DETROIT -- Max Scherzer has done more than just salvage his season. . Hes helped the Detroit Tigers stay right behind the Chicago White Sox atop the AL Central. Scherzer allowed four hits in eight scoreless innings, and the Tigers pulled within a game of first place with a 5-1 victory over the White Sox on Saturday night. After an awful start to 2012 -- his ERA was 6.26 on May 15 -- Scherzer has bounced back impressively. Hes now won five straight starts, providing a dependable complement to ace Justin Verlander. "I knew coming in tonight this was a huge start for us," Scherzer said. "We needed to win this game to get us back in the thick of things." Detroit has taken the first two games of this series from the AL Central-leading White Sox and will send Verlander to the mound Sunday night to try for a sweep. Scherzer (15-6) struck out nine with one walk. Delmon Young homered and tripled for the Tigers. Francisco Liriano (5-11) allowed three runs, four hits and seven walks in four-plus innings. Chicago was swept in a three-game set in Detroit in July, momentarily ceding first place to the Tigers. Now the White Sox are in danger of being caught atop the division. "Theres a long way to go. Youre still where you want to be," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "No use hanging your head. Still a lot worse places you could be." Scherzer increased his strikeout total to 204, becoming the first pitcher to reach 200 this year. He and Liriano are two of the three pitchers who have struck out at least 15 in a game this season. The other is Chris Sale, Chicagos starter Sunday. Scherzer has struck out at least eight in nine straight starts. "He threw as good a performance as weve had thrown against us, just stuff-wise," Ventura said. "Looked like he was in and out and spotting his pitches." Detroit opened the scoring with two runs in the third. Brennan Boesch, who has struggled this year but entered the game 5 for 11 lifetime against Liriano, hit an RBI triple and came home on Miguel Cabreras single. Young led off the Detroit fifth with a drive that hit the top of the wall in left-centre and came back in play for a triple. He eventually scored on a two-out single by Avisail Garcia, the first big league hit for the right fielder. Youngs next hit -- in the seventh -- had enough distance to clear the fence for his 16th homer of the year. Cabrera added another RBI single in the eighth. The Tigers have won 24 of their last 30 home games. "We know we need to win games," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "I usually dont emphasize series. I did say this is a bigger series." The White Sox were without slugger Adam Dunn, who was sitting out with a strained oblique. Scherzer struck out Kevin Youkilis in the eighth for his final out, then took off his hat to acknowledge the crowd before getting a handshake from manager Jim Leyland. "When our offence is scoring runs, theyre making their starter work, were getting hits -- big hits -- it makes it fun to go out there and pitch well," Scherzer said. "Any time the team wins, in this situation, with where were at with the season, it just puts a smile on my face." Orlando Hudson hit an RBI triple off Detroits Jose Valverde in the ninth. NOTES: Chicago used eight pitchers. ... Scherzer lowered his ERA to 3.93. ... The White Sox entered September with a division lead for the fifth time since 1993. They ended up finishing first the other four times -- in 1993, 2000, 2005 and 2008. ... Chicago RHP Deunte Heath made his major league debut in the eighth, getting Prince Fielder to hit into a double play. ... Ventura said LHP Hector Santiago will start Monday night against Minnesota. [url=http://www.salechinajerseys.com/]wholesale jerseys . Louis Blues lost in the first round of the playoffs, but theyre not that far away from where they need to be. . A co-scoring leader with the Roughnecks last season, Dobbie was named the Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals, adding three assists and collecting three loose balls as the team rallied for a 12-9 victory on the road over the defending champion Toronto Rock on Sunday. [url=http://www.wholesalejerseysnfl.us.com/]http://www.wholesalejerseysnfl.us.co... . Now, the Tigers are hoping to quickly rebound from their sour Sunday after twice blowing leads to the Cleveland Indians. [url=http://www.cheapjerseysmart.us/]nfl jerseys china . Hill participated in the teams morning shootaround, which is part of the process of passing his concussion test. But doctors had not yet cleared Hill to play. cheap jerseys . One teams chase of that crown will take a hit tonight when the Coyotes visit the Sharks with an eye on returning to first place.BARCELONA, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid roll to a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao Sunday hours before the Spanish club announced it had signed Gareth Bale to pair him with the