Can the Sox get a firm grip on five troublesome areas?

Analysis

John Danks pitched his heart out for the White Sox against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday and he had nothing to show for it after the 2-0 loss.

Afterward, Danks answered all the usual questions about his performance. Then he was asked about the underachieving White Sox.

"It's just a matter of us playing to our capabilities," Danks said. "I don't know how much longer they're going to give us to right the ship, but I still believe that we're going to be right there in the middle of it in September."

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams must be growing more impatient by the day, and Sunday's 9-7 loss to Toronto, which likely cost Bobby Jenks his closer's job, undoubtedly has accelerated his pacing.

Last Monday, Williams said he'd give it "another month" before making changes. As they prepare to open a critical seven-game road trip against American League Central opponents starting Tuesday night at Minnesota, the Sox are dangerously close to being detonated.

Here are five things that need to change for the better, and in a hurry:

• Closing games. Even when he was going 5-for-5 in save opportunities, Bobby Jenks was clearly not effective.

That's why Jenks is likely out as closer after failing to retire any of the four Blue Jays he faced in the ninth inning Sunday while allowing 4 runs and blowing a 7-5 lead.

After the stinging loss, manager Ozzie Guillen said: "We have a lot of options and we are going to search for ones."

Considering he has 23 strikeouts in 142/3 innings and throws 97 mph with ease, left-hander Matt Thornton is the logical choice.

Thornton's career numbers in save situations are troubling, however. In 29 opportunities, the 33-year-old reliever is 2-6 with an 8.46 ERA. Thornton also has blown 20 chances, but those numbers are deceiving because a blown hold technically counts as a blown save.

Don't be surprised if Sergio Santos gets a chance to close and runs with it.

"He's not afraid of anything," Guillen said.

A rookie with an amazing story - Santos didn't take up pitching until last April - the erstwhile infielder has allowed just 1 earned run on 12 2/3 innings this season.

• A better Beckham. Benched on Friday, Gordon Beckham came back against the Jays Saturday and went 1-for-3 with 1 RBI and 2 walks.

Then Sunday, instead of taking another step away from his season-long slump, Beckham was 0-for-5 with 3 strikeouts and his average is down to .193.

Among qualified AL hitters, only Nick Johnson (.167), Lyle Overbay (.177), Carlos Pena (.183) and Chone Figgins (.185) are worse.

Is it time to drop Beckham out of the No. 2 spot in the batting order? Or, is it time to send Beckham back to Class AAA Charlotte for some repairs?

Guillen seems to be leaning toward the second option.

"It's one thing to believe in the people but sometimes you just think about when is enough?" Guillen said. "We will keep running him out there."

If Beckham continues scuffling, the Sox don't have many in-house options. Jayson Nix is batting .211 and 43-year-old Omar Vizquel has the lowest average on the team at .129.

There's not much help at Class AAA Charlotte, either. A 1-for-12 slump has dropped Brent Lillibridge's average to .255, and C.J. Retherford is batting .216.

• Quentin's quandry. Beckham has the fifth-lowest average in the league, and Carlos Quentin is next at .194.

The White Sox' right fielder has managed to drive in 20 runs, and he also has been bothered by a hamstring.

Is Quentin ready to break out after going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI Sunday? The Sox certainly hope so.

• Troubling Teahen. He's batting .230 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI, and Mark Teahen has the worst fielding percentage (.922) among AL third baseman.

Worst of all, from the looks of things, Teahen has a three-year, $14 million contract.

Barring an unlikely trade due to his contract, the White Sox could move Teahen back to the outfield and rush Brent Morel up to the majors. A solid prospect, Morel leads Class AA Birmingham with a .308 average, but he doesn't hit for power.

• Clutch hitting. Somewhat lost in Sunday's loss was the White Sox going 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

For the season, the Sox are batting a staggering .196 with RISP, worst in the majors. Beckham (2-for-22), Juan Pierre (3-for-26) and Mark Kotsay (1-for-14) have hurt the White Sox the most in clutch situations.

What is the solution? Williams has a huge mess on his hands with this offense. He can try trading players with value, like Danks, Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski and possibly Jenks, and begin his first rebuilding project in 10 years as GM.

Or he can wait it out and see how the Sox fare on this do-or-die road trip.

White Sox @ TwinsTV: Channel 26 Tuesday; Comcast SportsNet WednesdayRadio: WSCR 670-AMPitching matchups: The Sox' Freddy Garcia (1-2) vs. Kevin Slowey (4-2) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.; John Danks (3-1) vs. Carl Pavano (3-3) Wednesday at 12:10 p.m.At a glance: The White Sox are already 8 games behind the first-place Twins and getting swept in this short series might make an already deep hole impossible to escape. The Sox aren't going to miss the Metrodome, where they lost 16 of their last 19, but Minnesota (11-5) has been tough to beat at its new outdoor stadium. The White Sox lost 2 of 3 to the Twins at home in the first week of the season. After sitting out a week with a bruised left heel, reigning MVP Joe Mauer was back in the lineup for the Twins on Sunday and he went 1-for-3 as the DH. Mauer is expected to catch against the Sox on Tuesday. CF Denard Span already has three 3-hit games in May. Garcia started against the Twins on April 10 and took the loss despite allowing 2 runs in 7 innings. Slowey is a career 2-2 (5.04 ERA) vs. the White Sox. Jim Thome is getting more and more playing time at DH for Minnesota. He's batting .258 with 5 HR and 15 RBI.Next: Kansas City Royals, Friday-Sunday at Kauffman Stadium>