Is Delgado a blip again on Williams' radar screen?

DETROIT - White Sox general manager Kenny Williams thought he had Carlos Delgado in 2004.

When the left-handed slugger triggered his no-trade clause and opted to stay with the Toronto Blue Jays, Williams was livid.

Six years later, is Williams after Delgado again?

The Sox are apparently interested enough to be seriously considering offering the 38-year-old Delgado a minor-league contract.

Delgado is still recovering from hip surgery, and he hasn't played since May of last year, when he was with the Mets.

But as designated hitters Mark Kotsay and Andruw Jones continue scuffling, Williams continues searching for other options.

Kotsay did have a huge impact on Thursday's 6-4 win over the Tigers in 11 innings. He hit a 2-run homer in the ninth, and after Bobby Jenks couldn't hold a 4-1 lead, Kotsay delivered the deciding 2-run triple in the 11th.

While he's obviously rusty, Delgado did put up big numbers (38 home runs, 115 RBI) with New York in 2008.

"Carlos Delgado? OK. I thought this guy was building houses in Puerto Rico," a surprised White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said when asked about Delgado. "(Williams) hasn't talked to me about it. If they did it, (Delgado) has to go to the minor leagues first. He hasn't played in a couple of years. He has to prove people he still can play and is healthy. Maybe he can help."

For the past month or so, Guillen has heard all the talk about the White Sox getting Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman, who actually did reject a trade to the South Side last Friday.

"I think our production from Kotsay and Andruw (Jones), it has to be better," Guillen said. "I don't think we will play another 50 or 60 games with the production we're getting from them. I'm not going to put pressure on them, but every time we don't get production from them, this conversation is going to come up about how we need another bat.

"We don't need another bat. We need those guys to start producing and do what we think they can do."

For one game at least, Kotsay did just fine.

Buck's back: The White Sox play Baltimore for the first time this season Friday night when they open a four-game series at Camden Yards.

The Orioles have a new manager, Buck Showalter. When he was managing the Texas Rangers in 2004, Showalter accused Ozzie Guillen of not knowing a rule.

Guillen, naturally, lashed back. But the White Sox' manager said the feud is ancient history.

"It is over with," Guillen said. "I don't think it's anything, I'm not the type of guy to hold anything against anyone. I did what I did and he did what he did. And we respect each other as a manager and a man."

Throwing zeros: Matt Thornton delivered his 20th straight scoreless outing Thursday, but it wasn't pretty.

The big left-hander got the final out of the seventh inning, but he walked Johnny Damon and Miguel Cabrera to start the eighth before striking out Brennan Boesch.

J.J. Putz relieved Thornton and got out of the inning when shortstop Alexei Ramirez made a standout defensive play on a Jhonny Peralta groundball that was turned for a double play.

Thornton hasn't allowed a run in his last 16 innings. Earlier this season, Putz set a club record with 27 consecutive innings.

"That's a long ways away," Thornton said. "I'll worry about the next one I have out there. Just put up another zero. That's all I care about."