DETROIT -- The Tigers have to be better against the Chicago White Sox.
That's the bottom line, they just do.
The White Sox came to town losers in 10 of their last 13, reeling, unable to score runs.
While that probably sounds a bit familiar to Tigers fans, consider this: the White Sox came in having scored a league-low 241 runs.
Even the sometimes offensively-challenged Tigers had 310 runs, which is the most in the AL Central.
Kansas City, 41-28 and leading the division, has 303 runs.
Minnesota, 39-33 and second in the division, has 301.
Cleveland, 33-38 and fourth in the division, has 288.
So when the White Sox come to town and put up eight runs in an 8-7 victory Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, you have to wonder what is going on.
This after the White Sox had mustered six total runs from June 14-19.
The Tigers are 5-5 against the White Sox this season, but 24-14 overall against the AL Central.
Certainly you look at Alfredo Simon, who was trying to bounce back after his worst start of the season, in which he gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings to the New York Yankees.
Simon got better as the game went on but the damage was done as he allowed five runs on six hits while walking three and striking out five.
"Command, he was a little up early," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He settled down as it went on. I think he just got tired at the end."
But the Tigers managed to come back to tie the game in the eighth, so for once, the offense was not at fault.
Bruce Rondon, making his season debut, Blaine Hardy, Alex Wilson and Joakim Soria all had scoreless appearances.
But Joba Chamberlain, who came on to pitch the 10th, ran into trouble.
Chamberlain got one out, walked Melky Cabrera, hit Avisail Garcia, struck out Alexei Ramirez, gave up an infield single to pinch hitter J.B. Shuck, and then a disastrous bases-clearing double to the No. 9 hitter, Carlos Sanchez, who came into the game batting .159.
"Obviously I want to go out there with my best stuff," Chamberlain said. "At the end of the day, I felt like that was my best pitch at the time, with the way I've been able to throw it in certain situations. He did his job, I didn't do mine."
The Tigers rallied against White Sox closer David Robertson. But after Bryan Holaday cut the lead to 8-7 with a two-run single, Ian Kinsler flew out and the White Sox wisely chose to walk Miguel Cabrera intentionally.
"It's always risky because you put the winning run at second but you don't tug on Superman's cape too often," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "With him, we've seen so much of him over the seasons, we're going to take our chances with the next guy."
That next guy was Josh Wilson because he ran for Victor Martinez in the bottom of the ninth after Martinez singled. Wilson struck out to end the game.
Ausmus said the thought was if Yoenis Cespedes, who is third in the AL in doubles, hit a double, Martinez would not have been able to score, so he put in Wilson.
"What would've happened if Cespedes hit a gapper and I would've been held up at third base," Martinez said. "And I would've been held at third base. 'Why didn't they take Victor out?' It's easy to judge from outside, but you know what, we're trying to win ballgames, and I think that was the best option."
There's always going to be a lot of second-guessing when the team does not perform the way people believe they should.
"We've been playing .500 baseball," Kinsler said. "We're a better team than that and there's a lot of games left and we're going to try to prove that we're a better team than that."
A good starting point would be playing better against the White Sox.
