I'll be in my bunker tweeting live my pain and anguish.
Cheer up, skippy.
No hitter thru 1 and a third...
Yeah, I was tied up at work today.
GAME INFORMATION
Who: Detroit Tigers (87-70, 1st in AL Central) vs. Chicago White Sox (72-85, 4th in AL Central)
When: 1:08 p.m.
Where: Comerica Park in Detroit
TV: Fox Sports Detroit
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
and the Detroit Tigers radio network
STARTING PITCHERS
Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander (14-12, 4.68 ERA)
Lifetime vs. White Sox: 16-13, 4.07 ERA
Chicago White Sox
Chris Sale (12-4, 2.20 ERA)
Lifetime vs. Tigers: 5-5, 2.93 ERA
STARTING LINEUPS
(Statistics vs. opposing starter in parentheses)
Chicago White Sox
1. Adam Eaton, CF (5 for 11, 2 2Bs, 3B)
2. Alexei Ramirez, SS (18 for 71, .254, 2B, HR, 9 SOs)
3. Jose Abreu, 1B (7 for 12, .583, 2B, 2 HRs)
4. Conor Gillaspie, 3B (2 for 11, .182, 2B)
5. Avisail Garcia, RF (1 for 3, 2B)
6. Dayan Viciedo, DH (6 for 23, .261, 2B, HR)
7. Jordan Danks, LF (1 for 4)
8. Tyler Flowers, C (4 for 18, .222, 2B, 2 HRs)
9. Marcus Semien, 2B (2 for 7, .286, 3 SOs)
Detroit Tigers
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B (6 for 21, .286, 2 HRs)
2. Torii Hunter, RF (6 for 24, .250, 2B, 3B, HR, 7 SOs)
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B (6 for 27, .222, 2 HRs, 6 BBs, 8 SOs)
4. Victor Martinez, DH (15 for 28, .536, 3 2Bs, 3 HRs, 6 RBIs)
5. J.D. Martinez, LF (3 for 13, .231, 2B, 6 SOs)
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B (1 for 8, 5 SOs)
7. Bryan Holaday, C (1 for 5)
8. Andrew Romine, SS
9. Rajai Davis, LF (4 for 10, 2B)
GAME NOTES
-- Bryan Holaday will start at catcher with left-hander Chris Sale on the mound for the White Sox. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said the main reason James McCann was the catcher for Justin Verlander's previous start was because Alex Avila was out of the lineup with a concussion.
-- Andrew Romine is making a rare start against a left-hander. Ausmus said he likes what Romine brings defensively and decided to give him a start against a left-hander in part based on how his numbers are against left-handers this season. Romine, a switch hitter, is thought to be a better hitter from the left side, but he is hitting .333 (17 for 51) with a .751 OPS against left-handers this season.
-- The Tigers lead the Kansas City Royals by one game in the Central Division standings with five games remaining. The Tigers are a near lock to earn at least a wild-card berth in the postseason thanks to the recent struggles of the Seattle Mariners.
-- The Tigers are 9-9 against the White Sox this season. This is the final meeting between the two teams.
-- The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees this afternoon in Detroit.