AL Baseball Preview: Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox
One of the best teams in the American League will take on one of the worst in this early week series as the high flying Detroit Tigers head to the ‘Windy City’ to face the bumbling Chicago White Sox. The Tigers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since the All Star Break and check in with a record of 69-47. They’ve won 8 of their last 10 games and hold a 7 game lead atop the AL Central. The White Sox have been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball this year with a horrible record of 44-72 for a whopping -28.9 unit loss. They’re mired in last place in the AL Central and there’s little to suggest that they’ll be able to climb out of the cellar before the end of the season.
Detroit will start righthander Doug Fister-he’s been fairly good for most of the season with a 3.50 ERA overall and the Tigers winning 13 of his 23 starts. His road record isn’t as impressive, however, with a 4.00 ERA and a 6-6 team mark when he starts away from home. His most recent form has been exceptional with a 1.23 ERA and a 0.909 WHIP in his last three starts, all Detroit victories. Worth noting that two of the three starts came against sputtering offenses (these White Sox, Philadelphia) along with the slumping Cleveland Indians.
Chicago will start lefthander Chris Sale who has been one of the very few bright spots in the White Sox’s 2013 season. Sale has been solid all season long with a 2.83 ERA overall, a 2.18 ERA at home and a 2.95 ERA in his last three starts giving the team a much needed measure of consistency. Unfortunately he hasn’t always received the help he deserves from his underacheiving teammates and the White Sox are just 10-11 in his 21 starts. They have found the winning way at home when he pitches taking 6 of his 10 verdicts.
Hard to buck this surging Detroit team in favor of the bottom feeding White Sox but this could be a ‘flat spot’ for the team after a big weekend series against the New York Yankees. Despite a record of 18-13 against lefthanders Detroit has lost -4.9 units in these games and we’ll take a shot on the home dog due to Sale’s solid form.
BET CHICAGO WHITE SOX (SALE) +115 OVER DETROIT TIGERS (FISTER)