DETROIT – Bobby Higginson hit a three-run homer and Nate Robinson won his first major league game as the Detroit Tigers avoided their 100th loss of the season with an 8-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
Detroit is 34-99 and must sweep the three-game series with Chicago to avoid joining the 1962 New York Mets as the only teams in the modern era to lose 100 before September.
Robertson (1-0) won in his fourth big league start. He allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks in five innings. Mark Buehrle (11-13) allowed eight runs and 10 hits in five innings. It’s the third time this season he’s given up at least eight runs.
The White Sox took the early lead in the first when Magglio Ordonez doubled into the gap in right-center to score Frank Thomas, who had walked.
But the Tigers scored two in the bottom half as Higginson hit a run-scoring double and Dmitri Young had an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.
Blue Jays 7, Indians 3
CLEVELAND – Kelvim Escobar pitched eight strong innings, and Mike Bordick and Josh Phelps each hit a two-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Cleveland Indians 7-3.
Carlos Delgado had a season-high four hits for the Blue Jays, who won for the second time in six games. Escobar (10-8) retired 14 in a row from the second to seventh innings. The right-hander bounced back from his worst performance of the season – he gave up nine earned runs and 10 hits in 5 1-3 innings of a 17-2 loss to Oakland on Sunday.
ren Morris was hit with an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded and Petrick followed with a two-run single to right.
Joe Crede led off the eighth with a home run over the left-field fence to make it 8-4.
Notes: Higginson’s double was the 245th of his career, which puts him in 10th place on the Tigers’ career list. He was tied with Harvey Kuenn. … Thomas has nine home runs in his last 11 games … Crede has five home run and 13 RBI in his last 18 games
AP-ES-08-29-03 2202EDT
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