Upton, Cabrera power Tigers past White Sox 6-3

CHICAGO -- Miguel Cabrera hasn't looked like Miguel Cabrera for most of the season.

He still has a chance for a strong finish.

Cabrera connected for his first homer in a month and finished with three hits, helping the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Saturday night.

"He keeps getting a little closer it looks like," said Tigers bench coach Gene Lamont, who took over after manager Brad Ausmus was ejected by plate umpire Nick Mahrley for arguing balls and strikes in the fifth. "Tonight he hit three balls really well.

"We're just patient. We know he can hit. It's not as though he doesn't have a good track record, so it would be nice the last five weeks if he gets hot, really help us."

Cabrera followed Justin Upton's tying, two-run homer in the third inning with a drive to right that just cleared the glove of a leaping Avisail Garcia, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The two-time AL MVP stopped an 0-for-12 slide with his first homer since July 28 against Houston and No. 14 on the year.

Dixon Machado had two hits and drove in a run as Detroit won for just the fifth time in 20 games. Buck Farmer (3-1) pitched into the sixth inning after he was recalled from Triple-A Toledo for his first major league start since June 18.

"Start, bullpen, it really doesn't matter to me," Farmer said. "I'm just hoping I'm here to stay throughout the end of the year."

Yolmer Sanchez hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which had won three straight and six of nine. Garcia singled, walked twice and scored two runs.

Carlos Rodon (2-5) was charged with five runs and seven hits in five innings, his worst start in a month. The left-hander was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his previous five outings.

"Just today wasn't very good," Rodon said. "They hit the ball and hit the ball well and made me pay on some pitches I missed on. Changeup was there to Miggy and he just made a good swing; he's a good hitter. I think that was a 1-1 count to Justin and it was a fastball and he made me pay. I left it up."

Tim Anderson's two-out RBI double chased Farmer and trimmed Detroit's lead to 5-3 in the sixth. With a steady rain falling, Daniel Stumpf came in and fanned Sanchez with runners on second and third for the final out of the inning.

Farmer allowed five hits, struck out three and walked one in his second win of the year against the White Sox. The right-hander struck out 11 while pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 4-3 victory at Chicago on May 27.

"Second real good game he's pitched against these guys," Lamont said.

Shane Greene got five outs for his fifth save. He entered with runners on first and second in the eighth and got Anderson to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

SMART MOVE

Ausmus did not take the field to argue with Mahrley after he was thrown out.

"The longer you go out there, the more money it's going to cost you," a chuckling Lamont said. "So I think he did the right thing myself. ... I think that old Dartmouth grad, he's wising up, I think."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Tigers: 3B Nicholas Castellanos (sprained left wrist) was held out for the second straight day. He said he thinks he got hurt during one of three bench-clearing clashes during Thursday's 10-6 victory over the New York Yankees. He expects to return to the lineup Sunday. ... Ausmus said Anibal Sanchez (left hamstring) looked good in a bullpen session Friday, but did not offer a timetable for the right-hander's return. Sanchez is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

White Sox: INF-OF Nicky Delmonico was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right wrist. C Rob Brantly was promoted from Triple-A Charlotte to take Delmonico's place on the roster. ... RHP Reynaldo Lopez (back) felt fine after throwing 50 pitches in a bullpen session Friday. Manager Rick Renteria said Lopez likely will be able to return to the roster without a rehab stint. ... 3B Matt Davidson (right wrist) served as the designated hitter in his first game since he was activated from the DL on Friday. Renteria said Davidson will start at third on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd and White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito square off in the series finale. Boyd (5-7, 6.24 ERA) is 0-2 with a 10.19 ERA in five August appearances. Giolito (0-1, 6.00) makes his second start with Chicago after he was acquired in a December trade with Washington.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

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