The White Sox went into last week with a 2 game lead over Detroit. Given that the Sox were heading out for a 7-game road trip and wouldn’t have a day off, holding their lead at 1.5 or 2.5 games and getting Paul Konerko back were solid goals for the week. Let’s take a look at the A.L. Central Week in Review:

Chicago: The Sox had four games in Toronto to start their week. Jake Peavy pitched 8 strong innings in the opener, but as has become habit, the offense gave him little support. Adam Dunn hit two solo blasts, but that was all the scoring the Sox could muster in a 3-2 loss. The support wasn’t much better Tuesday, but Jose Quintana and the bullpen made it work and the Sox evened the series. Wednesday the bats finally awoke, to the tune of 9 runs. The recently reacquired Dewayne Wise, who never has to buy a beer on the South Side, hit a home run, as did Dunn and Dayan Viciedo in the 9-5 victory. In Thursday’s finale, Francisco Liriano bounced back from a rough start and the Sox tied a season-high with five homers in a 7-2 win.

The Sox were in Kansas City next. Paul Konerko returned and did it in style, hitting a home run in his second AB. Chris Sale was left in at least one batter too long, allowing a 2-run double on his last pitch. Sale allowed a season-high 13 base runners as the Sox lost. Then Jake Peavy was a little off Saturday, failing to finish the 6^th inning for the first time since May 15^th. Konerko and Dunn each homered (Dunn’s was the 400^th of his career), but the Sox also made 4 errors. The result was an ugly 9-4 loss. Quintana pitched well again Sunday, but the Sox couldn’t manage a hit until the 7^th inning. They managed to tie the game in the 8^th, but Jesse Crain gave up a series of hits, the Sox fell behind again, and like that, they were swept out of town.

Record for the week: 3-4

Player of the week: Adam Dunn – .269/.367/.769, 1.136 OPS, 7 H, 4 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI

Detroit: The Tigers week began in Minnesota. Monday’s game brought Anibal Sanchez’s third bad game in four starts since the Tigers got him from Miami. This time it was 5 runs on 12 hits over 5.1 innings in a 9-3 loss. Doug Fister helped Detroit rebound Tuesday by lasting 8 innings. He gave up 4 runs, but none of them were charged to him, as a pair of errors factored into the scoring. Meanwhile, the Tigers put up 8 runs on 13 hits, including 3 by Miguel Cabrera, as they pulled away in the later innings for a comfortable 8-3 win. In the rubber match Max Scherzer struck out 10 over 7 shutout innings. Cabrera hit his 30^th HR of the year and Delmon Young hit his 13^th, as Detroit rolled to another victory.

The Tigers returned home to host Baltimore for the weekend. In the opener, Justin Verlander wasn’t his best, going just 6 innings while allowing 3 runs, but Prince Fielder tied the game with a massive 2-run blast in the 6^th and then put Detroit ahead with another 2-run shot in the 8^th. Miguel Cabrera was on-base for each of those home runs and also hit one of his own in the 5-3 win. The bats didn’t make much noise Saturday and Detroit lost 3-2. Rick Porcello had the same 3 runs over 6 innings line as Verlander, but of course that’s a much better result from Porcello, who’s been shaky all season. Detroit shot out to a 5-0 lead Sunday, but Doug Fister was roughed up and the Tigers never scored another run, eventually dropping the game 7-5.

Record for the week: 3-3

Player of the week: Miguel Cabrera – .476/.577/.810, 1.386 OPS, 10 H, 2 HR, 7 R, 6 RBI

The Also-Rans:

Kansas City: The Royals took two of three from the A’s at home, highlighted by 7 shutout innings from Jeremy Guthrie Tuesday. It was a very low scoring series, K.C. outscored Oakland 8-5 over the three games combined. After that was a sweep of the White Sox. Billy Butler, in the midst of the best season of his career, hit his 25^th home run Friday and Guthrie took a no-hitter into the 7^th on Sunday. The sweep moved Kansas City, who has the best record in the division during August, into 3^rd place.

