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White Sox hope to snap series slide against Twins

Jul 8, 2011 - 2:57 PM (Sports Network) - Something has to give for the Chicago White Sox and their recent history with the Minnesota Twins.

The White Sox have lost all five meetings this season with Minnesota and will resume a four-game set tonight with their American League Central rivals at U.S. Cellular Field. Chicago dropped a 6-2 decision in Thursday's series opener, as starting pitcher Philip Humber was hammered for six runs and 11 hits in only 3 2/3 innings of work.

"It was not a whole lot of fun out there," Humber said on Chicago's website. "I just tried to make the pitches I needed to make and, even when I did execute my pitches, it seemed like they were putting the barrel on the ball. It was just a tough one."

Mark Teahen hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to provide the scoring for the White Sox and Juan Pierre recorded a pair of hits. The White Sox have lost three in a row and four of five games, and are 1-3 on a seven-game homestand.

On a brighter note for the Pale Hose, slugging first baseman Paul Konerko was named an All-Star on Thursday after winning the Final Vote competition. He owns 22 home runs and 64 RBI this season, and went 0-for-3 last night. He entered Thursday's game hitting .373 with 12 homers and 27 RBI since May 28.

Gavin Floyd gets the start tonight for Chicago and is 0-3 with a 4.91 earned run average in his last five starts -- all White Sox losses. He pitched well in defeat during Sunday's 3-1 loss at the Chicago Cubs and allowed three runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. Floyd fell to 6-8 in 17 games, 16 of which have been starts, to go along with a 4.17 ERA.

Floyd, a right-hander, was beaten by Minnesota in a 4-1 setback on June 15 at Target Field, where he allowed all four runs and 11 hits in eight innings. He is just 4-9 with a 5.20 ERA in 14 career starts in this matchup and 0-6 with a 6.69 ERA in the past six encounters with Minnesota.

The Twins are playing well since a six-game slide at the end of June, having won seven of their last nine games. In last night's victory in the Windy City, Ben Revere and Joe Mauer highlighted a 13-hit attack with three hits and two RBI apiece. Revere also scored twice for the Twins, who got two hits, a pair of runs scored and an RBI from Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Mauer was making his debut at first base from his usual position behind the plate.

"He's got good hands and he makes it look easier than it really is," Twins manager Rod Gardenhire said of Mauer's play at first base. "That's because he's pretty solid. That was his first shot at it, so there will be times when it may be a little tougher on him. I don't know how because he made a lot of tough plays over there. He's an athlete, he's gifted and he handled himself very well over there tonight."

Michael Cuddyer went 2-for-5 and has hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games, batting .400 over that span. Carl Pavano recorded the win for Minnesota and held the White Sox to two runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four batters before Glen Perkins and Matt Capps both tossed a scoreless inning of relief.

Hoping to keep the ball rolling against Chicago tonight will be Twins starting pitcher Nick Blackburn. Blackburn is winless (0-2) in his last three starts and hasn't lasted more than 4 1/3 innings in each of his last two appearances. In a 9-7 win on Sunday versus Milwaukee, Blackburn luckily avoided the loss column by allowing six runs and six hits in four innings.

Blackburn has beaten Chicago twice already this season and is 8-5 with a 3.44 earned run average in 16 career games (15 starts) against the White Sox. The righty is 4-3 in nine road assignments this season.

Minnesota has won eight in a row against the White Sox and is 27-6 in the previous 33 meetings between the two teams. The Twins are also unbeaten in their last seven games at U.S. Cellular Field and sport a 13-2 mark in the previous 15 contests as the visitor in this series.