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CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko will be out of the lineup Saturday and will undergo further tests after being hit in the head by a pitch against the Chicago Cubs.

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Chicago White Sox third baseman Brent Morel has been scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs with lower back soreness and will be replaced by Eduardo Escobar.

Morel has four hits in his last 30 at-bats and has a .177 average. Escobar has played in 12 games this season and has six hit in 34 at-bats.

Here’s a look at the White Sox’s entire lineup which will face Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija (4-1, 2.89) on Friday:

1. Alejandro De Aza, CF
2. Gordon Beckham, 2B
3. Adam Dunn, LF
4. Paul Konerko, 1B
5. A.J. Pierzynski, C
6. Alex Rios, RF
7. Alexei Ramirez, SS
8. Eduardo Escobar, 3B
9. Philip Humber, P

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura will give Alexei Ramirez his second consecutive start in the No. 2 hole and Brent Morel will bat again in the eighth spot when they open their series with the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

Ramirez went 1-for-5 with a run and RBI in the No. 2 spot in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Mariners. Ramirez was consistently batting No. 8 prior to Sunday while Morel was in the No. 2 spot.

Morel was 1-for-4 on Sunday while batting No. 8 and has shown slight progress at the plate during the White Sox’s West Coast trip. Morel has had one hit each of the last three games, and his batting average has risen to .137 after falling to .103 during the team’s recent homestand.

Jake Peavy (2-0, 2.75) will start for the White Sox on Monday, and the following lineup will face Athletics starter Bartolo Colon (3-1, 2.63):


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

CHICAGO – Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura will turn to his bench Thursday in the final day of their four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.

As the White Sox attempt to split the series, Ventura will give A.J. Pierzynski, Gordon Beckham and Brent Morel the day off and provide Brent Lillibridge, Tyler Flowers and Eduardo Escobar a chance to see the field.

Flowers and Escobar have made two previous starts this season, and Lillibridge has made one.

"You're going to a day game after night game, making sure you get some guys playing time, and they're good enough to be in there," Ventura said prior to Thursday's game.

The White Sox will face Orioles starter Jason Hammel (1-0, 2.08). Here's the entire White Sox lineup for Thursday:


1. Alejandro De Aza – CF
2. Brent Lillibridge – 3B
3. Adam Dunn – 1B
4. Paul Konerko – DH
5. Alex Rios – RF
6. Alexei Ramirez – SS
7. Dayan Viciedo – LF
8. Tyler Flowers – C
9. Eduardo Escobar – 2B
SP – Gavin Floyd -- RHP

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Tuesday he hasn’t lost faith that third baseman Brent Morel is going to be a productive hitter in the No. 2 slot this season.

Morel hasn’t gotten off to a strong start like he did a year ago. Last season, Morel compiled 10 hits in the team’s first seven games. This season, he’s had three hits in his first 29 at-bats and has a .103 batting average. He’s also second on the team in strikeouts with 13, including four in the past two games.

“I still think he’s going to be more of a contact hitter, hit line drives,” Ventura said prior to Tuesday’s game. “I believe that, believe in him doing that. He’s going to stay there. He just needs to be a little more aggressive in the zone, and things will turn around for him.”

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chicago White Sox third baseman Brent Morel's horrific opening day left him dropped from second to eighth in Robin Ventura’s batting order in Game 2 of the series.

Morel went hitless on Friday, striking out four times. However that was not the worst of it, as he also bobbled a ball on defense that led to the go-ahead run scoring in the sixth inning.

“He is going to save more games than he is going to hurt us [in],” John Danks, who took the loss Friday, said. “He’s a damn good third baseman and he will be there all year helping the pitchers out.”

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If you were competing in fantasy baseball all the way back in 2007 -- or were simply a fan of the Florida Marlins -- then surely the spring training exploits of then-unknown outfielder Alejandro De Aza caught your attention. De Aza hit .354 over 48 at-bats, stole four bases and won himself the starting center field job to open the real season. De Aza played in meaningful games for about a week, hit safely in each game, hurt himself and was gone for four months. He didn't resurface for fantasy owners until August of last season, when he started earning regular playing time with the Chicago White Sox.

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CHICAGO -- Going over the options for a Chicago White Sox lineup in 2012, there isn’t a whole lot of change from what was on the field in 2011.

It goes back to the point from general manager Kenny Williams that while he might be calling this a rebuilding phase, it wouldn’t be “all the dominoes falling” as it might with a team that is calling up the Triple-A club and bidding all its veterans a farewell.

The biggest change, of course, comes in the outfield where Alejandro De Aza and Dayan Viciedo will get their chance to shine. So just where do they fit in the batting order?