Record for the week: 5-1

Cleveland: The Indians had another horrid week. They beat the Angels Monday, but then lost the second and third games of that series. Ubaldo Jimenez was shelled Tuesday; his ERA stands at 5.62, worst in the American League. The Tribe traveled up the coast to Oakland for the weekend, where they were outscored 21-9 over three games, all of which they lost. Not only are the Indians 10-26 since the All-Star break, they also have the worst record in the AL going all the way back to May 1^st.

Record for the week: 1-5

Minnesota: The Twins started their week by beating the Tigers, but it was all downhill after that. They lost the next two to Detroit, with the only real bright spot being Josh Willingham 30^th home run, which made him the first Twin since 2009 to hit that many. Minnesota was off to Seattle next, where they managed to score just 6 runs the entire weekend, and were swept. The Twins have lost 9 of their last 10 and have the worst record in the American League.

Record for the week: 1-5

The short of it: The Sox had a frustrating weekend, but Konerko returned to the field and looked good doing it, and Detroit wasn’t able to capitalize on things and still sits 1.5 games back. It’s not a comfortable lead, but 1^st place is a good thing by any margin. The Sox will be happy to get home, though having the Yankees roll into town can’t be particularly comforting.

A.L. Central Standings (through Sunday, August 19th):

The Week Ahead:

Going into last week, every White Sox fan anticipated the return of Chris Sale, after his previous start was skipped due to a “dead arm.” Losing him for an extended period of time would be an awful blow to the team’s chances of making the playoffs. The Sox were looking to build on a 1.5 game lead in the division; on paper Chicago had an easier slate of games scheduled for the week than the Tigers, but since they don’t play the games on paper, let’s take a look at the A.L. Central Week in Review:

Chicago: The Sox hosted Kansas City to begin their week. On Monday Chris Sale returned and had another terrific outing. He pitched 8 innings, giving up just 2 runs, and struck out 7. A.J. Pierzynski continued his hot hitting with a pair of hits, while Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham each homered. Sale’s performance led to a massive sigh of relief on the South Side. Beckham homered again on Tuesday, but there wasn’t much other offense and Jake Peavy wasn’t quite sharp enough (he gave up 3 runs over 6.2 innings) for the team to win without more help from the offense. Jose Quintana was solid in the rubber match, but the offense was shut out until scoring a single run in the 9th and the Sox dropped the game (and the series) 2-1.

Oakland was next into town. Gavin Floyd kept the Sox in the game Friday night and four different players hit solo home runs, including the game winner by Jordan Danks in the 9^th. Francisco Liriano had his first bad start as a member of the team Saturday, giving up 6 runs and being chased during the 6^th inning. Philip Humber was strong in a long relief appearance though and the Sox battled back to take a 7-6 lead into the 8^th.  Matt Thornton coughed the lead up though, and Brett Myers, who hadn’t given up a run since joining the team, let one in during the 9^th, as the Sox fell. Chris Sale was on the mound again for Sunday’s finale and he didn’t disappoint. He went 6.2 innings, gave up just 2 runs, and struck out 11against 0 walks. The offense scored 7 runs in the win, highlighted by Pierzynski’s 23^rd home run of the year.

Record for the week: 3-3

Player of the week: Chris Sale – 2 starts, 14.2 IP, 18 K, 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

Detroit: The Tigers hosted New York for four games last week. Justin Verlander started the first of them and struck out 14 batters while going 8 strong innings. Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera each homered in a 7-2 win. Cabrera went long again Tuesday, his 29^th of the year, and while the contest was closer, the Tigers won again. Anibal Sanchez, acquired a couple weeks ago, could not keep things rolling for Detroit on Wednesday though, he was battered for 7 runs and pulled with no outs in the 4^th inning; the Tigers fell 12-8. Detroit was up 3-2 in the 8^th inning of Thursday’s finale, five outs from taking 3 of 4 in the series, but Joaquin Benoit gave up back-to-back home runs and the game got away from Detroit. They had to settle for a series split.

