Sox feeling better after convincing win, but still tip caps to Twins

MINNEAPOLIS - Was that so hard?

Facing the dreaded Twins in a game they desperately needed to have, the White Sox finally went out Thursday night and spanked their AL Central rivals.

They beat Minnesota so bad at Target Field - 11-0 - it should have counted for 2 wins in the standings.

But after losing the first two games of the big series by identical 7-6 scores and falling 5 games behind the first-place Twins, the Sox were happy to accept their modest gain.

"It was an important win," Paul Konerko said after going 5-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBI. "This time of the year, there are still a lot of games left but there is kind of a different ring to 4 back or 6 back. We've dug ourselves a hole here again but there's still time to get back out of it.

"They had the better series. Tonight was good for us, but they did what they had to do and they won the series, so we can't be happy walking out of here just because we got a win. We've got to get back to work and try cutting into that deficit starting tomorrow."

If the White Sox keep swinging the bats like they did against the Twins, they should be able to simply overpower the Royals at Kauffman Stadium this weekend.

The pitching needs to improve, and Thursday was as good of a time as any to get that area turned around.

The Twins roughed up John Danks and Gavin Floyd in the first two games of the series, but they barely touched Mark Buehrle.

Taking advantage of a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Buehrle cruised through 7 innings and allowed 5 hits.

"You don't want to get down too much," Buehrle said. "They're a great team, and the way they've been playing and the way we've been playing, if we dig ourselves too big of a hole it's going to be hard to come out of. Must-win or not, we won the game and that's all that matters."

Manager Ozzie Guillen was proud of the way the Sox competed in the first two games of the series, even though both were difficult setbacks.

And after snapping a four-game losing streak, Guillen is waiting for the White Sox to go on another run.

"It was a huge game for us," Guillen said. "I think everyone came out with the same attitude as they did the past two days. And I told you guys before the game started I feel very, very good about the way the team came out and played. We just came up short. Hopefully, this continues all the way to finish up the trip. We don't have to worry about Minnesota. We have to worry about Kansas City. If we continue to swing the bats the way we did the past three days, we should be fine."

The White Sox have to prepare for the Royals, but they get one more crack at the Twins, who visit U.S. Cellular Field in mid-September.

"Anytime you have a situation where 48 hours or a three-game series can tighten things up, it's still a race and that's where we're at right now," Konerko said. "But they're winning the race. They're in first place. They've earned that and until we change that, that's the way it is."

Scouting: White Sox @ RoyalsWhite Sox vs. Kansas City Royals at Kauffman StadiumTV: Comcast SportsNet today and Sunday; Channel 9 SaturdayRadio: WSCR 670-AMPitching matchups: The Sox' Edwin Jackson (1-0, 1.35 ERA) vs. Sean O'Sullivan (1-4, 5.27) today at 7:10 p.m.; Freddy Garcia (10-5, 5.07) vs. Bryan Bullington (1-2, 3.00) Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; John Danks (12-8, 3.33) vs. Zack Greinke (8-11, 3.90) Sunday at 1:10 p.m.At a glance: The White Sox are 7-5 against the Royals this season, but they're 2-4 at Kauffman Stadium. The Sox swept a three-game series vs. Kansas City at home to end the first half of the season, outscoring the Royals 28-8. In his first 3 starts with the White Sox, Jackson has 24 strikeouts in 20 innings. Garcia has the highest August ERA (7.71) among AL starters.Next: Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday-Thursday at U.S. Cellular Field <p class="factboxheadblack">Scot Gregor's game tracker</p><p class="News">White Sox 11, Twins 0</p><p class="News"><b>Hit parade:</b> The Sox had a season-high 21 hits. Paul Konerko tied his career high with 5 hits, and Juan Pierre, Omar Vizquel, Mark Teahen and Alexei Ramirez all had 3.</p><p class="News"><b>Putz injures knee:</b> Relief pitcher J.J. Putz came out of the game in the eighth inning with an inflamed right knee. He said it's nothing serious.</p><p class="News"><b>Twin killing:</b> Mark Buehrle pitched 7 innings to record his 25th win over Minnesota. That is the most all time against the Twins by an opposing pitcher.</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=402183">Pierre continues his offensive surge <span class="date"> [8/19/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=402144">Schedule break: Royals, O's next<span class="date"> [8/19/10]</span></a></li></ul></div></div></div>