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CHICAGO -- While the bullpen strains under the weight it is being asked to carry and the defense continues to provide more assistance to the opposing offense, the Chicago White Sox continue to drift aimlessly.

Another loss by a reliever was combined with two more White Sox errors that led to an 8-3 defeat by the Tampa Bay Rays and a 3-5 homestand that followed a 3-7 road trip.

Making it that much worse is that the White Sox need to step up their game in the wake of so many April injuries, not regress in areas that were a supposed strength.

The bullpen is still top-notch, but a lack of run support has left it pitching in tight games each and every night, and things haven’t always gone the Sox's way in such circumstances. Nate Jones was tagged with the loss Sunday, the bullpen’s sixth loss this season. Only the Toronto Blue Jays and their eight bullpen defeats have more in the American League.

“We’re looking at what you have here and what’s available, and you go from there,” manager Robin Ventura said. “You try to win games right now not waiting and looking in the future. Guys are playing hard and this is one of those that is probably a work in progress of trying to figure that out and who’s playing and who’s doing what. But again, you try to make due and make sure everybody is giving a constant effort. That’s all you can ask.”

Ultimately, it all goes back to that ineffective offense. Adam Dunn, whose struggles have been mighty in the early going, continued to show signs of life with a first-inning RBI single. Team leader Paul Konerko added a two-run home run.

Everybody else, though, was an easy target for Rays starter David Price, who snapped a streak of five starts without a victory. His last truimph came Sept. 30 of last season, against the White Sox.

The White Sox have already used the disabled list six times in the first 24 games, an extreme worst-case scenario for a club that lacks not only roster depth but in potential breakthrough prospects at the minor league level.

Tyler Green (second base), Conor Gillaspie (third base) and Dewayne Wise (center field) all filled in for injured players Sunday and were a combined 1-for-10.

“I don’t sense anybody looking around saying we can’t win with what we have,” Konerko said. “I think the only time you think about those guys is when you see them. I think every team is going to have that little span during the season where it seems like every day somebody’s going down. Hopefully, this is ours right now and we start getting guys back and we’re kind of over that and it’s done with and some other team’s going to have to deal with that in August or September, maybe.”

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox strengths going into the season were said to be their pitching staff from 1-12 and a defense that made the fewest errors in baseball in 2012.

The pitching part of that equation had mostly held true until the bullpen misfired over the weekend during back-to-back losses to Minnesota, and redemption did not come on Monday evening.

Setup man Matt Thornton was unable to preserve a one-run lead for starter Dylan Axelrod, who left after six solid innings of work having allowed one run. The veteran lefty Thornton gave up two runs in the eighth, making a costly throwing error on a pickoff throw that sailed into the outfield to set up the tying and go-ahead runs. Cleveland shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera drove in both runs with a base hit after the damaging error.

“If you have been winning games that doesn’t hurt as much,” Thornton said. “When you have a string of losses going and you make a mistake that costs you a game it is frustrating.”

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CHICAGO -- Things are going so poorly for the Chicago White Sox right now that even one of the reliable portions of the roster stumbled on Sunday.

The American League’s best bullpen over the first three weeks of the season blew a tire, giving up a four-run seventh inning that led to a 5-3 defeat against the weak-hitting Minnesota Twins. The lineup The Twins used had four hitters batting .208 or less and six at .225 or lower.

Matt Lindstrom, Donnie Veal and Jesse Crain combined to allow all four runs in the seventh inning as Gavin Floyd was left with a no-decision after giving up just one run and three hits over six innings.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's bullpen was at it again Sunday, delivering three shutout innings that bought the offense enough time to pull off a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings.

Newcomer Matt Lindstrom offered his third consecutive scoreless outing in a White Sox uniform, especially impressive since one of those outings was a 2 1/3-inning stint Friday that matched a career long.

Jesse Crain and Addison Reed each followed Sunday with their own scoreless inning. Reed hasn’t been scored upon in any of his four outings and has three saves and a victory to show for them.

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CHICAGO -- There were some firsts for the Chicago White Sox bullpen on Friday and they weren’t necessarily the kind to celebrate.

