Tigers-White Sox make-up game crucial in stretch run - USA TODAY

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Gary A. Vasquez, US PRESSWIRE

Prince Fielder and the Tigers are looking up at the White Sox in the AL Central.

Gary A. Vasquez, US PRESSWIRE

Prince Fielder and the Tigers are looking up at the White Sox in the AL Central.

CLEVELAND -- The Detroit Tigers' clubhouse was dead silent Sunday evening after a sloppy, depressing, dejecting, demoralizing, painful loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Closer Jose Valverde put on a suit and buttoned his shirt, and tied his tie, and slipped on his vest, then faced the media.

Pitching for the third straight game -- he swears his arm felt great and his velocity was up -- Valverde blew a save as the Indians got a dramatic, 7-6 come-from-behind victory.

"I feel good," Valverde said. "Sometimes, you have to give credit to the hitter, too."

And that was it.

The Tigers packed their bags and jumped on a plane and headed for Chicago for a showdown today against the White Sox.

One game.

Winner take, well, one game.

But that one game is crucial for the Tigers.

Because they are now two games behind the White Sox in the American League Central.

And if they fall three back, well, that might be too much to overcome.

One for the books

If the Tigers fail to catch the White Sox.

If they fail to make the playoffs.

If they break the hearts of countless fans.

If they miss the playoffs by one game -- why does that seem inevitable at this point?

It might come down to Sunday in Cleveland.

It was the day Alex Avila collided with Prince Fielder as they tried to catch a foul ball.

Quick note: Never, ever run face-first into Fielder's elbow; it's just not good for your dentures. As a general rule, a face always loses to an elbow.

Avila suffered a sprained jaw.

"It looked like a knockout punch," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

It was the day Leyland was ejected for arguing the second of three close calls at first base. "I thought all three guys were out, or I wouldn't have been out there," Leyland said. "They were unbelievable, bang-bang plays. ... Emotions run high this time of year."

It was the day Drew Smyly pitched fantastic in relief.

It was a day the Tigers played sloppy and botched several plays.

It was the day the Tigers wasted a dramatic seventh-inning home run by Miguel Cabrera. As several thousand Tigers fans chanted, "MVP! MVP!" Cabrera looked like one as he blasted a 402-foot home run to give the Tigers a 6-5 lead.

And everything seemed perfect, everything seemed magical, until that disastrous ninth inning.

"We were asking a lot of Valverde today, but he threw the ball well," Leyland said. "He had better velocity than he's had the last couple of nights. ... He's been fantastic."

Jackson hurting

And finally, it was the day Austin Jackson spent most of the game in the trainer's room, getting treatment on an injured ankle.

As his teammates packed their bags, Jackson sat at his locker, wearing an ankle brace. He didn't play Sunday after suffering an injured left ankle while crashing into the wall Saturday.

"It was real tight and sore," Jackson said. "We worked on it during the game, trying to get some of the swelling out. It worked pretty well with the treatment we did. Hopefully, today, we can do some more things to loosen it up before the game."

He looked at his ankle.

He plans to play today.

Because this is just so much fun and dramatic.

"Honestly, all the games matter from here on out," Jackson said. "All of the games have a lot of pressure on them, to be honest with you."

Must-win game?

It is almost impossible to predict what this team will do.

Suddenly, the Tigers are bruised and battered, heading to Chicago for a game that is as close to must-win as it gets.

It will be the last time the Tigers face the White Sox -- in the regular season, at least.

The Tigers will start Doug Fister, who has looked brilliant lately.

The White Sox will counter with Jose Quintana, a rookie left-hander who gave the Tigers fits in his last start, holding them to one run in 7 2/3 innings.

So today means everything.

A win and they still have a chance. A loss and they will need some serious help.

If ever there is a day to ... hmm ... come down with a strange debilitating illness, preventing you from going to work, and forcing you to sit in front of your television right around 2 p.m. to spend some quality time with Rod and Mario -- this is it.

Cough away, Detroit!

Today is sick day in the Motor City.

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