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CHICAGO – Pitching coach Don Cooper used the power of positive thinking Saturday, one day after Jose Quintana struggled in his debut outing of 2013.

Whether the White Sox would see the good Quintana from the first of 2012 or the bad Quintana from the second half was one of the hot topics of the spring. His second-half struggles clouded the fact that his 3.76 ERA over 25 outings (22 starts) of his debut season was an impressive accomplishment.

But on Friday against the Seattle Mariners, his inability to retire any of the seven batters he faced in the fifth inning left him with an outing where he gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits. Second-half Quintana seems have followed him into this year.

“The second half of last year means nothing; it means nothing,” Cooper said Saturday morning. “Listen, this kid last year, if you remember, came from basically A-ball, he had two weeks in Double-A, pitched his (tail) off and as the year went on his innings total got as high as it has ever been.

“There is a big difference from throwing 140 innings in the major leagues and 140 innings in the minor leagues. There’s no rest in the lineup.”

The 24-year-old’s relative inexperience showed Friday night when he melted down after making an error on a play at first base. The miscue was one thing, but he compounded things by grooving pitches in an effort to get ahead in counts with runners on base.

He remains a work in progress for Cooper, but the veteran pitching coach is far from suggesting that Quintana is going to have trouble figuring out things.

“All I look at from last year is where do we need to go, what do we need to improve on, how do we round out a guy’s game and continue to put a guy in a good direction career wise and success wise?” Cooper said. “It’s like spring training, (last year) means nothing.

“In the moment right now, we just have to keep trying to make more pitches and obviously a little roller like that to first base, that has to be an out. It’s a gimmie out in the major leagues and we have to get that one. But listen, it’s his first full year in the major leagues and he has a challenge ahead of him.”

CHICAGO – Just because he was a third baseman during his playing days, doesn’t mean that Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura can’t throw a sneaky curveball.

Whether or not this one is a hanging curve out over the plate will be determined soon.

Ventura made wholesale changes to his lineup Saturday, getting a number of players from the bench a chance to stretch their legs for an extended period. Dewayne Wise, Conor Gillaspie and Hector Gimenez all will get starts.

It comes, though, with the White Sox facing Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, the same Hernandez who is one victory and five strikeouts away from becoming just the fourth player with 100 victories and 1,500 strikeouts before the age of 27.

“You get the 12 o’clock start and you know it just gets the guys in there who haven’t been in there yet as far as playing and starting,” Ventura said. “It gets them at-bats. (Hernandez) is tough on righties too.”

Dayan Viciedo, Paul Konerko and Tyler Flowers all will start Saturday’s game on the bench, leaving the club at a significant power disadvantage.

Alejandro De Aza will stay put in the leadoff spot, but Wise will bat second. Alex Rios and Adam Dunn stay in their Nos. 3 and 4 spots respectively, but Jeff Keppinger moves down to the No. 5 hole, while Gillaspie bats sixth, Alexei Ramirez bats seventh, Gimenez bats eighth and Gordon Beckham brings up the rear in the nine spot. The new look gets four left-handed bats and one switch hitter into the mix against the right-handed Hernandez.

In other twists, starting center fielder De Aza moves over to left field while Wise plays in center, while Gillaspie plays third base and Keppinger moves to first.

There were so many changes, in fact that Ventura made mistakes in his original lineup, needing white-out to correct them. He accidentally put Giminez in the No. 6 spot and Gillaspie in the No. 8 spot before making some quick edits.

“No, I just wrote it down wrong and I looked at it,” Ventura said. “I wasn’t thinking that hard. It was a quick turnaround (from Friday night).”

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 – For a guy who faltered down the stretch in 2012, it wasn’t exactly the outing Jose Quintana had in mind to start a new season.

The White Sox left-hander imploded in the fifth inning, giving up five runs in what ultimately led to an 8-7 defeat in 10 innings against the Seattle Mariners.

Not only did seven consecutive batters reach base against Quintana to start the fifth inning, he was pulled from the game when the Mariners delivered hits on each of his last four pitches.

After already giving up two hits in the seventh, the inning seemed to really get off the tracks when he failed to handle a toss from Paul Konerko while trying to cover first base. With the toss a little behind him, Quintana tried to barehand the ball but dropped it.

The floodgates opened after that, as the Mariners started to pour it on. Manager Robin Ventura agreed that the error was what ultimately spelled disaster.

“He got some stuff up, and they are aggressive,” Ventura said. “They were swinging at some first pitches, probably trying to get back in the counts. They put some good swings on him.”

Despite temperatures in the low 30s and dropping all evening, Quintana refused to use the cold as an excuse.

“It didn’t affect me at all,” he said through an interpreter. “I saw the temperature and it was cold, but it didn’t affect me.”

