Chicago White Sox: 3 Keys to Hold off the Tigers and Take the Central

The magic number for the Chicago White Sox stands at 13 following their one-run victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Riding a five-game winning streak, the White Sox appear to be both confident and capable as they prepare to finish something most never thought possible when the season began.

If the White Sox were to win eight more games, the Detroit Tigers would be forced to play .800 baseball and go 12-3 in order to take the AL Central. That is a tall order, indeed.

Finishing off the pesky Royals, along with series at the Los Angeles Angles and versus the Tampa Bay Rays appear to be the more challenging tests they will face during the stretch run. As it stands, the White Sox will need to end the season strong in order to extend their run into the second week of October.

Now, there are a myriad of reasons for White Sox manager Robin Ventura to be excited about the chances his team will do just that, but three stand out.

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3. Gordon Beckham

The White Sox finally have a complete lineup thanks to the recent offensive production of their sure-handed second baseman. Typified by his game-tying home run Tuesday against the Royals, Gordon Beckham has been monstrous at the plate lately.

Over the last 17 games in which he has had a plate appearance, Beckham is batting .333 with four homers while driving in 14 runs. It is production like that from the No. 9 hitter that will allow a home run heavy offense to withstand the pressures associated with a run for the division crown.

Who would have thought early in the season that Beckham’s bat would be as important as it is proving to be this late in the year?

2. Gavin Floyd

The return of Gavin Floyd from the disabled list has marked a turning point for the starting rotation. He returned to face the Tigers and held them in check for the first three innings before being pulled and then needed only 79 pitches Tuesday night over the course of seven innings to hold the Royals to two runs. 

His return also settled the uncertainty surrounding the starting rotation which had become scattered as the coaching staff tried to manage the innings count of two youngsters while shuffling fifth starters in and out. 

The Sox announced that Floyd will square off with Jared Weaver on Sunday in the series finale with the Angles. That means that he should have three more starts this year, including the final game of the season against the Cleveland Indians, which bodes very well for the team’s playoff chances.

1. Bullpen Pitching

Nothing against quality starts and the long ball, but the Sox are only going to go as far as their bullpen can take them. Matt Thornton, Brett Myers, Donnie Veal and Nate Jones have been tremendous over the last two weeks and look to carry that momentum moving forward.

Thornton and Veal, in particular, have stood out because of their recent effectiveness. 

Thornton has not been scored upon in his last eight outings and earned his third save of the season against the Minnesota Twins last Saturday after bailing out Addison Reed. His 25 holds lead the team and it appears that his control has returned.

Veal cannot be touched by left-handed hitters, having retired all 24 he has faced this year. He absolutely owned Prince Fielder last week and uses his breaking ball as an effective compliment to his plus fastball. 

With two lock-down left-handers for the eighth and ninth innings the bullpen is, in all honesty, the key to finishing the season as American League Central Champions.