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White Sox search for ways to break out of slump

Jun 15, 2007 - 1:43 PM Chi White Sox (27-35) at Pittsburgh (28-38) 7:05 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The Chicago White Sox have struggled to hit the ball all season. This month, their pitching has failed them, too.

Jon Garland will try to snap that trend when the White Sox visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Chicago is just 3-10 in the month of June and has been outscored, 68-39, over that stretch. The bullpen has undergone a complete makeover, with Mike MacDougal, Andrew Sisco and David Aardsma now honing their craft in the minors.

Garland (4-3, 3.42 ERA) will attempt to keep the bullpen out of the game Friday. The 27-year-old righthander has lasted at least seven innings in each of his last two starts.

He allowed one run in seven innings last Saturday, but did not factor in the decision when Bret Prinz and Bobby Jenks each yielded a run to hand the Houston Astros a 3-2 victory.

The Pirates are coming off their first series win at home since April 24-26. Despite taking two-of-three from the hapless Texas Rangers this week, they own a National League-worst 13 home wins.

Paul Maholm (2-9, 5.33) will look to reverse that trend along with his own personal losing streak. The lefthander is 0-5 in his last six starts and has allowed five runs in four of those appearances.