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CHICAGO -- Kevin Hickey, who pitched in six major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 56.

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CHICAGO -- It was perfect baseball weather Monday night, 70 degrees with clear skies, and the price at U.S. Cellular Field was just as welcoming: half-off.

But the announced attendance was just 23,358 for a mid-May game against division rival Detroit Tigers. And that's a problem. Even worse, it was the Chicago White Sox's fourth-best gate in 19 home games. The only three better came in the opening series of the season.

"You have to ask yourself is price the biggest factor?" Sox vice president and chief marketing officer Brooks Boyer said. "I don't think price is the biggest factor on a value Monday. If people aren't there on a day like last night, when prices are half the regular price, is it price? Maybe we need to do more to get the trust of our fans."

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CHICAGO -- The Detroit Tigers should have defeated the Chicago White Sox on Monday.

The White Sox should have defeated the Tigers on Tuesday.

Neither scenario happened.

The Tigers knocked out White Sox starter John Danks after three innings and blew a 5-2 lead on Monday to lose 7-5. The White Sox squandered a 6-0 lead after five innings and fell to the Tigers 10-8 on Tuesday.

Welcome to the 2012 American League Central.

It’s a division where nothing seems to make sense, and nearly everyone seems capable of winning or losing.
Let’s count the ways the American League Central is unique so far:

It’s the only division where not a single team has a winning record at home.

It’s the only division where not a single team has scored more runs than it has allowed. The Cleveland Indians lead the division and has allowed 10 more runs than it has scored. The White Sox have been the best differential at minus-1.

It’s the only division which doesn’t have a winning record against left-handed starting pitchers.

It’s the only American League division with five players in the top 11 in batting average.

It’s the only American League division with five players in the top 11 in ERA.

It’s the only division to have the best team in one-run games and the worst team. The Indians are 8-1 in one-run games, and the White Sox are 2-6.

It’s the only division where a team hasn’t scored 160 runs yet. The Indians and Tigers have each scored 157 runs. In comparison, every team in the American League East has scored 160-plus runs.

It’s the worst division in extra-innings games. The division is 3-9 in extra innings.

It’s the only division in baseball where the first-place team doesn’t currently have the greatest percentage of making the playoffs, according to ESPN. The Tigers have a 46.5 percent chance followed by the White Sox (35.2) and the Indians (31.8). The Indians have a two-game lead on the Tigers and 3.5-game lead on the White Sox.

CHICAGO -- Trying to protect a weakened bullpen led to a major miscalculation by the Chicago White Sox coaching staff and a meltdown in a 10-8 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.

Jake Peavy, on his way to what appeared to be his fifth win, had a five-hit shutout through five innings and a six-run lead before losing his command in the sixth. By the time manager Robin Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper decided to warm up a bullpen pitcher, Peavy had given up a two-run home run to Miguel Cabrera and a three-run blast to Ryan Raburn. The rest of the damage came off left-hander Will Ohman, who had to hustle to get in six or seven warmup throws.

Ohman entered the game with a man on first. He hit the first hitter, pinch hitter Delmon Young, and then served up a three-run home run to Austin Jackson.

“Obviously, the momentum changed rather quickly,” Ohman said. “I didn’t do what I needed to. I had Delmon with two strikes and go in and hit him. Then 0-2 homer . Unacceptable.”

Ventura and Cooper tried to stay away from using their depleted bullpen with their ace on the mound, but the inning and the game got away from them.

“You have seen Jake (get it done) in the past, but you can’t use everybody in the pen everyday,” Ventura said. “Even though you want to win this game you are looking (down the road). There are more games in the season, and you can’t use everybody every day.”

The miscalculation came with not having another righty up due to the fact that right-handed batters are hitting .333 against Ohman coming into the game.

Ventura took responsibility for watching over his tired bullpen.

”Sure, you have to be able to look at the (whole) season in the long haul instead of just batter to batter,” Ventura said. “We have some younger guys down there you want to take care of. It’s one of those for Jake where the sixth inning got him.”

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Detroit Tigers’ 10-8 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

How it happened: The White Sox’s offense came alive again Tuesday, but the Tigers’ bats proved to be even more potent in the finale of the two-game series. After the White Sox built a 6-0 lead through five innings, the Tigers scored 10 unanswered runs, highlighted by an eight-run sixth inning. White Sox starter Jake Peavy allowed a two-run home run to Miguel Cabrera and then a three-run home run to Ryan Raburn in the sixth. He left the game with a runner on first base, and relief pitcher Will Ohman wasn’t able to shut the door, hitting a batter and then allowing a three-run home run to Austin Jackson. Peavy allowed nine hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings for his worst outing of the season. A.J. Pierzynski had five hits and three RBIs, and Paul Konerko hit a home run for the White Sox. Alexei Ramirez drove in two runs in the ninth with a double before Dayan Viciedo flied out to the warning track in right to end the game.

