Chicago White Sox set to host the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers in homestand

Jul 31, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie (12) bobbles a ball hit by Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (not pictured) in the ninth inning at Comerica Park. Chicago won 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

How critical is this six-game homestand for the Chicago White Sox?

While the White Sox have very little change of making it to the postseason, if they have fantasies about it, no less than 5-1 in the next six games is going to cut it. On top of that, they are facing two last place teams, and don’t see either team’s ace. When a team is lucky enough to face Texas and miss Yu Darvish, they are lucky.

Outside of one pitcher (Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson 9-8, 3.98 ERA) the White Sox don’t see a starter with a winning record or even a sub-4.00 ERA. Logan Darnell-MIN (7.88), Nick Martinez-TEX (5.08), and Colby Lewis-TEX (5.98) all have ERA’s north of 5.00.

As for injuries, both these teams have a plethora of them.

There is next to nothing left in the Rangers lineup, as Prince Fielder, Jurickson Profar and Mitch Moreland are on the shelf. Meanwhile for the Twins the face of the franchise is disabled, that being Joe Mauer.

As for the Rangers pitching, it has been decimated by injuries. Key starters Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Martin Perez have been out for an extended period of time.

Minnesota would not have been a contender had Mauer stayed healthy for 100-percent of the season, but had Texas kept 75-percent of these players healthy they would have been in the race.

Here is the problem with all of this … while Chris Sale opens and closes the home stand against less than average pitchers, one would think the White Sox would win these games.

However, here is the problem … even though Jose Quintana is pitching Sunday, he has a tough mound opponent in Kyle Gibson. Gibson has only faced the White Sox once in his career, that being on Aug. 9 2013, and some key hitters for the White Sox, such as Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton were not on the roster of the White Sox at that time.

It should be interesting to watch that matchup on Sunday.

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The other games are difficult to pick, not because the White Sox are facing a tough pitcher, but due to the fact that Scott Carroll, Hector Noesi and John Danks are pitching. There is no real way to tell how any of those guys will perform, just because they are so average and up-and-down in their starts this season.

Hopefully, those three can perform well not just this series but for the rest of the season. Otherwise, get ready to watch some football.