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White Sox hoping patience pays off

What happens when you have limited funds and find yourself right in the middle of the playoff chase heading into the dog days?

You keep your fingers crossed and stay patient.

That's what the White Sox are doing, not that they have much of a choice.

Give general manager Kenny Williams big credit for fleecing the Boston Red Sox and getting third baseman Kevin Youkilis for next to nothing. In three weeks of play, Youkilis has made an instant impact and helped the White Sox stay on top in the AL Central.

As for the pitching staff, you can bet Williams has called about available starters such as Zack Greinke, Ryan Dempster and even former Sox left-hander Clayton Richard.

The same is likely true on veteran relievers Huston Street and Jonathan Broxton.

In reality, the White Sox probably are going to keep patching it together with rookies until they get injured veterans Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Jesse Crain back on the roster.

The Sox have been running untested arms to the mound all season, and left-hander Pedro Hernandez became the 10th rookie pitcher to make an appearance when he started against Boston on Wednesday.

It has been a roll of the dice, and the White Sox have hit the right numbers with two rookies: starter Jose Quintana and closer Addison Reed.

The rest of the youngsters have had mixed results, which is to be expected.

Hernandez was decidedly overmatched, and the 23-year-old pitcher was sent back to Class AAA Charlotte right after allowing 8 runs on 12 hits in 4 innings during Wednesday night's 10-1 loss to the Red Sox.

The Sox will plug in left-hander Donnie Veal next, hoping all of the patience pays off soon.

Floyd went on the disabled list Tuesday (retroactive to July 8), but the right-hander is hoping to be back on the mound Monday when the White Sox play the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field.

Danks (shoulder strain) still is at least a month away from coming off the DL, but the Sox probably would take their chances with Chris Sale, Jake Peavy, Floyd, Quintana and Dylan Axelrod, another rookie.

As for the bullpen, it's veteran Matt Thornton and six rookies, but Crain (shoulder strain) could be activated Sunday when the Sox wrap up a three-game series at Detroit.

In the meantime, the Sox will keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best with all of the rookies.

“When you are putting rookies out there, that's fine,” pitching coach Don Cooper told reporters. “But when you are asking them to do even more and elevating their roles, that's when it's more unchartered waters. So, it is what it is.

“We are not thinking about what we don't have or what we might want. We are thinking about the guys we have and how do you win ballgames? That's what we've been doing all year.”

sgregor@dailyherald.com

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