ARLINGTON -- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen dropped slumping designated hitter Adam Dunn to the No. 5 spot in the lineup on Tuesday and will give him the day off on Wednesday, hoping to jump-start his slugger.

Dunn had just three hits in his last 32 at-bats entering Tuesday's game against the Rangers. The more alarming stat was the left-handed hitter's 0-for-30 against left-handed pitching. The Rangers had Derek Holland on the mound on Tuesday and fellow lefty C.J. Wilson slated for Wednesday.

It's the 11th time Dunn has batted fifth -- he has 30 starts as the cleanup hitter, so the shift in the order isn't a big shock. Dunn admitted on Tuesday that he's never gone through a slump like this

"This is ridiculous," Dunn said. "I've never [done this]. There's a first for everything, but this not something I wanted to ever happen. There's only one way to get out of it and that's just to keep swinging."

Guillen said Dunn may need the mental break that will come with Wednesday's day off. The White Sox travel to Toronto for a four-game series starting Thursday.

"He's starting to think about it," Guillen said. "I want to put him in the best spot to give him some success."

Dunn said his health is fine. He's switched bats a few times during the slump.

"I've never done that," Dunn said. "We're trying all kinds of stuff.

"I'd like to say I'm swinging at bad pitches," Dunn said, "but I'm not doing that. I'm swinging at good pitches, and seems like I'm taking the balls and swinging at the strikes and I'm still fouling them off. I'm going to keep battling."

Carlos Quentin moved up to the No. 3 spot against Holland, with Paul Konerko remaining at cleanup. Quentin promptly homered in his first two at-bats, and then added a third blast in the ninth to record his first three-homer game as the White Sox grabbed an 8-6 victory.

Dunn went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, his fifth, to raise his average to .192. He leads the American League with 60 strikeouts.

Pierre following similar pattern at the plate

ARLINGTON -- White Sox outfielder Juan Pierre appears to be getting hot as he takes a nine-game hitting streak into Wednesday's finale against the Rangers.

"That happened to him last year, too," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Last year, he struggled for a few weeks and started getting better, almost the same way, in the outfield and the plate."

Pierre batted .186 in April last season, before picking things up in May and finishing the season with a .275 average with 68 stolen bases.

This season, Pierre batted .243 in April. He has picked that up to .284 in May, and has 10 hits in his last 27 at-bats.

Guillen keeping faith in winless Danks

ARLINGTON -- John Danks' struggles and his 0-7 record are as much an issue with the entire ballclub as it is with the White Sox left-handed starter, according to manager Ozzie Guillen.

"We're just not doing anything to help him," Guillen said. "I'm happy with the way he's throwing the ball."

Guillen said after Monday's game that he will stick with Danks in the rotation, even though the White Sox are going with a six-man rotation right now. Guillen said he has a simple message for Danks, who is winless in 10 starts.

"It's not your fault," Guillen said. "Keep your head up. And give us a chance to win every time out."

Worth noting

• Quentin continues his road tear. He entered play on Tuesday leading the American League in several road stats, including doubles (11) and RBIs (23) and was second in total bases (60). He then added to those totals with a three-homer, five-RBI night in the 8-6 win.

• White Sox pinch-hitters were 9-for-18 with a home run and three RBIs before Tuesday's tilt. They batted .263 last year.

• The White Sox were shut out for the sixth time in 49 games, losing, 4-0, on Monday night. They were shut out five times in all of 2010.