Detroit @ Chicago preview
Guaranteed Rate Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 14, 2010 ) Detroit 3, Chi. White Sox 2
The Chicago White Sox have picked a bad time to start struggling.
The White Sox will be looking to end their series on a positive note when they close out a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
With another first-place battle looming against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, Chicago is playing a lot more like a team falling out of the race than one trying to stay in the running.
Losers of six of their last 10, the White Sox have dipped from 1 ½ games up in the American League Central to two games down.
To add injury to insult, closer Bobby Jenks was unable to go in Saturday’s contest and is likely to be out today as well due to back spasms. His absence forced manager Ozzie Guillen to use J.J. Putz as in the ninth inning on Saturday - a move that backfired badly.
Clinging to a 2-1 lead, Putz gave up a leadoff single to Brandon Inge. After striking out Ryan Raburn, Alex Avila sent Putz’s first pitch out in left-center field for a go-ahead two-run blast.
The win was just the fourth in 13 games this month for the Tigers, who were very much in the race with the Twins and White Sox into the middle of July.
One of the reasons Detroit was near the top of the division in the first half was the play of rookie Brennan Boesch, who had pushed his batting average up to .345 in July while slugging .600. But as the Tigers have gone in the tank, so has Boesch, who struck out four times on Saturday and is batting .125 in his last 29 games.
Armando Galarraga will get the call for the Tigers in the finale, hoping to snap a seven-start winless streak. The right-hander has managed just one win since his near-perfect game on June 2, posting a 5.10 ERA while yielding 11 home runs in 65 1/3 innings over 11 starts.
Galarraga got knocked around a bit by the White Sox on Aug. 4, surrendering four runs on eight hits while walking five in 7 2/3 innings to suffer a loss. Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko both homered in that contest. In his career, the Venezuela native owns a 1-3 record with a 4.76 ERA against Chicago in seven games (five starts).
The White Sox will counter with their own struggling right-hander in Freddy Garcia. Also a native of Venezuela, Garcia is coming off a beating on Tuesday against the Twins in which he allowed six runs on eight hits in 2 1/3 innings, surrendering three home runs and failing to strike out a batter.
That was a stark difference from his previous start, when he held Detroit to one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Garcia has had the Tigers’ number in his career, posting an 18-6 record with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts.