With 9 games in the book, Sox have ground to gain vs. Twins

Posted August 08, 2010 11:00 pm

Scot Gregor

As everyone in baseball knows, if you take care of business in your division, you get to the playoffs.

With the White Sox and Twins battling it out for first place in the AL Central this season, Minnesota has had the upper hand so far, winning 6 of 9. The two rivals, however, aren't finished with each other and are scheduled to play 9 more games starting with Tuesday's contest at U.S. Cellular Field.

Before Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire deliver the lineups to the home plate umpire Tuesday night, it's worth a look back at how the two teams have battled each other this season:

Twins 4, White Sox 3 (11) April 9, at U.S. Cellular FieldHero: J.J. Hardy's single off Tony Pena in the 11th inning scored Joe Mauer with the winning run.Goat: Juan Pierre was 0-for-5, dropping his batting average to .118.Quote: "I don't feel real good in my stomach watching those guys hit. I have to be patient. If not, it's going to be a long season" - Ozzie GuillenTwins 2, White Sox 1 April 10, U.S. Cellular FieldHero: Jason Kubel's 2-run homer in the seventh inning was Sox starter Freddy Garcia's lone flaw.Goat: No. 2 hitter Gordon Beckham was 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts.Quote: "We are not playing terrible. We are just playing good enough to lose" - Paul KonerkoWhite Sox 5, Twins 4 April 11, U.S. Cellular FieldHero: Andruw Jones' single in the eighth inning scored Carlos Quentin with the deciding run.Goat: J.J. Hardy was easily thrown out at home by Mark Teahen for the final out of the game.Quote: "It feels good to win, period" - Andruw JonesWhite Sox 5, Twins 2 May 11, Target FieldHero: Freddy Garcia got the win after pitching 7 innings and allowing 2 runs on 9 hits.Goat: Twins starter Kevin Slowey was tagged with the loss after allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 42/3 innings.Quote: "We had better at-bats, better pitching. Hopefully, we start playing better" - Freddy GarciaTwins 3, White Sox 2 May 12, Target FieldHero: Denard Span was 2-for-3, and his single in the fourth inning scored the winning run.Goat: Alex Rios was 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts.Quote: "It's just kind of confusing. I thought we had something going on, then the next day we don't show up" - Ozzie GuillenWhite Sox 8, Twins 7 July 15, Target FieldHero: The Sox' first three hitters, Juan Pierre, Omar Vizquel and Alex Rios, were 7-for-11 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.Goat: Minnesota starter Kevin Slowey was roughed up again, this time for 5 runs and 9 hits in 3 innings.Quote: "The offense has been playing really well the last couple weeks. We've gotten great pitching in the streak, but we've gotten runs when we've need to. That's always a plus" - Gordon BeckhamTwins 7, White Sox 4 July 16, Target FieldHero: Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano was sharp, allowing 2 runs in 72/3 innings while striking out eight.Goat: The Sox' defense committed 4 errors and the Twins cashed in with 5 unearned runs.Quote: "That shows you how much I pray for defense. Two big innings because we couldn't make the plays" - Ozzie GuillenTwins 3, White Sox 2 July 17, Target FieldHero: Minnesota starter Carl Pavano pitched a complete game, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits.Goat: Carlos Quentin was 0-for-4 with a strikeout, and he grounded out with the tying run on third base to end the game.Quote: "I trust Carlos. If it (hand) bothers him to hit, he will tell me" - Ozzie GuillenTwins 7, White Sox 6 July 18, Target FieldHero: Minnesota's Delmon Young was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI.Goat: Called on to protect a 6-3 lead in the ninth inning, Bobby Jenks allowed 4 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks.Quote: "Didn't have it. My cutter was coming back. My sinker wasn't sinking. The slider was big. I just didn't have my stuff today. The more we can eliminate days like that, the better obviously" - Bobby Jenks White Sox scouting reportWhite Sox vs. Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular FieldTV: Channel 26 Tuesday; Comcast SportsNet Wednesday and ThursdayRadio: WSCR 670-AMPitching matchups: The Sox' Freddy Garcia (10-4, 4.54 ERA) vs. Scott Baker (9-9, 4.70) Tuesday; John Danks (11-8, 3.30) vs. TBA Wednesday; Gavin Floyd (8-8, 3.49) vs. Francisco Liriano (10-7, 3.33) Thursday. All games start at 7:10 p.m.At a glance: Every series is big for contending teams at this point of the season, but this one has some added weight. The AL Central has become a two-team race between the White Sox and Twins, so head-to-head matchups are huge. The Sox are 3-6 vs. Minnesota this season (1-2 at the Cell). The White Sox opened the second half against the Twins at Target Field. They won the series opener before losing three straight. Minnesota has won 12 of its last 16. Kevin Slowey was supposed to start for the Twins Wednesday but he was scratched with elbow discomfort. Glen Perkins is likely to come up from Class AAA Rochester to take Slowey's spot. Joe Mauer has had some shoulder pain, but he's batting .537 (22-for-41) with 16 RBI in his last 11 games. Justin Morneau (concussion) hasn't played since July 7 and his return is still up in the air. The White Sox are 20-2 at the Cell since June 9. They are batting .310 and have hit 41 home runs over that stretch, and the pitching staff has a 2.27 ERA.Next: Detroit Tigers, Friday-Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field