Buehrle hopes he doesn't break winning habit

MINNEAPOLIS - Whether it's catching the ceremonial first pitch at home games or running the NCAA men's basketball tournament pool in spring training, Mark Buehrle is a creature of habit.

Earlier in the season, when the White Sox' veteran left-hander was saddled with a 3-6 record and 5.40 ERA, he decided to throw a bullpen session in between starts.

"Coop (pitching coach Don Cooper) said we didn't throw them at the beginning of the season and I had some bad starts," said Buehrle, who opposes the Twins tonight. "So we started throwing them and then I started pitching good, so we've just kept on doing it."

Buehrle has never been a big fan of throwing between starts, and he is likely to drop the new habit after his next bad outing.

"I told Coop I'm going to go out and get my (butt) handed to me so I can quit throwing bullpens," Buehrle said. "Last year, I only threw a handful, just kind of here and there if I needed to work on something. And they were mostly in the outfield, on flat ground just kind of playing catch.

"This year, they've been regular bullpens. I don't want to say I'm throwing full out like Gavin (Floyd) or some of those guys. It's more of a touch and feel."

When he takes the mound against Minnesota in his first start of the second half, Buehrle will be trying to keep an impressive stretch going. Over his last 6 starts, the 31-year-old pitcher is 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA.

"I haven't changed anything, except maybe my control has been better," Buehrle said. "I think I just had so many bad ones at the beginning that was I finally due to get a good stretch. As a starting pitcher, you go out there and you always say you're going to have good ones, bad ones and mediocre ones through the course of the season.

"If you go out there and have five, six good starts in a row it's almost like, 'OK, I'm due to either get hit around a little bit or have a bad one.' "