CHICAGO _ The Detroit Tigers' offense needs somebody to step up.
And for the second consecutive game, nobody stepped up.
It was the same story from the same-look team Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. There were opportunities early and late squandered. There was a lengthy period of lethargy at the plate. And there was a middle of the batting order that isn't making any noise.
After putting Chicago right-hander Tyler Danish on the ropes early, the Tigers were unable to deliver the big hit to knock him down. Danish recovered, pitched pretty well and the back-end of the White Sox bullpen danced out of damage and bolted down the win in the first game of a straight doubleheader.
Michael Fulmer, meanwhile, did step up. But Fulmer doesn't hit.
The Tigers right-hander did what he has done all season, pitching deep into the game effectively, but took his second consecutive hard-luck loss. Fulmer allowed three runs on eight hits over eight innings. He struck out four and walked one.
It marked his 10th consecutive quality start to open the season, which ties Justin Verlander in 2011 for the longest such streak in team history, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
The complete game was Fulmer's second of his career.
The White Sox scored on a groundball double play in the bottom of the fifth inning and again in the eighth, when they added big runs on an RBI triple into the right-field corner and a broken bat single, respectively.
The Tigers didn't score at all. They came close early on, putting baserunners aboard against Danish, who was making his major league debut. In the first inning, they drew three walks but scored nothing. In the second inning, put two men on. Nothing. Two more in the fourth. Nothing.
Danish settled in and the Tigers' final opportunity to break through came in the sixth inning, when the first two men reached base. Jose Iglesias walked and Andrew Romine singled. But against Anthony Swarzak, Alex Avila struck out, Miguel Cabrera struck out and following an intentional walk to Victor Martinez, Justin Upton struck out.
The Tigers totaled four hits. They went 0 for 8 in scoring position and left 12 men on base. They were shut out for the fourth time this season and second time of this 11-game road trip, in which they are 1-5.
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 22-26 on the season and into fourth place in the American Leauge Central division. The White Sox are 22-25.
