First pitch is 1:10 PM CT at Rate Field, and Detroit hands the ball to its $115 million offseason splash, Framber Valdez, hoping he can stop the bleeding after Friday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to open the series. Anthony Kay, the lefty the Sox plucked back from Japan on a 2-year deal, gets the counter.
Valdez is 2-3 with a 4.28 ERA — not exactly what 3 years and $115 million was supposed to look like — but his last time out he was sharp, going 6 innings of 1-run ball against the Orioles with just 2 hits allowed. Kay, meanwhile, has been a quiet steal at 4-1, 3.96, coming off 6 innings of 1-run, 5-strikeout work against Minnesota in his last start.
The bigger story here is what Chicago might be missing in the lineup. Munetaka Murakami, the Japanese import who entered Friday tied for the AL lead with 20 homers, exited that game in the 3rd with right hamstring tightness. Manager Will Venable already floated "a couple weeks" as a realistic timeline pending imaging. Losing the middle of your order before a Saturday matinee against a $115M lefty is, to put it gently, not ideal.
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell RP — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — Torres (oblique) will travel to Triple-A Toledo on Friday to begin a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter RF — Carpenter (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Baez is scheduled to meet with a specialist in the near future for further evaluation on his sprained right ankle, which hasn't healed as quickly as the team hoped, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCasey Mize SP — Mize (groin) played catch Thursday and is still waiting on the results of his MRI, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILKenley Jansen RP — Jansen is awaiting results of an MRI on his right groin, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal SP — Skubal (elbow) will throw another simulated game Monday at Tropicana Field, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTy Madden SP — Madden (forearm) covered 4.1 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out three batters Monday in a rehab start with Triple-A Toledo.
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Hays (calf) will play in at least two more rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte before he is evaluated for a potential return, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira RF — Pereira (pectoral) resumed throwing Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Leasure RP — Leasure (forearm) said Friday that he will be shut down from throwing for four weeks, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILNoah Schultz SP — Schultz (2-4) took the loss against the Giants on Sunday, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one batter across four innings.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks RP — Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right lat strain.
- 60-Day-ILKyle Teel C — Teel (knee) will begin a running program Saturday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILKy Bush SP — Bush (elbow) had a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is unlikely to return until the second half of the season, MLB.com reports.
The injury context cuts both ways. Detroit is missing Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Kenley Jansen, Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows — basically every name a Tigers fan wants to see on the lineup card. A 22-36 record with that med-bay isn't shocking, it's almost expected. The White Sox climbing over .500 in spite of their own bullpen carnage is the more impressive line item.
Pinnacle has Detroit at -122 with the Sox at +111, and the market is treating this like a coin flip with a slight lean to the visitors based on Valdez's name on the marquee. Given Chicago's last 5 games (4 wins, including a 15-2 demolition of the Twins on Wednesday and the walk-off opener Friday), getting a plus-money price on the home team feels like a fair number, maybe even a touch generous to Detroit. Total sits at 7.5 on Pinnacle, 8.5 at DraftKings — two starters who pound the zone and an early afternoon start usually plays to the under side.