Buehrle, Sox gain ground on Tigers
After shutting out the Minnesota Twins on Monday night and cutting Detroit’s lead to 5 games in the AL Central, the White Sox weren’t proclaiming themselves back in the race.
At the same time, the Sox are not counting themselves out.
“I don’t want to go away,” starting pitcher Mark Buehrle said after throwing 7⅔ scoreless innings. “We just have to keep on playing. Obviously, looking at Detroit losing tonight, that helps us out.
“Just keep on trying to win games. They’re not going to lose every game; they’re not going to win them all. We’ve just got to try to play the best ball we can.”
Buehrle continued rolling Monday. The veteran lefty is 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 8 starts since the all-star break.
Against a Minnesota team that has been hit hard by injuries all season, Buehrle has allowed just 1 earned run in 30⅔ innings.
“It was a little bit better than my last game in Anaheim,” Buehrle said. “Just from the get go, I felt better. The ball was coming out of my hand and I was hitting my location. In Anaheim, in the outfield before the game, it didn’t feel that good.
“Today, I felt good and everything was working. It’s so much fun throwing to Tyler (Flowers), big target and the way he frames the ball. He calls a great game.”
Dunn down:As long as the White Sox are mathematically alive in the AL Central race, don#146;t expect to see Adam Dunn on the field.Manager Ozzie Guillen said he doesn#146;t like to kick players when they#146;re down, so he didn#146;t come right out and say Dunn is officially #147;benched.#148;So let#146;s just say Dunn is not going to be playing much, if at all, the rest of the season.#147;If the ballclub continues to play the way they have the last couple games, obviously I#146;m going to play the guys who swing the bat good,#148; Guillen said.Dunn does not come close to fitting that description, and his .163 batting average is the lowest in the majors.With 156 strikeouts, Dunn already ranks second in White Sox history for most in a season. Dave Nicholson is your leader with 175 strikeouts in 1963.Guillen and Dunn talked before Monday night#146;s game against the Twins.#147;It was nice,#148; Guillen said. #147;He understood. A lot of people will make excuses or blame the manager and say it#146;s his fault, not my fault, that I#146;m not playing anymore.#148;Guillen said he#146;s still going to try to work Dunn in when possible, most likely as a pinch hitter.Who#146;s on first?Paul Konerko played his first game at first base Monday night since being hit on the side of his left knee by an Andrew Miller pitch during a July 31 game against the Boston Red Sox.Konerko made 22 straight starts at designated hitter for the White Sox and couldn#146;t wait to get back on the field.#147;The question is how it responds tomorrow and playing every day,#148; Konerko said. #147;I don#146;t want it to be where I play for a day and need three off.#147;I want to be out there every day. I just felt like right now is the best time to give it a chance. If it doesn#146;t work I#146;ll just go back to DHing.#148;Looking ahead:Here are the pitching probables for this weekend#146;s series at Detroit: John Danks vs. Justin Verlander on Friday; Gavin Floyd vs. Brad Penny on Saturday; Mark Buehrle vs. Max Scherzer on Sunday.