Go Figure: Which team will snap its slump?

No matter how you slice and dice the data, this much is clear: the Cubs and White Sox are slumping badly as they wrap up their 60-game regular seasons against each other.

Of course, one is guaranteed to snap their slide with a series win. Meantime, the other club will close with a swoon.

It's a good thing both teams have already qualified for the expanded playoffs, which will feature eight teams (precisely half of the overall number of clubs) from each league.

Just the same, each club heads into the playoffs with sobering stats.

For the White Sox, perhaps no data point is more concerning than this one: against teams other than the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers, they were 16-21 heading into Friday's action.

Q1. In contrast to the White Sox going 18-2 against the Royals and Tigers, they have struggled against the playoff-bound Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. How many wins have the Sox managed in their 20 games against those two clubs?

(5, 7, 9)

Over on the North Side, the team's offense in September ranks in 32nd place of all 32 teams in home runs (14), OPS (.617) and slugging (.321), according to ESPN.com.

Best personifying the lineup's woes is outfielder Kyle Schwarber and his descent below the Mendoza Line (.200 batting average). Over the past three weeks, he is 5-for-60 (. 083), plummeting to .187.

But the slate is wiped clean, individually and collectively, once the playoffs begin. The key is being healthy physically and mentally for what is sure to be a grueling gauntlet for whichever team winds up winning the World Series.

So, don't rush either of the Windy City team's obituaries. Slumps happen. In 2005, the White Sox lost six of seven games in early September, but got back on track and finished strong with a five-game winning streak to get to 99 wins.

That momentum grew during their 11-1 postseason, culminating in their World Series sweep of Houston.

Q2. Can you name the opposing Angels pitcher who got the only victory against the White Sox in the American League Championship Series?

(John Lackey, Paul Byrd, Scot Shields)

Trout drought: Anyone else surprised that the Angels' Mike Trout has gone homerless for a dozen games? He's been stuck at 16, and I figured he'd have gone on a binge by now to take over the AL lead in that category.

Instead, barring a surge by Jose Abreu, whose 19 homers are second in the majors, it appears the Yankees' Luke Voit's 21 taters are too much to overtake.

Taking one (after another) for the team: This season, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras has channeled his inner Anthony Rizzo and bruised his way to the Major League lead in getting hit by pitches. At 13 HBPs, Contreras has matched his career high. Rizzo, a three-time HBP leader, is fifth in the Majors with nine.

Keep this trivia handy: With 15 saves at press time, Cleveland's Brad Hand was one ahead of Oakland's Liam Hendriks for the MLB lead.

Q3. The last time so few saves led the league was 1960, when an Indians pitcher paced the AL with 14 saves. Who was this journeyman?

(Johnny Klippstein, Dick Stigman, Ray Narleski)

Don't count Tim out: Keep an eye on Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, whose .338 average heading into the series finale is second in the AL. Though he was 17 points behind the Yankees' D.J. LeMahieu, he could yet make a run at a second straight batting title. With fewer at bats, averages are much more volatile than is typical for late September.

Last year, going into September, Anderson was seven points behind the league leader before passing him less than a week later and maintaining a stranglehold on the lead the rest of the way.

The fellow who came in second, eight points behind Anderson's .335 mark? LeMahieu, who won the National League batting title with Colorado in 2016 - and is at the cusp of becoming the first player in the modern era to win the title in both leagues.

Answers: 1. 7; 2. Paul; 3: Klippstein

• Matt Baron supplements his baseball brainpower with Retrosheet.org for research.