There were two wildly different stretches for Quintana last year, one in which he was dominating in the early going, and one when he struggled late, posting a 5.01 ERA over 14 starts in the second half. Friday was merely a continuation of the Quintana from the second half.

“I felt pretty good with my command,” Quintana said about Friday’s outing. “There were some things I looked at on video that I could change and do better at, and I will try to do better.”

CHICAGO -- Paul Konerko calls Frank Thomas the greatest hitter in Chicago White Sox history, yet it’s the current first baseman who has more hits.

Konerko moved past Thomas on the White Sox’s all-time hit list Friday, collecting No. 2,137 on an RBI single in the fourth inning.

Modest despite his accomplishments, Konerko not only tried to deflect the attention that came with the mere mention of him in the same company as Thomas, he went out of his way to explain why Thomas is more accomplished.

“I think No. 1 is just being out there a lot and showing up to play,” Konerko said if his spot on the club’s hit list. “I'm proud of that. But some of that stuff can get skewed a little bit. I don't know what the at-bats are, I think I played longer here than he did maybe by a little bit now. He walked so much because guys were afraid of him, so he had less at-bats to actually swing the bat.

“So there are things you factor into it, but it's cool nonetheless, any time you get mentioned with a guy that's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer here soon.”

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox rallied to force extra innings Friday, but the Seattle Mariners came through in the 10th with an 8-7 victory.

How it happened: In his second inning of work in the 10th, White Sox reliever Nate Jones gave up a pair of runs. They were the first two runs the White Sox’s bullpen had given up in the first four games. Dewayne Wise had an RBI in the 10th inning, but the White Sox left the bases loaded when Tyler Flowers struck out to end it. After White Sox starter Jose Quintana faltered, the offense put together a rally. Quintana was roughed up for six runs (five earned) over just four innings, failing to get an out in the fifth. Paul Konerko's RBI single in the fourth inning was his 2,137th hit with the White Sox, breaking a tie with Frank Thomas and moving him into sole possession of third on the club’s all-time list.

What it means: The White Sox put on their overalls and went into the manufacturing business for the first time this season but ultimately fell short. Give them credit for creativity as Adam Dunn helped to get things going with a steal just ahead of an RBI single from Konerko. Flowers also doubled in a run while Alex Rios brought home the tying run on a ground out. Their 10th-inning rally fell just short. Before the game, the White Sox had scored six of their first seven runs on home runs. Of course they went deep in this one too with Rios and Alejandro De Aza hitting home runs.

Outside the box: The Mariners had figured out Quintana so quickly and thoroughly that they knocked him from the game by collecting hits on his last four pitches. Seven batters reached base in succession against Quintana in the fifth inning, including one on his own error when he tried to bare hand a throw from Konerko while covering first base.

Off beat: Call it the initiation of the new guy as reliever Matt Lindstrom was asked to pitch 2 1/3 innings after Quintana was yanked in the fifth inning. The free-agent signee showed he was up for the challenge by striking out two and not allowing a hit. The outing matched a career long for Lindstrom, who also got seven outs in an outing last year.

Up next: The White Sox will send right-hander Dylan Axelrod (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound Saturday in the middle game of the three game series. He will be opposed by Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez (1-0, 0.00) in the 12:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

CHICAGO -- Although Dylan Axelrod will begin the season as the fifth starter, Hector Santiago is the man-in-waiting for the role. With John Danks rehabbing in the minor leagues both pitchers may be needed to bridge the gap he left behind.

The White Sox have been quiet about Santiago’s role, but a source confirmed that he is considered the next starter on the team if Axelrod stumbles or another rotation starter gets injured.

Santiago made four starts and 38 relief appearances in his rookie season. Showing management what the future might hold, he struck out 10 Cleveland hitters last October in a seven-inning stint.

“My role on this club is awesome,” Santiago said. “I can be in the pen one day and starting the next, then two days later be back in the pen. I am happy to pitch wherever they need me.”

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CHICAGO -- The timeline for a return to the Chicago White Sox for rehabbing pitcher John Danks remains unclear at this point.

Danks has not regained his velocity this spring after undergoing major shoulder repairs to his left pitching arm last August in a surgery that a source said has only been performed once before on a major league pitcher (Johan Santana).

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CHICAGO -- Dylan Axelrod could have been matched up against Cy Young in his first start of the season and he wouldn’t have complained.

As it is, the Chicago White Sox's No. 5 starter will have to face a Cy Young Award winner when he goes toe-to-toe with the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez in Saturday afternoon’s game at U.S. Cellular Field.