Not only did the bullpen give up its first runs of the season in an 8-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings, reliever Nate Jones suffered the first loss of his career.

White Sox relievers had gone 12 2/3 scoreless innings this season, including 5 1/3 scoreless Friday night before Jones gave up the first of his two runs in the 10th inning that ended up deciding the game.

After going 8-0 in 65 appearances last season, Jones now knows what a loss feels like.

He was actually in his second inning of work after pitching a perfect ninth inning, something manager Robin Ventura did by necessity as the game dragged on.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox bullpen wasn't necessarily the brightest of some bright stars on Opening Day, yet by the time the 2013 season picks up momentum it could be the glue that holds the club together.

Blessed with the ideal mix of live young arms and veteran savvy, the belief is that the late innings will be no place for opponents to forge a rally.

While not wanting to drop too much expectation on his relief corps this early in the season, manager Robin Ventura knows that his bullpen could become the strength of the roster.

"I hope by the end of the year it's that way," Ventura said after the White Sox's 1-0 victory Monday over the Kansas City Royals. "Right now I don't know if anyone has roles or anything in particular except for (Addison Reed), but I would like to say that. We're confident in it. I'm confident in it."

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Wednesday should be a telling day in Chicago White Sox camp as both Alex Rios and Jesse Crain will test nagging injuries in advance of Opening Day.

Rios is dealing with a sore back that cropped up over the weekend when he was lifting weights. He hasn’t played in a game since, but the injury won’t be considered serious unless he doesn’t see action by the middle of this week.

Crain’s status has been more in question. He has been dealing with an injured muscle in his upper right leg.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. – Matt Thornton began his road back from a sore elbow Thursday, playing a light game of catch.

Thornton insists that the discomfort that popped up earlier this week is nothing to worry about, despite the fact that White Sox felt it was necessary enough to have him undergo an MRI which only showed inflammation.

“The MRI was extremely over-the-top precautionary," Thornton said. “It was the back side of the elbow and the ligaments are fine. It's probably just tendinitis I'm guessing, whatever you want to call it. I'll get that area under control and move forward. I'm fine."

Thornton expects another day of catch before having a bullpen session and then progressing to live batting practice. He doesn't expect there to be any delay with his schedule for Cactus League games.

“If April 1 comes in jeopardy, believe me you guys will know and I'd be worried then," Thornton said. “March 5 is my first game scheduled right now and it is not in jeopardy. It's no big deal."

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Hesitant to single somebody out, Chicago White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers needed a minute before coming up with one of the more impressive pitchers in camp.

It's not that there wasn't somebody worth bragging about. Quite the opposite really.

"I couldn't pick you out one winner yet but a number of guys were doing what (pitching coach Don Cooper) wanted them to do: staying low in the zone, hitting their spots, missing low, not leaving many pitches over the heart of the plate," Flowers said. "That's their main goal at this point is to execute pitches and locations and have quality misses and quality strikes. I could be naming names all day, though. Everybody looks good."

Finally Flowers did settle on somebody who has caught his eye. Newcomer Matt Lindstrom has been more than advertised. Everybody knows about the impressive velocity from the veteran right-hander, but there is so much more to like.

"He has a real good two-seamer going now," Flowers said. "Just in talking to him he's learned over the years that just because you throw 97 mph, it doesn't mean that's the best pitch to throw all the time so he's developed a two-seamer that's pretty good and obviously his slider he throws the (heck) out of it. Catching it, it looks like it will be a tough pitch to hit."

A two-seam fastball, as opposed to a four-seamer, will have some running movement to it. Lindstrom added it to his repertoire two seasons ago when he was with the Colorado Rockies, but it wasn't truly effective until last season when he pitched for both the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I started throwing it more in 2011, but I noticed that it was a little more effective on the road than in Colorado; the ball really doesn't do much there," Lindstrom said. "It was a good weapon for me last year in the American League East. I'd start guys early in the count with it to get ahead and just let the action do its work and then try to elevate four-seam fastballs late."

