Zoom out and the stakes explain the interest here. Chicago's sitting in first place in the AL Central, a season nobody outside the South Side saw coming. Texas is stuck in the wild-card scrum, still chasing Houston in the West. Both teams have three games against other opponents first — the Rangers host the Angels, the White Sox host the Mets — so whatever shape each roster is in by Monday, August 24 could look different than it does right now.
As of today, Texas has won its last game and gone 3-2 over its last 5, splitting its two games with Oakland and taking 2 of the first 3 from Washington — a stretch that included a 6-0 shutout loss to the Nationals sandwiched between two wins. Chicago's been choppier, dropping its last game and going 2-3 over its last 5: they beat Detroit, took 1 of 3 in a chippy Crosstown set with the Cubs, then dropped the opener to Atlanta. A first-place team playing .400 ball over its last 5 is exactly the kind of thing worth watching for the next three days.
Both bullpens have taken hits too — Texas is down relievers Jose Corniell and Jalen Beeks for the year, and Chicago's missing Jordan Leasure and Prelander Berroa, though both are back to throwing. None of that changes the top line: a first-place club with a shaky rotation hosting a wild-card hopeful that can't stay healthy at the top of its own staff. The next 3 days for each team will go a long way toward deciding who's actually favored when this one gets underway at 6:40 PM CT.