Tigers rally to edge White Sox in 10 innings

DETROIT (Reuters) - Carlos Guillen drove in the winning run in the 10th inning to help the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox Saturday, stretching their American League Central Division lead to three games.

Guillen's grounder up the middle skipped past White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez into center field for a single that allowed Clete Thomas to score.

Thomas and Miguel Cabrera smacked back-to-back singles off loser D.J. Carrasco (3-1) to set the stage for Guillen.

"Carlos' bat back in the lineup makes a difference," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told reporters. "We're a different looking club.

"We're not a great club by any means, but there's a difference with the presence of a veteran like that that's been in those situations before. He's not going to panic."

Guillen, who returned to the Detroit lineup Friday, had not played in the majors for almost three months as he recovered from a shoulder injury.

"I've worked hard on my shoulder to get better and get back on the field," the designated hitter said.

He went on the disabled list in early May with inflammation in his shoulder. It was later diagnosed as coming from wear and tear from years of playing shortstop and throwing.

The win was the third successive victory over the White Sox by the Tigers, who were 3-2 down going into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Curtis Granderson's run-scoring single with two out in the ninth sent the game into extra innings and Guillen delivered the game winner with his second RBI of the contest.

The teams had been tied for the division lead before Detroit swept a double header Friday.

Cabrera singled in the Tigers' opening run in the first and Guillen collected an RBI on a run-scoring fielder's choice later in the inning.

Chicago struck back for one run in the second on A.J. Pierzynski's home run and went ahead 3-2 in the fifth when Gordon Beckham hit a double to score Chris Getz and Beckham was then driven in by Scott Podsednik's single.

Pierzynski had four hits in the game, three of them singles.

Detroit's Fernando Rodney (1-2) pitched a hitless 10th inning for the win.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)