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Amid trade rumors Danks gets the call in rubber match with Tigers

Jul 31, 2014 - 1:23 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - John Danks is scheduled to take the hill for the Chicago White Sox on Thursday when they play the rubber match of their three-game series with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Whether or not Danks actually makes that start, though, is another question, as some rumors have him being moved before Thursday's non-waiver deadline.

"I don't get caught up in any of that, I really don't," said Danks, who has spent his entire eight-year career with Chicago. "I have no control over that.

Danks won his third straight decision on Friday in Minnesota, but wasn't particularly sharp, as he allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings to run his record to 9-6 to go along with a 4.40 ERA.

The 29-year-old left-hander may be 3-0 in his last four road starts, but has given up 11 runs in 11 1/3 innings of his last two overall starts. He had been pounded to the tune of seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in his previous outing.

"It's certainly a humbling game," Danks said. "There was a day when I felt like if I didn't get to certain plateaus, it would be a bad season, and now I'm excited to get back to where I think I was."

Danks has beaten the Tigers twice already this season, but is just 6-10 lifetime against them with a 5.03 ERA in 21 starts.

Getting the call for the Tigers on Thursday will be lefty Drew Smyly, who is 6-9 with a 3.77 ERA. Smyly had a modest two-start winning streak stopped on Friday in Anaheim, despite a solid showing that saw him give up two runs in 5 2/3 innings. He did fan 11 in the loss, though.

"The arm speed definitely helps with the sharpness of my offspeed pitches," Smyly said. "My fastball livens everything up. That makes it harder on the hitter. You've still got to make your right pitches and locate. When you have both of those, you've got a good recipe for success."

Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday, as Nick Castellanos homered and had four RBI in a 7-2 win.

Max Scherzer (13-3) yielded five hits and a run over seven innings to win his fifth consecutive decision over a seven-start span. He hasn't lost since June 17 against Kansas City. Scherzer, the first AL pitcher to reach 13 victories this season, has won nine of his last 10 decisions against the White Sox, dating back to Sept. 1, 2012.

"The way I'm using my off-speed pitches, they're all crisp. They're moving the way I want them to," Scherzer said. "I'm throwing the ball as well as I ever have."

Hector Noesi (5-8), who won his previous two starts, was charged with 10 hits and six runs over six frames.

"They just got after him in the first inning," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He got the first out, but after that he was just getting up in the zone. They were hitting them where we weren't."

Adam Dunn homered in the ninth inning off Al Alburquerque, but the White Sox fell eight games behind the AL Central-leading Tigers.

Detroit has won six of its 11 matchups this season.