Eloy Jimenez hits 1 of 3 White Sox home runs, but they lose 9-7 to Tigers to open 4-game series

Detroit — Ron Gardenhire called a team meeting Thursday morning and gave the Tigers a simple message.

“Have some fun,” he told them. “When you get into a losing streak, it gets hard to do that, but you aren’t going to play good baseball if you aren’t enjoying yourself.”

The message worked as the Tigers ended a five-game losing streak with a 9-7 win over the White Sox. The Tigers set season highs for hits (14) and runs.

“He reminded us that this is a 162-game season,” third baseman Jeimer Candelario said. “If you aren’t having fun, it is going to turn into a really long year.”

Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera, playing on his 36th birthday, combined for five hits and four RBIs.

“When those two guys get going, it can really boost the offense,” Gardenhire said. “We need everyone to help out, but Nick and Miggy are the key to everything.”

With the score tied at 7, Grayson Greiner led off the eighth with a single and moved up when Carson Fulmer (0-1) hit JaCoby Jones and Josh Harrison with pitches. Castellanos and Cabrera put the Tigers ahead with back-to-back sacrifice flies.

“He got into a little trouble, tried to get us out of it and it didn’t work out,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “They started out with a bloop hit, and then the next two guys were trying to bunt and he lost his command a little bit.”

Drew VerHagen (1-0) picked up the win after recording the last out of the eighth. Shane Greene pitched the ninth for his ninth save in nine attempts.

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Neither starter was involved in the decision. The Tigers’ Tyson Ross pitched six-plus innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits. Ivan Nova gave up six runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The Tigers trailed 5-4 going into the bottom of the seventh after Ryan Cordell homered in the top half, but Castellanos ended Nova’s day with a one-out tying double, and Cabrera greeted Kelvin Herrera with an RBI single.

After Niko Goodrum doubled and the Sox intentionally walked Candelario to load the bases, Dustin Peterson hit into a force at second to score Cabrera with the Tigers’ seventh run. Welington Castillo tied it with a two-run homer in the eighth.

The Sox took a 4-2 lead with three unearned runs in the sixth. With two out, Goodrum misplayed Yonder Alonso’s grounder to first, and Eloy Jimenez followed with his third home run.

“When I hit it, I thought the wind was going to stop it, but I hit it really good,” Jimenez said. “This is a big field.”

Tim Anderson singled, stole second and went to third on Greiner’s throwing error. Castillo hit a grounder to short, and Gordon Beckham misplayed it for the Tigers’ third error of the inning as Anderson scored.

“I told our guys to forget about it,” Gardenhire said. “It took all of them to make three errors in an inning. I did that once by myself.”

[ New Comiskey Park opened 28 years ago with Dan Quayle and the Oak Ridge Boys — and the White Sox have been tweaking it ever since ]

[ Lucas Giolito (strained left hamstring) goes on the injured list; White Sox call up Carson Fulmer and Ryan Cordell ]

[ Daniel Palka finally gets a hit — but then gets sent down: 'The numbers speak for themselves' ]