We’ve been told all season long that the White Sox have an easy second-half schedule (they do) and will play better against lesser competition.
But we can’t get ahead of ourselves. The White Sox have played all season as if the division was handed to them in March, so we won’t make the same mistake here.
The following is an attempt to examine how the schedule will likely play out, updated as each series finishes up, every few days.
I have tried to be evenhanded with these series matchups. The logic of Chicago getting swept in San Diego is that it’s a long second leg of a trip, after a demoralizing series loss in Minnesota, with the bolstered Padres fighting to host a playoff series.