After momentarily falling into a tie for first place in the AL Central with the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox have rebuilt a one-game lead in the standings. Their general manager hopes they can extend that lead by playing smarter baseball and taking better advantage of opponents' weaknesses while the players are hoping a change in facial hair distracts the team from the pressure of a pennant race and leads to more relaxed baseball on the field.
The White Sox, who have split the first two games with the last-place Minnesota Twins this week, close out that series Wednesday. They are off Thursday, then host Kansas City for a weekend series, followed by a four-game series with the Tigers beginning Sept. 10 that could help determine the eventual division champion.
Here is a look at the full AL Central standings:
| Central | W | L | PCT | GB | E# | WCGB | L10 | STRK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 73 | 62 | .541 | - | - | - | 3-7 | L1 | ||||
| Detroit Tigers |
72 | 63 | .533 | 1.0 | 27 | 4.0 | 5-5 | L2 | ||||
| Kansas City Royals |
61 | 74 | .452 | 12.0 | 16 | 15.0 | 5-5 | W1 | ||||
| Cleveland Indians |
58 | 78 | .426 | 15.5 | 12 | 18.5 | 3-7 | W2 | ||||
| Minnesota Twins |
56 | 80 | .412 | 17.5 | 10 | 20.5 | 5-5 | W1 |
Head over to South Side Sox for more White Sox coverage, and be sure to check out Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.