White Sox Have Golden Opportunity to Regain Ground in AL Playoff Race

Every game matters for the Chicago White Sox moving forward. Every day provides an opportunity for a potential swing in the standings, either to the White Sox's benefit or detriment.

Tuesday night brought one of the rough ones. The White Sox were throttled by the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-3, while both the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros won their respective games. The results narrowed Chicago's lead in the AL Central to just 2.0 games over Cleveland while moving Houston within 1.5 games of the White Sox for the No. 2 seed in the American League.

Getting that first-round bye is almost as important as winning the division. Even if the White Sox become AL Central champions, failing to outpace Houston over the remainder of the season would send them to the AL Wild Card Series rather than punching their ticket directly to the ALDS.

Bypassing an entire round of the playoffs has obvious benefits, but the break between the regular season and the ALDS would also give the White Sox an opportunity to reset their pitching staff and enter October with fresh arms.

With that in mind, every day from here on out will include not only scoreboard watching Cleveland but also keeping one eye on Houston. Even though Tuesday produced a swing in the wrong direction for the White Sox, the next two days provide them with a golden opportunity.

The Guardians have one more game in Baltimore on Wednesday before an off day Thursday. That means Thursday night's game against Pittsburgh represents a free opportunity for the White Sox to gain ground on Cleveland.

The Astros handled the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, but they'll be matched up against Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler over the next two days. Sánchez, in particular, is a top contender for the NL Cy Young Award with a 16-5 record and a 2.58 ERA this season.

Hopefully, facing two of Philadelphia's best arms creates a small hiccup for the Astros and opens the door for the White Sox, who could very well bounce back against the Pirates.

As mentioned, every game matters. Every bit of cushion could make the difference. It increasingly feels like the AL playoff race will come down to the wire. If the White Sox are going to finish the job and close the deal, they'll need to gain ground when the pitching matchups are in their favor.

The White Sox will send Davis Martin to the mound Wednesday night, looking to build on the success of his last start, when he delivered 5.2 scoreless innings. Chicago's rotation doesn't have many answers right now, especially after Sean Burke surrendered eight hits and seven earned runs over just 1.1 innings Tuesday.

The White Sox need Martin now more than ever.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Central Time, while both Houston and Cleveland will begin an hour earlier.