PROJECTED 2012 LINEUP
1. Alejandro De Aza, CF
2. Alexei Ramirez, SS
3. Paul Konerko, 1B
4. Adam Dunn, DH
5. Alex Rios, LF
6. A.J. Pierzynski/Tyler Flowers, C
7. Dayan Viciedo, RF
8. Gordon Beckham, 2B
9. Brent Morel, 3B

In looking at the top of the order, the most interesting change isn’t who will be leading off, but where De Aza will be playing on defense. Last month, new manager Robin Ventura said there have not been any discussions about moving Rios to left field, but we’re predicting it happens at some point and probably sooner rather than later. De Aza might not even be in center by Opening Day, but when Ventura ultimately does put him there, it will give the White Sox their best defensive alignment.

De Aza is, by no means, a prototypical leadoff man and nobody realistically expects him to deliver a .400 on-base percentage like he did last year, but if he can improve on Juan Pierre’s .329 on-base mark from a year ago then it’s a win.

Unless Beckham tears the cover off the ball in spring training, Ramirez figures to be back in the No. 2 hole. Konerko might be marked for a return to the cleanup spot if there was actually another option for the No. 3 hole.

Why put Dunn back in the cleanup spot when he showed last season that he shouldn’t be anywhere near it? Ultimately that job could belong to Viciedo, but expect Ventura to protect his young slugger by not placing too many expectations on him right off the bat.

If Dunn is in the cleanup spot then Rios makes sense batting fifth only because it breaks up the left-handed bats leading to Pierzynski in the No. 6 spot. But Flowers figures to get plenty of playing time too, especially because it doesn’t make much sense to have a young talent rotting away on the bench. If and when Flowers plays, he would probably bat lower in the order than sixth.

Viciedo might start the season in the No. 7 spot, but expect to see him batting fourth, fifth and sixth at various times this season.

A new manager means that everybody gets a fresh start, but Beckham still might be hurt by his struggles the past two seasons so he figures to bat eighth most of the season.

Morel rounds out the lineup, but that doesn’t mean a .366 slugging percentage will cut it again this year. Morel was sitting on two home runs and 22 RBIs before September started. He hit eight home runs and had 19 RBIs over the final month and will need to show more of that in 2012.

The White Sox lineup for Friday's game against the Royals:

Juan Pierre - LF
Alexei Ramirez - SS
Paul Konerko - 1B
A.J. Pierzynski - C
Dayan Viciedo - RF
Adam Dunn - DH
Alejandro De Aza - CF
Brent Morel - 3B
Gordon Beckham - 2B

Zach Stewartwill start for the Sox.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Adam Dunn’s return to the starting lineup Friday wasn’t necessarily a product of the White Sox being eliminated from playoff contention a day earlier.

Manager Ozzie Guillen said he went with Dunn as the designated hitter because Dayan Viciedo had been struggling of late.

“I think right now ‘The Tank’ is going through a tough time, our savor,” Guillen said. “Remember the guy who was going to take us to the top? He’s had a tough time. I’m going to give him a break.”

Guillen had cautioned those begging for Viciedo against thinking the young slugger would just come in and take over for a struggling offense. Guillen’s point was that Viciedo would struggle too at some point and that time seems to be now.

Viciedo is hitless in his last 12 at-bats, over a span of three games, after batting .353 (18-for-51) in the first 15 games after he was recalled. Viciedo hit a home run at Seattle in his 2011 debut, but hasn’t hit one since.

Dunn has been in the lineup just twice since Aug. 28. He has just one hit over his last 20 at-bats and has struck out 160 times, second most in White Sox history. Dave Nicholson holds the franchise record with 175 strikeouts in 1962.

Dunn was the designated hitter Friday, batting sixth behind Alex Rios.

MINNEAPOLIS – It wasn’t that Monday’s doubleheader wore down Paul Konerko and he needed a break Tuesday.

Konerko was going to get one of the doubleheader games off, but he had a better idea.

“We talked about giving him one of the two games but he said no he wanted to have a complete day off,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “This kid has been playing every day and even in the worse way.”

So Konerko played in both games Monday and on Tuesday he got his first day off since returning from a three-day break Aug. 4 after he was hit in the left leg by a pitch.

Konerko played first base in Game 1 and was the designated hitter in the second game Monday. He did appear to be favoring his left leg in the late game.

Adam Dunn got the start at first base Tuesday and A.J. Pierzynski was the designated hitter.

MINNESOTA – It’s a doubleheader so all hands are on deck, which means Adam Dunn got his first start since Aug. 27.

