CHICAGO – Jose Quintana pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski hit back-to-back homers in the sixth, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 Monday night to increase their AL Central lead to three games.

The White Sox, who had lost seven straight to Detroit, managed just two hits against Rick Porcello (9-12) and were 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position when an error on Detroit second baseman Omar Infante gave them an opening.

Infante muffed Dewayne Wise’s easy, one-out grounder in the sixth. Paul Konerko singled to left to put runners at the corners and Rios lined a pitch over the wall in left center, his 23rd homer. Pierzynski followed with his 26th to center field for a 4-1 lead, ending Porcello’s night and sending him to his sixth straight loss. Gordon Beckham added a two-run shot in the eighth off Octavio Dotel.

Quintana (6-4) retired 10 straight before walking Ryan Raburn with two outs in the eighth and being replaced by Brian Omogrosso. Miguel Cabrera doubled before Donnie Veal got Prince Fielder to ground out to second.

Quintana had failed to make it out of the fourth inning in his two previous outings but settled down after a shaky start Monday night and allowed one run on seven hits – none after Gerald Lair’s fifth inning double – in 7 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

Porcello, 3-0 this season against the White Sox entering the game, gave up five hits and four runs – three earned – in 5 1/3 innings. Detroit made three errors, and the Tigers have now lost four straight.

TWINS 7, INDIANS 2: In Minneapolis, Samuel Deduno struck out six in seven innings and Pedro Florimon made two stellar defensive plays to go with a double and a triple, lifting Minnesota over Cleveland.

Deduno (6-3) gave up just three hits and walked three, Ryan Doumit homered and Justin Morneau drove in two runs for the Twins, who took the final three games of the four-game series.

Lonnie Chisenhall homered for the stumbling Indians, who are an AL-worst 15-41 since the All-Star break to fall into a tie with the Twins for last place in the Central division.

Justin Masterson (11-13) gave up six runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings to take the loss.

It was a dangerous game for runners on the basepaths. Deduno hit Shin-Soo Choo in the helmet with an errant pickoff attempt in the third, a play reminiscent of the one from Boston reliever Franklin Morales in June that knocked Seattle’s Franklin Gutierrez out for almost two months. Choo remained in the game.