Detroit @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2011 ) Detroit 14, Chi. White Sox 4

THE STORY: The Detroit Tigers have no intention of taking it easy on the rest of the AL Central, at least until they clinch the division. The Tigers made it clear they have the Chicago White Sox’s number on Monday with a 14-4 drubbing. They have totaled 32 runs in the last two meetings between the teams. Monday’s easy win pushed Detroit’s winning streak to an even 10 games and lowered their magic number to clinch the American League Central to five. As if the outlook couldn’t get any more bleak for Chicago, it now has to face the probable Cy Young award winner in Justin Verlander when it hosts the Tigers again on Tuesday night.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSD (Detroit), CSN (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Gavin Floyd (12-10, 4.35 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Justin Verlander (22-5, 2.44 ERA).

Floyd did not factor in the decision against Cleveland last weekend despite allowing only one run in 5 2/3 innings. The 28-year old has not made it out of the sixth inning in either of his last two turns and in three of his last five. He went five innings at Detroit on Sept. 3, yielding four runs on eight hits in a no decision. Floyd owns a 6-1 record with a 3.51 ERA in 16 career starts against the Tigers.

Verlander has earned the win in 10 straight starts and is bidding to become the first Detroit pitcher since Hal Newhouser in 1946 to take 11 in a row. The tall righthander actually struggled a bit in his last turn, allowing two home runs among three hits over six innings at Cleveland. But he did strike out eight and only issued two walks. Verlander beat Chicago on Sept. 2 with one run in 7 1/3 frames and is 4-1 with a 3.47 ERA against the division rivals in five starts this season.

ABOUT THE WHITE SOX (73-73): At this point Chicago’s goal is likely just to finish the season with a winning record and continue to get good efforts from young players like Brent Morel and Dayan Viciedo. Morel hit two solo homers and Viciedo drove in a run on Monday but couldn’t quite make up the difference in the 10-run loss. John Danks was charged with seven earned runs in five innings and has allowed 21 runs -19 earned - over 15 2/3 innings in his last three turns. The White Sox were counting on their pitching staff to carry them through most of the season but now have Danks and Floyd struggling while Jake Peavy has already been shut down.

ABOUT THE TIGERS (85-62): Detroit has been playing so well lately that the top seed in the American League is now in play. The Tigers trail the New York Yankees by four games for the top spot. They are in control of the No. 2 spot and at least home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a two-game lead over the West-leading Texas Rangers. While the starting pitching has been stellar during its recent surge, Detroit has really picked it up offensively, averaging 8.4 runs in the last 10 games. Seven different players turned in multi-hit efforts on Monday, led by Ryan Raburn’s 4-for-5 effort.

FINAL PITCH: The Tigers put tickets on sale for the division series on Monday at 10 a.m. and had them all sold out within an hour. The team set a limited number of tickets aside for fans who choose to place a deposit on season tickets for 2012. While clinching a spot seems like a foregone conclusion, Detroit will not know whether they will be hosting two or three games in the first round until the final records are settled.