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Chicago White Sox setup man Jesse Crain will throw a bullpen session on Thursday in his first serious attempt at returning to the mound since straining a left side oblique.

Crain went on the DL retroactive to April 21 and can return to the roster on May 6. There is no plan in place for Crain as of yet and a rehab outing or two is possible.

The veteran pitcher loosened up on the side Tuesday for Sox pitching coach Don Cooper.

“He will probably get on the mound on Thursday,” Cooper said. “He still feels some [discomfort], but I don’t think we have lost any time.

“We have not discussed it to the point of sending him out, or is he going to be all right after these two sidelines. So we have not gotten there yet.”

With Crain on the DL, the White Sox bullpen has five pitchers with 50 or fewer days of major league experience.

Crain has a 2.57 ERA with two holds so far in 2012. The right-hander missed 10 days in spring training with a right oblique strain.

Chicago White Sox closer Hector Santiago has been getting hit on a regular basis, and some baseball people believe he is tipping his pitches.

"I went into the video room with some of the coaches and it is clear I must be doing something to be giving my stuff away," Santiago told ESPNChicago.com on Friday. "
We will come up with a plan.

"We have some of the (teammates ) that told me I may be tipping something, hopefully we can solve it and get it out of the way soon."

Santiago blew a save in the 14th inning in Oakland on Wednesday as a 4-2 lead turned into a 5-4 loss.

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A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 10-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.

How it happened: The Orioles scored twice in the ninth to tie the game as White Sox closer Hector Santiago allowed homers to Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold. Then the Orioles finished their comeback by posting six more runs in the 10th against Zach Stewart, capped by a grand slam by Matt Wieters. The Sox staked starter Phil Humber to an early lead in the second inning on A.J. Pierzynski's third home run of the season. The Sox catcher has made a nice career of beating up Orioles pitching, coming into the game with a .329 batting average against Baltimore. Humber, making his first start of the season, gave up a run in the fourth inning on Mark Reynolds’ RBI double before stranding the bases loaded for the second straight inning. Humber went 5 1/3 innings, throwing 115 pitches and earning a no-decision. Hot-hitting Paul Konerko drove in two runs with a double in the sixth.

What it means: Despite the relievers’ struggles on Monday, the White Sox’s starting pitching continued to be outstanding. The Sox have given up three runs or less in seven of their nine starts.

Outside the box: Batting practice pitcher Kevin Hickey was transported from a Dallas hospital to Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center on Saturday. Hickey was found unresponsive in his hotel room on April 5 by hotel personnel. He has shown some signs of movement, but remains unresponsive.

Up next: Sox left-hander John Danks (1 -1, 5.40) will make his third start of the young season against Orioles left-hander Wei –Yin Chen (0-0, 3.18 ) on Tuesday night.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Chicago White Sox have a new closer, and while Hector Santiago may not be a household name, he is a pitcher Sox fans should do their homework on.

Drafted by the Sox in the 30th round of the 2006 draft, Santiago had an exciting debut in the team’s first win of the season on Saturday night.

“You saw Santiago get after it off some of the best big-league hitters in the game, throwing some nasty stuff,” Jake Peavy, who started Saturday’s game, said.

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- It could be around the ninth inning every game when Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura will sidle up to pitching coach Don Cooper and say "Who should we close with today?"

As the team prepared to open the 2012 season on Friday against the Texas Rangers, Ventura still refused to say if he had a closer.

"I just do not feel the need to announce it," the first-year manager said. "It's not going to be the same guy all the time. ... It will end up being different at different times of the season."

The Sox start the season with basically four rookies out of the seven bullpen pitchers.

"It depends on how guys do against certain teams and match-ups," Ventura said. "If we had Mariano Rivera I would be able to tell everybody I had a closer."

Part of Ventura's problem is that Matt Thornton may be best suited for both the closers and set- up roles. Thornton has 20 or more holds in four straight seasons, something no other reliever has done over that time period.

Thornton was also the failed team closer to start the 2011 season. After four early blown saves he went back to being a successful set-up man while relative unknown Sergio Santos claimed the job.

"For (the relievers) they understand when they are coming in and when they are likely to be used," Ventura said. "That's enough for them to know."

The White Sox depart Arizona with their Opening Day roster set, but without a regular closer.

Manager Robin Ventura said the decision could be revealed on Opening Day. Candidates he has mentioned are 2010 All-Star Matt Thornton, rookies Addison Reed and Hector Santiago, or Jesse Crain, who dealt with a strained oblique this spring.

"I will know and they will know," Ventura said. "I don't really feel the need to tell everybody and make a statement about it."

One thing that was announced is the final bullpen spot, which will be filled by rookie Nate Jones.

"[He] didn't necessarily have a spot when you visualize it, and all of a sudden you go through spring and you see how he's progressed and done things. Those are the good surprises," Ventura said.

