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CWS@DET: Guillen singles to give Tigers the lead

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland knows about the rumblings from fans about another second-half collapse.

That's partly why he knew Sunday's 4-3 comeback win over the White Sox was so important. Although he won't buy into the negativity, Leyland said the win was good for the atmosphere. It was also good for the standings, as the win moved the Tigers back into a first-place tie with the Indians in the American League Central.

"Let's face it, everybody's been talking about the second half, and I said I'm talking about the positive," Leyland said. "We're not hiding from that. ... The only way you quiet that down is to do what we did today: go win games. It's a great win for us inside the clubhouse, it's a great win for our fans today, really, because of everything."

The Tigers haven't posted a winning record after the All-Star break since 2000. Last season, the team lost six straight games after the break en route to a 33-43 second-half record.

The Tigers lost the first two games of the series to the White Sox, scoring two runs combined, and some fans were beginning to feel d�j� vu when Chicago put up three runs in the second inning on Sunday.

Adam Dunn led off the inning with a double, Carlos Quentin walked and Alex Rios doubled to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. A sacrifice fly from A.J. Pierzynski scored another run and a single from Gordon Beckham gave the White Sox a 3-0 lead.

"I was terrible in the second inning, but you've just got to go out there and try to locate, focus and go as long as you can," Tigers starter Brad Penny said.

Penny struggled early, but was able to recover for the second straight start. Against the Angels on July 6, Penny gave up three runs in the first inning and didn't allow any more for the rest of his time.

Penny said he stopped throwing his breaking ball after the early struggles. He threw just one curveball after the third inning and focused on his fastball and sinker. After the second inning, Penny scattered just five hits. He left after 6 2/3 innings.

"You know what you have working for you and the catcher knows, so you're going to be on the same page. ... It's nice when [Alex Avila] switches with me without having to talk about it," Penny said. "We did it last game and we did it today."

But for the second straight game, the offense wasn't giving any support to a quality start.

Brennan Boesch hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 3-1, but White Sox starter Philip Humber held the Tigers to just four hits in five innings and had tied a career high with seven strikeouts through five.

But the Tigers finally strung together some hits in the sixth. A leadoff double by Andy Dirks was followed by a strikeout by Boesch. Magglio Ordonez earned a walk to put runners and first and second with one out. With Miguel Cabrera at the plate, Leyland sent the runners on a full count. The decision turned out to be crucial, as Cabrera grounded to the shortstop, but there was no double-play attempt.

"You know if he hits a ground ball, it's a double play if you don't send them," Leyland said. "But sometimes you're leery, too, as a manager, [if] he thinks, all of a sudden, he's got to swing because they're running, and maybe he swings out of the strike zone because they're running. That's a tough one, but Miggy's pretty good. A more undisciplined hitter, I probably wouldn't have sent them."

Victor Martinez came up, hitting .357 with runners in scoring position this season, but the Tigers were 0-for-14 in that situation in the series. Martinez hit a ground ball through the right side to score two runs and tie the game.

"You know what? I made a good pitch and he put a good swing on it," Humber said. "It kind of seems how that inning was going. I wouldn't really change anything I did as far as what pitches I threw. I actually thought I threw the ball better the last two innings than I did earlier in the game. Results were totally different."

A bloop single by Jhonny Peralta ended Humber's day, and Carlos Guillen, in his second Major League game after 11 months of rehab, drilled a line drive into right field to score Martinez and give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

"That's how we play this game," Martinez said. "We go out there and give our best effort and see what happens."

Al Alburquerque, appearing in his second straight game since coming off the disabled list on Saturday, stranded two inherited runners to end the seventh inning. Joaquin Benoit pitched a perfect eighth inning and Jose Valverde picked up his 25th save, despite allowing the leadoff hitter to reach second base.

The 25 straight saves this season for Valverde mark the third-longest streak in a single season in Tigers history.

The Tigers fought back to move into first place and stave off any negativity of the fans -- for now. The biggest key for success in the second half likely will be Tigers starting pitching, which struggled in the first half. On Sunday, Penny gave the Tigers exactly what they needed, and the offense did the rest.

"Those three guys that threw today, that's how good we can be," Penny said of the bullpen. "If you look how Joaquin's throwing now, Alburquerque's back and Valverde. You can make it a seven-inning game, a six-inning game sometimes."

Chris Vannini is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.