Viciedo, White Sox storm back to beat Detroit

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By Paul LaTour
CSNChicago.com Contributor

The White Sox struggling offense got an unexpected boost Monday night from an unlikely source -- left fielder Dayan Viciedo.

One of three players hitting below .200 in the Sox starting lineup, Viciedo drove in a career-high four runs with a home run and two-run single as the Sox rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field.

Zach Stewart (1-1) picked up the win relief of starter John Danks, whose home woes continued.

Viciedos home run -- his fourth of the season -- sparked the comeback in the fifth after Chicago fell behind 5-2.

He followed that with a single in the sixth to score Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski with the go-ahead runs. Brent Morel drove in Alexei Ramirez with another single to give the Sox a 7-5 lead.

Viciedos heroics came out of nowhere. He entered the game hitting .196 and had only one hit in his previous 17 at-bats, which including popping out to second in his first plate appearance Monday.

Stewarts effort cant be understated as he not only bailed out Danks, but kept the bullpen from being further stressed. The Sox used four relievers in Sundays 9-1 loss to Kansas City.

Danks couldnt make it out of the fourth inning, this after entering the night 0-3 with a 7.32 ERA over three home starts this season. But Stewart came in with three-plus strong innings in which he allowed only one hit and one walk, which set the table for Chicagos comeback.

The night got off to a rocky start for Danks, who surrendered back-to-back doubles to Prince Fielder and Delmon Young as the Tigers jump to a 3-0 first-inning lead.

Andy Dirks drew a walk and Miguel Cabrera followed with a single to set the stage for Fielders drive to center field. Alejandro De Aza misjudged the ball, taking a step in before trying to recover. But the ball sailed over his head to score Dirks and Cabrera.

Young ripped the next pitch into right-center field to score Fielder and put the Sox in the early three-run hole.

That deficit didnt last long as Adam Dunn hit a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw from starter Drew Smyly. It was Dunns 12th of the season, and first off a left-hander since Aug. 6, 2010.

The Tigers were back at it in the third, adding two runs when Jhonny Peralta drew a bases-loaded walk and Gerald Laird followed with a sacrifice fly to De Aza.

Danks exited after giving up back-to-back singles to start the fourth. He allowed nine hits and five runs with three walks, and a hit batsman in his shortest outing of the season. Only 42 of his 80 pitches were for strikes.

As Danks struggled, Smyly settled into a groove. He retired nine in a row after Dunns home run, including the final three on strikeouts. A Konerko single ended the streak with one out in the fourth.

Still, the Sox found a way back into the game behind Viciedo. Alexei Ramirez led off with a single ahead of Viciedos blast, cutting the deficit to 5-4.

Smyly left after the inning, finishing with five hits and four runs allowed with one walk and four strikeouts in his first appearance on the South Side.

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