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Indians-White Sox Preview

Jun 4, 2010 - 5:07 AM By CHRIS ALTRUDA STATS Editor

Cleveland (19-32) at Chicago (22-30), 8:10 p.m. EDT

A key hit may have ended a slump for Carlos Quentin. The Chicago White Sox can only hope John Danks can do likewise on the mound.

Quentin and Danks lead the White Sox into the opener of their series with the Cleveland Indians on Friday night hoping to build on the momentum of a needed victory.

Quentin, mired in a 4-for-31 slump, hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning of Thursday's 4-3 win over Texas to help Chicago (23-30) avoid a three-game sweep to start its nine-game homestand. The blast triggered an excited reaction from Quentin, who earlier committed a two-base error that led to a run.

"He was pumped up, and he was ripping some guys' arms off (with high-fives)," captain Paul Konerko said. "He's an emotional guy. He felt terrible after dropping that ball. It was definitely a redeemer."

While he does have three homers in five games, Quentin is hitting .210 this season - including .120 (3 for 25) versus the Indians. The right fielder is 0 for 6 with two strikeouts lifetime against scheduled starter Justin Masterson (0-5, 5.87 ERA).

As the White Sox hope Quentin will break out, Danks (4-4, 3.34) also would like to end a funk in which he has lost four of five starts. The left-hander had not given up more than three runs in any of his first eight starts, but Tampa Bay battered him Saturday for season highs of eight runs and eight hits in four-plus innings of an 8-5 defeat.

"We scored five runs and I let us down. I take 100 percent blame for this one," Danks said.

Though he has a 1.96 ERA in five home starts this year, Danks has never beaten the Indians in Chicago. He is 0-3 with a 6.15 ERA against them at home and 3-5 overall, but Danks did win in Cleveland on May 24 by allowing two runs in five innings of a 7-2 victory.

The Indians (19-33), in last place in the Central, enter the final leg of a 10-game road trip with a 2-5 mark.

Cleveland put some offense together Thursday after being held to eight runs in its previous four games - including Armando Galarraga's near-perfect game Wednesday - but the pitching fell apart in a 12-6 defeat to Detroit.

"Obviously, we didn't pitch very well," said manager Manny Acta, whose team has an 8.07 ERA on this trip and allowed less than seven runs in just two of those games.

Masterson tries again for his first victory since Aug. 20 in a bid to end a personal 11-game losing streak. The right-hander - 1-12 since being acquired from Boston last year - turned in one of his better outings Sunday against the Yankees and did not get a decision after giving up three runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 7-3 loss.

Masterson is 0-1 in two starts versus the White Sox this season, losing to Danks on May 24 after giving up five runs and nine hits in four innings.

Center fielder Grady Sizemore, sidelined since May 16 with a bruised left knee, will undergo surgery Friday that will sideline him at least six weeks and possibly the rest of the season.