The White Sox will host the Tigers in a key divisional series to finish up the week. There are a lot of questionable starting pitchers slated for this series, so expect a lot of runs. The team that has an offense that gets rolling could come away with three wins in this four-game set.
This series will be contested from Friday, May 26 through Sunday, May 28, 2017 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois.
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Pitching Matchups
There will be a doubleheader on Friday. In Game 1, Detroit is scheduled to send Matthew Boyd to the hill. He has been subpar this season with a 2-4 record and a 5.36 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .304 against him and the White Sox will be licking their chops. Chicago is slated to start David Holmberg, who has a 0.87 ERA as a reliever and will be making a spot start. He has a career ERA of 5.47 so keeping the team in the game seems like the most realistic scenario.
In Game 2, Detroit is scheduled to start Buck Farmer. He is being called up to pitch in this one and has career ERA of 6.84, so he’s another starter who could get knocked around. The White Sox will throw Mike Pelfrey, who is 1-4 with a 4.85 ERA. Pelfrey isn’t a good starter, but he’s better than Famer.
The Saturday start for Detroit will go to Michael Fulmer, who is 5-2 with an impressive 2.55 ERA. Fulmer is the real deal and is the best starter on either side in this series. Chicago hopes to keep pace with Derek Holland, who is 4-3 with a microscopic 2.47 ERA, although his numbers suggest a regression could be coming.
The series finale will feature the Tigers’ Jordan Zimmermann against the White Sox’ Miguel Gonzalez. Zimmermann is 4-3 with a 5.86 ERA, as he is not striking a lot of guys out and allowing a .309 batting average. Gonzalez isn’t great but he has a 3-5 record and a 4.55 ERA, and could make Chicago a slight favorite in this one.
Player to Watch
J.D. Martinez -- Since the Tigers’ right fielder returned from injury in mid-May, he’s been a huge boost for Detroit’s offense. He is hitting .364 with an on-base percentage of .530 and provides a nice spark in the middle of the lineup.
He’s hit six home runs in the 11 games he’s been back with 12 RBIs. Martinez missed the first month-and-half of the season due to sprained foot.
The 29-year-old finished the 2016 hitting .307. He had 22 home runs and 68 RBIs last season despite playing only 120 games due to injury. He is an integral piece and could be in line for a big series if he stays hot.
Key Stat
Zero -- That’s the number of home runs at home White Sox slugger Jose Abreu has totaled this season. It’s a complete anomaly, as he has 10 bombs on the road and is one of the American League’s top power hitters.
Chicago’s home ballpark is hitter-friendly, and it’s just a matter of time before Abreu parks one over the wall. He is batting .291 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs on the year with an .879 OPS. With as bad as the Tigers’ pitching will be for the most part, Abreu is likely to get a home run in this series, which will be a welcome sight to the fans who attend the games.
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