So what should we expect from Freddy Garcia tonight?

We all remember the awesome version of Garcia, Mr. Big Game who couldn’t be bothered with such frivolities as “May” and “huge leads.” He would win only when necessary, but in such a way you would forget the stressful, defeated times that came before.

In starter and in stature, tonight is one such game.

Make no mistake, the Royals are still terrible and you’d be hard pressed to hear someone say “ALCS preview” anytime soon. At the same time, when you’re 2.5 games back with seven weeks to go in a division where the second-place White Sox have actually lost a game on the first-place Tigers in the past month, they’re suddenly all important games. The Tigers might not be running away with the division, but the Sox certainly aren’t doing much to take it from them, either.

And once upon a time we would all breathe a sigh of relief: “Freddy’s on the mound, it’s under control.” Except, you know, Freddy hasn’t been good for a long, long time.

True, he’s been hurt and true, minor league rehab assignments aren’t enough monstrous pressure to sway the arm of No. 34 into action. What’s also true was an outright release by the Mets – the Mets! Oh, what terrible pitching they actually deemed a better option than Freddy! – and a pretty horrific report card from AAA. It’s like he’s making the spot start for Jose Contreras, but in a way that could very well look exactly like Contreras started anyway, followed again Wednesday with Contreras himself on the mound.

At worst, the Sox miss a chance to fatten up on the Royals. At best, it took calling in the cavalry just to beat the Royals. The Freddy everyone hopes for is a Freddy who hasn’t really existed for four years now, team and fans alike hoping nostalgia triumphs over desperation and the Sox’ need to put a needlessly vital game on the shoulders of a man passed over in favor of Livan Hernandez, Tim Redding and Oliver Perez.

So to answer the original question: what should we expect? I say expect nothing, and let anything more become a pleasant surprise. Now is the time for Big Game delightfulness, and even if he turns in a horrid showing, it’s still better than the alternative; no matter what happens, they can’t lose. Even if they do. Which they probably will.