DETROIT -- It was hard to tell who was happier when Joshua Phegleys sixth-inning grand slam cleared the fence -- Phegley himself, or the pitcher who would benefit from those four runs. Phegleys drive gave Chris Sale some long-awaited offensive support, and Chicago went on to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Thursday in a game that included a bench-clearing altercation shortly after the White Sox took the lead. Sale was 0-6 in his previous seven starts despite an ERA of 3.10 over that span. With one swing, Phegley helped the left-hander end his unfortunate winless stretch. "That was awesome," Sale said. "Being in that situation and watching that ball go over the fence, that was very satisfying to say the least. What a game. We didnt put our heads down, didnt quit." Chicago trailed 3-1 when Phegley cleared the bases with a homer off Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez (7-6). Luke Putkonen came on and got one out before throwing a pitch behind Alexei Ramirez, who started toward the mound before being restrained. Benches and bullpens emptied, but the situation didnt escalate into any sort of fight. Putkonen was ejected, and Detroit manager Jim Leyland argued with umpires at length and was also tossed from the game. "I wasnt trying to hit anybody," Putkonen said. "Just threw a fastball inside, and it got away from me." Ramirez felt otherwise. "Obviously, that wasnt a pitch that was intended to go in the zone," he said through a translator. Sale (6-8) allowed three runs in 6 2-3 innings. Addison Reed pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 27 chances. Detroits Miguel Cabrera hit his 30th homer of the year, a solo shot in the fifth that gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead. Prince Fielder was up next, and Sale threw a pitch high and inside to the Detroit slugger. Sale said he didnt mean to come close to hitting Fielder. "Just trying to rare back and throw it as hard as I can. Ive said it before -- theres a time and a place for that, and that wasnt the time or the place," Sale said. "Im not even trying to send a message. I wasnt even trying to back him off the plate, honestly. Ive got a lot of respect for Prince, the Detroit Tigers and the game of baseball." The White Sox rallied off Sanchez to take the lead, and then Putkonens pitch nearly hit Ramirez. Leyland looked fired up during the brouhaha that followed, and he twice came back out to argue with umpires. Leyland did not speak to reporters after the game. Plate umpire Chad Fairchild explained the decision to eject Putkonen. "He threw behind him and I deemed it intentional," Fairchild said. Fairchild did not view Sales pitch to Fielder the same way. "There was no reaction from Fielder. He said nothing. There was no reaction from anyone else," Fairchild said. "The only reaction I saw was from Sale, who made a motion like, Damn, it got away." Sale sounded upset with himself afterward. "Even when I threw it on the mound, I was kind of like, Ohhhhh, thats not good. So from the outside looking in, it doesnt look good at all. Like I said, I swear on everything I love, it was unintentional," he said. "Any time your teammates have something like that happen because of something you did, thats not fun. "Obviously, I wont sit here and say (Putkonens pitch) was intentional -- maybe it got away from him as well -- but you see something like that, and you kind of feel like an even bigger idiot, knowing that could have hurt him and done whatever, and that was because of me." With the crowd booing, Ramirez hit a single to right field and then left the game himself because of cramping in his right leg. Detroit centre fielder Austin Jackson couldnt come up with Jeff Keppingers sinking liner to start the sixth and was charged with an error. After a walk and a strikeout, Gordon Beckham singled and the 25-year-old Phegley followed with a grand slam in his 18th major league at-bat. "Especially for Sale, we needed to get him a win," Phegley said. "He threw well and he deserved it." Phegley is 4 for 20 now -- with three homers. Sale allowed 10 hits, walked two and struck out eight. He left in the seventh after allowing a double by Torii Hunter, and Matt Lindstrom came on and got Cabrera on a flyout. Alejandro De Aza made it 6-3 with a homer in the eighth off Phil Coke. De Aza also hit a single and a double. Ramirez opened the scoring in the first with an RBI double, but Matt Tuiasosopo put the Tigers ahead with a two-run homer in the second. Cabreras solo shot increased his RBI total to 94. Hes the first player to reach 30 homers and 90 RBIs before the All-Star break, according to STATS. A pair of Cincinnati Reds -- Tony Perez in 1970 and George Foster in 1977 -- made it to 29 and 90. NOTES: ... Chicago RHP Jake Peavy (fractured left rib) is scheduled for a rehab game Sunday with Double-A Birmingham at Huntsville. ... Detroit hosts Texas on Friday night, with RHP Doug Fister (6-5) taking the mound against RHP Justin Grimm (7-6) of the Rangers. The White Sox play at Philadelphia. Chicago LHP John Danks (2-5) takes on Philadelphia RHP Jonathan Pettibone (5-3). Jack Buck Cardinals Jersey . