through my career my slider’s been my best pitch,” Zimmermann said.
The White Sox grabbed the lead on Willy Garcia’s RBI triple in the third. Garcia also scored on the play because shortstop Jose Iglesias’ wild relay to third base bounced into the photographers’ well near the dugout.
One out later, Cabrera tacked on a solo homer to right.
Chicago then stretched the lead to 5-0 in the fourth following a 30-minute rain delay in the top of the inning. Davidson led off with a homer to center and Narvaez drove in Yolmer Sanchez from third with a bloop single over a drawn-in infield.
Frazier then made it 7-0 with his sixth homer in the fifth.
Gonzalez gave up a run in the seventh and two in the eighth before being pulled.
“The bottom line is he still pitched a heck of a game,” Frazier said.
