DETROIT >> As hangover games go, well, this was one of them.

It didn’t help the sluggish tempo and flagging energy that the game was delayed for two hours and 20 minutes and played in a steady rain.

The Tigers, who celebrated their first playoff berth in 10 years Friday night, slogged through a 4-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox Saturday before a soggy crowd at Comerica Park.

It was announced as another sellout with 41,933 tickets sold, but the elements thinned the crowd significantly.

The Tigers (86-75) came in a game ahead of the Kansas City Royals (85-75) for the second wild-card spot. The Royals, who played at Atlanta Saturday night, own the tiebreaker with Detroit.

Regardless of the outcome in Atlanta, the Tigers won’t know whether they are heading to Houston or Baltimore for the Wild Card Series until Sunday.

With 36 comeback wins on their resume this season, there was ample precedent for the Tigers fighting back. But the bats never ignited.

They were first subdued by White Sox rookie right-hander Sean Burke. With his 6-foot-6 frame and elite arm extension (7 feet), he was beating hitters with elevated four-seam fastballs that played faster than the 95-mph radar gun reading.

The Tigers worked two walks and 29 pitches from him in the first inning but he quickly settled in, allowing two hits with six strikeouts through five innings.

Veteran Michael Soroka, back after missing two months with a shoulder injury, didn’t allow a hit and struck out five in his three innings.

The Tigers finally got their third hit of the game with one out in the ninth. Wenceel Perez tripled to the right-center gap against Gus Varland. He advanced no farther.

The White Sox nicked opener Beau Brieske. With two outs in the second, rookie Bryan Ramos dropped his barrel on a 1-1 changeup at the bottom of the strike zone and launched it inside the foul pole in left.

Rookie Jackson Jobe took over in the third inning and he pitched three scoreless, hitless innings in his second big-league game. He effectively mixed cutters, changeups and sweepers off a firm, 96.7-mph four-seam fastball.

The changeup was baffling White Sox hitters, especially the 2-2 changeup he threw — right-on-right — to freeze catcher Chuckie Robinson in the fifth.

The White Sox, who set a new MLB record with their 121st loss Friday, went up 2-0 in the sixth off rookie righty Ty Madden.

Andrew Benintendi doubled and scored on a single by Andrew Vaughn.

Benintendi changed the scoreboard again in the eighth, smashing his 20th home run, a two-run shot, also off Madden.