Time is on Santos' side on becoming a closer

With Sergio Santos, the question no longer seems to be if. It's when.

As in, when is the converted shortstop going to take over as the White Sox' closer? If Bobby Jenks keeps throwing 98-mph fastballs like he did while saving Saturday's game against the Marlins, he's not going anywhere.

Santos came from out of nowhere in spring training to win a spot in the Sox' bullpen.

With a fastball consistently clocked at 96-97, a power slider and a deceptive changeup, Santos has all of the tools to pitch in the ninth inning.

And the 26-year-old right-hander is also showing he can handle the pressure.

Pitching against the Tigers in Detroit on Wednesday, Santos loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning.

He got the dangerous Miguel Cabrera to line out to right field and protected the White Sox' 4-2 lead.

"This sounds stupid when you're the manager, I was glad when he ran into trouble in Detroit to see exactly what we have, to see his makeup and he was very, very, very good," Ozzie Guillen said. "We continue to take care of him and make sure we're using him in the right spots and give him as many days off, and so far it has been great. One thing about this guy is he's got cold blood, he's not afraid and he wants to be good.

"When you have those three things that's going to help you because I don't know if he's going to be a closer in the future, but I think he's got the mentality to do it. The stuff is there; he's still learning."

Santos pitched against the Marlins for the second straight game Saturday, and he worked a scoreless eighth inning.

He's made 17 appearances for the Sox this season and 16 have been scoreless.

"I always thought I'd do well, but I didn't expect all this," Santos said. "It's a good streak and I'm kind of just riding it out."

Heading into the game, Santos ranked fourth among American League relievers in ERA (0.59), fifth in opposing batting average (.154) and sixth in strikeouts per 9 innings (11.74).

Streak's over: Mark Kotsay was 0-for-4 Saturday, snapping his hitting streak at five games.

Kotsay was 8-for-15 during the surge, raising his average from .133 to .213.

"I haven't changed anything," Kotsay said. "When you have a minimum number of at-bats you realize the numbers will be a little more misconstrued. If I had 170 at-bats and you go through those 5-for-50s or whatever, it's not as maybe made aware of. This game is challenging and it's tough enough to continue with confidence when there's no success, and that's what we've tried to preach inside this clubhouse is to stay confident. It's hard to do, but what we are trying to do."