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ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Chicago White Sox used a pair of seventh-inning homers to even the three-game series at a game apiece with a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night before 34,677 at Rangers Ballpark.

How it happened: Conor Gillaspie launched a home run over the right-field wall an estimated 384 feet to snap a 2-2 tie leading off the seventh. Two outs later Alejandro De Aza lined a two-run shot into the seats near the right-field foul pole, at 353 feet. The White Sox have homered in 10 straight games. Alex Rios staked the White Sox to a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single, scoring De Aza, who doubled to open the game. Paul Konerko opened the second with a double and, after a Gillaspie single, scored on Tyler Flowers’ double-play ball to make it 2-0. The Rangers tied it in the bottom of the second on a Jeff Baker home run and Ian Kinsler’s RBI single.

What it means: The White Sox ended a three-game losing streak with much improved play over the previous night’s 10-6 loss to Texas. For the second straight game, the White Sox couldn’t hold an early 2-0 lead. But Chris Sale kept middle-inning relief from becoming a factor by pitching seven innings. The bullpen, struggling with a 7.43 ERA in the last eight games, got the job done ... but not without an anxious moment or two. The first two Rangers that Jesse Crain faced in the eighth singled. But he worked out of trouble with final-out help from Matt Thornton. Addison Reed, who converted his 15th straight save, stirred the pot by hitting pinch hitter A.J. Pierzynski with two out in the ninth, followed by a single by Kinsler. But Reed ended it with a strikeout.

Outside the box: What is it about Sale and the American League West? With his win over the Rangers, Sale is now 8-0 against the West. He came into the game with an ERA of 3.18 in games against the West, with 69 strikeouts in 68 innings. Sale allowed only two Rangers to reach base in the final five innings of a strong seven-inning start. Once handed a three-run lead, Sale finished his night with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, striking out two and fanning Kinsler on his 110th pitch. Sale held the hot Texas bats to six hits while striking out seven.

Offbeat: The White Sox caught a break in the second inning, when Kinsler’s line drive off the left-field wall with the bases loaded scored only one Rangers run. Credit left fielder De Aza’s quick recovery. Also credit some questionable base running. Geovany Soto, at second base, didn’t appear to get a good read on the ball. Craig Gentry, the runner at first, ran up on Soto and was only a few feet behind when touching second. Soto had to stop at third. Sale made it an important play by retiring the next two hitters to prevent further damage and keep the score 2-2.

Up next: Right-hander Jake Peavy (3-1), coming off a solid performance in a winning effort over the Tampa Bay Rays, will be opposed by Justin Grimm (2-0) in the conclusion of the three-game series with Texas in a 7:05 p.m. start Thursday at Rangers Ballpark. The forecast calls for a game-time temperature of 50 degrees after a cold front passes.

CHICAGO -- The little-used Chicago White Sox bench stirred the pot Friday, raising the energy and carrying the team to its first three-game win streak of the season.

Hector Gimenez, Tyler Greene and Conor Gillaspie were insurance policies that paid big dividends Friday, with each hitting a home to rally the White Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox outslugged the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday for a 5-4 victory that gave them their first three-game win streak of the season.

How it happened: The White Sox delivered their offense through the long ball, but this time it came from unexpected sources. Hector Gimenez and Tyler Greene each hit their first home run in a White Sox uniform, while Conor Gillaspie added his own long ball. Jake Peavy gave up two early home runs to put the White Sox in a hole, but recovered to pitch a solid 6 2/3 innings. Closer Addison Reed gave up a run in the ninth inning, but finished it for his eighth save.

What it means: The only thing better than having the bench carry you to a victory is when the bench helps a struggling offense to carry you to the victory. Gimenez was giving Tyler Flowers the night off, while Greene was playing in place of Jeff Keppinger, who was dealing with back spasms and is day to day. Gillaspie is technically a reserve too, but has been starting ever since Gordon Beckham broke a bone in his hand earlier this month.

Outside the box: The Rays did better than most at getting to Peavy at U.S. Cellular Field. Including Friday’s outing, the White Sox’s right-hander now has a 2.38 ERA over his last 13 home starts dating back to June 1 of last season. White Sox starters have a 2.20 ERA over their last nine games, up from the 1.95 ERA they had over the last eight games before Peavy game up three runs.

