It's come to this: Vizquel gets first DH appearance

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The White Sox had four hitters in their starting lineup against the Royals on Friday night with batting averages below .200.

A.J. Pierzynski came in at .196, Mark Kotsay at .133, Gordon Beckham at .191 and Omar Vizquel at .129.

In a prime example of how bad the Sox' offense has been this season, Vizquel made the first appearance of his 22-year career at designated hitter.

Another slumping hitter, Carlos Quentin (.180), was held out of the lineup due to illness.

"I don't know what he ate, but he's sick," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Right now, I don't expect him to play (Saturday) because there's something in his stomach, but it's not a big deal. Maybe something he ate and it's not good for him."

Andruw Jones, who is batting a comparatively robust .260, was not in the lineup for the second straight game due to a sore neck.

"Jones showed up a couple days ago with a bad neck," Guillen said. "And always, the team rules are my rules, but you scratch yourself out of the lineup, I give you another day off until you're ready to play the next day."

Fire away: Starting to feel the heat himself, Ozzie Guillen was asked about Trey Hillman, who was fired as the Royals' manager on Thursday.

"It's a funny thing because I always said from the beginning that coaches and managers are hired to get fired," Guillen said. "And unfortunately, when the players don't perform or play the way they should be playing for any reason, it's easier to get rid of one guy rather than 25, 16 or 12, whatever it is.

"But that's the way sport is. When you're in this seat, you're always in the hot seat, especially if the team isn't doing well."

The White Sox aren't doing much better than last-place Kansas City, so Guillen hasn't given Hillman's firing much thought.

"You come to the park, hope for the best and push the right buttons," Guillen said. "Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. It's not easy for anyone. I have enough problems on my side to worry about their side."

Familiar faces: Frank Thomas is filling in for Steve Stone in the TV booth this weekend. And Tom Paciorek, who worked alongside Ken "Hawk" Harrelson from 1988-97, is filling in for Darrin Jackson on radio during the Royals series.