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DETROIT -- Brad Ausmus pointed out Monday afternoon that no one is going to roll over and hand his Detroit Tigers the AL Central title. Hours later, rookie Chris Bassitt and the White Sox proved the manager right. Bassitt pitched into the eighth inning for his first major league win, Tyler Flowers hit a two-run homer and Chicago slowed Detroits playoff push with a 2-0 victory. "This is competitive athletics, and no one is just going to hand you a game," Ausmus said. "I talked about it before the game -- those guys in the other clubhouse are playing for their futures, and they are playing to win, because thats what you do in this league. Were going to have to win these last games on our own." Detroit is one game ahead of the second-place Royals, who beat Cleveland 2-0 in their regularly scheduled game Monday night. Hours earlier, the Indians finished off a victory in a suspended game against Kansas City. The loss assured Detroit would start a division series on the road, even if it wins the AL Central. "Weve got six games left, and weve got control of our fate," reliever Joba Chamberlain said. "Thats all you can ask for at this point. If we do our jobs, well win the division." The game turned into an unexpected pitchers duel between Bassitt and fellow rookie Kyle Lobstein. Both were making their fifth career start, but they looked like aces in the middle of a pennant race. Bassitt (1-1) went 7 2-3 innings and pitched out of two early jams in front of about 100 family members and friends. "The first win always means a lot, but being so close to home and having my friends and family here makes it even better," said Bassitt, who grew up in Curtice, Ohio, about an hour south of Comerica Park. "Some of my friends said they were hoping that Id get a no-decision in a Tigers win, though." Bassitt, who lost to the Tigers on Aug. 30, gave up six hits, walked one batter -- the last one he faced -- and struck out Alex Avila three times but no one else. Jake Petricka got four outs for his 14th save. "He located his pitches tonight, which he didnt really do against us the first time," Ian Kinsler said. "Every pitcher in this league is tough when they can locate their stuff." Lobstein (1-1) was trying for his second victory, but didnt get any offensive support. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk in a career-best seven innings. Chicago took a 2-0 lead with a two-out rally in the second. Carlos Sanchez hit a ground-rule double to left-centre and, on the next pitch, Flowers lined a homer into the White Sox bullpen. "I was looking for something out over the plate," Flowers said. "If it was a fastball, I wanted to think right-centre, and if it was an off-speed pitch, I wanted to hit it to left. Thats what happened." Detroit had a pair of early threats, but Kinsler was caught stealing in the first inning -- leaving the bases empty for Miguel Cabreras 50th double. Right fielder Avisail Garcia robbed Cabrera of a probable RBI double with a sliding catch in the third. "He showed some composure out there, and he competed. That was a nice little outing for him," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of his young pitcher. Cabrera hit another ball hard off Bassitt in the eighth, but his line drive was right at Moises Sierra in left. Victor Martinez drew a walk, and Petricka came in to strike out J.D. Martinez. "That last at-bat for Cabrera, I just didnt want to walk him," Bassitt said. "I was thinking that he might hit one off the scoreboard, but Im not going to walk him. Luckily, he hit it right at somebody." TRAINERS ROOM White Sox: OF Adam Eaton, who has missed the last two games for personal reasons, is expected to join the team in time for Tuesdays game in Detroit. Tigers: Avila (concussion) was a late addition to the lineup after the team was able to get his paperwork approved by Major League Baseball about 45 minutes before the first pitch. ... Detroit will activate RHP Anibal Sanchez (pectoral strain) from the disabled list Tuesday, and he will pitch out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. UP NEXT Detroit will try to even the series behind LHP David Price (14-12, 3.37 ERA). Scott Carroll (5-10, 5.01) goes for the White Sox. HONORING KONERKO The Tigers will honour retiring White Sox slugger Paul Konerko before Tuesdays game. Konerko has homered 18 times at Comerica Park, one fewer than David Ortiz for the most by a visiting player, and his 206 total bases are 63 more than second-place Justin Morneau. Konerko also homered off Justin Thompson at Tiger Stadium in 1999, a game caught by Ausmus. "I remember Paul when he came up with the Dodgers, but you obviously remember him most in Chicago," Ausmus said. 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CURITIBA, Brazil -- A little under a year after the sudden death of star striker Christian Benitez, Ecuador has unearthed a new goal-scoring dynamo. Enner Valencias two calmly-taken goals that secured a 2-1 comeback win over Honduras on Friday took his tournament tally to three and put the team in second spot in a group that is likely to be won by France. Valencia, who plays for Mexican club Pachuca, only consolidated his position in the Ecuador starting lineup after Benitez died from a heart problem last July. "He hasnt even celebrated a year with us, I think hes grown a lot, improved a lot," Ecuadors coach Reinaldo Rueda said of his new star forward. Valencia, who is no relation to his captain Antonio Valencia, hopes the "joy" that the win has generated will help inspire the team in its crucial final Group E match against France, which has tallied eight goals and conceded two in a pair of dominating wins. Ecuador has three competition points, level with Switzerland but ahead on goal difference after the Swiss lost 5-2 to France earlier Friday. Honduras, which has never won a World Cup match, isnt completely out of contention despite its two losses but it faces an uphill battle ahead of its last group game against Switzerland. "We still have that possibility, though it is remote and we will fight for it," Honduras coach Luis Fernando Suarez said. Rueda praised the Honduras team for its tenacity and expressed the hope that his former charges could do Ecuador a favour by beating the Swiss. Rueda steered Honduras at the last World Cup in South Africa. Should Honduras beat Switzerland, Ecuador would oonly need a draw against France to progress to the knockout rounds of the World Cup for only the second time.dddddddddddd The first time Ecuador qualified for the second round was in 2006 and, coincidentally, the team was then was managed by current Honduras coach Suarez. Rueda conceded it was difficult to meet his former team in such a crucial match. "For me, its a mix of emotions, professional and personal," he said. Honduras took the lead in the 31st minute with its first World Cup goal in 32 years when Carlo Costly latched onto a long ball following a misjudgment from Ecuador defender Jorge Guagua. The goal ended a 511-minute drought that stretched back to the 1982 World Cup. Valencia equalized three minutes later, tapping in with his left foot from close range after sloppy Honduran defending failed to stop a cross in from the right. Honduras applied more of the pressure leading up to halftime and nearly took the lead. A fierce free kick in injury time from Victor Bernardez forced a good save from Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez. Honduras got the ball in the Ecuador net seconds before the break when a Costly header rebounded off the post into the path of Jerry Bengtson, but it was disallowed -- apparently for a hand ball. The second half was far less frenzied than the opening 45 minutes and Valencias winner came in the 65th minute when he out-jumped the Honduras defence to head home a left-sided free kick from Walter Ayovi. "These are goals in the World Cup, this is something you dream of when you are a young kid and thank God that this dream is becoming a reality," said Valencia. ' ' '