Off beat: How much was the power show needed Friday? The story is best told by the numbers. Entering Friday’s game, the White Sox’s offense was 11th in the American League in slugging percentage (.380), 13th in batting average (.228), 14th in runs per game (3.38) and dead last in OPS (.657), on-base percentage (.277) and walks (45).

Up next: The White Sox will send right-hander Gavin Floyd (0-3, 4.98 ERA) to the mound against the Rays in the third game of the four-game series. Tampa Bay will counter with left-hander Matt Moore (4-0, 1.04) in the 1:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

CHICAGO -- Once the seas finally parted for Conor Gillaspie, the former first-round pick in the 2008 draft took complete advantage of the situation.

One of the White Sox’s modest under-the-radar pickups between the end of last season and the start of this one, Gillaspie has started to move himself into the spotlight with solid play both offensively and defensively.

When spring training started, though, Gillaspie had nowhere to go. As a member of the San Francisco Giants organization he spent brief stretches in the major leagues but had been blocked by regular Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval.

So the White Sox moved in not long after players started arriving into spring camps and plucked Gillaspie away from the Giants in exchange for pitcher Jeff Soptic, currently 2-0 at Single-A San Jose, but with a 7.36 ERA after eight appearances.

“I never really worried too much about it honestly,” said Gillaspie, who said that getting out from behind Sandoval’s shadow gave him a small sense of freedom. “It’s not really worth it. Life’s too short to worry about a bunch of things you don’t have control over. You just have to just enjoy it. Enjoy the rise.”

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CHICAGO -- Without a ton of depth, good health was imperative for the Chicago White Sox, and so far things have gone nothing like the team hoped.

Not only does John Danks continue to recover from last summer’s shoulder surgery, but Dayan Viciedo is now on the disabled list with an oblique strain, joining fellow Opening Day starter Gordon Beckham, who fractured the hamate bone in his left hand/wrist.

In addition to that, utility man Angel Sanchez has already gone to the disabled list, along with reliever Leyson Septimo.

“I don’t remember an April where we’ve had five guys on the DL, but that’s just part of the gig and that’s where we’re at right now,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “Fortunately, nothing seems that long term. We expect all of these guys to be back in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, we’ll give some other guys opportunities.

“You’ve seen Conor Gillaspie make the most of his chance to get more regular at-bats, and here’s a chance now for guys like [Jordan] Danks, [Blake] Tekotte and Dewayne Wise to step up and play a larger role.”

While Viciedo was still trying to find his way in the early going, Beckham was off to a solid start before he was injured. Taking advantage of his spot toward the end of the White Sox’s order, Beckham was batting .316 after the first seven days, although he had yet to deliver an extra-base hit.

With Jeff Keppinger moving over to second base, Gillaspie has made the most of his opportunity at third base. He closed out the road trip on an 0-for-6 slide but was still batting .364 with a .485 slugging percentage at the start of play Saturday.

Gillaspie was acquired at the start of spring training as a nod to the club’s lack of depth. The White Sox’s system is not highly regarded by baseball publications, like Baseball America, that monitor the minor leagues.

Hahn was asked whether the injuries and a 7-9 start have tempted to tinker with the roster via trades.

“Given all the injuries, it’s been fairly easy to tinker and scratch that itch, so to speak,” Hahn said. “It certainly is a temptation to explore other options, but it’s way too soon to avert from the plan except when forced to due to injury.

“We’d rather get up to at least 6-8-week sample before you start drawing any sort of long-term conclusions, whether it be the guys who have gotten off to fantastic starts or the guys who have struggled early.”

Health issues haven’t been exclusive to the roster. Pitching coach Don Cooper missed the entire 10-game road trip with a digestive issue that required hospitalization in Washington D.C.

“It wasn’t a good road trip,” Ventura said of his club, which went 3-7 on its three-city swing. “Not only losing players, but you’re losing staff members. But again, it’s part of the game, and you just have to be able to have somebody come in and pick it up and keep going. That’s just part of baseball and being a long season and being able to make it work.”

