DETROIT — There aren't too many big wins in early May, but the Detroit Tigers got one of them Friday.
Facing the Chicago White Sox, the team that looks most likely to challenge them for the Central Division title, the Tigers trailed until Jhonny Peralta's one-out, two-run, walk-off homer gave them a 5-4 win.
"Any time you get a walk-off, that's a good win," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.
Thanks to a pregame decision by manager Robin Ventura, the White Sox came into the game without a closer. Chris Sale, who has been in the rotation this season, has some mild elbow tenderness, so Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper decided to play things safe.
In the long term, Sale will move back to the bullpen and close out games, but he isn't expected to be available until Monday. Ventura decided to go with Matt Thornton in the ninth Friday, and it didn't work.
Thornton retired pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago, but Alex Avila blooped a single into left. Peralta fell behind 0-2, fouled off a tough pitch and then took a fastball the other way for his first home run of the season.
"That felt really good," Peralta said. "That's the best feeling there is. I didn't hit the ball much to right field last year, so that felt even better.
"My first homer, and it is a walk-off. Not bad, eh?"
Peralta and Avila both came into the game hitting under .250, but they combined to go 5 for 7 with two homers and scored four of Detroit's five runs.
"Alex and Jhonny obviously had really big years for us last year," Leyland said. "We don't need them to do the exact same thing, but we do need them to get going."
Even better for the Tigers, rookie sensation Drew Smyly kept up the strong start to his big-league career. Although he did finally allow multiple runs in a game, Smyly gave up only two runs in six innings, striking out seven while not walking a hitter.
He's only the second Tigers rookie since 1918 to strike out at least seven batters in three of his first five starts — joining Denny McLain — and has an ERA of 1.61.
"It's a long, long season, so I'm just happy that I'm staying consistent," Smyly said. "I feel like I can throw all of my pitches for strikes right now, except for my changeup, and I'm working on that."
Smyly had to win the fifth-starter spot in a spring training battle with several other youngsters, but Leyland is happy with the decision.
"It's early, but he is showing a lot of poise out there," Leyland said. "He's got good stuff, and if you have that, you can pitch at any level."
NOTES: Leyland confirmed that Doug Fister passed all tests after Wednesday's rehab start in Toledo and will return to the starting rotation Monday in Seattle. "He felt great, and he'll be out there in Seattle," Leyland said. "The important thing was how he felt the day after the start, and there weren't any problems at all." ... Leyland expressed disappointment in seeing Mariano Rivera's season-ending ACL tear on Thursday, but strongly defended the practice of having pitching shag fly balls during batting practice. "That's what these guys do, and it is something fun for them," he said. "It makes me sick to see the people criticizing the Yankees for that. They need to get lives. "I have a Cy Young winner (Justin Verlander) who shags balls like a wild man, and I'm not going to take that away from him. What do people think he should be doing — eating a bowl of chili in the clubhouse while his teammates are on the field working?"
