The Detroit Tigers are only three games out of first place in the American League Central, but that has a lot more to do with the quality of their division than with their own play, because that 21-25 record would be 12 games back in the AL East or 8 ½ back in the AL West. They host the Chicago White Sox (21-30) for a four-game set opening on Thursday night. The White Sox continue to underperform after entering 2022 with high expectations, and new manager Pedro Grifol continues to deal with changing a culture that had gotten stale under Tony La Russa. Can the Sox gain ground on the Tigers this weekend? Check out our MLB betting prediction for each game in the series.
MLB Series Spotlight: Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers (May 25-28) | MLB Lines
Lucas Giolito (3-3, 3.62 ERA) (CHI) vs Alex Faedo (0-2, 4.60 ERA) (DET)
When: Thursday, May 25, 6:40 pm ET
Where: Comerica Park
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Lucas Giolito should have a couple more wins this season, but the offense and the bullpen let him down in a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on April 12, when he only allowed a run on five hits over six innings, and 7-3 loss, also to the Twins, on May 4, when Giolito threw seven innings of one-run, two-hit ball, but the Sox lost, 7-3, in 12 innings. His last outing was a six-inning gem against Kansas City as he allowed just one run on six hits, striking out four and walking just one. That kind of stuff should be enough to slow down the Detroit bats.
Alex Faedo makes his fourth start of the season on Thursday. In each of his first three outings, he has allowed three runs; most recently, he threw five innings in a start in Washington, allowing those three runs on five hits, including a home run, while striking out four. Control has been a strength for Faedo so far, as he has 12 strikeouts against just a single walk in those three starts combined. The Tigers haven’t won any of the three games that he started, but in two of those games, the Tigers only scored two runs combined, and in the 12-6 loss to St. Louis on May 7, the bullpen gave up nine of those runs after Faedo had departed. Sox to win.
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Lance Lynn (3-5, 6.28 ERA) (CHI) vs Joey Wentz (1-4, 7.45 ERA) (DET)
When: Friday, May 26, 6:40 pm ET
Where: Comerica Park
Live Stream: Apple TV+
Lance Lynn may have started to turn a corner; in his last two starts, he has dropped his ERA from 7.51 to 6.28, and he has picked up wins in both games. He has thrown 13 innings combined in those two games, allowing five runs (three earned) on 11 hits, striking 13 while walking just two. Perhaps most importantly, he has only allowed one home run over those two games as he starts to work the corners instead of the fat part of home plate.
Joey Wentz has been getting lit up lately. His past two starts have lasted 2 ⅔ and two innings, respectively, and he has allowed nine runs on 16 hits, including a pair of home runs, in those games against Seattle and Washington. The Tigers were able to come back and beat the Mariners but could not climb out of another hole against the Nationals. Sox to win.
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Undecided (CHI) vs Michael Lorenzen (2-2, 4.08 ERA) (DET)
When: Saturday, May 27, 1:10 pm ET
Where: Comerica Park
Live Stream: MLB Network Alt., MLB.tv
It’s looking like a committee pitching game on Saturday afternoon for the White sox. The Tigers counter with Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen has made seven starts in 2023; in four of them, he has either allowed zero or one earned run. In the other three, he has allowed at least five earned runs. His last start, on Monday, was the latter variety as he allowed five earned runs on five hits, including three home runs, over 5 ⅔ innings of a game that the Tigers would lose, 8-5, in ten innings. Before that, though, he had allowed two earned runs on 14 hits without permitting a home run over three combined starts in May against the Mets, Guardians and Pirates. Tigers to win.
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Dylan Cease (3-3, 4.60 ERA) (CHI) vs Eduardo Rodriguez (4-4, 2.19 ERA) (DET)
When: Sunday, May 28, 1:40 pm ET
Where: Comerica Park
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Dylan Cease had a stretch of three starts between April 27 and May 8 when he allowed 13 combined runs over 13 innings, while permitting a home run per start and striking out 14 while walking seven. However, starting with a scoreless six-inning gem against Houston, when he scattered four hits and two walks while striking out five, clamping down on that Astros offense in a 3-1 win. Since then, he has held the Guardians to five earned runs over 12 ⅓ innings in his last two starts combined, allowing ten hits, including a pair of home runs, while striking out six and walking three.
Eduardo Rodriguez had a six-start streak in which he either shut his opponent out or just allowed a single run end on May 17 Since then, he has allowed eight runs (six earned) in ten combined innings against Pittsburgh and Kansas City, games that the Tigers lost by a combined 12-1 score. His ERA has climbed from 1.57 to 2.19 over that stretch – still a solid number, but one that has him in the All-Star conversation. Tigers to win.
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