This is the series the Detroit Tigers needed to reach with a chance.
Detroit opens a four-game set against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night at Rate Field. The Tigers enter five games behind Chicago for the final American League wild-card position with only 10 games remaining.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET on Detroit SportsNet.
Four games against the team Detroit is chasing
The Tigers enter the series at 72-80, while Chicago sits at 77-75. Every game during this series creates a direct change in the standings.
A Detroit sweep would reduce the gap to one game. Three wins would produce a two-game swing and leave the Tigers three games behind Chicago with six remaining.
A split would leave Detroit in the same position with fewer games available. Losing the series would nearly close the door on Detroit’s postseason hopes.
The Tigers arrive in Chicago after winning six of their past seven games. Their six-game winning streak ended Wednesday with a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, but Detroit still won the three-game series.
Chicago has lost seven of its past nine games. The White Sox also fell one-half game behind Cleveland in the American League Central following Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Guardians.
Both teams understand the stakes. Chicago is fighting for the division and a wild-card spot. Detroit is trying to keep its season alive.
Framber Valdez gets the first opportunity
Framber Valdez will start the series opener for Detroit. The left-hander owns a 10-10 record, a 4.01 ERA and 121 strikeouts across 163⅔ innings.
Valdez has not allowed an earned run over his past 13 innings. He held Colorado to one unearned run across six innings during a 6-2 Detroit victory in his previous start.
His recent command arrives at an important time. Detroit plays four games in four days, making length from Valdez valuable for a bullpen facing a heavy weekend workload.
Valdez faced the White Sox in May and allowed four runs over 6⅔ innings. Chicago’s offense has changed since then, but Miguel Vargas remains its leading power threat with 31 home runs and 84 RBIs.
Detroit gets another look at Erick Fedde
Chicago will start Erick Fedde, who enters with an 8-9 record, a 3.97 ERA and 91 strikeouts.
Fedde has faced Detroit twice this season, allowing four runs over 8⅔ innings. His previous start ended with two runs allowed across 5⅓ innings in a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
The Tigers need to make Fedde work early. Long at-bats, traffic on the bases and production with runners in scoring position would force Chicago to reach its bullpen before the late innings.
Detroit scored only once Wednesday after producing 16 runs over the first two games in Toronto. The offense needs another response from a lineup led by Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson.
Dingler leads Detroit with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. Greene enters Thursday batting .284 with a .371 on-base percentage. Torkelson powered Tuesday’s win with a three-run home run and a double.
Detroit needs a cleaner defensive game
Three Tigers errors contributed to Wednesday’s loss in Toronto. Detroit gave the Blue Jays extra opportunities and failed to produce enough offense to recover.
The margin for error is now smaller. Detroit needs clean defense behind Valdez, sustained pressure against Fedde and better execution with runners in scoring position.
Winning the opener would reduce the wild-card gap to four games and place immediate pressure on Chicago. A loss would increase the deficit to six with nine remaining.
How to watch Tigers vs. White Sox
Matchup: Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026
First pitch: 7:40 p.m. ET
Venue: Rate Field, Chicago
Television: Detroit SportsNet
Streaming: MLB.TV, subject to local availability
Radio: Tigers Radio Network
Probable pitchers: Framber Valdez vs. Erick Fedde
The four-game series runs through Sunday. Detroit has spent the past week pulling itself back into the postseason conversation. Now the Tigers need to take advantage of four games against the team directly ahead of them.