The Tigers traveled to Texas for the weekend to face the Rangers. Home runs from Fielder and Austin Jackson and a solid start from Max Scherzer gave Detroit a win in the opener. Verlander was his usual dominant self on Saturday, allowing just 1 run over 7 innings, striking out 8. But the Tigers managed just 5 hits and 1 run of their own all game and a 9^th inning run for Texas ended the game. The offense didn’t do much better in Sunday’s finale and Rick Porcello couldn’t keep the Rangers’ dangerous lineup at bat. A 3-4 week against the American League’s two best teams isn’t the worst result in the world, but Detroit let a couple very winnable games get away from them.

Record for the week: 3-4

Player of the week: Justin Verlander – 2 starts, 15 IP, 22 K, 0.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

The also-rans:

Cleveland: The Indians lost their first two games of the week (to Minnesota), which extended their losing streak to 11-games, tied for the second worst streak in franchise history. On Wednesday they finally won a game, led by 7 strong innings from Justin Masterson and 4 hits from Shin-Soo Choo. Boston came to town next, for 4 games. The Tribe won 2 of the first 3, but was demolished 14-1 in Sunday’s finale.

Record for the week: 3-4

Kansas City: The Royals took two out of three from the White Sox to begin their week, in a series that included 8 shutout innings from Jeremy Guthrie on Wednesday. Kansa City then traveled to Baltimore, where they split a 4-game series with the Orioles. Billy Butler had 3 hits Thursday, including a HR, he added another on Saturday, giving him 24 on the year. Alex Gordon had 3 home runs in the series as well.

Record for the week: 4-3

Minnesota: The Twins week began with a romp over the Indians. Josh Willingham hit his 29^th HR of the year and Justin Morneau added a pair of them (14 and 15). Minnesota also took the second game in Cleveland, before dropping the finale. The Twins returned to Minnesota for a series with Tampa Bay and were promptly swept. Run prevention continued to be a problem for the Twinkies, they allowed 23 of them to the Rays over the weekend.

Record for the week: 2-4

The short of it: Chris Sale was great in both of his starts for the week, and while the team must monitor his shoulder carefully the rest of the way and may choose to skip his turn once or twice more, for the most part it seems they can count on his being there the rest of the way. The White Sox are on the road for the week ahead and are without a day off. Neither opponent has been great this season, but so many consecutive games in a row can take their toll, especially away from home. The Sox must guard against letting lesser teams outplay them. If their lead over Detroit holds steady and stands at 1.5 or 2.5 games when this week ends, the Sox should be happy.

A.L. Central Standings (through Sunday, August 12th):

The Week Ahead:

The White Sox acquired Kevin Youkilis, Brett Myers, and Francisco Liriano in advance of last Tuesday’s trade deadline, and at this point, the roster isn’t likely to change much. The Sox rolled into last week having won 5 of their previous 6 games, looking to continue their strong play and hold onto their narrow lead over Detroit, who’s established itself as the only other contender in the division. Let’s take a look at the A.L. Central Week in Review:

Chicago: The White Sox began their week in Minnesota and A.J. Pierzynski’s 17^th home run of the year staked them to a 4-0 lead in the 1^st innings of Monday’s opener. Shaky pitching and defense gave that lead away though and the Sox went on to lose the game. On Tuesday Francisco Liriano made his White Sox debut and held his former team to 2 runs over 6 innings. It was 2-2 in the 9^th when Pierzynski homered again; this time the lead held up. Wednesday’s rubber match was another close contest. Jake Peavy pitched 8 strong innings, striking out 8 and giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits. The Sox bats did enough to pull out a 3-2 win.

