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Tigers-White
Sox Preview
the Chicago White Sox finally came
up with a win when they needed one
on Sunday to stay alive in the race
for the AL Central title.
If they want to actually win the division,
they'll need another on Monday. And
one more on Tuesday.
The White Sox will try to force a
one-game playoff for the Central crown
when they play a make-up game at U.S.
Cellular Field on Monday against the
Detroit Tigers and Freddy Garcia,
a former star in the playoffs for
Chicago. |
At the end of a disappointing
season, the Tigers (74-87) were likely hoping
not to have to make one more trip to Chicago
to make up the remaining game from a rain-soaked
series Sept. 12-14, and they wouldn't have
if the White Sox and Minnesota Twins had
been separated by more than one-half game
after Sunday's play.
But Chicago (87-74) snapped a five-game
losing streak with a 5-1 win over Cleveland
on Sunday, remaining one-half game behind
Minnesota after the Twins beat Kansas City
6-0.
The White Sox had been reeling after coughing
up a 2 1/2-game lead in the division in
just a few days. They were swept by the
Twins at the Metrodome last week, then dropped
the first two games against the Indians
over the weekend.
They rebounded behind Mark Buehrle on Sunday,
as the left-hander gave up one run in seven
innings on three days' rest and Paul Konerko
homered for the fourth time in the last
three games.
If the White Sox win again on Monday, they
would host Minnesota on Tuesday in a one-game
playoff, the site having been determined
by a coin flip earlier this month. If not,
the Twins can celebrate and prepare to face
Tampa Bay in an AL division series starting
Thursday.
"It's up to them. It's all on their
shoulders now," Minnesota manager Ron
Gardenhire said. "I don't have to make
a pitching move. I don't have to pinch hit
anybody tomorrow. It's all on (White Sox
manager Ozzie Guillen's) butt, so go get
'em Ozzie and let's see what happens."
Guillen's first move will be handing the
ball to Gavin Floyd (16-8, 3.91 ERA), also
on short rest.
Floyd last pitched in the finale of last
week's series against the Twins, allowing
11 hits and four runs in 5 2-3 innings.
He was in line for a victory until the bullpen
blew a two-run lead in the eighth, and the
White Sox eventually lost 7-6 in 10 innings.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA
against the Tigers this season, but he struggled
at home against them in the most recent
outing on Aug. 5, giving up five runs in
four-plus innings of a game Chicago eventually
won 10-8 in 14 innings.
On the other side, an old White Sox hero
will have a chance to help eliminate his
former team.
Garcia (1-1, 4.50) won all three of his
starts for Chicago in the 2005 postseason,
throwing seven stellar innings in the clinching
game of the World Series against Houston,
a 1-0 White Sox victory. He hasn't faced
Chicago since.
"I got plenty text messages from him
already," Guillen said. "He says
he can't wait to beat us."
The right-hander was a free agent until
August after shoulder surgery, but the Tigers
signed him to a minor-league deal and he
didn't make his first start for Detroit
until Sept. 17.
That day, he beat Texas after allowing two
hits and an unearned run in five innings
of a 17-4 win, but he lost to Kansas City
on Tuesday, giving up five runs and three
home runs in five innings of a 5-0 defeat.
The White Sox have gone 11-6 against Detroit
this season, winning six of the last eight
overall, as well as six of the previous
eight home games.
The Tigers' struggles this season cost pitching
coach Chuck Hernandez and bullpen coach
Jeff Jones their jobs on Sunday, when the
team blew a five-run lead and lost 8-7 in
11 innings to Tampa Bay. Detroit needs to
beat the White Sox to avoid finishing alone
in last place in the Central, as it trails
Kansas City by one-half game.
"I'm sure the last thing those guys
want to do is get on a plane, but they are
professionals and if I was them and had
to get on a plane and come here, I'm going
to make it hurt," Konerko said of the
Tigers. "We better be ready to play."
The extra game gives Detroit's Gary Sheffield
one more chance to reach 500 home runs this
season. He hit his 499th on Friday.
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