Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease has flustered the Detroit Tigers throughout his career.
Cease will look to continue that dominance on Sunday as the White Sox (76-76) aim to avert their second straight sweep in the series finale against the visiting Tigers (59-92).
The 26-year-old boasts a sterling 10-1 record with a 1.87 ERA in 12 career starts against Detroit.
Cease (14-7, 2.13 ERA) answered two straight wins early this month with a loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 14 and a no-decision against the Cleveland Guardians six days later.
The game against the Guardians marked the beginning of Chicago’s current losing streak, which extended to five games on Saturday with a 7-2 setback to the Tigers.
With Chicago’s losses mounting, the team elected to put Luis Robert on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist before Saturday’s game. Effectively, he has been shut down for the season.
“Given the fact the discomfort seems to be persisting — I think you’ve all seen it as various at-bats and games have gone on,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “And the way games have played out over the past week, we feel it’s better just to shut him down at this point and get him completely healthy, which is expected to occur with the passage of time.”
The White Sox also announced Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa won’t return to the dugout this season. He had been out since Aug. 28 with a heart ailment.
“I learned so much, I’ve been learning so much. I’m still learning because every day you learn something else,” acting manager Miguel Cairo said of La Russa’s impact on him.
“I always double check with him. What he would do different in that situation, and he’s very straightforward to me. Sometimes, OK, I didn’t think about that. It’s a learning experience that I’m enjoying.”
Cairo likely didn’t enjoy seeing Javier Baez celebrate his three-run homer in the seventh inning on Saturday by taunting the fans as he rounded the bases.
“They love-hate him,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said of Baez, who spent parts of his first eight seasons in Chicago with the Cubs. “Obviously they boo him, and then they run down to the dugout and try to get a picture with him. I’m not buying all the boos. They love Javy here in Chicago.”
Harold Castro also went deep to join Riley Greene and Baez with three hits for the Tigers, who have won four of their last five games.
Detroit left-hander Tyler Alexander (4-10, 4.91) will start on Sunday.
Alexander, 28, posted his first win in nearly one month on Monday after carrying a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. He ultimately permitted two hits over a career-high-tying seven innings in an 11-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
“I had fastball command for the first time in a while, which was good. It opened up a lot of the plate,” Alexander said.
Alexander has struggled mightily in his career vs. the White Sox, posting a 1-5 record with a 4.70 ERA in 17 career appearances (eight starts).
–Field Level Media