“Yeah, I know who is (out) there,” said Axelrod, who has a record of 3-2 with a 4.78 ERA in parts of the last two seasons with the White Sox. “I’m just pitching against the lineup so I feel like if I go out and put up a good effort, we are going to have a chance to win.”

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CHICAGO – After going with the same lineup in their first four games, the Chicago White Sox are about to see some changes.

Manager Robin Ventura said that Paul Konerko and Tyler Flowers will likely get the day off Saturday when the White Sox face Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez in a 12:10 p.m. start. Ventura specifically acknowledged the early start after a night game as the reason why Konerko will get a break.

Switch-hitting backup catcher Hector Gimenez obviously will play for Flowers, but Ventura wasn’t so forthcoming with who will play at first base Saturday. Conor Gillaspie has come on in the late innings for Konerko as a defensive replacement, but Ventura could also put Adam Dunn at first base.

After having just two players bat from the left side in the first four games, Ventura is expected to have at least four Saturday.

ESPNChicago.com's Doug Padilla takes your White Sox questions during a live chat at 12:30 p.m. CT Friday. Click here to submit your questions.

CHICAGO -- It seems Chicago White Sox starter Gavin Floyd never gets the respect he may deserve for his consistent if not spectacular pitching.

After taking the loss in a 3-1 defeat to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, Floyd didn't seem to worry about complaints from mere mortals critiquing his pitching performances.

"I pitch for an audience of one (God). He is excited to watch me pitch," Floyd said. "I just hope we can win when I pitch. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't."

Floyd struck out five over six innings and allowed all three runs in the fifth inning of his 94-pitch outing.

"Other than the one inning he was aggressive," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He threw first-pitch strikes. I thought he pitched well enough to get a win today.”

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CHICAGO -- The all-or-nothing Chicago White Sox, who hit five home runs over the first two games, are watching their strikeout totals rise quickly in the early going of the 2013 season.

In Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals, the White Sox went down on strikes 12 times, including four from Dayan Viciedo and three more from Adam Dunn.

They finished the opening three-game series with 29 strikeouts, still less than the 36 the Los Angeles Angels recorded in their opening series against the Cincinnati Reds and well under the whopping 43 the Houston Astros had in three games against the Texas Rangers.

While adding Tyler Flowers to a lineup that already had Viciedo and Dunn, strikeouts were a concern. It's why the White Sox brought aboard Jeff Keppinger, who is known for his ability to make contact.

With the White Sox facing the Royals' Jeremy Guthrie, Sox manager Robin Ventura wasn't going to make much of a 12-strikeout day.

"I think there was some good pitching today," he said. "That's the way it goes. There were good contact hitters that struck out also. Tip your hat and go get them tomorrow."

Despite the fact that Dunn led baseball with 222 strikeouts last season, the Sox's combined strikeout total of 1,203 was only 18th most among all 30 major league teams. The White Sox averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game last season compared to their 9.7 average over the first three games this season.

CHICAGO -- Injured Chicago White Sox starter John Danks continued on his road to recovery Thursday with an outing at extended spring training in Arizona.

Facing a lineup of minor leaguers, Danks threw 77 pitches over five innings allowing just one run.

There was no report on velocity, though, which is probably the biggest signifier as to whether the left-hander is getting his strength back after shoulder surgery last summer.

Danks is expected to return to Chicago this weekend to continue his rehabilitation before going back to Arizona for another outing next week. Saturday will mark the seven-month anniversary since his surgery.

"It's different; it's a learning process," Danks said Monday when he was on hand for Opening Day festivities. "Rather than (throwing) 93 (mph), I was going out there with 85. That's a big difference. There's some learning that will come along with it. I'll get back to where I was. That's what I'm still banking on. I don't have any doubts I will. It will take some time. More time than we thought or hoped. In the grand scheme of things, I'll be back to where I need to be and help win some games."

There remains no timetable on his return, but if the White Sox want him to make a couple of rehab starts at Triple-A Charlotte or Double-A Birmingham, his return might not happen until the start of May at the earliest.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's first defeat of the season Thursday exposed some more early-season oddities.

In the 3-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals that prevented a three-game sweep, it was the bottom of the order that did all it could to get the White Sox on track to manufacturing runs instead of the team just powering its way to tally marks on the scoreboard.

No. 8 hitter Tyler Flowers reached base four times with two walks, a single and a pitch that grazed his jersey, while No. 9 hitter Gordon Beckham had four singles to match a career best for hits in a game.

Alejandro De Aza managed to drive in Flowers on one occasion with a single, but the early struggles at the top of the order continued and the White Sox were held in check by Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie and three relievers.

"It's odd you get that at the bottom of the order and you don't get much out of it," manager Robin Ventura said. "It's the pitching. Those (Royals pitchers) find a way to get out of it and that's the way it goes."

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