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With 100 games to go, can Sox starters save season?

The numbers have been impressive.

Over the White Sox' last six games, their starting pitchers have a 1.51 ERA while delivering six quality starts in a row.

Always one to point out the positives, Sox pitching coach Don Cooper is pleased with the recent work of Gavin Floyd, Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, Freddy Garcia and John Danks.

But Cooper is equally perturbed that it took the starting staff over two months to finally put it together.

"The whole plan was to be good right from the beginning and that hasn't happened," Cooper said before Floyd flirted with a no-hitter against the Cubs Sunday night, ultimately yielding 1 run on 2 hits in the seventh inning. "Be consistent, that was the plan.

"We've had some good starts from everybody. I mean, everybody was ready to run Freddy out of town after three starts, when he had two out of three bad ones. The rest have been good. Danks has had more good ones than bad ones, maybe two bad ones.

"Buehrle's either been good or bad, no in between. Peavy's either been good or bad, no in between, And it's been kind of the same for Gavin. I think what's happening now is we've just had consistency over the past week. That's kind of what we've been looking for from the beginning."

Now, with 100 games left on the schedule, the White Sox are just hoping it's not too late to get back in the race.

That's why Cooper doesn't really care that Peavy is 5-5 with a 5.62 ERA. He doesn't care that Buehrle, the Sox' other alleged ace, is 4-6 with a 4.93 ERA. And he doesn't care that Floyd is 2-7 with a 5.64 ERA after Sunday's tough-luck loss at Wrigley Field.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but over the years our starters have been pretty (bleeping) good," Cooper said. "I think this year is an exception to the rule with the way we've started off. I think the starting pitchers, if you check the numbers there ... a lot of people are into numbers, go look at those numbers. Our numbers (stink) right now. I'm not concerned with that.

"We'd have to go another month with people getting shutouts to get their numbers where they need to be. So I don't care about the numbers. The numbers I care about is the win column and them going out there and giving us a chance to win on their day.

"And hopefully they're the ones out there long enough to get the win. But winning on that day, that's the main thing."

Cooper is not at all happy with the way the first 62 games of the season have played out - particularly with the White Sox' starting five.

The current run of quality starts has brightened his mood a bit, but the longtime pitching coach realizes there is much work to be done.

"With what we're doing now, you would think that helps and hopefully it is going to be contagious," Cooper said. "But if that was the case, we would have done it from the beginning. I think it's just a matter of guys getting the job done. Getting ahead in the count, making pitches. There's a lot of analysis going on, but when guys are going good they're making pitches and they're ahead in the count. When they're not, that's not happening.

"We have (100) games left, of course there's enough time to get back in. Of course. Don't you remember in 2005, we were up by 15 and the Indians almost caught us. We just have to play better ball. We're playing better ball and we just have to sustain that."

A popular theory earlier in the season was White Sox starters were scuffling because the offensive support was so poor.

"We don't talk about that; they (starters) don't talk about that out loud," Cooper said. "They know the reality when we're hitting and scoring runs. We were struggling. But then it becomes our job to shut the other team down and be stingier. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't.

"It's just like when somebody happens to make an error behind you; it's the pitchers' job to pick that guy up. And if the pitcher makes a bad pitch, it's up to the defense maybe to help that pitcher. The bottom line is we haven't been playing well and consistently in any phase of the game. There's definitely enough time, but in order for us to get back in it we have to put those phases of the game together."

Streaking startersBreaking down the White Sox' six straight quality starts:Sunday: Floyd 8 innings 3 hits 1 run L 1-0, CubsSaturday: Buehrle 6#8532; innings 8 hits 0 runs W 2-1, CubsFriday: Peavy 7 innings 6 hits 2 runs W 10-5, CubsThursday: Danks 7 innings 1 hit 0 runs W 3-0, TigersWednesday: Garcia 7 innings 7 hits 3 runs W 15-3, TigersTuesday: Floyd 6 innings 6 hits 1 run L 7-2, TigersSource: White SoxFalse19912000Sox starter Jake PeavyAssociated PressFalse