CHICAGO (Interstat) – Anthony Kay pitched seven strong innings and Colson Montgomery homered and drove in two runs as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-1 on Saturday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Kay improved to 5-1 on the season, allowing one run on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out nine and walked two. Framber Valdez took the loss for Detroit, falling to 2-4 after giving up four runs on seven hits over six-plus innings.

The White Sox jumped ahead early. In the first inning, Chase Meidroth doubled sharply to left field, Miguel Vargas walked and Montgomery walked to load the bases. Randal Grichuk lined out, but Edgar Quero lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Vargas for the game’s first run. Andrew Benintendi struck out to end the inning, but Chicago led 2-0.

Detroit answered in the third inning when Wenceel Pérez hit a solo home run to left-center field, his fifth of the season. It was the only run the Tigers would manage. Kay settled in after the homer, striking out two of the next three batters and working out of a jam in the fourth when the Tigers put two runners on but Jahmai Jones grounded into a double play.

The game remained 2-1 until the seventh inning, when the White Sox broke it open. Quero led off with a solo home run to left field, his second of the season. Benintendi followed with a double, and after Luisangel Acuña flied out and Sam Antonacci grounded out, Rikuu Nishida singled to right field, scoring Benintendi to make it 4-1. The inning gave Chicago a three-run cushion and knocked Valdez from the game.

In the eighth, Montgomery led off with a towering home run to right-center field, his 14th of the year. After Grichuk struck out, Quero singled. Benintendi then crushed a two-run homer to right field, his fourth, pushing the lead to 7-1.

Detroit’s offense was held in check after the third inning. The Tigers had opportunities, putting runners on base in the fifth and sixth innings but could not convert. In the fifth, Hao-Yu Lee singled and Zack Short walked, but a force out and a groundout ended the threat. In the sixth, Matt Vierling singled and Riley Greene reached on an error by Grichuk, but Spencer Torkelson struck out and the inning ended on a groundout.

Kay worked efficiently, throwing 94 pitches and facing 27 batters. He allowed hits in the third, fourth and fifth innings but was aided by two double plays turned by the White Sox infield. Grant Taylor pitched a perfect eighth inning, and Seranthony Domínguez worked a scoreless ninth.

Chicago collected nine hits. Montgomery led the way with two hits, including the double in the sixth and the homer in the eighth, and drove in two runs. Quero had two hits, a homer and a single, and drove in two. Benintendi doubled and homered, driving in two runs. Meidroth doubled, and Nishida had a single and an RBI. Acuña, Grichuk and Antonacci were held hitless but contributed defensively.

Detroit managed seven hits. Pérez homered and singled. Torkelson had two singles, and McGonigle, Greene, Vierling and Lee each had one hit. The Tigers left six runners on base and struck out 12 times.

The game was played in 2 hours, 24 minutes before an announced crowd of 29,435.

The White Sox improved to 31-27 with the win. The Tigers fell to 22-37. Chicago has now won two straight against Detroit, having taken the series opener 4-3 on Friday night. The Tigers have lost four of their last five games, including a 7-1 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

Detroit’s losing streak dates back to Thursday, when the Angels pounded them 10-6. The Tigers have struggled to score, plating three or fewer runs in seven of their last eight games. Their only win in that span came Wednesday, a 4-0 shutout of the Angels.

Chicago, meanwhile, has won three of four after dropping two of three to the San Francisco Giants last weekend. The White Sox offense has been productive, scoring at least four runs in five of their last six games. Their rotation continues to be a strength, with Kay leading a staff that has allowed three or fewer runs in four of the last five contests.

The most pivotal moment of the game came in the seventh inning, when Quero’s leadoff homer flipped the momentum. Until that point, Detroit had kept the score at 2-1 and had threatened in the top of the inning, striking out all three batters they sent to the plate. Valdez had retired eight of the previous 10 hitters he faced after the fourth inning, and the Tigers appeared poised to tie the game. Instead, Quero’s blast gave the White Sox breathing room, and Benintendi’s double and Nishida’s single extended the lead to three runs. The inning turned a tight contest into a comfortable advantage for Chicago.

Montgomery’s homer in the eighth essentially iced the game. At that point, the White Sox led 5-1, and Benintendi’s two-run shot made it a six-run margin. Detroit’s bullpen, which had been solid since coming on for Valdez, could not slow the White Sox lineup.

Defensively, the White Sox turned two double plays to erase Detroit threats. In the third, Montgomery started a 5-3 double play. In the fourth, third baseman Montgomery again started a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. The Tigers grounded into two double plays total and were unable to string together consecutive hits after the third inning.

Kay’s performance was the best of his season. He allowed a solo homer to Pérez but scattered the other six hits, walking only two. He struck out the side in the second inning and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first by getting Benintendi to strike out.

The series continues Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. Detroit then travels to Tampa Bay for a three-game series starting Monday. Chicago heads to Minnesota for a three-game set beginning Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Chicago White Sox 4, Detroit Tigers 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave the White Sox a 50.60 percent probability to win. Detroit entered the game as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5.