Konerko finds no consolation in Sox' failure to meet team goals

When the White Sox fell 9½ games off the lead in early June, general manager Kenny Williams said enough was enough and he vowed to make some major changes.

The Sox caught fire at the same time, reeled off 25 wins in 30 games and occupied first place in the AL Central from July 11-Aug. 9.

The White Sox can take pride in the fact that they never quit, but that's not good enough for Paul Konerko.

"Not really," Konerko said. "You can't run away from the goals set at the beginning of the year. The organization put a team together that they felt could compete and win a division. So I'm not a big believer in - I think you try to take positives out of every year for the next.

"When the question needs to be answered, you have to go back to what you originally thought or said you were going to do and didn't do."

Beckham sidelined: With the White Sox facing a near impossible task of catching the Twins in the AL Central, Gordon Beckham was held out of the starting lineup Thursday night.

Beckham continues having trouble swinging the bat due to a sore right hand.

Since being hit by a pitch from Indians relief pitcher Frank Herrmann in Cleveland on Aug. 30, Beckham is 6-for-32 with 1 extra-base hit, a double.

"I don't like the way he swings the bat," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Obviously, he wants to play, but I've seen this kid swing the bat for a year and a half and I know his hand is not even 80 percent. He's wasting at-bats."

With little left to play for, is Beckham through for the season?

"We have to win as many games as we can," Guillen said. "I will play the kid here and there, give him a chance to swing the bat. He's not 100 percent out there to try to help us and that's why I shut it down for a couple of days to see how the treatment gets him back."

Flip a coin: Freddy Garcia is now going to make his scheduled start against the Tigers Saturday as he continues dealing with discomfort in his lower back.

As expected, either Carlos Torres or Lucas Harrell is likely to fill in.

"It's going to be between those two guys because (Tony) Pena pitched 3 innings (Wednesday)," Guillen said. "Who? Let me talk to my vodka."

Garcia had to leave his last two starts early with back pain, but Guillen hopes the 33-year-old right-hander isn't done for the year.

A free agent at the end of the season, Garcia might have to find a new team to pitch for this winter.

"When Freddy says, 'Let me give it a try, let me give it a shot,' he will," Guillen said. "I think Freddy should go out there and at least give it a shot for one or two outings because a lot of people out there, they don't know what happened. I think it will show people that nothing bad happened."