Gut Check Time for the White Sox

Well, here we go.

Past the halfway point in the baseball season, the White Sox have come upon what I think is their first real, make-or-break, gut check.

Fresh off of a lame series in New York where they dropped three in a row after the All-Star break, the White Sox now square up in a three game set against the don't-call-us-Tiggers-anymore Detroit Tigers starting Tuesday night.

The Sox are 4.5 games behind Detroit, and have lost six of their last 10.

Yes, there will be ups and downs in any season. But things need to start moving up -- and in a hurry.

The Detroit Tigers come into the series having won six of their last 10. They bring with them the best record in baseball and the best team ERA in the league at 3.54.

Simply put, the White Sox have to perform -- now. You cannot afford to keep falling further and further back behind the Tigers and hope they implode (as some continue to argue they will).

The White Sox also shouldn't count on the Wild Card playoff spot either. After a Bronx beating the Sox have watched their Wild Card lead over the Bombers drop from 5.5 games to 2.5 games. And with a stacked, financed and competitive AL East you can't assume the Wild Card gap will simply expand in good time.

It is up against this background that the Sox will try to take care of their own business (and in turn take care of the Tigers' too), and they'll be doing 2/3 of it with the back end of their rotation. White Sox.com's pitching probables lays out the following matchups:

Tuesday, July 18
Comerica Park | 6:05 PM CT
CWS Jon Garland, RHP (8-3, 5.37) @ DET Nate Robertson, LHP (8-5, 3.36)

Wednesday, July 19
Comerica Park | 6:05 PM CT
CWS Javier Vazquez, RHP (9-4, 5.07) @ DET Jeremy Bonderman, RHP (9-4, 3.59)

Thursday, July 20
Comerica Park | 12:05 PM CT
CWS Jose Contreras, RHP (9-1, 3.48) @ DET Kenny Rogers, LHP (11-3, 4.10)

Buzz around Garland is that he is getting it turned around, Vazquez has pitched well enough to earn him trade rumors, and Contreras is legit.

I'm not pushing the panic button, but I am saying that this series has the markings of something to be included in a Michael Clarke Duncan highlight voiceover, or determine if the 2006 White Sox team will be remembered as simply the team that was good as paper, but lacking the 2005 magic. Let's hope it is the first one.

As Ozzie says, "No luck, just runs."