THE STORY: The Detroit Tigers control their own fate over the next 12 days, with the chance to put the American League Central Division out of reach. One game into that crucial stretch and the Tigers are off to a good start. Justin Verlander dominated the series opener against the Chicago White Sox on Friday to push the White Sox further back in the standings. If the Tigers could start Verlander every game, their fans would have a lot less to worry about. As it stands now, the White Sox are the ones who can feel confident in the matchups for the rest of the series. Detroit will try to coax a quality start out of Brad Penny when they host Chicago again Saturday.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Fox
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Brad Penny (9-10, 5.07 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Gavin Floyd (12-10, 4.36).Penny is looking like the weak link in Detroit�??s five-man rotation and the likely candidate to get bumped should the team make the playoffs. The veteran righthander is coming off one of his worst outings of the season, when he allowed seven runs in five innings to the light-hitting Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Penny beat Chicago with 6 2/3 solid innings July 17 and owns a 3-0 mark with a 2.89 ERA in three career starts against the division rivals. Floyd has been dominant over his last two outings, allowing a total of two runs and eight hits in 14 1/3 innings while striking out 12 and issuing a single walk. The veteran righthander has earned the win in six of his last seven decisions, including a start at Detroit on July 15 in which he surrendered one earned run in 7 2/3 innings. Floyd is 6-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 15 career starts against Detroit.
ABOUT THE TIGERS (76-62): Armed with a 5½-game lead over the Cleveland Indians and a 6½-game edge over the White Sox, Detroit is looking strong. However, loses in three of five entering the current series highlighted the biggest flaw in the team - starting pitching behind Verlander. Doug Fister has been strong since a mid-season trade, but Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Penny have each battled inconsistency all season. A strong lineup can make up for that against the likes of Minnesota and Kansas City, but eight of the Tigers�?? next 11 games are against Chicago and Cleveland, which will test the staff for the stretch run. Verlander yielded one run in 7 1/3 innings Friday to cruise to his major league-leading 21st win.
ABOUT THE WHITE SOX (68-67): If Chicago plans to make a move, now would be the time to get that started. The White Sox get Detroit for two more and have eight remaining against the Indians. Other than those two teams, Chicago will not face another playoff contender for the rest of the season. Rookie Tyler Flowers managed a solo homer off Verlander for the White Sox�??s only damage in an 8-1 setback Friday. The big worry coming out of the loss was the performance of John Danks, who was knocked around for eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. Any scenario that sees Chicago making a run in the last four weeks begins with strong starting pitching.
FINAL PITCH: Detroit center fielder and leadoff hitter Austin Jackson has been struggling through a lackluster sophomore campaign but appears to be turning the corner. The 24-year-old boosted his average to .254 with a 3-for-5 night Friday, the highest it has been since June 15. Jackson is 12-for-24 (.500) with two homers and eight runs scored in the last five games.
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