The White Sox will play two exhibition games against the Astros on Tuesday and Wednesday in Houston.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Addison Reed is vying for the Chicago White Sox closer’s role with veterans Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain. I had a chance to chat with the 23-year-old California native, who can light up the radar gun at 100 mph.

What has been the main difference between pitching in the major and minor leagues?

AR: Just the way that you carry yourself. I noticed the way Matt and Jesse carried themselves, not showing any emotion after a bad outing. That made a big impression on me last season. Deep down it is burning you up but you learn to show you are in total control no matter how tough it gets out there. Bullpen guys need to have a short-term memory.

What was it like playing in front of White Sox fans last September?

AR: Really great. I think I was at home for two weeks. It was fun, great atmosphere, nice ballpark. The fans were into it even when we were eliminated.

Are there any things you have to do to win the closer’s role outright?

AR: Command my pitches. The changeup is the one pitch that I have been working on the most. I developed it last year. Right now that’s the most important pitch for me to have a handle on.

Who were your role models growing up?

AR: My dad worked with me and taught me what a work ethic meant as far accomplishing goals. Even when he had worked all day, he always had time for me.

Who was your baseball hero?

AR: Jim Edmonds was my guy. When he made that catch In Kansas City and laid out with his back to the plate, my friends and I kept imitating the catch in our yards with a tennis ball.

MESA, Ariz. -- Zach Stewart and Dylan Axelrod, both vying for a bullpen slot on the Chicago White Sox's 25-man roster, threw three innings apiece in the team's 7-5 win over the Cubs on Sunday.

“We have some guys who are pitching well,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. ”It’s tough to look at it and try to tell what you need right now. Both of them pitched impressively today.”

Stewart allowed two runs while Axelrod didn't allow a hit and struck out three.

Right-hander Jesse Crain has missed four days with a strained oblique on his right side.

“He is going to throw lightly in the next couple of days,” Ventura said. “Then we will see how it goes. [Sox trainer] Herm [Schneider] isn’t worried about it, so neither will I.”

Ventura wasn’t bothered by the inclement weather on Sunday.

“Nice little change,” he said. “It’s good to get some jackets on. The guys kind of liked it.”

Left-handed pitcher Hector Santiago is about two good appearances from making the Chicago White Sox's 25-man roster out of spring training.

The 30th-round draft choice in the 2006 draft has had three straight shutout relief outings this spring training, including one inning on Monday against the Oakland Athletics.

“He has looked good every time he has gone out there,” Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “I am impressed with him and what he has done.”

The Sox need a third lefty to replace Chris Sale, who will be in the club’s starting rotation this season.

“It looks pretty good for him,” said Ventura, who would not say that the 24-year-old pitcher had made the team as of yet. “The way he is performing and the way he works , I like the way it looks. Those are the kind of guys we want.”


Santiago was a starter in 2011. He posted a 9-8 record with a 3.60 ERA at two minor-league stops.

Peavy’s day: Ventura was not upset with Jake Peavy's subpar performance on Monday. Peavy gave up six runs in 2 1/3 innings, but the Sox’s primary concern is for him to stay healthy during his spring starts.

“It was just that one inning,” Ventura said. “After that, really it was just one pitch got him into trouble.”

The White Sox lost 9-4 to the A’s. Alexei Ramirez, Alex Rios and Alejandro De Aza each had two hits.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Nestor Molina will surely put this one behind him quickly.

The hard-throwing rookie right-hander struggled in his Chicago White Sox debut, allowing five runs on seven hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief in a 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in both teams’ Cactus League opener on Monday at Camelback Ranch.

There’s been plenty of intrigue surrounding Molina, who the White Sox traded straight up for closer Sergio Santos last November, as first-year manager Robin Ventura and veteran pitching coach Don Cooper have commented on his upside throughout the last two weeks.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said on Sunday that he’s looking to fill either two or three open bullpen spots with pitchers who can throw anywhere from two to four innings of relief.

Pitchers Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman and Addison Reed would be limited to an inning per outing in a perfect world, although Cooper said they will have two-inning outings somewhere down the line.

“So those other guys have to give us some innings,” Cooper said. “And we’re not just looking for innings, we’re looking for quality innings. We’re not looking to take a guy just because he can give us innings. We’re going to be taking the guy who we feel best can give us innings and get the job done.”

Dylan Axelrod, Zach Stewart and Hector Santiago, all of who spent time with the big league club last season, have come through the organization as starters and would seem to be best suited for long relief roles.

Cooper added that breaking camp with four lefties in the bullpen would be a reach.

“What I will say is if there are two other lefties besides Ohman and Thornton who jump up and show us that they can do it, we’d have to seriously consider it,” Cooper said. “I hope that’s the case that we’d have to look at that and say, ‘maybe four.’ Let’s face it, our division is chock full of left-handed hitters, particularly Cleveland and Kansas City and the Twins. But we’re not going to take a lefty because he throws with his left hand -- he has to have criteria.

