• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

White Sox ace searches for consistency against Tigers

Apr 26, 2007 - 2:47 PM Detroit (12-9) at Chi White Sox (11-9) 8:11 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Jose Contreras has been inconsistent in the first month of the season. The Cuban righthander makes his fifth start of the season when the White Sox host the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

Contreras (1-2, 6.16 ERA) was just 4-9 with a 5.40 ERA in the second half of the 2006 season.

This season, he has sandwiched a pair of solid outings between two poor starts. After allowing seven earned runs in just one inning on April 3, Contreras surrendered just one earned run over 11 combined innings over his next two outings. He yielded five runs in seven innings last Saturday and did not factor in the decision as Chicago beat the Tigers, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Detroit's Nate Robertson (2-1, 2.05) has been a model of consistency. The veteran lefthander has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his four starts this season.

He allowed four runs - two earned - last Saturday against Chicago, but did not factor in the decision.

The Tigers took the first game of the series, 6-2, on Wednesday night behind eight shutout innings by No. 5 starter Chad Durbin.