What it means: The White Sox appeared to be headed in a positive direction after Monday’s comeback victory and then going ahead 6-0 on Tuesday. But as much as Monday’s win was a confidence booster for the White Sox, Tuesday’s loss could work the opposite way. The White Sox are 7-12 at home this season. It doesn’t help the Sox now have to travel to Los Angeles for two games and then fly back to Chicago to face the Cubs this weekend. That’s a lot of traveling in a short span.

Outside the box: The White Sox have placed just one player (Jesse Crain) on the disabled list this season. That ties the Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers for the fewest this season.

Up next: The White Sox head out to Los Angeles to face the Angels for a two-game series beginning on Wednesday. Gavin Floyd (3-3, 2.53) will start for the White Sox, and the Angels will counter with Jerome Williams (3-1, 4.19) in the 9:05 start.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox reinstated relief pitcher Jesse Crain from the 15-day disabled list and designated pitcher Eric Stults for assignment on Tuesday.

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CHICAGO -- Monday's comeback victory may have just been one in the win column for the Chicago White Sox, but they're hopeful it'll mean much more down the road.

The White Sox fought back from a 5-2 deficit with five runs in the final four innings and six shutout innings from the bullpen to defeat the Tigers 7-5 on Monday.

“It's big,” White Sox reliever Zach Stewart said on Monday. “Hopefully, we can build on this and take this into (Tuesday) and the series to come. It's a good team. It's definitely a team in the division we have to do well against.”

The White Sox will look to sweep the two-game series behind team ace Jake Peavy (4-1, 1.89) on Tuesday. Max Scherzer (2-3, 5.73) will start for the Tigers.


Here's the White Sox's lineup for Tuesday:
1. Alejandro De Aza – CF
2. Gordon Beckham – 2B
3. Adam Dunn – DH
4. Paul Konerko – 1B
5. A.J. Pierzynski -- C
6. Alex Rios – RF
7. Alexei Ramirez – SS
8. Dayan Viciedo – LF
9. Brent Morel – 3B

CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox’s bullpen couldn’t have endured much worse of a day than it suffered on Sunday.

But less than 24 hours after four White Sox’s relief pitchers combined to allow eight runs in a loss to the Kansas City Royals, the bullpen redeemed itself by pitching six shutout innings in a 7-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

The bullpen was given its shot to bounce back when starter John Danks made his shortest start of the season, lasting just three innings. The White Sox were trailing 5-2 in the fourth inning when manager Robin Ventura made his first call to the pen and brought in Zach Stewart.

With the White Sox’s offense struggling lately and the team trailing by three runs against Tigers starter Drew Smyly, who had a 1.59 ERA entering the day, it appeared as if Stewart’s job would be simply to last multiple innings and not put too much strain on the bullpen. But that changed when the White Sox’s offense got rolling with a combined five runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and Stewart shut down the Tigers completely. He allowed one hit and no runs through three innings.

“That’s a big spot to come into, and he did great,” Ventura said of Stewart. “You throw him into that situation, he eats up some innings right there. That’s a big plus for us to have him be able to do that.”

Next up was Hector Santiago. Santiago had his struggles after initially being labeled the team’s closer, but he’s pitched more consistently as of late. He continued to be sharp Monday and didn’t allow a run in his one inning of work.

“It was great to be able to come out and pick up Johnny (Danks) to be able to hold it down and keep us in the game right there,” Santiago said.

Ventura next went to Matt Thornton, one of the pitchers who was accountable for Sunday’s deficit. Thornton had allowed one hit, one run and one walk and picked up the loss against the Royals. On Monday, he appeared to be headed into trouble again when he allowed Miguel Cabrera to single, but Thornton got the next batter, Prince Fielder, to hit into a double play to close out a scoreless eighth inning.

And finally, it was Addison Reed’s chance at redemption. Reed took the brunt of Sunday’s loss. He allowed two hits, six runs and three walks in a 1/3 inning against Royals. He hadn’t allowed a run all season before the game.

On Monday, Reed again faced some more adversity, but this time he prevailed. He allowed a single and a walk before he finished off the Tigers and picked up his third save of the season.

