White Sox vs Tigers Preview: Young Arms Rise on Sunday

The Chicago White Sox roll into Detroit with some bruises. They've lost their last two games, and their record sits at 39-36. But here's the thing—they were 5-5 in their last ten games before this road trip. That means they know how to bounce back. Their pitching staff is young but hungry. Davis Martin takes the mound for Chicago. He's been up and down this season with a 7.66 ERA. The White Sox need Martin to keep Detroit's bats quiet. Chicago is without some key players—Munetaka Murakami is out with a hamstring injury. But Everson Pereira just came back from a pectoral strain. Fresh legs might be exactly what they need to turn this around.

The Detroit Tigers just won their last two games. They're at 32-44 overall, but they've been playing better at home. Here's the problem—Justin Verlander was supposed to make his big return today after three months out with a hip injury. But he got hurt again. A hamstring gave out during a bullpen session. That's tough luck for a future Hall of Famer. Now Keider Montero gets the start instead. The Tigers are missing pieces everywhere—Gleyber Torres, Parker Meadows, and Javier Baez are all sidelined. But Detroit has the strongest pitching staff in baseball when everyone is healthy. That's their championship hope. For today though, they'll lean on Montero to keep the White Sox quiet and let their bats do damage.

Let's look at what happened in the first two games of this series. Chicago won one game 3-4 on June 19. Detroit came back and won 1-4 on June 20. Both teams can hit. Both teams can pitch. Now they're tied up, and Sunday's game in Detroit could swing the momentum either way. The White Sox are building for the future with young arms like Sean Burke and Anthony Kay. The Tigers are chasing a World Series with Hall of Famers like Kenley Jansen in the bullpen. This matchup is more than just two teams fighting for wins. It's about who stays hungry when things get tough.