Chicago @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 1, 2012 ) Chi. White Sox 1, Detroit 5

The Detroit Tigers look for a three-game sweep and a tie atop the American League Central when Justin Verlander takes the mound against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. The Tigers pulled within one game of first-place Chicago with Saturday’s 5-1 win at Comerica Park, where Detroit has won 24 of its last 30 games. The White Sox are 3-17 over their last 20 games at Comerica Park, and they’re 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position with 18 runners left on base in the first two games of the series. White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn, who was scratched from Saturday’s starting lineup with a strained right oblique, is not expected to play Sunday.

Detroit has won six straight games against Chicago, which has recalled 33-year-old slugger Dan Johnson from Triple-A Charlotte. Johnson, who hit 28 homers with 85 RBIs in Triple-A this season, started in place of Dunn on Saturday. Detroit also took advantage of the expanded rosters by adding several players from the minors, including outfield prospect Avisail Garcia, whose first major league hit was an RBI single on Saturday. Garcia bears a striking resemblance to Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera, who raised his batting average to .332 with three hits on Saturday. Cabrera is making a bid to become the first Tigers player to hit .330-plus in back-to-back years since George Kell in 1949-50.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN2

PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox LH Chris Sale (5-10, 5.06 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Justin Verlander (12-7, 2.80)

Sale suffered his shortest start of the season against Baltimore last Tuesday, allowing four runs in as many innings. He’s 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts (12 appearances) against Detroit and 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA in one start (four appearances) at Comerica Park. Sale is 11-3 with a 2.77 ERA in his last 16 starts.

Like Sale, Verlander looks to rebound from an uncharacteristically poor start. Verlander turned in one of the worst outings of his career against the Royals last Tuesday, when he gave up eight runs on 12 hits over 5 2/3 innings. Verlander, who has lost two of his last three decisions, had not allowed as many as seven runs in any of his last 124 starts, dating back to April 2009.

WALK-OFFS

1. Chicago has lost eight of its last nine road games and 16 of 24.

2. The Tigers activated OF Ryan Raburn (quad) from the 15-day disabled list and recalled RHP Luis Marte, C Bryan Holaday, INF Danny Worth and INF Don Kelly from Triple-A Toledo.

3. Chicago’s Paul Konerko has a career average of .154 with 15 strikeouts against Verlander in 52 at-bats.