Game Thread: White Sox (62-58) at Tigers (60-61)

The Detroit Tigers were still very much in the thick of the AL Central race when they traded away ace and notable bad guy Tarik Skubal. Was he the problem with Detroit? Since his departure the Tigers have been on a tear, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have put up stinker after stinker.

What looked like it would be a semi-important series at a distance a few weeks ago has turned into likely the biggest series to date for the Chicago White Sox. With Detroit gaining three games on the White Sox in just the last 10 games, there are now just 2 ½ games separating these two teams atop the division.

In the first game of this crucial series, the Tigers are sending out Jackson Jobe to start. The third overall pick in 2021 has just come back from Tommy John surgery. In his first start of the season, on August 8, he threw five innings while allowing just one hit. The Tigers beat the Giants in that game, earning him the win.

Jobe has a five-pitch arsenal but relies heavily on the fastball and slider, with almost two-thirds of his pitches being one of the two. It’s tough to really have much of a read on him, as he has only started 11 games in his young career. With that being said, his 3.57 ERA in 13 appearances is certainly impressive.

The White Sox will throw out a pitcher much more experienced in Sean Newcomb. A mainstay in MLB since 2017, Newcomb sports a 2.66 ERA in 44 appearances this season. It would appear that Newcomb is nothing more than an opener tonight, so the main goal for him will be to try to get out of the first two or three innings unscathed.

Newcomb doesn’t generate a lot of swings and misses, but he does limit hard-hit balls. In a ballpark as pitcher-friendly as Comerica, the Tigers will certainly have to play small-ball if they want to get to him early. Unfortunately, Newcomb is susceptible to the bat of Javier Báez, who is hitting .500 against Newcomb in 14 career at-bats.

The White Sox will have to be careful in this series as the Tigers have the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals on deck after this weekend. If Chicago slips up and loses the series, or even get swept, the Tigers could quickly take control of the divisional race.

On the bright side, with the rest of the division struggling to do much since the All-Star break, a series win for the White Sox would make their divisional lead that much more secure. Who knows, maybe there’s even a sweep in store.

Here are the starting lineups:

First pitch is at 5:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!