Once again, Charlie Morton struggled in a start with the Detroit Tigers.
The 41-year-old owns a 5.59 ERA in 30 games in the 2025 season, including a 6.09 ERA in seven starts since the Tigers acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles at the July 31 trade deadline.
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Morton failed to pitch more than three innings as he allowed three runs, and the Tigers couldn’t save him in a 6-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, Sept. 7, in the finale of the three-game series at Comerica Park, dropping two of three games.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Charlie Morton (50) pitches in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.
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The problem for Morton continues to be his fastball command: He has walked at least two batters in each of his last five starts, with three or more walks in four of those five starts.
The Tigers (82-62) — falling to 22-28 in 50 games since July 9 — are off Monday, Sept. 8, before the opener of a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7:05 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, TBS) at Yankee Stadium, beginning a six-game road trip.
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In Sunday’s game, the White Sox (55-89) refused to be shut down by the Tigers’ bullpen in the late innings, scoring one run in the seventh and two runs in the eighth.
The White Sox tied the game, 4-4, on Will Robertson’s single off right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle in the seventh (with the run charged to right-handed reliever Troy Melton). The White Sox then took the lead, 6-4, on Lenyn Sosa’s two-run single off right-handed reliever Will Vest in the eighth (with the runs charged to Kahnle).
An eighth-inning implosion from Kahnle led to the Tigers’ downfall.
Kahnle — who entered Sunday’s game with six scoreless outings in a row — put the first three batters on with back-to-back singles and a walk, forcing the Tigers to call on Vest in a bases-loaded, no-out situation.
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The Tigers had the infield drawn in, but Sosa snuck Vest’s second-pitch sinker up the middle for a ground-ball single that drove in two runs, making it 6-4.
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Error leads to runs
The Tigers took a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning, when Zach McKinstry hit a sacrifice fly.
For the White Sox, right-hander Davis Martin allowed four runs (two earned runs) on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts across 5â…“ innings. He was responsible for Wenceel Pérez’s double and McKinsey’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, but he wasn’t responsible for two of the three runs in the first inning.
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In the first, the Tigers scored three runs for a 3-2 lead — two runs on a throwing error by center fielder Brooks Baldwin and one run on Pérez’s sacrifice fly.
On the throwing error, the Tigers had the bases loaded for Spencer Torkelson, who flew out to center field. All three runners should’ve stayed put, but Gleyber Torres scored from third and Kerry Carpenter scored from second on Baldwin’s throw home, which went wild into the Tigers’ dugout.
In the sixth inning, Robertson robbed Torkelson of a solo home run with an improbable catch. It should’ve been a homer, but Robertson reached his glove over the wall near the left-field foul pole and brought the ball back into play.
Charlie Morton struggles
Morton allowed three runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts across three innings, throwing 72 pitches. His start was doomed from the onset, needing 33 pitches to record three outs in the first inning.
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He nearly escaped the first inning without damage.
The White Sox had Andrew Benintendi at the plate with runners on first and second with two outs, when Morton hung a full-count curveball that Benintendi didn’t miss. He drove it to the right-center gap, driving in both runners for a 2-0 White Sox lead.
Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi (23) hits a two-RBI double at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.
In the third inning, the White Sox tied the game, 3-3.
Sosa hit a solo home run off Morton’s first-pitch sinker to open the third. He crushed it 451 feet to straightaway center field, with the ball landing in the second row of shrubs at Comerica Park.
Morton didn’t return for the fourth inning.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Charlie Morton rough again in Detroit Tigers 6-4 loss to White Sox