Pitcher Gavin Floyd heads to the mound Monday afternoon in a must-win game for the Chicago White Sox.Pitcher Gavin Floyd heads to the mound Monday afternoon in a must-win game for the Chicago White Sox. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Rain delayed the start of Monday afternoons's makeup game in Chicago between the Detroit Tigers and the White Sox, a game that has playoff implications for Chicago and the Minnesota Twins.

Chicago (87-84) remains one-half game behind Minnesota (88-84) for the lead in the American League Central. If the White Sox win Monday, they would move into a tie with the Twins and host a one-game playoff against Minnesota on Tuesday to decide the division title.

If the White Sox lose, the Twins would win the division and would face the Tampa Bay Rays in an AL division series starting Thursday.

Chicago was set up for the makeup contest Monday after the remnants of Hurricane Ike forced the cancellation of a game against the Tigers earlier this month.

All the pressure is on Chicago, according to Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire.

"It's up to them. It's all on their shoulders now," Gardenhire said. "I don't have to make a pitching move. I don't have to pinch hit anybody tomorrow. It's all on [White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's] butt, so go get 'em Ozzie and let's see what happens."

'We can control our own fate'

Pitcher Mark Buehrle, whose 5-1 won over Cleveland on Sunday put Chicago in this position, thinks the White Sox have the advantage.

"It's good that we can control our own fate," Buehrle told MLB.com.

"We can keep on winning these games and keep on going. We put ourselves in this situation, so we have to battle out of it."

Making things even more interesting in Monday's pitching matchup.

While Guillen will start Gavin Floyd (16-8, 3.91 ERA), the Tigers will send former White Sox hero Freddy Garcia (1-1, 4.50 ERA) to the mound to try to eliminate his former team.

Garcia won all three of his starts for Chicago in the 2005 playoffs, including throwing seven innings in the clinching game of the World Series against Houston, a 1-0 White Sox victory in Game 4.

He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006 and signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers last month.

He hasn't faced Chicago since.

"I got plenty text messages from him already," Guillen said. "He says he can't wait to beat us."

With files from Associated Press