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Sox heading up the road in search of a turnaround

After a second straight miserable home loss to the Tigers on Sunday, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen started channeling April and May.

"I might be wrong, but I didn't see any energy out there," Guillen said, sounding a lot like he did at the start of the season when he often accused the Sox of going through the motions. "I didn't see any enthusiasm in today's game. I hope it was me. I hope I'm wrong."

When it comes to what is happening out on the field, Guillen is rarely wrong.

And after the Sox dropped 3 games behind the red-hot Twins in the AL Central, Guillen's players admitted they were gassed.

"It has been tough the last two weeks," outfielder Andruw Jones said. "We went out to Detroit (for 4 games in 3 days) and we went to Baltimore and it was tough. The series in Baltimore was a four-game series and it was frustrating because we didn't play the way we wanted to play.

"We got home and we kept dragging our feet. Hopefully, with this day off, put it behind us and play better baseball."

The White Sox rarely - if ever - make excuses about anything. But a stretch of 14 games in 13 days, all played in excessive heat and humidity, left the Sox crawling into Monday's break in the schedule.

"Everybody is just a little beat, going to Detroit with the day-night doubleheader, and Baltimore was a long hot weekend that wrapped around to Monday," first baseman Paul Konerko said. "I think everybody is looking forward to having an off day and just forgetting about the game for 48 hours until we get to Minnesota, and then hopefully we come back refreshed and ready to compete.

"That's all we can do is to come back and compete and lay it all out there. We have done a good job with that, we really have. We're still competing for a division here in the middle of August and we have to look at that as not a bad thing. There are a lot of teams that would trade places with us. We can't be down. We're in a good spot if we take advantage of it."

The White Sox have dropped three straight series (Baltimore, Minnesota, Detroit) for the first time all season, the bullpen has scrambled to cover for Bobby Jenks' absence, and the offense has been erratic.

But the Sox have been down this road before.

As has been well-documented, general manager Kenny Williams was ready to pull the plug and make wholesale changes when the White Sox were 24-33 on June 8, trailing Minnesota by 91/2 games.

Yes, they have lost 7 of their last 10, but the White Sox still have the best record in baseball (41-20) since June 9.

"I'm very happy where I am," Guillen said. "I'm very excited where I am; very optimistic in the situation where we are."

Judging from all of the moans and groans at U.S. Cellular Field during the back-to-back losses to Detroit - J.J. Putz couldn't hold leads in the ninth inning Saturday and the eighth on Sunday - Sox fans aren't feeling the same way as Guillen and his players head into another important series.

Again, the White Sox have been here before.

"The tides have turned I don't know how many times this year," said Gavin Floyd, who starts against the Twins Wednesday night. "There's really no need to put extra pressure on ourselves. Just try to go up there and play good baseball and see what happens."

Sweeping Minnesota would be nice, but the Sox would gladly settle for winning 2 of 3.

"We can't expect to go in there and be like, 'Poof, we're going to win three,'" Floyd said. "Just focus on winning the first game. Win the first and go from there."

The White Sox would still be in decent shape if the Twins won 2 of 3, but they'd prefer being on the other end.

"We want to win the series," Konerko said. "We want to have a positive series, and hopefully gain at least a game. Anything more would be nice, but regardless of what happens there is still a lot of baseball after that. And that's if we play well or it goes the wrong way.

"You still have to keep an even keel about it, but it's getting close to that crunch time where you have to make a move. Just play well. They're a good team but there are some things we can do better right now that has nothing to do with the team we are playing or anything anybody is doing against us."

White Sox roller coasterAs the White Sox prepare for their second series against the Twins in as many weeks, here's a look at both ends of the up-and-down ride for the Central Division crown:The positive perspectiveStarters rolling: The Sox send their best three starting pitchers, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle, to the mound as they try cutting into Minnesota's 3-game lead. Edwin Jackson has been brilliant in 3 starts for the Sox, but Freddy Garcia is quickly fading.PK is OK: Actually, first baseman Paul Konerko has been much better than that. In his last 14 games, Konerko is batting .340 with 4 home runs and 8 RBI. Can you say contract extension?Setting Sale: One word to describe rookie relief pitcher Chris Sale? We'll go with "SOLD!"Don't stop now, boys: Over their last 61 games, the Sox are batting .326 (155-for-476) with runners in scoring position.The negative vibeTackling the Twins: The White Sox have to figure out a way to beat their rivals to the north. They've lost 5 of the last 6 to Minnesota.Seeking relief: Closer Bobby Jenks is dealing with back spasms, and the Sox' bullpen has allowed 21 earned runs in the last 312/3 innings.Road worrier: The White Sox need Carlos Quentin to heat up again, particularly away from U.S. Cellular Field. Quentin is batting .275 with 17 HR and 46 RBI at home and just .188 with 7 HR and 31 RBI on the road. <p class="factboxheadblack">White Sox scouting report</p><p class="News">White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins at Target Field</p><p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Channel 26 Tuesday; Comcast SportsNet Wednesday and Thursday</p><p class="News"><b>Radio:</b> WSCR 670-AM</p><p class="News"><b>Pitching matchups:</b> The Sox' John Danks (12-8, 3.19 ERA) vs. Scott Baker (10-9, 4.76) Tuesday; Gavin Floyd (8-9, 3.70) vs. Francisco Liriano (11-7, 3.26) Wednesday; Mark Buehrle (11-9, 4.05 ERA) vs. Carl Pavano (15-7, 3.27) Thursday. All games start at 7:10 p.m.</p><p class="News"><b>At a glance: </b>The White Sox dropped 2 of 3 to the Twins at U.S. Cellular Field last week, and they are 4-8 vs. the AL Central leaders this season. The Sox lost 3 of 4 at Minnesota to open the second half of the season. While the Sox have dropped 7 of 10, the Twins have won 9 of 11. Minnesota is 20-21 against left-hander starters. At the Cell last week, Danks beat the Twins while allowing 1 run on 6 hits in 8 innings. Bobby Jenks (back spasms) is expected to go on the disabled list before Tuesday night's series opener. Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau (concussion) is still out indefinitely.</p><p class="News"><b>Next:</b> Kansas City Royals, Friday-Sunday at Kauffman Stadium</p>