Portugal forward in one of the most formidable attacks in football. Not to be overshadowed by Bales imminent arrival, Lionel Messi needed 41 minutes to score his 23rd career hat trick for Barcelona in a thrilling 3-2 victory at Valencia. Barcelona sports director Andoni Zubizarreta was one of the first to extend his welcome to the new reinforcement of the defending champions fierce rivals. "(Bale) is coming to add his part to this great league," Zubizarreta said. "A player of his talent shows that this league is strong. He will improve the competition." Silent just after its match against Bilbao, Madrid later announced Bale was leaving Tottenham and signing a six-year contract, ending the longest transfer saga of the off-season one day before the market closed. Having gone scoreless in Madrids first two wins to start season, Ronaldo headed in Madrids second goal in first-half injury time to add to Francisco "Isco" Alarcons 26th-minute opener from Karim Benzemas pass. Benzema assisted Isco again in the 73rd for his third goal in as many games since joining from Malaga this off-season. "Things are going well considering we have just started the season, three for three so far," said the 21-year-old Isco. "We are getting better game by game. Thats our goal." Messi started his treble in the 11th when Sergio Busquets intercepted a pass and shuffled the ball to Cesc Fabregas, who then used one touch to send Messi charging into the area and over goalkeeper Diego Alves before rolling the ball home. The sequence of Busquets robbing the ball, Fabregas assisting, and Messi scoring repeated itself in the 39th. Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino had said after Barcelonas 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid earlier this week that he wanted Messi and Neymar to link up more in attack. Martino got what he had asked for when Neymar picked out Messi arriving down the middle of the area to slice his pass into the net for his league-leading fifth goal in two games after sitting out one match due to a muscle problem. But just when it appeared Barcelona would romp, Valencia striker Helder Postiga used an acrobatic volley to pull one back in the 44th before he scored with a header from a corner kick in first-half injury time. Neymar was involved twice more in almost getting Messi aanother goal, only to see the Argentine miss both late chances before goalkeeper Victor Valdes was forced to tip the shot by Valencia substitute Jonas off his post four minutes from time. nfl jerseys china. . "The concern that Messi and Neymar didnt combine in their first game together, well, they solved that in 24 hours," Martino said. Barcelona said Busquets ended the match with pain in his right leg and will undergo tests. Elsewhere, Atletico won 2-1 at Real Sociedad thanks to David Villas goal in the 27th and assist for Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion to add a second in the 56th. Sociedads Xabi Prieto halved the final difference in the 69th in a clash between two teams set to make long-awaited returns to the Champions League. Atletico, Barcelona, Madrid and promoted Villarreal are the only teams with three wins in as many rounds. Espanyol, meanwhile, remained unbeaten after drawing 0-0 at home with the winless Real Betis, and Malaga drew 2-2 at Sevilla after Kevin Gameiro equalized twice for the hosts. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti started Diego Lopez instead of Iker Casillas for the third straight match, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop substitute Ibai Gomez from getting Bilbaos consolation goal in the 79th. Ancelotti said that defender Fabio Coentrao was staying at the club after changing his mind over a transfer. Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera did not play a day after his club said it had rejected an offer for him from Manchester United. Coach Ernesto Valverde said that his benching had nothing to do with the interest from United and that he expected Herrera to stay. Before the match started, Madrid dismantled a stage it had set up inside the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last weekend for Bales presentation. It will go back up early on Monday for the Wales winger to be paraded in front of his new fans. Isco poked his first goal under goalkeeper Iago Herrerin after Benzema set him up with a scooped pass made easier by Bilbaos Andoni Iraola who failed to move forward with the rest of the defensive line, leaving Isco onside to take the ball alone in the box. "Isco is playing very well, it looks like he has been playing here a long time," Ancelotti said. Ronaldo extended the hosts lead by running free to head Angel Di Marias dipping free kick into the corner of the net. Isco fired in Madrids third after controlling Benzemas short cross with one touch and scored to ensure Bilbao would suffer its first loss of the season following two victories. ' ' '