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Dizzy Dean Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/594t-bobby-tolan-jersey-cardinals.html . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. John Gant Jersey . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Brett Cecil Jersey . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. Australia allrounder Glenn Maxwell revealed he had been eyeing up the opening position for some time after he hit a 65-ball 145 not out from the top of the order to lead Australia to a record T20 score in their 80-run win over Sri Lanka.Maxwell had only opened twice before for Australia - once each in Tests and ODIs - and his elevation in this match in place of Aaron Finch was something of a surprise, given Usman Khawajas presence in the side. Captain David Warner suggested Maxwell had been asked to open because Australia wished to preserve the left-hand right-hand combination, but Maxwell said he had initially floated the idea himself.I actually had a chat to [coach] Greg Blewett a couple of days ago after Finch hurt his finger, Maxwell said. I said: Geez, Id love to have a crack at the top of the order. Sure enough, a couple of days, Warner gave me a tap on the shoulder and told me I was going to be up the top with him. So I was excited about it and looking forward to the opportunity.Maxwell said he had been envious of limited-overs openers, even having recently made lighthearted fun of Finchs 18-ball fifty in the fourth ODI on social media. Cant be that hard to do it when youve got two [fielders] outside the circle, he had tweeted at the time. Maxwells 145 is the second-highest T20I score, behind Finchs 156 against England at the Ageas Bowl in 2013.I really enjoy batting at the top of the order in T20 cricket, Maxwell said. I find its easier to get into the innings. When youre in the middle order you have to be proactive the whole time. It seems like if you get out playing a big shot at that stage of the game, it all falls on your shoulders.At the top of the order youve got a little bit more freedom to get yourself into the game and play pretty normal cricket shots without taking risks. You only have to beat two guys on the fence. The way Sri Lanka set fields at the start made it pretty obvious where theyre going to bowl. It made my job a lot easier in the first six.Maxwell had reached his half-century off 27 balls, in the ninth over. He said IPL experiences - especially the 2014 IPL season when he made scores of 89, 90 and 95 twice, his previous T20 career-best - had helped him turn that start into a mammoth T20 score.When I looked up and there was eight overs to go and I was 80 or 90, I got the sense it wouldd be a big score.dddddddddddd I didnt really realise how long there was left. I think Ive made that mistake a few times playing in the IPL. I kept swinging until I was out. I probably played periods a bit smarter tonight. I knew if I mistimed it, itd go in the gap.It has at times been a difficult year for Maxwell, who was dropped from the ODI squad completely, after a modest tri-series in the Caribbean. He had since also had poor outings with the Australia A team, for whom his high score was 46 not out in six innings across the month of August.West Indies was pretty disappointing, Maxwell said. I felt like I was a bit out of luck there. I just couldnt get a break through that. To not be on the Sri Lanka Test tour probably hurt more than anything. I understood why they dropped me. I had no issues with that. And my scores were quite pitiful, by my standards, for the Australia A team. I think I scored more in this innings than in all my A team innings put together.Maxwells 145 is just the latest headline performance in Australias resurgence in Sri Lanka, after they were whitewashed in the Tests. There is an argument that Australia should pick limited-overs batsmen who have had success in Asia on forthcoming Asian Test tours, but Maxwell was skeptical of that line of thought.To score runs in one-day cricket in the subcontinent is totally different to playing red-ball cricket, when youve got guys around the bat, five guys on the fence, and theyre able to just plug away all day, Maxwell said. It doesnt matter how many reverse sweeps for four you hit, theyre still going to be around the bat. And when you try to defend, one will blow up off the wicket, take your gloves, and youre out. I know how difficult it is. People say hes made runs in the subcontinent in the white-ball form so surely he can make runs in the red-ball form. But its just not the same.Id like to think, on the back of my four-day form in Australia, I dont think it should matter where my Tests are played. I wouldnt want to be pigeonholed as a subcontinent specialist, because I know how difficult it is here. All my red-ball runs have been made in either England or Australia. On the back of that Id like to be picked in Australia. ' ' '