The numbers bear out his improvement. His 7.7 combined strikeouts per inning in the American League and the National League last season were his most since his rookie year in 2007 when it was at 8.3. And his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.86 was also his best since the 2.95 mark of his rookie year.

Lindstrom, who turned 33 at the start of camp, said that it only makes sense to add to your arsenal before it's too late.

"It's just about evolving a little bit just like other pitchers," Lindstrom said. "Tom Glavine pitched for so long, and he obviously was a little more of a finesse pitcher, but he developed cutters and stuff like that. He used his changeup and added like five or six years on his career. It's a matter of trying to evolve to a different pitcher and use different grips and stuff like that."

So far, signs are pointing to the Lindstrom addition as a bargain at $2.8 million with a team option for 2014.

"I think we're happy that we got him," Flowers said. "Obviously he fit for what we wanted. He meshes right in with everybody, his personality and everything. I think his stuff he fits right in with the bullpen too."

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago White Sox pitcher Matt Thornton practically scoffed at the notion that the discomfort he is experiencing in his elbow is anything but a nuisance.

The left-hander was held out of his throwing session Tuesday and underwent an MRI that showed only inflammation.

"It has been a process, adding the workload and stuff," Thornton said of his early work this spring. "I'm not worried about it at all. We have time to back off a little bit. There's no reason to throw through discomfort on Feb. 19. I'm not worried about it one bit. I trust (trainer Herm Schneider) to get me ready and there will be no problem. I'll be throwing in a couple of days here."

Thornton said the discomfort is in his left arm above the elbow in the triceps area.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Early indications show that Nate Jones is ready to show even more this season.

After bursting upon the scene in 2012 with an impressive rookie season, Jones doesn't seem content to merely duplicate that success. He has looked as good as any White Sox pitcher this spring.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Resembling his high-school yearbook photo more than the guy who set up games for the Chicago White Sox last season, Matt Thornton has been sporting an entirely new look this spring.

It's not the way he has been dressing or even the style of his haircut. Instead, Thornton appears to have gone all time machine on everybody after dropping at least 22 pounds during the winter.

"I'm definitely a younger version of myself," Thornton said. "But it's one of those things where you want to be as good as you can and take care of yourself as much as possible. I can have my fun when my career is over so I'm doing what I can to help the team."

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- It only takes a casual look at the potential Chicago White Sox roster to realize that non-roster reliever Ramon Troncoso is going to have a tough making it to Chicago for Opening Day.

That's fine with the right-hander, who has four years of major league experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

You want challenges? Troncoso has been through them and getting hit in the face with a line drive during winter ball last month was simply the latest.

As an unheralded pitcher in spring training for the Dodgers in 2008, Troncoso forced his way onto the Opening Day roster, primarily with a plus fastball. He was eventually send down, but called up again in June and was a member of the club's playoff run that year.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago White Sox right-hander Addison Reed has decided that treating the entire run of spring training as one long save situation will serve him best.

If all goes to plan, Reed will wind up locking down the closer role based on performance and not the fact that the job was his for most of last season.

It's probably not a tact the hard-throwing California native needs to employ. In public, the White Sox's staff is saying that others will have a chance to prove themselves in game-saving situations, but behind the scenes the pecking order has been set and Reed is undoubtedly the closer.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The way veteran reliever Matt Thornton sees it, the Chicago White Sox had a solid season in 2012, and when it comes to the bullpen, anyway, they are even further along than a year ago when spring training opened.

“Last spring training we had a lot of guys fighting for jobs and Nate Jones came in and won a job,” Thornton said. “We knew who he was but he was still off the radar and came on with a great spring training and established himself as a great arm for us.”

But Jones’ presence isn’t the only factor that solidifies the White Sox's bullpen. Thornton says that Addison Reed's emergence in the closer role has established a definitive pecking order.

“It’s that first full big-league season, the stress of being in contention all year long,” Thornton said. “Getting that under their belt is huge for those guys. Now situations won’t overwhelm them. Not that it did before, but they know what to expect, they know what September brings, they know what August brings. It’s a long year and they will be ready for it a little more this year.”

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