Overall, it’s the type of performance the bullpen believes it’s closer to than what it did on Sunday.

“We’re confident in what we can do down there,” Stewart said. “Yesterday was a bad day, but we know exactly what we’re capable of. I think we showed it tonight.”

CHICAGO -- What a difference a few hours make for a young team trying to find its way through a big league season. Before Monday’s game, Robin Ventura preached patience when talking about his slumping hitters.

“We have some young guys and part of it is having patience and seeing what is there,” Ventura said. “We have some great veteran guys on the team who are kind of bringing them along and showing them the right way to do things. That stuff pays off.”

The bottom third of White Sox’s batting order came on strong in the middle Chicago’s 7-5 win over the Tigers, helping steal a much needed victory from Detroit. Dayan Viciedo came out of a 1-for-16 slump with a career-high 4-RBI night that included a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

“You have confidence in yourself but when you hear it from the manager, it makes you feel better,” said Viciedo through a translator. “That helps you be more at ease and then you know what to do.”

The White Sox also received contributions from other slumping players in their fifth come-from-behind win -- big hits from Alexei Ramirez and Brent Morel gave the rest of the team a much-needed lift.

Adam Dunn put the Sox back in the game with a two-run home run in the first inning, his 12th of the season. (He had 11 in 2011.)

“I will never talk about hitting or mechanics because I don’t know them myself,” Dunn said. “I do know how important it is to stay even keeled through the good and the bad.

The Sox may look back on this early season game as a jumping off point for in quest to be a good team with a nucleus of good young hitters.

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at Chicago White Sox’s 7-5 win over the Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday.

How it happened: Starting pitcher John Danks put the White Sox in a rough spot when he allowed nine hits, five runs and three walks, lasting only three innings on Monday. The White Sox’s bullpen and offense came to his rescue, though. A game after the bullpen gave up eight runs in 2 1/3 innings, it went six innings and didn’t allow a run on Monday. Zach Stewart did the bulk of the work, pitching three relief innings of shutout ball. Adam Dunn and Dayan Viciedo provided the offense. Dunn hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and Viciedo had a career-high four RBIs, which included a two-run homer. The White Sox had scored a total of one run in their previous two games.

What it means: Danks’ struggles are a concern. He’s allowed five or more runs in three of his last four starts, and he’s only had one outing this season during which he appeared to be his usual self. His ERA rose to 6.46 after Monday’s performance.

Outside the box: Dunn’s home run was his first off a left-handed pitcher since Aug. 6, 2010. Dunn, who was then with the Washington Nationals, hit two home runs against Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw on that day.

Up next: Jake Peavy (4-1, 1.89) will start for the White Sox in the final game of the two-game series. Max Scherzer (2-3, 5.73) will start for the Tigers.

CHICAGO -- The White Sox started three regulars who were hitting under .200 and one hitting .208 on Tuesday night against defending AL Central champion Detroit Tigers.

The coaching staff sounds uncertain when trying to evaluate the situation. The struggling quartet of Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo, Gordon Beckham and Brent Morel is obviously hurting the team. But is this an early-season glitch in the offense or a trend of what to expect from these young players?

“You try to have patience with them because this is a mental as well as physical grind,” Ventura said.

The manager and his coaching staff go over their options while supporting hitting coach Jeff Manto on a daily basis.

“Patience is one way (to help young hitters),” Ventura said. “Sometimes you give them a kick, but again it’s not always that easy. I realize how tough it is.

Morel, Viciedo and Beckham are hitting a combined .195 with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs in 307 at bats.

At some point you have to also look at the 33 runs they have scored in 35 games as further indication of how futile the offense has been. Complicating this situation is the sudden flop of Ramirez, who is hitting .156 over the past 22 games (14-90).

“For them they have to realize that they can’t get it back in one day,” Ventura said. “It’s a consistent thing of day in and day out of coming in here having the proper attitude coming in here working at it and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Going into action on Tuesday the Sox were hitting .238 as a team -- the third worst average in the American league.

Chicago has been buoyed by relatively solid pitching. With that, the White Sox sit just two and a half games out of first place as both the Indians and the Tigers struggle to stay above the 500 mark.

“Most of us have played, so we get what (the hitters) are going through,” Ventura said. “I get that but they can’t lose their confidence.”

The White Sox have benefitted from quality contributions by Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn and, until a recent slump, A.J. Pierzynski. All this main group of veterans need is a little help from their younger teammates.

