DETROIT (AP) — Alex Faedo struck out a career-high 10 batters in six innings and the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 7-2 on Thursday night.
Faedo (1-2) has 22 strikeouts and one walk in four starts this season. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed two runs on three hits against the White Sox.
“He was incredible,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He had a good fastball, a good slider and he mixed in some changeups late. He got into a lot of chase counts and attacked guys.”
Faedo, who started the season in Triple-A, won for the second time in 16 career starts.
“This felt really good,” he said. “That’s the best slider I’ve had since I’ve been back up here and (Eric) Haase did a great job of calling pitches.”
Lucas Giolito (3-4) matched a career-high with seven walks and was tagged for four runs in 3 2/3 innings. He allowed six hits, including a home run, and struck out four. He was also called for two pitch-clock violations.
In all, the White Sox walked 11 hitters, but failed to draw any themselves.
“It’s a pretty simple game — we gave away too many free bases,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “(Giolito) has been great, and when he struck out the first two hitters, I thought he was going to be really good again. He just lost the strike zone.”
In the third inning, Jake Burger singled, and after Faedo struck out the next two hitters, pulled off the first stolen base of his career. Tim Anderson punched a 2-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single.
Giolito walked the bases loaded with one out in the Tigers’ third. Matt Vierling hit a soft liner to second baseman Romy Gonzalez, who flipped to Anderson to double Riley Greene off second.
“Getting out of that inning was huge, but we weren’t able to keep doing that,” Grifol said. “We really never got much going offensively, either. This is a game the whole team needs to flush and get ready for tomorrow.”
Detroit scored four runs in the fourth.
Akil Baddoo led off with a game-tying homer, and Miguel Cabrera followed with a walk and advanced to third on Eric Haase’s double. With one out, Giolito walked Zach McKinstry, loading the bases, and Javier Baez lined a two-run single to center.
Spencer Torkelson made it 4-1 with a two-out single, ending Giolito’s night.
“It was huge to get him out of the game at that point,” Hinch said. “We had some early chances, but we made a baserunning error and hit some balls right at guys, but we kept the pressure on with some great at-bats. Akil got that inning started and (Torkelson) finished it, but those were professional at-bats in between.”
Gavin Sheets led off the fifth with a home run to make it 4-2.
Greene delivered an RBI single that put the Tigers up 5-2 in the sixth. Zack Short’s two-run single made it a five-run game in the eighth.
TIGERS’ JERSEY PATCH
The Tigers sported a jersey patch for the first time this season.
A partnership with Meijer, a retailer based in Grand Rapids. Michigan, will have the company patch on the left sleeve of Detroit’s home and away jerseys, starting with Thursday’s game.
As part of the deal between the two, Meijer and the Tigers will contribute $100 to the Meijer Simply Give hunger relief program every time a Detroit pitcher records a strikeout.
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Faedo was only the third Tigers pitcher to record a 10-strikeout, zero-walk game with three or fewer hits. Denny McLain did it on July 21, 1965 and Anibal Sanchez on Aug. 3, 2014.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: Luis Robert Jr. returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s win in Cleveland with a sore quad.
Tigers: LHP Tarik Skubal (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice this weekend. He is attempting to return from the sprain that ended his 2022 season.
UP NEXT
The teams play the second of a four-game set on Friday, with Lance Lynn (3-5, 6.28) facing Detroit’s Joey Wentz (1-4, 7.45).
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