Baseball prediction: 2006 White Sox will settle for wild card

Detroit is unstoppable; Let’s face it, fellow Chicago White Sox fans.

The Sox have the second best record in all of baseball, in the National and American leagues. But Detroit will overtake them for the Central Division Championship this year.

That’s my prediction and I’m sticking to it.

I say this because:

(1) The Tigers are managed by Jim Leyland, and I think that fact will give them the lead in at least five crucial games down the stretch. His experience and poise under pressure will keep the team playing at a peak.

(2) Detroit’s July schedule is more favorable than the Sox’s. The Tigers are playing more games against weak teams, so I think they’ll win a game or two against their division rivals in that month alone, giving them a four-game lead through August.

(3) Detroit is Hungarian. I heard the fans at Comerica Park go wild on every pitch the other night against the Astros, and the fan support will make up the 10th player on the field for the team for the rest of the season.

(4) Detroit is handling injuries very well, bundling in Pudge Rodriguez and others as needed. The Sox have had a few on the disabled list, but manager Guillen’s skills at shuffling a lineup card may not be as sharp as Jim Leyland’s.

(5) The White Sox believe they will continue to beat Detroit, head-to-head, as they have been able to do so far this year. I don’t see that lasting, because Detroit has to find their confidence as they start to pull away in July, and whatever mystique the Sox have will have rubbed off by then.

And of course, the Wild Card championship is not a lock. The Yankees are going to be in the running. They’re managing just fine to be in second place in both the AL East and the Wild Card race, given their injuries.

If they make one or two solid trades, or get some of their staff back by August or September, they’ll be tough competition for the Sox.

Stay tuned for more predictions!