| SEASON | CAREER |
| W2 | 2 |
| L2 | 2 |
| G8 | 8 |
| IP41.0 | 41.0 |
| BB9 | 9 |
| SO29 | 29 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W4 | 4 |
| L1 | 1 |
| G12 | 12 |
| IP70.1 | 70.0 |
| BB13 | 13 |
| SO43 | 43 |
In their first home game since the All-Star break, the Chicago White Sox broke out of their slump.
Jose Quintana is hopeful his teammates saved some offense for him Tuesday night when he faces the struggling Minnesota Twins .
After a 3-7 road trip that dropped Chicago out of first place in the AL Central, the White Sox (51-45) won Monday's series opener 7-4 to snap a five-game skid. Paul Konerko , Adam Dunn and Alex Rios all homered for Chicago, which won for the eighth time in nine games at U.S. Cellular Field and moved back within one game of idle Detroit for first place.
"We've got two months of baseball, real meaningful baseball," Dunn said. "The goal is to get out of this little funk we're in now and when it matters get hot. Who knows what is going to happen?"
Dunn, who had been mired in a 2-for-29 slump, hit his major league-leading 29th homer, while Konerko hit his 15th and first in 19 games.
Although Konerko hasn't shown much power lately, he's batting .458 in his last seven contests. The All-Star first baseman had been one of the few White Sox swinging the bat well, as the team totaled nine runs while batting .195 during its skid.
Quintana (4-1, 2.30 ERA) is plenty familiar with those kinds of dismal offensive showings. He has surrendered two runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts, but has been backed by two runs or fewer six times.
Against Boston on Thursday, a combination of poor run support and a bullpen collapse prevented him from getting the win. He permitted five hits and no walks in eight shutout innings, but closer Addison Reed surrendered a walk-off, three-run homer to Cody Ross in a 3-1 loss.
It was the fourth time in his last six starts that the 23-year-old Quintana went eight innings, allowing no runs in three of those games and just one in the other. He got the win once and was left with a no-decision in the other three.
"He has a lot of poise for such a young kid," manager Robin Ventura said. "We're lucky to have him."
The Twins (40-56), losers of nine of 13, will be getting their first look at the rookie left-hander, and Josh Willingham is hopeful a fresh face can help him break out of his slump against White Sox pitching.
Willingham, Minnesota's leader with 23 homers and 68 RBIs, was hitless in five at-bats Monday and is 2 for 26 with 11 strikeouts in seven games in the season series.
Cole De Vries (2-2, 3.95) will get the start for the Twins after yielding a run and five hits in six innings against Baltimore on Thursday. The rookie right-hander exited with the lead, but the Orioles rallied for a 4-3 win, and Ron Gardenhire suggested that too many short starts might be taking their toll on an overworked bullpen.
De Vries has not thrown more than 96 pitches in any of his seven starts, and Gardenhire might consider stretching him out.
"I know it's one of those things as a starting pitcher that at times you need to do that," said De Vries, who has pitched more than six innings just once. "So why not get some experience and see how that works?"
De Vries made his major league debut May 24 at Chicago, going five-plus innings and yielding six runs - three earned - with solo homers to Konerko, Rios and A.J. Pierzynski in an 11-8 loss.
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AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS Minnesota Twins |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 17, 2012 | Matt Capps | 15-Day DL | Right rotator cuff irritation |
| June 24, 2012 | Matt Capps | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
| June 24, 2012 | Matt Capps | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
| June 17, 2012 | Joe Mauer | Day-to-Day | Left game - bruised right quadricep |
| June 16, 2012 | Joe Mauer | Day-to-Day | Sore left hamstring |
| June 15, 2012 | Justin Morneau | Day-to-Day | Left forearm injury |
 Chicago White Sox |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 08, 2012 | Gavin Floyd | 15-Day DL | Right elbow tendinitis |
| July 08, 2012 | Gavin Floyd | 15-Day DL | Right elbow tendinitis |
| June 29, 2012 | Kevin Youkilis | Day-to-Day | Left game - upset stomach |
| June 25, 2012 | Brian Bruney | 15-Day DL | Left hip inflammation |
| June 24, 2012 | Jesse Crain | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
| June 24, 2012 | Jesse Crain | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
CHICAGO (AP) -- Adam Dunn 's major league-best 30th homer sailed into the night, sent the Chicago White Sox on their way to a comeback victory and earned them a share of the AL Central lead.
