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DETROIT -- Erik Johnson spent most of the season in the minor leagues. The way he's pitched this month, it appears he could have helped the Chicago White Sox all along. Johnson won for the third time in four starts since his Sept. 1 call-up and tied his career high with nine strikeouts as the White Sox completed a doubleheader sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night at Comerica Park.
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The 25-year-old right-hander started 22 games for Triple-A Charlotte prior to his promotion and was the International League's Most Valuable Pitcher. Johnson, who has gone six innings in all of his wins with the White Sox, gave up two runs on five hits. He also struck out nine against the Boston Red Sox on April 15, 2014.
"He's aggressive in the zone and that's been the biggest thing since coming back up here," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "He's coming after you, and he has to pitch that way."
The Tigers scored both of their runs off Johnson in the third. They also loaded the bases in the fourth but Johnson struck out second baseman Josh Wilson to snuff out that threat. He only allowed one baserunner in his last two innings before the bullpen took over.
David Robertson pitched the ninth and struck out the last two batters for his 31st save.
"We tried to go inside for effect to a lot of the hitters and then later we were doubling up on sliders and getting away from the sequences that we used early in the game," Johnson said. "Sometimes in the middle you just kind of grind things out and then you get back in a nice rhythm."
Third baseman Gordon Beckham supported him with a solo home run in the second. Designated hitter Jose Abreu added an RBI double for Chicago (72-78). The White Sox tied the season series at seven games apiece while recording their 9,000th victory in franchise history.
Detroit starter Randy Wolf (0-4) lasted seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts. Catcher Alex Avila homered for the Tigers (69-81), who lost their third straight.
"You get seven innings out of your starter, that's an excellent outing," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. "We just couldn't muster enough offense at this point."
Jeff Samardzija tossed his first career one-hitter as the White Sox won the opener 2-0. Samardzija, who struck out six, limited the Tigers to first baseman Victor Martinez's bloop single in the fifth. His previous best was a two-hitter against the White Sox as a member of the Chicago Cubs on May 27, 2013. Second baseman Carlos Sanchez scored both runs, including a solo home run.
Johnson drew inspiration from Samardzija's performance.
"Jeff did a spectacular job in the first game," he said. "I was in tune with that game. I was seeing the hitters and what he was doing against them."
The Tigers also got a quality start from Kyle Ryan in the opener but came up empty because of their offensive futility.
"It's never a good day when you lose a doubleheader," Ausmus said.
The White Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Left fielder Trayce Thompson led off with a triple and scored on right fielder Avisail Garcia's sacrifice fly. With two outs, Beckham drove the ball to the opposite field for his fifth home run.
Shortstop Tyler Saladino's two-out triple and Abreu's double in the third made it 3-0.
The Tigers responded in the bottom of the inning on Avila's leadoff home run and designated hitter Ian Kinsler's sacrifice fly.
NOTES: White Sox CF Adam Eaton, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the opener, sat out the second game. ... The White Sox collected their 34th and 34th road victories of the season. They managed just 33 road wins last season. ... The Tigers were playing their second doubleheader of the season, while the White Sox were playing their fourth. Both teams' previous doubleheaders were splits. ... Detroit 2B Josh Wilson made his fifth start of the season and first since July 4 in the nightcap. He struck out in both of his at-bats. ... White Sox RHP Jeff Samardzija's complete-game one-hitter was the team's first since LHP Chris Sale's shutout against the Los Angeles Angels on May 12, 2013. ... The Tigers, who are in last place in the American League Central, have a 39-26 record in games started by CF Rajai Davis.
