Chicago White Sox: Why South Side Sluggers Will Stay Atop the AL Central

As of Monday afternoon, the Chicago White Sox sit at 42-37 and hold a 1.5-game lead on the Cleveland Indians for the top spot of the AL Central. They have won six of their last 10 games, but finished the month of June with a record of 13-14.

The race for the divisional title has been a three way race between the Sox, Indians and Detroit Tigers, but here are some reasons why Chicago will stay atop the AL Central:

Adam Dunn

Many people thought that Miguel Cabrera would be by far the biggest power hitter in this division at the beginning of the year, but Adam Dunn has redefined the phrase "chicks dig the long ball" by basically homering or striking out at every plate appearance.

Although Cabrera has been more efficient at the plate, and Dunn currently has an abysmal .210 batting average, his 24 home runs and 58 runs batted in have been crucial to adding sufficient power to the three spot on the Sox lineup.

Another surprise of his stat line is that even though he has struck out 27 more times than anyone else in the major leagues, he has still managed to get on base a respectable 35.9 percent of the time, which is quite respectable with only a .210 average.

Ability to Win on the Road

One of the big things the White Sox are going to have to do in order to stay atop the division is to continue to win away from home. Their 23 wins away from U.S. Cellular Field are tied for the most road victories in the entire American League.

The antithesis here is that if they want to run away with the division, they have to find a way to win at home. They have six games left before the all-star break, which consist of two three-game series  against the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.

All six games are at home, and if the White Sox can find a way to win four of the six they should stride into the all-star game with a comfortable lead in the division.

Chris Sale

Perhaps the surprise of this year's team is the rise of Chris Sale. He currently sits with a 9-2 record and has been dominant during the entire first half of the season.

With the exception of the five runs he gave up to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 15th, he has only given up nine runs in his last nine starts. His most impressive outing was back on May 28th, when he struck out 15 against Tampa Bay Rays, while only giving up three hits in 7 1/3 innings on his way to a victory.

Sale and Jake Peavy are the only starting pitchers that have been impressive throughout the first half of the season, and they will both need to continue their production in order to make sure they stay atop the division.

I don't see this being a problem and hopefully some of the younger guys in the bullpen will feed off of the energy that Chris Sale has brought to the mound this year.

The Struggling Detroit Tigers

Not many people expected the Cleveland Indians to only be 1.5 games back of the division with just six games left before the all-star break, but that is the reality.

Many people expected the Detroit Tigers to run away with this division after the huge offseason signing of Prince Fielder, but the Tigers have yet to find a pace this season. They have struggled to maintain a record above .500 and currently sit in third place in the AL Central with a record of 39-40.

One of the main reasons why the South Side Sluggers will stay atop the AL Central is the fact that the Tigers, who are more than likely the more talented team on paper, have failed to translate it to the field, and have opened the door for Chicago to succeed.