Back in the swing of things

MINNEAPOLIS - You're never too old, or too good, to learn.

Stuck on 1 home run in 35 games with the White Sox after being acquired in a July 31 trade from the Reds, Ken Griffey Jr. went back to work.

"My mechanics were off," Griffey said. "So you are searching and you keep searching, and eventually, it happens. We all go through it, and you can't get too down on yourself."

Griffey hit a 2-run homer in the ninth inning of Tuesday night's lopsided loss to the Twins. That moved the 38-year-old center fielder out of a tie for sixth place with Sammy Sosa and into sole possession of fifth with 610 career HRs.

Griffey followed up with another mammoth home run Wednesday, a solo shot in the fourth inning that traveled 404 feet.

Griffey said he'd like to play another three seasons, and he's enjoying his stay with the White Sox. The left-handed slugger is now chasing Willie Mays (660 home runs) on baseball's all-time list.

"He's a great kid and he's done a lot of great stuff for us," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He's swinging the bat better and giving me good at-bats. Like I said when we got him, if people think Junior is going to carry this ballclub, they are wrong. He came here to play his game and hopefully he continues to swing the bat better."

Wrath of Ozzie: Before Wednesday's game, Ozzie Guillen was asked several questions about some of his lineup decisions during the first two games of the series.

"Nobody comes to me and makes my lineup," Guillen said. "Nobody. Not Jerry (Reinsdorf), not Kenny (Williams), and those are my two bosses. Nobody's going to make my lineup. They might make some suggestions and I'll take it, but the lineup that's out there is the lineup that I make, the lineup I think is the best for the ballclub.

"I don't make the lineup for Jerry, Kenny, the fans, the media, nobody. I make the lineup that my coaching staff thinks is the best one, myself thinks is the best one. That's how we go for it."

Dropping down: Slumping A.J. Pierzynski batted eighth against the Twins on Wednesday instead of his usual No. 2 spot.

Pierzynski was 4-for-26 on the Sox' 10-game road trip. He singled in his first at-bat.

"A.J. is struggling right now," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Hopefully, we take a little pressure off him. A.J. will help anybody no matter where he is. Hopefully, he starts swinging the bat better and we can move him back where he was."