Dunn was in the lineup at designated hitter and was batting sixth against Twins right-hander Anthony Swarzak. The last time Dunn got an at-bat was Wednesday when he pinch hit for Brent Lillibridge in a key situation against the Twins and struck out.

Other left-handed bats in Game 1 were Omar Vizquel at third base and A.J. Pierzynski at catcher over Tyler Flowers.

Dunn brought a .163 batting average into the game and his 11 home runs were just three more than the combined number from Tyler Flowers, Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza, none of whom were on the team before July 27.

Without anybody delivering an impressive showing at the plate in the three-game series at Detroit, Guillen figured it would be a good time to see what he can get out of Dunn.

“If I see somebody not swinging the bat well, see what’s going on, I’m going to play the best guys like I always do,” Guillen said. “Hopefully he can come out and help the team win the game.”

With the Twins starting left-hander Scott Diamond in Game 2, Dunn was not expected to play. Brent Morel is expected to be in the lineup in the second game as is Flowers. Paul Konerko played first base in the first game but could be moved to DH in Game 2 opening the door for Brent Lillibridge to get a start.

The White Sox's entire lineup for Game 1: Juan Pierre LF, Alexei Ramirez SS, Konerko 1B, Pierzynski C, Viciedo RF, Dunn DH, De Aza CF, Vizquel 3B, Gordon Beckham 2B. Phil Humber was starting.

DETROIT -- If the Chicago White Sox's humbling defeat Saturday made it feel like catching the Detroit Tigers in the standings was now an impossible task, that feeling didn’t show up in Sunday’s lineup.

Manager Ozzie Guillen’s lineup for the nationally-televised game didn’t appear to have any quit in it. In fact, the lineup for Tigers starter Max Scherzer on Sunday was exactly the same lineup they had for Saturday’s fateful 9-8 defeat.

Not long after Saturday’s disheartening loss, Guillen said he would continue to press on.

“I’m not going to give up, and make sure we keep fighting and see what happens,” he said less than 20 minutes after the Tigers won with two home runs in the ninth inning. “If you are going to put your head down and feel sorry for yourself… ”

Guillen trailed off, but it was understood that quitting would not be acceptable.

“I expect the ballclub to keep fighting and then jump back and win the game (Sunday),” Guillen said. “Make sure we do everything we can to do that.”

In fact, there was plenty of reason for hope, at least for the series finale, with left-hander Mark Buehrle on the mound and umpire Eric Cooper behind the plate.

Cooper was the home-plate umpire not only for Buehrle’s no-hitter in 2007 but also for his perfect game in 2009.

The White Sox's complete lineup for Sunday night's game: Juan Pierre LF, Alexei Ramirez SS, Paul Konerko 1B, A.J. Pierzynski C, Dayan Viciedo DH, Alex Rios CF, Alejandro De Aza RF, Brent Morel 3B, Gordon Beckham 2B.

DETROIT – The White Sox’s lineup kept its youthful vitality Friday in a key matchup against a Cy Young Award candidate.

Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro De Aza and Tyler Flowers were all set to play against Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander, while A.J. Pierzynski was in the cleanup spot in his first game back from the disabled list.

The White Sox opened the three-game series at Detroit in a must-win situation sitting 5 ½ games behind the American League Central leading Tigers. Verlander, who has already reached the 20-victory mark, has three victories against the White Sox this season, but his last defeat came at U.S. Cellular Field in July.

The White Sox have been in the midst of a resurgence behind the confident play from Viciedo, De Aza and Flowers. Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, who both struck out to stall the White Sox’s rally in the ninth inning Wednesday were on the bench.

The White Sox’s full lineup against Verlander: Juan Pierre LF, Alexei Ramirez SS, Paul Konerko 1B, Pierzynski DH, Viciedo RF, De Aza CF, Flowers C, Brent Morel 3B, Gordon Beckham 2B. Left-hander John Danks starts for the White Sox.

CHICAGO -- Saying his hands are tied, manager Ozzie Guillen continues to use Alex Rios in the cleanup spot while Carlos Quentin recovers from a shoulder sprain.

Among the experienced candidates to start in the No. 4 hole, Guillen has chosen Rios, and his 32 RBIs before Tuesday’s game, over options like Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez. Paul Konerko has been firmly established in the No. 3 hole since midseason.

So what about Dayan Viciedo in that spot?

Guillen said it isn’t fair to expect so much from a guy who has been in the minor leagues since this weekend.

“I think I don’t want to put him in the spot where we have to make Viciedo be the guy,” Guillen said. “Let the big boys with more money and experience handle that situation. When the time comes that I think Viciedo is the one we need to protect (Konerko), I will do that. I don’t mind. Right now, we are fine the way we are.”