CHICAGO -- Conor Gillaspie was in the Chicago White Sox's starting lineup for a second consecutive day, as expected, with Jeff Keppinger getting his first day off.

Keppinger is in the midst of a 1-for-21 start at the plate and the hit came in his second at-bat of the season. Gillaspie, meanwhile, had two hits Saturday against Mariners ace Felix Hernandez and scored a pair of runs.

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CHICAGO – Those swirling winds inside U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday were fitting as amateur storm chaser Conor Gillaspie used his first ever White Sox start to land on the radar.

The left-handed hitting third baseman, who was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants at the start of spring training, not only delivered a pair of hits in the White Sox’s 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners, but also impressed with his glove.

He tripled in the fifth inning against Felix Hernandez and scored the White Sox’s first run, then added another hit off Hernandez in the seventh inning and scored the run that ended up being the difference in the victory. All in all, it seemed much easier than tracking down tornadoes as he likes to do in his spare time.

“For Conor, he wants to be a storm chaser and it was a perfect day for him,” manager Robin Ventura said. “He’s pretty comfortable in those conditions and it’s one of those reasons we picked him up. He’s a tough kid and plays hard and as a compact swing that has a lot of pop with it too.”

It begs the obvious question: with starting third baseman Jeff Keppinger struggling at the outset, will Ventura give Gillaspie more playing time?

The only guarantee he seems to be getting is that he will start Sunday’s series finale at third base against the Mariners.

Gillaspie’s two hits in his lone start already give him more than Keppinger in five games. Keppinger played first base Saturday after playing the first four games at third base. With an 0-for-4 day, Keppinger is now 1-for-21 on the season and hitless in his last 19 at-bats.

“We don’t have any dilemmas,” Ventura said. “Probably (Sunday) we’ll get him in there and get him some at-bats here and there, but I think with Kepp it’s just a bad rut and it’s a small sample. We know his track record and it will change.”

CHICAGO – Up against a former Cy Young Award winner, the Chicago White Sox had just enough for a 4-3 victory Saturday over the Seattle Mariners.

HOW IT HAPPENED: It’s why they play the games as the White Sox used injury-replacement starter Dylan Axelrod to get the best of the Mariners and ace Felix Hernandez. Axelrod, who is in the fifth spot only because John Danks is on the disabled list, went a solid 5⅔ innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits. The White Sox got to Hernandez with two run-scoring sacrifice flies and a two-run home run from Alex Rios. Addison Reed closed it out for his third save.

WHAT IT MEANS: While five games is far too soon to pull the plug on the struggling Jeff Keppinger as the third baseman, Conor Gillaspie showed he deserves some playing time. In his first start in a White Sox uniform he not only got the White Sox out of a jam in the top of the fifth when he went toward the line to start an impressive double play, he tripled to lead off the bottom of the inning and scored the tying run. He would also bring another left-handed bat to a lineup that only has two (Alejandro De Aza and Adam Dunn). As Gillaspie played third base, Keppinger moved to first base for the day.

OUTSIDE THE BOX: It hasn’t been the kind of start the White Sox were expecting out of Nate Jones. The right-handed reliever was charged with a run the day after he lost his first game of his career while giving up two runs. He has made three appearances this season and has put on a base runner each time. While it’s far too soon to panic, he already has an 11.57 ERA during the first week.

OFFBEAT: All it took was a little research to see that the White Sox actually stood a fair chance of defeating the Mariners and Hernandez. The right-hander is considered one of baseball’s best but not because of his appearances at U.S. Cellular Field. Hernandez is now 1-5 in eight career starts at the White Sox’s home park with a 4.88 ERA and has allowed 11 home runs.

UP NEXT: The White Sox will turn the rotation over for the first time as left-hander Chris Sale (1-0, 0.00) returns to the mound in the finale of the three-game series and season-opening homestand. The Mariners will counter with right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (1-0, 1.50) in the 1:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

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).”

The "savvy-veteran" tag won’t exactly qualify when talking about the Chicago White Sox bench this season.