Dunn tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh, Dayan Viciedo had a two-run single later in the inning and Chicago rallied Tuesday night for an 11-4 win over the Minnesota Twins .
"He's a monster right now," teammate Paul Konerko said of Dunn, who has put a miserable first season in Chicago last year behind him.
"I think he's an ever better hitter and better everything than he was even when he was having those great years before," Konerko said. "I think his best is ahead of him."
Dunn became the fourth fastest White Sox player to reach 30 homers - based on games (96) - and how has more long balls this season than he does singles (29).
"I care about hitting the ball as hard as I can. If I do that and get a single, sometimes that's OK. I'm not here to hit singles," Dunn said.
"When you get a homer, you don't really swing too hard. It just kind of shows up."
The victory allowed the White Sox to move into a tie for the division lead with Detroit, which lost at Cleveland.
Josh Willingham homered twice for the Twins, his 24th and 25th of the season.
Konerko was 4 for 4 for the White Sox with his 16th homer of the season.
"My job is to try to be as tough as I can so they don't walk him (Dunn)," Konerko said.
Dunn hit a two-run homer off lefty reliever Tyler Robertson to make it 4-all. Casey Fien (1-1) relieved and gave up a single to Konerko, a double to Alex Rios and an intentional walk to Alexei Ramirez before Viciedo followed with his go-ahead two-run single.
Dunn added a two-run double and Ramirez had a two-run homer in a five-run eighth to put the victory away.
"A really good game until about the seventh inning, and they kind of ambushed us. We didn't make any pitches. They put some in the seats," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
"We didn't throw it over. We get ahead in the count and couldn't put a hitter away. ... . They were swinging away, just absolutely killed us for two big innings."
Nate Jones (4-0), who relieved Chicago starter Jose Quintana in the seventh, got the win.
Willingham's three-run homer following singles by Denard Span and Joe Mauer put the Twins ahead 4-2 in the sixth against Quintana. Willingham also had a solo shot in the fourth.
Cole De Vries made his major league debut against the White Sox on May 24 when he gave up six hits and six runs - three earned - in five innings. He was much more effective this time, giving up an unearned run in the first and yielding a solo homer to Konerko in the fifth during his six-inning stint.
"That Konerko one was real frustrating because when I was out there I felt like I made a pitch I wanted to," De Vries said. "But he was sitting inside on that. He's a good enough hitter where if he gets a pitch he's looking for he's probably going to do something like that."
Konerko's two-out high fly just cleared the wall in left field and put Chicago ahead 2-1. Chicago got an unearned run in the first on a two-out throwing error by shortstop Brian Dozier that followed a single by Dunn and double by Konerko.
Willingham's line drive homer to center in the fourth tied the game. Quintana allowed eight hits and four runs in 6 1-3 innings.
NOTES: Umpires conferred and reversed a call in the seventh just before Dunn's homer. Chicago's Alejandro De Aza hit a sinking liner to right fielder Darin Mastroianni that was initially ruled a hit. But after an umps' conference it was changed to a catch, even though a replay appeared to show the ball hitting the ground right before Mastroianni got his glove under it. ... Willingham now has 12 career multihomer games, including two this month. ... Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski sat out the game with a mild strain of his right oblique, an injury he got swinging the bat Monday night. He'll also sit out Wednesday afternoon's finale ... Justin Morneau was back in the Minnesota lineup after a paternity leave and was the DH because of a stiff neck.
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Minnesota Twins