MINNEAPOLIS — Head-to-head division matchups in the upcoming weeks will go a long way in determining which team comes out on top in the American League Central.
“They’re very important, they’re going to decide it all,” Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable said Friday afternoon. “Obviously it’s what it’s all about, being able to take care of your own division.”
The first-place Sox began a three-game series Friday against the third-place Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Sox entered the day leading the division by 2½ games over the second-place Cleveland Guardians. The Twins were 6½ games back.
Starter Davis Martin said the veterans who have been in past playoff pushes have been helpful.
“They understand the importance of just taking care of your day-to-day, look up and you’ll be exactly where you want to be,” Martin said Friday. “So, that’s been just a hyperfixation for us. Just have fun, continue to be us. You see us play every night, we’re having fun, we’re enjoying each other, just trying to win a game at a time.”
Here’s a closer look at the remaining meetings between the contenders.
White Sox (70-63 entering Friday)
The Sox came into Friday with a 4-3 edge over the Twins in the season series, outscoring Minnesota 45-25.
The Sox won three of four against the Twins from May 25-28 at Rate Field, with the only loss coming in extra innings — 5-3 on May 26. The Sox rebounded the next day with a 15-2 victory that featured a Chase Meidroth grand slam.
Meidroth has performed very well in his first seven games this season against the Twins, going 10-for-29 (.345) with two doubles, one home run and seven RBIs.
The Sox dropped two of three against the Twins at Target Field on June 1-3, winning the finale 8-0 with starter Erick Fedde allowing two hits in five scoreless innings. He is Saturday’s scheduled starter.
The Sox and Twins meet five more times after Friday, with two this weekend and then a three-game series Sept. 4-6 at Rate Field.
The Sox have just three games remaining with the Guardians, Sept. 14-16 at Progressive Field. The Sox hold a 6-4 series edge, with eight of the games being decided by one or two runs.
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The series against the Guardians begins a stretch of 10 straight against division opponents. The Sox go home for a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers (Sept. 17-20) and then travel to Kansas City, Mo. (Sept. 22-24).
The Sox are 6-3 against the Tigers, who entered Friday in fourth place, eight games back. They created some distance between the teams with a three-game sweep Aug. 14-16 at Comerica Park.
The Royals are in last place in the AL Central but have won 10 of their last 11 games. The Sox are 7-3 against the Royals.
Overall, the Sox are 23-13 against the AL Central. That’s a big reason for the team’s turnaround after going 18-34 in division games last season. Including Friday, 16 of the remaining 29 games on the schedule are against AL Central teams.
“Every one of these clubs in our division are really good,” Venable said. “Even the Royals, who maybe their record overall isn’t reflecting it. They’re playing really, really good baseball. So really, every team in our division is a tough customer right now.
“We know that to get there at the end, you’re going to have to handle business. Our players understand that, too, without making any one game or any one series just overshadowing the next. They understand the importance of each one of these games. And really, division or not, all these counts.”
Guardians (68-66)
The Guardians came into Friday with a seven-game winning streak, matching their season high.
They jumped back into division play this weekend with three games against the Royals. The Guardians are 19-17 against opposing AL Central teams, including 4-3 against the Royals. The teams also wrap up the regular season Sept. 25-27 at Kauffman Stadium.
The Guardians have four games remaining against the Tigers (Sept. 4-6 at Progressive Field). That series begins with a split doubleheader. The Guardians have won seven of nine in the season series but did drop two of three in the most recent meeting Aug. 11-13 at Comerica Park.
The Guardians travel to Minnesota (Sept. 11-13) before the big three-game series against the Sox at Progressive Field.
Twins (64-70)
The Twins will see plenty of the AL Central over the next couple of weeks.
After playing the Sox, the Twins host the Tigers (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), then travel to the Sox and Detroit (Sept. 7-9). They have their final division games of the season Sept. 11-13 against the Guardians at Target Field.
Despite being outscored 47-41, the Twins are 6-4 against the Guardians. It’s similar against the Tigers. The Twins have been outscored 37-32 but lead the season series 5-2.
The Twins are 19-18 against the AL Central.
If the Tigers (62-71) are going to get back in the race, they need to do much better than what they have to date against the AL Central (13-25). They have 14 division games remaining, all against the Twins (six), Guardians (four) and Sox (four).
Roster moves
Before Friday’s series opener against the Twins, the Sox reinstated designated hitter/outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the bereavement/family medical emergency list, placed pitcher Tyler Schweitzer on the paternity leave list and recalled pitcher Tyler Gilbert from Triple-A Charlotte.