Dewayne Wise, who will serve as the fourth outfielder and main left-handed bat off the bench, actually fits that bill, but it doesn’t really apply anywhere else.

Also in reserve roles this season will be Rule 5 pickup Angel Sanchez as the utility man, recently acquired Conor Gillaspie as the backup at third base and Hector Gimenez as a 30-year-old backup catcher with practically no major league experience.

With just two left-handed hitters in the starting lineup, Wise could see a decent amount of playing time as the fourth outfielder, but not if the starters are producing. At first glance, his best chance to play could come in place of left fielder Dayan Viciedo, who struggled against right-handed pitching last season.

Even though Sanchez can play multiple positions it’s actually Gillaspie that could see more playing time. The lefty-swinging Gillaspie could be used to give third baseman Jeff Keppinger a day off or when Keppinger slides over to second base to give Gordon Beckham a breather.

Sanchez is expected to primarily be used when Alexei Ramirez gets a day off. He better get used to sitting because Ramirez played in 158 games each of the past two seasons.

As a switch hitter Gimenez also gives manager Robin Ventura the potential to get a left-handed bat into the mix every once in a while. He doesn’t figure to play more than once a week, though.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

The challenge with having young players on the bench is getting them the consistent at-bats to keep them fresh and their swings in sync. Since Gillaspie is primarily a third baseman, with the ability to play some first base, getting him some playing time will be challenging for Ventura.

To be frank, not going to the bench much at all means things are going right with the starting lineup. Since Wise is the only true outfielder on the roster outside of the three starters, he becomes extremely important. His challenge will be to seamlessly transition into the outfield if and when the first injury arrives.

That player who can come off the bench and crush a late-inning home run isn’t available. That means the subs will have to contribute in other areas. The offense will be hit and miss, which is understandable, but the defense the bench guys give will have no margin for error. Gimenez figures to have the most defensive weight on his shoulders with the expectation that he gets on the same page with the starting pitcher on the infrequent days he is behind the plate.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The addition of Conor Gillaspie from the San Francisco Giants creates a logjam at third base that should help make the Chicago White Sox a more balanced team going into the 2013 season.

Gillaspie had little chance of making San Francisco’s 25-man big league roster.

"This is a business like every other job in the whole world," Gillaspie said after his first day in Sox camp. “Pablo [Sandoval], as you know, is a pretty good player. I probably wasn’t going to beat him out. This is a pretty good opportunity for me, and I am looking forward to it."

Gillaspie will have to battle newcomer Jeff Keppinger and holdover Brent Morel, who is returning injury-free after battling debilitating back pain in 2012.

The Sox are looking for better balance in their projected lineup. Only Adam Dunn and Alejandro De Aza hit from the left side in manager Robin Ventura’s projected 2013 opening day lineup. Most observers believe that Keppinger, who signed a three-year, $12 million contract this winter, is better suited to play multiple positions, rather than being the every-day third baseman.

The left-handed hitting Gillaspie, who is out of big league options, knows he has a chance to win a spot on the Sox roster.

“This could have been a lot worse," he said. “It could have been that I didn’t have a job at the end of spring training. On both sides I am very thankful that it happened the way it did. Now I can meet new people and have an opportunity to make another club. From what I have been told, [lefty-hitting infielder] is kind of a need. I’ll do my best to try to earn a job. You have to earn it; no one will be giving you anything."

Gillaspie, 25, hit .281 at Triple-A Fresno in 2012, with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs in 108 games. The White Sox were drawn to his on-base numbers and improved defense.

“As a player, I don’t have a superstar tool," said the newest member of the Sox. “I am not going to be someone who goes out and hits 50 home runs. That is just not who I am. I definitely will work and play hard for you. I practice hard and try to play the game the right way. Whatever happens at that point, you have to really roll with it."

The former Giants infielder has worked hard on his overall game the past couple of seasons.

“Three or four years ago, I was kind of shaky," Gillaspie said. “I have worked really hard on [my defense]. I hope that work will pay off for me the older I get and the more chances I get."

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn talks about the trade Friday that netted third baseman Conor Gillaspie from the Giants in exchange for minor league reliever Jeff Soptic.