The Detroit Tigers entered the season hyped as runaway winners in the American League Central.
They had a magic number on Opening Day. It wasn’t whether the Tigers would win the division, but by how much - 10, 15, 20 games?
Would another AL Central team even finish with a winning record?
This has been all about the Tigers from Day 1. Even during their early season struggles, the assumption was that as long as they got their act together at some point, it would be enough to cruise into the postseason.
There simply wasn’t another legitimate threat in their division, not compared to the Tigers’ star power that includes Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, not over the 162-game haul.
The Tigers still might live up to those lofty expectations, especially if they can get healthy following an injury-plagued first half. They won five straight heading into the All-Star break and still seemingly have so much more to give over the second half.
Nevertheless, another team has emerged during these first 3 ½ months of the season, and it appears capable of pulling a major upset.
Nobody really thought back in spring training that the Chicago White Sox had any chance of contending, did they? After all, they had just handed the team over to Robin Ventura, a 44-year-old former White Sox player with absolutely no previous managerial or coaching experience at any level.
But here they are at the break, leading Cleveland by three games and Detroit by 3 ½.
The White Sox swept the mighty, two-time American League champion Texas Rangers just last week.
Ventura’s team is 47-38, making him the leading candidate for Manager of the Year.
A year ago, the White Sox finished 79-83, 16 games behind the Tigers.
No less than 10 rookies, including six on the pitching staff, have helped energize Chicago’s South Side. Adam Dunn (25 homers, 61 RBI) and Alex Rios (.318) are having bounce-back seasons. Chris Sale (10-2, 2.19) and Jake Peavy (7-5, 2.85) have been All-Star pitchers.
Paul Konerko (.329) remains one of the game’s elite professional hitters, and the recent acquisition of Kevin Youkilis (.347, three homers, 14 RBI in 13 games) has given the White Sox a much-needed offensive threat and big-game experience.
Maybe all these rookies will wilt under the pressure of a pennant race. Maybe Jose Quintana (4-1, 2.04) will come back to reality. Maybe Addison Reed (13-for-14 in save situations) will find out he can’t get the final three outs.
That could all happen during these final couple months. The Tigers also might have a knockout punch in them, just like they did last year when they went 46-24 after the break to pull away.
But there are many reasons to believe the White Sox aren’t going away any time soon.
Of Chicago’s final 77 games, 30 are against teams currently with losing records (15 against Kansas City, 12 against Minnesota and three against Seattle).
Detroit, meanwhile, plays 19 of its final 76 against losing teams (10 against Kansas City, nine against Minnesota).
Just beating up on the league’s three worst teams alone might be enough for the White Sox to win the division.
Cleveland also is in position to compete, but the Indians have the AL's second-worst ERA and could be ready to fade just like they did a year ago.
The White Sox, however, have the look of a club that’s serious about winning this thing.
Chicago ranks No. 5 in the AL in runs scored (22 more than Detroit in one less game), No. 6 in ERA (3.91 to Detroit’s 3.97) and No. 2 in defense (tied for fewest errors with 35 compared to Detroit’s 56).
Ventura has them playing sound fundamental baseball. There’s a good mix of veterans to go with the youth, all of which has combined to help a darkhorse team gain confidence rapidly in recent weeks.
Much will be made about Detroit’s recent surge, but don’t forget – the streak came against Minnesota and Kansas City, who are a combined 23 games below .500.
The Tigers certainly went into the break feeling better, but the wins also could have been fool’s gold.
We'll know more when the White Sox come to Comerica Park next week for a three-game series (July 20-22).
This much seems clear: If the Sox intend to hold off the Tigers, they better separate themselves before the final two weeks.
That’s when the schedule completely reverses in favor of Detroit. The Tigers play their final 13 against Minnesota and Kansas City while the White Sox finish up with the Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland and Tampa Bay.
That might make the Tigers still the favorite in some people’s opinion, but it’s not just about them anymore, is it?
