The Tigers head to Chicago this week with the postseason slipping away, but they still have a chance to make life miserable for a division rival.
Detroit, sitting at 72-80, opens a four-game set against the White Sox on Thursday, and the timing could hardly be more interesting. The Tigers have won seven of their last 10, while Chicago has dropped seven of its last 10.
The White Sox, who have spent much of the second half on top of the AL Central, are now one-half game behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place. Detroit is 5.5 games back in the division, so a playoff push would take a lot of help.
Spoiling Chicago’s run is a much more realistic target.
The pitching matchups are already taking shape for the first two games, with Detroit leaning on a mix of veterans and young arms. Thursday brings a lefty-righty opener: Framber Valdez for the Tigers against Erick Fedde for the White Sox. Valdez is 10-10 with a 4.01 ERA, while Fedde enters at 8-9 with a 3.97 ERA.
Detroit’s rotation after that gets more fluid. Andrew Sears is lined up for Friday, carrying a 0-1 record and a 5.40 ERA, while Saturday features Jackson Jobe, who is 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA.
Sunday’s Tigers starter is Troy Melton, who has been one of the team’s best options this season at 8-4 with a 2.52 ERA. Chicago has not announced its starters for the final three games, and with the White Sox coming off a 13-day stretch without a day off, some rotation reshuffling seems likely.
The Tigers’ weekend plan also says a lot about where the organization is trying to steer things. Valdez gets the first crack, Melton gets the finale, and Jobe - back from Tommy John surgery earlier this season - is part of the middle of the series as he keeps building toward 2027.
After Chicago, Detroit heads home for its final homestand. The Tigers will host the Washington Nationals from Monday-Wednesday, then the Pittsburgh Pirates from Friday-Sunday. During that stretch, there is likely to be some kind of recognition for Justin Verlander, who announced earlier this season that 2026 would be his last in the majors.
In Other News...
Tigers Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern Than One White Sox Loss
Framber Valdez gave the Tigers a chance to settle in Tuesday night, piling up strikeouts over five innings, but Detroit still left with a 3-1 loss to the White Sox in the opener of the series. Chicago jumped in front early on Munetaka Murakamis three-run homer, and even after the Tigers pushed across a run in the third, they never really got back to even.
The bigger issue for Detroit is what the loss hints at beyond a single game: an offense that could not fully capitalize on a solid outing from the mound. In a series where the Tigers needed a clean reset, they instead spent the night trying to erase an early hole, and now have to answer whether this was just a rough start or the beginning of a more familiar problem. [Read more 🡒]
Curtis Granderson Is Returning To Tigers Coverage In Chicago
The Tigers are heading into a four-game series in Chicago after a loss to the Blue Jays, and the broadcast setup for the second game should add a familiar voice to the mix. Former Detroit outfielder Curtis Granderson will join the clubs radio coverage during the third and fourth innings, giving listeners on both the Tigers and White Sox broadcasts a chance to hear from one of the more recognizable names to come through the organization.
Grandersons return to the airwaves also carries a local twist, since he was drafted by Detroit and grew up in Chicago, where his ties have remained strong off the field as well. Through the Grand Kids Foundation, he has supported youth initiatives in Illinois, so this isnt just a brief reunion with an old team. It is another reminder of how often Grandersons path continues to circle back to the cities that shaped his career. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Wild Card Push Still Has One Frustrating Problem
The Tigers six-game winning streak ended in frustrating fashion against the Blue Jays, and the reason was impossible to miss. Three straight errors helped open the door to two unearned runs, turning a competitive game into a reminder that Detroits Wild Card push still has some rough edges, even as the club stays very much in the race.
Defense has been the nagging issue around this team, and it showed up at the wrong time in a stretch when every game matters. The Tigers now head into a series against the White Sox knowing the margin for error is shrinking, and if they want to keep climbing, they will need cleaner baseball behind the pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]