Two replay reviews go in White Sox favor in seventh

DETROIT -- To Torii Hunter, the two video reviews in the seventh inning of Monday night's White Sox-Tigers game were "boring," but they certainly contributed to the outcome. Chicago won both seventh-inning decisions and the game, in which there were three challenges, 3-1.

Detroit manager Brad Ausmus seemed to agree with Hunter's assessment, calling the wait time "mundane."

"I think you've moved away from the ranting and raving of managers to the kind of mundane anticipation of waiting for the replay official to give a verdict," Ausmus said. "Playing the video on the board helps kill some of the time, but it's a little mundane and it certainly has eliminated a lot of arguments."

It was the fourth time this season that there have been at least three challenges in the same game.

After a leadoff double in the seventh, Jose Abreu hit a bloop down the right-field line that appeared to land on the line and bounce out of play for a ground-rule double. Ausmus challenged the fair call, but the decision stood, leaving the game tied at 1.

"The replay on the board seemed to indicate that it hit the line, but there's other angles that I haven't seen," Ausmus said, adding that challenging in that scenario is something of a "Hail Mary."

Three batters later, with the White Sox leading, 2-1, the replay system was utilized once again. Alexei Ramirez singled to left field, and Dayan Viciedo rounded third, testing Rajai Davis' arm in left. Davis' throw sailed wide of catcher Alex Avila  who then caught Anibal Sanchez's  throw from behind the plate but missed putting the tag on Viciedo. After home-plate umpire CB Bucknor initially ruled Viciedo out, White Sox manager Robin Ventura came out for a discussion. After going to review, the original call was overturned and the run gave the Sox a 3-1 lead.

"I wasn't sure," said Avila, when asked if he had thought he made the tag. "In that situation, since I was facing the other direction, I had no idea where Viciedo was or where he was going to be sliding, and I just kind of turned and put the glove down where I thought he was going to be. I knew I didn't get his foot because I would've felt that for sure, but I thought maybe I might have grazed his knee, but I think by that point his foot probably hit the base anyways."

In the fourth inning, Chicago manager Robin Ventura opted to challenge the call on what was scored an infield single by Nick Castellanos.

With one out and the Tigers leading, 1-0, Castellanos hit a hard smash at White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie. The ball appeared to take a high bounce and caromed off Gillaspie. Ramirez recovered the ball and threw to the first.

After a review lasting two minutes and 30 seconds, the safe call stood, which meant there wasn't definitive evidence to overturn the initial ruling. The next Detroit batter, Avila, lined into a double play, with Castellanos caught off the bag at first.

The White Sox are 0-for-4 on challenges as the review of the play at the plate was initiated by crew chief Dan Iassogna. Managers cannot initiate a challenge after using theirs unsuccessfully.