The Sox then came home to play the Angels. On Friday, Philip Humber wasn’t sharp, but the offense kept the team in it, highlighted by home runs from Pierzynski and Alex Rios. In the 10^th inning Rios (who I’d written about earlier that day) hit his second home run of the game and the Sox had a big win. Saturday brought another poor start from the Sox rotation, this time by Gavin Floyd. There were also extra innings for the second night in a row. This time the Pale Hose drew the short end of the stick and were defeated. Liriano made his second start for the team Sunday. He lasted just 5 innings, but gave up just 1 run. The Sox were behind though, when Pierzynski came up in the 7^th and hit yet another home run, his fifth of the week (his power this season is historic). The White Sox held on to win the game and the series.

Record for the week: 5-1

Player of the week: A.J. Pierzynski – .333/.400/1.167, 1.567 OPS, 6 H, 5 HR, 6 R, 11 RBI

Detroit: The Tigers were in Boston to start their week and on Monday the offense never got on track and Max Scherzer, while he struck out 9, also gave up 5 runs in 6.1 innings, taking the loss. Tuesday’s contest saw Justin Verlander walk 4 and allow 6 hits, leading to 4 runs through 5 innings, at which time the game went to a lengthy rain delay, and was then called, with the Tigers losing. The 5 innings outing ended a streak of 63 starts in which Verlander had gone at least 6 innings, dating back to 2010. In Wednesday’s series finale, home runs from Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Delmon Young led Detroit to a 7-5 win.

The Tigers were back home for the weekend, hosting the Indians. Anibal Sanchez, acquired from Miami last week, limited Cleveland to 2 runs over 6 innings. Prince Fielder had 3 hits, including his 18^th home run of the year, and Detroit coasted to a 10-2 win. Doug Fister took a perfect game into the 6^th inning Saturday night, and a shutout into the 9^th. He then gave up one run, but still pitched a complete game in another Tigers victory. On Sunday Max Scherzer had a very Max Scherzeresque start, striking out 9, but lasting just 5 innings. The Tigers fell behind 5 times, but came back to tie the game in the 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, and 7^th innings; then in the 10^th, down 8-5, they tied it again. At that point, Cabrera came to the plate and hit his 27^th home run of the season, giving Detroit a sweep of the series.

Record for the week: 4-2

Player of the week: Prince Fielder – .421/.520/.842, 1.362 OPS, 8 H, 5 BB, 2 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI

The also-rans:

Cleveland: Ten days ago the Indians were still theoretically a contender; they had a winning record and were only 3.5 games out of 1^st place. Since then they have lost 9 games in a row and have been outscored by a combined score of 74-28. Derek Lowe was released after giving up 7 runs in less than 3 innings Monday; his offseason acquisition must be considered a bust.

Record for the week: 0-6

Kansas City: The Royals were the beneficiaries of Cleveland’s awful play, getting a sweep out of their series against the Tribe in Kansas City, the Royals’ first sweep since June. Play got a bit tougher over the weekend, when the Rangers came to town, but Kansas City was able to salvage one win from the series when they took Sunday’s finale by a score of 7-6 in ten innings.

Record for the week: 4-2

Minnesota: The Twins week began with a win over the White Sox, but they lost the other two games in that series. Minnesota had a big weekend though; they traveled to Boston and took three of four from the Red Sox, including a dramatic comeback win on Saturday, when Joe Mauer’s 3-run homer in the 9^th inning put the Twins ahead. Minnesota has won 7 of its last 10.

Record for the week: 4-3

The short of it: In what is now clearly a two-team race, the White Sox are sitting on a slim cushion. Their schedule for the upcoming week (at home against Kansas City and Oakland) sets up much better than Detroit’s does (hosting New York and traveling to Texas), so the Sox would be well served to build on their lead over the next seven days, before playing 14 of their next 20 games on the road.

A.L. Central Standings (through Sunday, August 5th):

The Week Ahead: