Chicago @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 5, Detroit 4
It has been 45 years since the Chicago White Sox won eight games on a single road trip. It only feels like it’s going to take that long to catch the Minnesota Twins.
The White Sox have won their first seven games of a critical 10-game swing through Cleveland, Boston and Detroit. A victory on Tuesday will mark the first time they’ve won eight games on a trip since Aug. 14-22, 1965.
Despite the winning streak, the White Sox haven’t been able to shave off much of the deficit behind the AL Central-leading Twins. Minnesota has lost just once during Chicago’s trip and leads the White Sox by 3 1/2 games.
The White Sox are finding creative and dramatic ways to keep their winning streak alive.
They scored four runs in the ninth inning on Sunday to sweep the Red Sox, then followed it up with a 5-4 win in 10 innings on Monday over the Tigers. Alexei Ramirez’s two-out single in the eighth tied the game, then A.J. Pierzynski won it in the 10th with a run-scoring single.
Pierzynski is struggling through one of the worst seasons of his career, but he is batting .411 with 13 RBIs during his current 13-game hitting streak.
Chicago will turn to Freddy Garcia to keep the good times going. Garcia hasn’t lost since Aug. 10, but perhaps more importantly, has won his last nine decisions at Comerica Park.
Garcia left after just four innings in his last outing because of stiffness in his back. He allowed two runs and four hits against the Cleveland Indians, but he insists that his back hasn’t bothered him at all over the last few days, thus allowing him to take his regular turn.
He’ll receive a boost with the expected return of first baseman Paul Konerko, who is battling his own back issues. Konerko sat out Monday’s victory because of his back, but he left the ballpark believing he’ll be back in the lineup on Tuesday.
That’s a good thing. He is batting .421 against the Tigers this year with three homers and 11 RBIs.
Of course, Konerko has yet to face Detroit ace Justin Verlander, who will face the White Sox for the first time on Tuesday.
Verlander has received no-decisions in each of his last two starts and got banged around by the Twins in his last appearance, allowing a season-high 10 hits in six innings.
The hurler has been fantastic at home lately, going 7-1 with a 2.56 ERA in his last eight starts in Detroit.