NewsFloyd kicks off important stretch for Sox
Chicago (37-38) at Cleveland (31-46), 6:05 p.m. CT
By Jesse Temple / MLB.com
06/28/09 8:25 PM ET
CHICAGO -- And now back to your regularly scheduled American League Central race. After a five-series, 14-game Interleague interlude, the White Sox return to divisional play on Monday, beginning a three-game road series against the Indians. That set starts a pivotal 13-game stretch in which the South Siders take on only AL Central opponents. Following the Indians series, the White Sox play four games against the Royals, three more against the Indians at home and three against the Twins before the All-Star break begins on July 13. Ten of those contests are on the road, and the importance of gaining ground in the division, whether at home or away, is not lost on players. "It's huge," White Sox center fielder Brian Anderson said. "Hopefully, we can go on this road trip and put together some wins. It would be really nice to carry that over before the All-Star break and give us a chance in the second half to compete." Despite inconsistent play in the season's first three months, the White Sox are 37-38, in third place in the AL Central, just five games behind first-place Detroit. This 13-game stretch is of particular importance because it could determine whether the White Sox become buyers or sellers as the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline nears. "I think this is going to be the biggest week we have," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "And depending on how we play, then [general manager] Kenny [Williams] makes that decision and [chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] makes that decision. That's not my decision to make. If they see we're not going anywhere, they do what they have to do. "I love the players we have, I've managed a lot of guys for so many years. But if we have to make a tough decision, that's better for the organization. But I think it's really important how we play this week." The White Sox are coming off a draining six-game stretch in which they played the team with the best record in the Majors (the Dodgers) and partook in the customary intense rivalry that is the Crosstown Showdown against the Cubs. According to White Sox utility infielder Josh Fields, the team can't afford to lose any steam now. The AL Central race remains wide open, with only the first-place Tigers and second-place Twins above the .500 mark. Chicago's record against the AL Central is similar to its record against the rest of baseball. The South Siders are 14-14 against divisional opponents and 22-24 against everybody else. Guillen said he met with his team recently to stress the importance of playing at a high level over these next few weeks. "They've gone out after that meeting and they've played hard," Guillen said. "Depending on how we play and how many games we win, we'll see what happens after the All-Star break." A solid finish heading into that All-Star break could do wonders for the team's confidence. But with 75 games remaining on the schedule after the Midsummer Classic layoff, the division will still be anybody's race. "It's not going to be dictated at the All-Star break or even a couple weeks after the All-Star break," Fields said. "It's going to go down to the very end." Pitching matchupCWS: RHP Gavin Floyd (5-5, 4.45 ERA)
Despite a rocky first three innings, Floyd produced his seventh consecutive quality start in a 10-7 victory against the Dodgers on Wednesday. Floyd threw 71 pitches in the first three innings, allowing three runs. Over his final three innings, however, he made just 37 pitches, allowing no runs. In total, Floyd went six innings, giving up three runs (one earned), while striking out three and walking two. Floyd is 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA in five career starts against the Indians. CLE: RHP Carl Pavano (6-6, 5.80 ERA)
Pavano took a few extra days between starts to nurse a sore shoulder and work out some kinks behind the scenes. But his outing Wednesday against the Pirates proved he remains a work in progress. Pavano was rocked for eight runs on 11 hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Pavano's now given up 23 runs in 13 1/3 innings over his past three starts. He is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in two starts against the White Sox this season. Tidbits
The White Sox posted their third shutout against the Cubs in Interleague Play and fifth shutout of the season. They last shut out the Cubs on May 20, 2006, at U.S. Cellular Field. ... With a solo home run in the eighth inning, Jermaine Dye moved past Bill Melton into seventh place on the White Sox all-time home run list (155). ... The White Sox have hit at least one home run in six straight games and have gone deep in 12 of their past 13 games. During that span, they have hit 24 homers. ... The White Sox hold a 3-2 lead in this season's Interleague series against the Cubs, with one makeup game remaining. They are 36-35 against the Cubs since Interleague Play began in 1997. Tickets
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• Tuesday: White Sox (Clayton Richard, 2-1, 4.33) at Indians (Cliff Lee, 4-6, 2.92), 6:05 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: White Sox (Jose Contreras, 2-7, 5.19) at Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 2-5, 5.44), 6:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 7-2, 3.26) at Royals (Bruce Chen, 0-1, 5.68), 7:10 p.m. CT
Jesse Temple is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
