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Danks, White Sox conclude set vs. Rangers

May 17, 2011 - 2:52 PM (Sports Network) - One of the biggest mysteries early on this season, White Sox left-hander John Danks, gets another chance to snap out of a funk tonight when Chicago concludes a brief two-game set with the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field.

A double-digit winner for three straight seasons, including a career-best 15 games in 2010, Danks is winless through his initial eight starts of 2011, including six losses.

Chicago has not won any of his eight starting assignments.

The 26-year-old dropped a 7-1 verdict at Cleveland in his season debut on April 3, then pitched respectably in two subsequent no-decisions before a five-start skid that began with a 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay on April 19.

He allowed three runs in a 3-0 loss at Detroit five days later and has been touched for 14 runs on 26 hits over 19 innings in his last three outings in losses to Baltimore, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Batters are hitting a robust .288 against Danks through 52 innings after managing just a .237 clip in 213 innings last season.

The Austin, Texas native, who was selected ninth overall by the Rangers in 2003, is 1-3 in five career starts against his old team with a 4.11 earned run average across 30 2/3 innings.

Chicago has lost two of three games and got a rough outing from starter Edwin Jackson on Monday. Jackson allowed four runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts to suffer the loss (3-5).

The Rangers reply with left-hander Matt Harrison, who's looking to end a four- start slide of his own.

The 25-year-old was 3-0 after beginning the year with wins over Boston, Baltimore and the New York Yankees in early April, but has since dropped consecutive meetings with the Angels, Toronto, Oakland and the Yankees.

In his most recent outing, a 4-1 loss to New York, Harrison allowed four hits and two earned runs in six innings and dropped his ERA slightly from 4.59 to 4.35.

Harrison is 2-0 with a stingy 2.70 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox, who were beaten, 4-0, in Monday's opener.

Colby Lewis threw his first career shutout and allowed just five hits for the Rangers. He struck out seven and didn't allow a hit until A.J. Pierzynski's one-out single in the fifth inning.

He walked just one batter in his third career complete game and second of the season.

Ian Kinsler hit a two-run single and Endy Chavez had three hits and two runs scored for the Rangers, who have won four of their last five games. Texas smacked 12 hits in the game, getting at least one from eight of its nine batters.

Texas won five of its nine meetings with the White Sox in 2010.