MLB Odds: Jackson makes ChiSox debut on ESPN

It’s good to know Ozzie Guillen can still find something to smile about.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Edwin Jackson will make his team debut at the Detroit Tigers on ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball.

Jackson was acquired from Arizona before the trading deadline. Chicago was reportedly going to then ship him to Washington for slugger Adam Dunn, but the deal never materialized. He’ll now serve as the fifth starter and the latest project for esteemed pitching coach Don Cooper.

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Chicago is 59-45 pending the Tuesday doubleheader against Detroit. There was a makeup game for a May 17 postponement. The White Sox are one-game ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central and seven over Detroit.

The Tigers (52-52) were in second place in the division at the All-Star break, just a half-game behind Chicago. However, a 4-14 second half has them gasping for air. They do have the AL’s best home record (35-17) and money-line mark (plus 14.7 units). They’re 3-4 at home after the break.

Jackson (6-10, 5.16 ERA) is one of the most tantalizing pitchers in baseball. He has a plus fastball and sharp slider that can overpower hitters. Those tools were on display when he no-hit his former Tampa Bay squad on June 25.

Jackson issued eight walks and threw 149 pitches in that no-hitter. Walks have been a problem all season with his 60 third-most in the NL. The whopping pitch count seemed to wear him out as he’s 1-4 since (7.24 ERA).

The 26-year-old righty is still young enough to turn his career around. He pitched in the AL from 2006-2009 and had good numbers with Detroit last season (13-9, 3.62 ERA). He was traded to Arizona last December, netting Max Scherzer.

Jackson pitched at Detroit on June 19. He allowed three earned runs over 7 2/3 innings. Arizona won 6-5 and Jackson got the win.

Armando Galarraga (3-3, 4.28 ERA) will go for Detroit. He pitched pretty good at Boston last Friday, allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings. He was removed in the fifth after getting hit in the ankle by a Kevin Youkilis line drive.

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Galarraga appears fine for this start, but the injury did cost him a win. Detroit then lost the final two weekend games to Boston in heartbreaking walk-off fashion.

The 28-year-old righty has had two stints in Triple-A this year. He got called back up the second time on July 19. He’s 0-1 with a 3.79 ERA in the three starts since.

Galarraga is 1-2 with a 4.78 ERA lifetime against the White Sox. He surrendered two runs over five innings at Chicago on June 8. That was one start after his almost perfect game versus Cleveland, ruined by a blown umpire call.

Chicago is 3-1 against Detroit this year, including winning the only game in Motown (6-2) on May 18. The White Sox are 4-1 in the last five meetings overall in Detroit.

Detroit still has Magglio Ordoñez (ankle), Brandon Inge (broken hand) and Carlos Guillen (calf) on the DL for the foreseeable future. Third baseman Jhonny Peralta has done well since coming over from Cleveland, but this lineup is still depleted.

The White Sox are relatively healthy, with Jackson helping to compensate for the season-ending shoulder injury to Jake Peavy.

First pitch on Wednesday is 4:05 p.m. (PT). Weather should be clear and warm in the 80s. The four-game series ends with a Thursday afternoon game.