Chicago @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 1, Detroit 9
The White Sox are 4 ½ games out of first place, but they’re beginning to fall apart at the worst possible time. Physically, that is.
Freddy Garcia and Manny Ramirez have joined Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham as the walking wounded, drastically limiting Chicago’s lineup as the White Sox try to rebound Wednesday from their first September loss.
Konerko might be in the lineup today against the Detroit Tigers, but he was supposed to play on Tuesday until his sore back prevented that from happening. Beckham is likely to miss the rest of the series with a hand injury, and Ramirez and Garcia were both forced out of Tuesday’s game early.
Ramirez left in the eighth after he was hit on the hand by a pitch and remains questionable. Garcia left after throwing just 33 pitches over two innings because of recurring soreness in his back – the same ailment that knocked him out of his start last week after just four innings.
The end result was a 9-1 loss to the Tigers and an end to Chicago’s seven-game road winning streak. With a trip to the disabled list likely for Garcia, the White Sox’s rotation is up in the air.
John Danks will start today on three days’ rest, although manager Ozzie Guillen said Danks will be watched closely. Danks was brilliant in his most recent start, allowing one run in seven innings Saturday at Boston. He was due for a good start after allowing six homers in his previous three outings.
Detroit will counter with Jeremy Bonderman, who walked five and allowed four earned runs in 7 1-3 innings in his most recent start against the Kansas City Royals.
The Tigers have their own injury woes. First baseman Miguel Cabrera re-injured his shoulder Tuesday while swinging the bat. Cabrera is among league leaders in all three Triple Crown categories with a .333 average, 33 homers and 110 RBIs.
The White Sox need one more victory in the next two days in Detroit to win eight games on a road trip for the first time since 1965. More importantly, all that winning has done little to slice their deficit in the AL Central Division.
Despite the recent seven-game winning streak that ended Tuesday, the White Sox have been unable to gain any ground on the equally hot Minnesota Twins, who beat Kansas City on Tuesday for their fifth straight win and seventh in their last eight games.
The top two teams in the Central will square off in a three-game series next week at U.S. Cellular Field.