Two foes from the American League Central will face off in a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field starting on Tuesday as the Detroit Tigers will battle the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers are just 1-9 in their last 10 games, while the White Sox are coming off a series win against the division-leading Minnesota Twins. The moneyline on this contest is Detroit -120.
Tigers Trying to Find Their Way
As was stated earlier, the Tigers have lost nine of their last 10 games, including two of three from the Nationals over the weekend. They sit at 27-52, 24 games behind division leader Minnesota. There is not much to say when a team has a run differential of -150.
The pitching has been bad, to say the least. The Tigers have a team ERA of 4.82, which is ninth in the American League. Couple that with a team batting average of .229, and you get a run differential that is off the charts.
The Tigers will send one of their brighter spots this season to the mound in Matthew Boyd. Boyd has a 5-6 record but owns a respectable 3.72 ERA, which places him in the top 15 starters in the American League. He has struck out 129 hitters in 101 2/3 innings pitched.
In his most recent start, Boyd allowed three solo home runs in the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers but struck out 12 hitters otherwise. He has allowed 10 home runs in his last five starts, after giving up just seven in his first 12. Boyd is 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 11 career starts against the White Sox, including 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA this year.
Miguel Cabrera leads the Tigers in hitting, posting a .299 batting average to this point. He only has four home runs and 34 RBI, not posing near the long-ball threat that he once did. Leftfielder Brandon Dixon has hit 11 home runs for a team that is last in batting average, home runs, RBI, and runs scored.
White Sox Confident Despite Record
The Chicago White Sox are beaming with confidence after their series win over the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins this past weekend. This moved the Sox within three games of .500 and to 39 wins, a mark they did not reach in 2018 until Aug. 3. Three White Sox players earned nods to the All-Star Game, as catcher James McCann, first baseman Jose Abreu, and righty Lucas Giolito will all represent Chicago in Cleveland.
They will send right-hander Reynaldo Lopez to the mound in the series opener. Lopez will be looking to improve upon his 6.12 ERA to go along with a 4-7 record. He has struck out 83 hitters in 92 2/3 innings pitched. Lopez has had success against Detroit, posting a 2-2 record with a 2.86 ERA in nine starts in his career, including a 1-1 record this season with a 1.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Shortstop Tim Anderson was placed on the IL and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain. Anderson was Chicago’s leading hitter with a .317 batting average. Abreu will have to pick up some of the slack left by the absence of Anderson. Abreu is hitting .268 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI, good for second in the American League. McCann has hit .319 with nine home runs and 28 RBI in just 210 at-bats.
Prediction Time
Lopez has had success against Detroit, as have most of the pitchers in the American League in 2019. Tuesday will be no different as the Tigers offense is stagnant at best. Take the White Sox in this one.
