Danks biggest of numerous concerns for Guillen, Sox

CLEVELAND - The White Sox caught a break Tuesday night, or did they?

The Twins, tied with the Sox first place in the AL Central, blew a 5-1 lead at Toronto and fell to the Blue Jays 7-5.

The White Sox still share the top spot after muddling through a 9-3 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field, but manager Ozzie Guillen does not like what he has been seeing.

Yes, the Sox kept Carlos Quentin (sore forearm) and Ken Griffey Jr. (back) on the bench, and third baseman Joe Crede had to exit in the fifth inning with more back trouble.

"We lost three guys in about six hours, but I'm more concerned about the guys going out there and (playing) with better energy and seeing a better ballclub on the field," Guillen said after the White Sox lost for the fifth time in their last six games.

"It seems like we are tired; it seems like we are dead. I don't see any energy. I don't see the grinder. I don't see a lot of things. A lot of things are missing right now.

"Maybe it's because we're not scoring that many runs; maybe because the starting pitcher goes out there for 4 innings and that's it. Maybe because we don't coach them right; maybe because I make the wrong decisions. Something's missing, and that's what we have to find out right away.

"If we continue to play like that, it's not going to be easy. It's going to be real tough to compete. The people we have on the field, I think we can still compete and play better."

Guillen is particularly worried about starting pitcher John Danks, who appears to be wilting down the stretch.

After being given an extra day off to keep his strength up, the 23-year-old lefty lasted just 4 innings against Cleveland and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.

In his previous start, Danks went 4 innings in a loss at Baltimore.

"I worry about him because that's the first time he's ever thrown that many innings competing every day, and that's not easy for a kid," Guillen said. "If you feel anything or you're tired or hurt, I'd rather they let me know and we'll figure out what we're going to do (instead of) just keep going out there and don't get any results.

"We're going to give him another chance and hopefully he does better. If not we're going to think about skipping him and we'll see what we can do to help him."

The numbers indicate otherwise, but Danks insists he is physically fine.

"I don't feel tired at all," said Danks, who was 1-7 with a 7.11 ERA in the second half as a rookie last season. "It's just a matter of throwing strikes. I didn't throw strikes tonight and it cost me.

"I understand what's at stake, and I want to throw every opportunity I can and I want to get back to where I was before my last couple starts."

Danks said location is the only problem.

"I think I'm frustrated because the stuff is good," Danks said. "It's more about not being able to throw it over the plate. I've got to do better."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=232131">Injuries take toll on Sox' lineup<span class="date">[9/3/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>