Pregame Notes: A less than favorable pitching matchup

Tigers starter Tarik Skubal might reach 6 WAR per Baseball Reference by the end of Saturday night, while the White Sox position players are nearing -7 WAR as a group.

WAR has a lot of limitations as a stat, but that's concerning!

"It’s going to be a tough matchup for us, but we’re excited," said Grady Sizemore. "I’m excited to watch these guys compete and give him a run for his money."

The Sox lineup lacks a player with an OPS over .700 at the moment, but Luis Robert Jr. (.698) comes the closest. Unless you count Lenyn Sosa being 1-for-2, Robert is also the only Sox hitter in the lineup with a compelling career history against Skubal, as he's 4-for-12 with a homer.

Luis has always said he greatly prefers when breaking balls are moving toward him rather than away. Don't we all, my man. Don't we all.

Andrew Benintendi's 21 encounters with Skubal are the most on the club and he's only struck out once, but he also boasts a .488 OPS, so temper those otherwise sky-high expectations. Gavin Sheets is 0-for-3 against Skubal, but it sounds like his .368/.390/.509 line in August is what Sizemore is giving the most weight right now.

"I’m finding it hard to take him out of the lineup. We’ve got a tough lefty tonight, but I want his bat in there," said Sizemore.

Another factor could be that Sizemore is the interim manager of a historically light-hitting team that has 98 losses with a week left in August, and simply has few compelling options. The comment section is open for your theories and observations, as always.

As the headliner of the biggest trade the White Sox pulled off at the deadline, Miguel Vargas is a very compelling option for the team to hand at-bats to in the long-term. As the owner of an .093/.219/.167 batting line in a White Sox uniform while the team tries to avoid setting a new all-time record for losses in a season, Vargas has seemed like someone who could use a day.

Sizemore downplayed that Vargas has sat the last two games, with an off day in between, in response to his struggles, and assures that he'll play heavily against a series a left-handed opposing starters expected through this homestand. Vargas' swing decisions continue to suggest someone who could break out if he starts hitting all the fastballs in the zone that his approach is cajoling, but it has yet to happen in his first month on the South Side.

"He’s not chasing a lot, he puts the ball in play," Sizemore said. "Sometimes it just takes a game or two to get your timing down and maybe just get some hits to take some of the pressure off. We’ve seen that with some of our other guys. When you’re coming into an organization, you want to impress people and you want to just go off. When that doesn’t happen right away sometimes you put a little bit more pressure on yourself."

Ky Bush's six innings of one-run ball last Sunday in Houston was his best start in the majors, but it certainly wasn't his best velocity day, as he was under 92 mph on average for his fastball. Bush was getting into the 95-96 mph velocity band in spring training after an offseason spent focusing on riding on his back leg longer in his delivery, and in his first prolonged opportunity to work with Ethan Katz, that's what they've been focusing on restoring.

"I think it's something that not just this year, but the rest of my career it could really help a ton," said Bush, who feels his delivery is also more repeatable when he has a sturdier base to drive from. "Along with the velo, I think command of it will be more crucial. When you're in sync it's a lot easier."

First pitch: White Sox vs. Tigers

TV: NBCSCH

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