CHICAGO -- Relief pitcher Jesse Crain said Monday he expected to be officially activated off the DL by the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday after recently making two minor league rehab appearances.

Crain was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 21 due to a strained left oblique. He threw a pair of scoreless innings for Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, on Friday and Sunday.

“They’re giving me another day,” Crain said prior to Monday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. “I’ll be ready (Tuesday).

“(I feel) great. My two outings were all I could ask for. I didn’t feel it. Took a long time to feel that way, but you know for the long run I think it’s good because I felt great.”

Crain last pitched for the White Sox on April 20 and has made six appearances with a 2.57 ERA this season.

Crain also suffered a right oblique injury during spring training.

“Like I said all along, you can’t do anything about,” Crain said. “All you can do is try to work at it to get better and get back out there. That’s the only thing I’ve been trying to do. Yeah, it’s been frustrating, but I’ve made it this far, and I’m ready to go.”

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks will try to build off his best start of the season when he takes the mound against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

In Danks’ outing, he allowed five hits and two runs in seven innings against the Cleveland Indians on May 8. He lowered his ERA to 5.81 with the performance.

Danks will be countered by Tigers left-hander Drew Smyly (1-0, 1.59). Here’s the White Sox’s lineup:

1. Alejandro De Aza, CF
2. Gordon Beckham, 2B
3. Adam Dunn, DH
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. Alex Rios, RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski, C
7. Alexei Ramirez, SS
8. Dayan Viciedo, LF
9. Brent Morel, 3B

STREAKING

1. Alejandro De Aza, OF: He has quietly been one of the best leadoff men in the American League, batting .286 with three home runs and 12 RBIs to go along with a .364 on-base percentage. Last week he had 12 hits and six runs scored, and he is batting .354 in May along with a .436 on-base percentage. Although you won’t see him on any SportsCenter highlights, the 28-year-old De Aza may be a diamond in the rough and a product of good scouting by the Sox. He has also played solid defense and has six stolen bases.

2. Adam Dunn, DH/1B: He is just the 14th player since 1921 to equal his previous years home run total (10 or more) in the first 33 games. Dunn had another solid week with three home runs, and has six homers and 10 RBIs in his last 12 games. Dunn, who has started mostly at designated hitter, will be challenged again next weekend as manager Robin Ventura said Sunday he will play him in leftfield against the Cubs. Dunn, whose 11 home runs are tied for second in the AL, is batting .250 with 26 RBIs. He’s also second in the league in walks (28) and has a .393 on-base percentage.

SLUMPING

1. Chris Sale, SP: Through little fault of his own, Sale had a tough week with elbow soreness and a demotion to the bullpen in which he blew a save in his first appearance. After a long conversation with Sox brass, he was elevated back to the rotation and took the loss against the Royals on Saturday, giving up three earned runs in five innings. The young left-hander, who is 3-2 with a 3.08 ERA this season, seems to be on his way back after a shaky first inning on Saturday.

2. Dayan Viciedo, LF: He has had a rough month, batting .176 with one RBI and no home runs in 12 games. He has also struck out 13 times in 34 at-bats. Viciedo went 3 for 19 in his last seven games and is batting .196 with three home runs and five RBIs this season. He may have to share time at the position with two or three others including Dunn. He is just the latest young White Sox player to struggle this season.

CHICAGO -- The White Sox’s dependable bullpen had one of its worst collective performances of the season Sunday, sputtering from the moment it took over in the seventh inning with a one-run lead that by the end of the White Sox’s 9-1 loss starter Phillip Humber’s respectable outing was practically an afterthought.

(Humber strung together his best performance since throwing a perfect game three starts ago on April 21, allowing just four hits and a run while striking out seven and walking three over 6 2/3 innings against the Royals. He left the game with two outs and a 1-0 lead in the seventh.

“Phil came out and pitched great,” Manager Robin Ventura said. “I don’t know if he was as sharp as you probably saw him either in spring or obviously in Seattle but he was able to find it and gain control of it and spot and throw all of his pitches. On one hand, it’s positive the way Phil threw and on the other hand, we let it get away from us.”

Humber threw 67 of 101 pitches for strikes and lasted longer than any of his previous three starts. He credited an improved focus as being the difference on Sunday.

“Not that you’re ever not trying,” he said. “Just being more of a competitor. Seeing the target and going right at it, not worrying about the results. That’s how you have fun as a ballplayer, just going out there and letting it all hang out. It was definitely a step in the right direction.”