CHICAGO -- Todd Frazier stepped to the plate in the eighth inning Wednesday night feeling differently than he had in some time.

Two days after going 0-for-6 and earning a mental health day to clear his head, the Chicago White Sox third baseman found himself with a bases-loaded opportunity in a tied game against the Detroit Tigers.

Frazier lifted what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly that made White Sox ace Chris Sale baseball's first 11-game winner in a 5-3 victory over the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field.

Frazier's fly to right scored Tim Anderson, who led off the eighth with a single and advanced to third on Adam Eaton's double. After Tigers manager Brad Ausmus elected to intentionally walk Jose Abreu and Melky Cabrera struck out, Frazier lifted a fly ball that easily scored Anderson, who was 3-for-5 and scored three runs.

"I felt relaxed with the bases loaded," Frazier said. "Instead of pressure, (and saying) 'Oh I gotta get a hit, gotta do this' (it was) just do what you got to do, get the guy in, find a way. That's what I did."

The White Sox (33-33) added a run in the eighth on a RBI triple by J.B. Shuck.

Sale (11-2) struck out seven over his seven innings and allowed three runs and six hits. Washington's Stephen Strasburg failed to pick up his 11th victory after getting a no-decision Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.

David Robertson pitched the ninth to earn his 16th save. The Tigers (33-32) put runners on first and third with two outs before Robertson got Jose Iglesias to ground out.

Sale was forced to pitch from behind after the Tigers strung together four straight hits to start the third inning, building a 3-1 lead. Iglesias sparked the inning with a two-run homer before Nick Castellanos delivered a two-out RBI single later in the inning.

From there, Sale settled in and didn't allow a run over his final four innings while striking out nine.

"You dig your guys in a hole," Sale said. "Not only do they come back and get you out of it, but they get you a win as well. There are some things you can't evaluate and I think that's one of them."

Detroit's lead could have been larger in the third if not for a perfect throw by center fielder Shuck, who threw out James McCann at the plate when he attempted to score on Mike Aviles' single after leading off the inning with a double.

Ausmus didn't have a problem with taking a risk in sending McCann.

"The truth is, normally, runs are at a premium when Chris Sale is pitching, and it took a perfect throw to throw him out," Ausmus said. "There are times you're going to have to take chances. If you get that one run right there against Sale, you don't know how many runs you're going to be able to score against him."

Chicago drew even in the fifth inning. Anderson, who was moved up to the leadoff spot Monday, drove a triple into the right field corner and scored on Eaton's groundout.

For the night, Anderson and Eaton combined for five hits with three singles, a double and a triple, sparking an offense that scored the majority of its run by grinding things out to win for only the 10th time in 33 games.

Frazier hopes a win such as Wednesday's could help shift things in the right direction.

"When you're struggling, something just clicks and it's just weird," Frazier said. "It's tough to explain. Just keep on winning, keep on rolling."

NOTES: DH Victor Martinez (knee) was held out for a third straight day as a preventative measure despite hitting .500 with four home runs and nine RBIs against Wednesday's starter Chris Sale. Manager Brad Ausmus said Martinez could pinch, but didn't want to risk injury. "We need him all year," Ausmus said. ... 3B Mike Aviles returned after leaving Tuesday's game with a wrist injury. Ausmus said Aviles rolled his wrist, but did not sustain any serious injury. ... LHP Justin Wilson was available to pitch after missing a couple of days with a sore elbow. ... The White Sox requested waivers on SS Jimmy Rollins, who was designated for assignment last week. Rollins hit .221 in 149 plate appearances. ... RF Avisail Garcia filled the role of designated hitter, allowing Adam Eaton to return to right field, which he had played all season before Austin Jackson went on the disabled list last week.