“The other thing… you don’t want to go on spring training, you want to go on past track record. But sometimes we have some guys who don’t have past records so we’ll have to make decisions. We’ve seen Stewart, Axelrod, Santiago in Chicago. We haven’t seen [Leyson] Septimo and [Jose] Quintana and Donnie Veal, and others. They’ll show us what we need to be thinking about.”

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Competition for the open three bullpen spots will officially begin this weekend, when the Chicago White Sox play some intrasquad games before opening their Cactus League schedule on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The fast-talking, straight-to-the-point Don Cooper, who has been with the team since 1988 and has served as pitching coach since 2002, is looking forward to seeing who’s ready to start the season in the bullpen.

“Listen, for the first time in a long time we’ve got three spots open and that’s going to be an interesting thing for the coaches and everybody else to watch and see how that goes,” Cooper said. “It’s also going to be interesting to see these new younger guys who probably won’t be on the team -- some of them -- but to see how they handle major league camp and to have an idea to plot out a course for them so maybe some time later in the year, as well as next year, they’re in Chicago helping us win.”

With so many youngsters to choose from, Cooper said the first nine days of spring training has been about working on each pitcher’s mechanics and pitch command. Come the weekend, the evaluation begins.

“Right now, there’s nobody ahead of anybody else,” Cooper said, “there’s nobody behind anybody else.”

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If you are in the area, stop in at Camelback Ranch and fill out an application for backup outfielder and bullpen positions -- ask for Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura.

“As far as ability and talent, there are some spots open and there are some guys with a lot of talent to pick from to fill it,” Ventura said.

Pitchers Nestor Molina, Addison Reed, Dylan Axelrod and Zach Stewart are all young guns looking too make an early impression on Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper this spring.

The White Sox outfield may also have a spot or two open, depending on how the new coaching staff looks at Brett Lillibridge. With four outfielders set, it could be time for Jordan Danks to get some big league experience.

Ventura will rely on bench coach Mark Parent and Cooper for the pitchers’ talent evaluations, but learning to handle a staff will be the new Sox manager’s greatest challenge.

“It is different watching than having to react to it as a manager,” Ventura said. “The way they feel when I go out there, the way things are going in the game… these are things I am going to have to get used to looking at. Again, I am also trusting a staff [which] has seen a lot, too.”

Yes, jobs are open this year on the south side and the grading begins for much of the team’s young talent on Monday as Cactus League play starts.

“I am just trying to win a job,” said Reed, who may get a chance to become the team’s closer. “Anything after making the club is up to them, but getting a little taste of the majors was huge for me at the end of last year.”

Keep your eye on Molina, who will be a starter at some point, but, like Jon Garland, Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale once did, could begin his White Sox career in the pen.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dylan Axelrod is among the handful of young Chicago White Sox looking to fill one of what looks to be three open bullpen spots this season.

With Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman and Addison Reed expected to fill four spots in the bullpen, Axelrod has spent the entire offseason preparing for this moment.

“It’s all I’ve been working for,” Axelrod said. “There’s a great opportunity here not just for myself, but for other guys as well. Three spots is pretty rare to find in the big leagues. I’m just going after it as hard as I can.”

Axelrod spent the offseason working on his changeup. He wants to be able to throw it to both sides of the plate and against both left- and right-handed hitters. He worked out back home in Santa Barbara, Calif. at the PEAK Performance Project along with several major leaguers, including former teammate Carlos Quentin.

A late-season call up, Axelrod appeared in four games last season, starting three and striking out 19 in 18 2/3 innings. His time with the White Sox was highlighted by his first major league win against Toronto on Sept. 26, when he allowed just three hits over six scoreless innings. While Axelrod started 15 games between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte last season, he’s not about to project whether he’ll one day end up as a starter or reliever. Right now, he just wants to break camp with the team.

“Out of the bullpen they want you to throw strikes and I feel like I can definitely do that,” said Axelrod, who Baseball America ranked as having the best control in the Sox organization. “And if the opportunity presents itself to move into a different role, then I think that will only help me as well, just being able to throw strikes and be accountable for going out there and making them hit the ball and keeping the defense ready.”

While exhibition games are still more than a week away, manager Robin Ventura said he’s already noticed a competitive spirit for those open bullpen spots.

“They know it,” Ventura said. “It’s tough to see it right now with guys just all lined up in the bullpen throwing but you can tell they know it’s there, and they’re trying probably a little bit harder than they normally would just playing toss. That’s fun to see. This is about competition, so it’s fun to go out there and watch them throw.”

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura is not saying who the favorite is for the closer's job.

"As far as guys coming here and having a clean slate, I'm the guy for that," Ventura said Wednesday. "I haven't been around to see them enough to pinpoint exactly who is going to do what.

"You know it's just open in the spring to see how guys do and what our needs are."

That is Ventura-speak for "I'm not telling you." It's something the media should get use to when covering this very close-to-the-vest baseball man. Matt Thornton should be the final choice with Addison Reed honing his skills in the set-up role along with Jesse Crain.