Contreras down and out after poor showing in Boston

Following Monday night's wretched 12-8 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said he's finally pulling the plug on ineffective starting pitcher Jose Contreras.

The obvious question? Is the move being made too late?

As the White Sox continued to spin their wheels trying to catch the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, Contreras (5-12) lasted just 2 2/3 innings against the Red Sox and allowed 7 runs - only 6 of which were earned.

Staked to a 4-1 lead on Gordon Beckham's 2-run homer, Contreras didn't come close to making it hold up.

"Jose is going to be in the bullpen," Guillen told reporters after the game. "I don't know who's going to start (Saturday at New York)."

Contreras is 1-5 in his last 8 starts, and he has allowed 32 runs (26 earned) in 38 innings. Jake Peavy might be ready to step into the rotation after pitching 5 scoreless innings for Class AAA Charlotte on Monday night in his third rehab outing.

"You keep pushing and hoping for him, and nothing works," Guillen said of Contreras. "We are not in a position right now where we can use guys and hope they get it done. I think enough is enough.

"I feel for him, but our job is to win games."

Opening a rugged 11-game road trip Monday, the White Sox got off to a fast start when Beckham's homer off Boston starter Clay Buchholz in the third inning put the Red Sox in a 4-1 hole.

But Contreras melted down in the bottom half, when the Red Sox scored 6 runs on just 2 hits and a huge error.

The miscue was charged to Contreras, who couldn't handle David Ortiz's slow roller down the first-base line. Paul Konerko was positioned to field the ball and apply the easy tag on Ortiz, but Contreras cut in front of him and bobbled the ball.

"We didn't lose the game; we gave it away," Guillen said. "When you make a mistake against that type of ballclub, you're going to get hurt."

Jason Bay followed Ortiz with a walk, and a wild pitch to Kevin Youkilis allowed another run to score. Mike Lowell followed Youkilis with a 3-run homer to end Contreras' night.

The White Sox hung in there and made it 9-7 in the fifth on Konerko's 3-run homer, but reliever Octavio Dotel allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in the seventh as Boston won going away,

<p class="factboxheadblack">Scot Gregor's game tracker</p> <p class="News">Red Sox 12, White Sox 8</p> <p class="News"><b>Monday's grade:</b> F. In most likely his final start in a White Sox uniform, Jose Contreras hurt the cause more with his glove than his arm. Reliever Octavio Dotel wasn't much better.</p> <p class="News"><b>Still slumping:</b> Jermaine Dye was 0-for-4; the White Sox' right fielder is batting just .180 since the all-star break.</p> <p class="News"><b>Which way is up?</b> The White Sox have been chasing the first-place Tigers, but they are in danger of dropping into third place in the AL Central behind the Minnesota Twins.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=316220">Peavy could join Sox as early as Saturday<span class="date"> [8/24/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>