Jake Peavy (8-6, 3.75) vs.
Edwin Jackson (13-8, 3.36), 7:05 p.m. EST
During a season in which nothing has been easy, this weekend's objective has become pretty simple for the Detroit Tigers. To assure themselves of winning the AL Central, they need to win two of three from the White Sox. (Or they need to win one, while the Twins lose. Or they could end up tied and in a one-game playoff on Tuesday. Okay, maybe it's not so simple, after all.)
Hello again, Jake Peavy. Last Friday in Chicago, Peavy looked back in form, overpowering Tigers hitters with a blazing fastball and wicked slider. He pitched seven shutout innings, notching eight strikeouts (thus wasting a terrific effort by Eddie Bonine). Peavy was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday, but the White Sox pushed him back to give him extra rest. (The conspiracy-minded think Ozzie Guillen did this to screw the Tigers over, of course. OZZIE!!)
Edwin Jackson probably pitched better against on Sunday than his final numbers indicate. For five innings, he gave up only one run and two hits. But by the sixth, he tired out and left the ball up in the strike zone. As a result, the White Sox began to hit Jackson hard, and he ended up allowing five runs. He's given up that many runs in three of his six starts this September. In three outings against the White Sox this season, Jackson is 0-1 with a 4.74 ERA.
Aubrey Huff is back in the lineup at DH, after sitting out the Tigers' last two games against right-handed pitchers.