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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's emotions were thrown into a mixer over the last three days.

On Sunday, they celebrated a sweep of their cross-town rival, the Chicago Cubs.

On Monday and Tuesday morning, they mourned the passing of former White Sox pitcher and special coaching assistant Kevin Hickey during his wake and funeral.

On Tuesday evening, they were beaten handily by the Minnesota Twins, struggling equally offensively and defensively in a 9-2 loss at U.S. Cellular Field.

“They’ve been dealing with (Hickey’s medical situation) all year, but the finality of it with Hick…” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “We’ve been dealing with it all year, so guys have been able to put it aside when they play. It could (be a reason for today.)”

White Sox starting pitcher Gavin Floyd and first baseman Paul Konerko admitted Tuesday was a difficult day for their team.

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Minnesota Twins' 9-2 win over the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday.

How it happened: The Twins have been White Sox starter Gavin Floyd's nemesis. He came into the game with a 0-7 record with a 7.65 ERA in his last seven starts against Minnesota dating back to Aug. 31, 2009. On Tuesday, it got worse for Floyd. He allowed eight hits, nine runs and three walks and lasted just 3 2/3 innings again them. Floyd has had problems in his last two starts after a stretch of four strong outings. He gave up 10 hits and seven runs in his previous start. Gordon Beckham gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo shot. Beckham has homered in three of the last four games.

What it means: The White Sox just can’t seem to get it right at home. They fell to 7-13 at U.S. Cellular Field with Tuesday’s loss. They also dropped back to under .500 for the season.

Outside the box: White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko was worried before Tuesday’s game about a letdown after sweeping the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. Last year, the White Sox won both series against the Cubs and went on to lose their following series.

Up next: Chris Sale (4-2, 2.91) will start Wednesday for the White Sox in the second game of their three-game series with the Twins at 7:10 CT at U.S. Cellular Field. Scott Diamond (3-0, 1.40) will start for the Twins.

Here’s a quick look at the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-2 win over the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Wednesday.

How it happened: White Sox starter Gavin Floyd suffered his worst start in nearly a month. He gave up 10 hits and seven runs in six innings. He had allowed a total of four runs over his previous four outings. Albert Pujols may just be breaking out his slump for the Angels. A game after going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Pujols homered and drove in three runs against the White Sox. He gave the Angels a 4-2 lead with a three-run shot in the third inning for his second homer of the season. White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham snapped an 0-for-15 slump with an RBI double in the third inning. Dayan Viciedo had three hits, including a home run, for the White Sox. Jerome Williams picked up the win for the Angels.

What it means: The White Sox’s pitching has been suspect for much of the last week, and it’s been a mixture of starters and relievers who have struggled. In the last five games, the White Sox have allowed 59 hits and 36 runs.

Outside the box: Wednesday’s loss guaranteed the White Sox at most a split in the two-game series with the Angels. It’ll be the eighth consecutive series the White Sox have either split or lost. The last series they won came in a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners from April 20-22.

Up next: The White Sox will face the Angels in the finale of the two-game series at 2:35 p.m. CT Thursday. Chris Sale (3-2, 3.08) will start for the White Sox, and the Angels will counter with C.J. Wilson (4-3, 3.42).

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Gavin Floyd wasn’t invincible on Friday.

He struggled early and he struggled late. In between, he appeared invincible.

And while Floyd was impressive when he was retiring batter after batter during that in-between part, where he especially marveled during Friday’s 5-0 win over the Kansas City Royals was those early and late innings where he wasn’t exactly perfect.

The first sign Floyd wasn’t in full command Friday came in the second inning. He began the inning by walking Eric Hosmer on five pitches. After retiring a batter, Floyd gave up a single to Mike Moustakas and then walked Chris Getz.

Like that, Floyd was on the verge of a horrific evening. A few more similar pitches, and the Royals could have easily found themselves in a comfortable spot.

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CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago White Sox’s 5-0 win over Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday.

How it happened: White Sox starter Gavin Floyd was brilliant again, allowing five hits and no runs in 7 2/3 innings. It was his fourth consecutive start and the fifth outing this season he allowed two or fewer runs. Floyd struggled in the second and eighth innings by loading the bases with one out, but he found ways to get out of both jams. He got back-to-back Royals to hit it back to him in the second inning, and he accounted for the second out of the eighth inning on a strikeout. Reliever Matt Thornton held the shutout by striking out the next hitter, Eric Hosmer. Floyd (2.53), Jake Peavy (1.89) and Chris Sale (2.73) give the White Sox three starters with an ERA under 3.00. Offensively, Adam Dunn gave Floyd all he needed with a solo home run in the first inning. Gordon Beckham (one RBI), Alejandro De Aza (one RBI) and Alex Rios (two RBIs) added on for the White Sox.

What it means: Friday’s win was a good start to the White Sox’s five-game homestand. The White Sox have struggled at home this season, coming into the game with a 5-9 home record against a 10-8 mark on the road. They were 2-5 on their last homestand.

Outside the box: Dunn hit 11 home runs in 122 games last season. He reached the same number on Friday in his 33rd game of the season.

Up next: Sale (3-1, 2.73) is likely to return to the White Sox’s starting rotation Saturday after a brief stint in the bullpen due to concerns over his left elbow. He last started on May 1. Luke Hochevar (2-3, 9.00) will start for the Royals in the 6:10 p.m. CT game.

Just two weeks ago, the Chicago White Sox starting rotation looked as solid as any in baseball.

But the staff has taken a downward turn, and Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd have become the only two starters the White Sox have been able to consistently rely upon.

John Danks, the No. 1 starter, wasn’t throwing great early in the season, but he’s especially struggled in his last couple outings. He’s allowed 13 runs in his last two starts, and his ERA has risen to 6.51. Danks has traditionally pitched his worst in April and May, but it still has to be concerning.

No one expected Philip Humber, the No. 5 starter, to pitch again like he did when he threw a perfect game on April 21, but he also wasn’t expected to struggle as much as he has since then. Humber has allowed 20 runs and 11 walks in his last three outings since the perfect game. He was roughed up for eight runs in Monday’s loss to the Cleveland Indians. His ERA jumped to 6.83.

Chris Sale, who had been the No. 4 starter, had pitched well through his first five starts this season after being a reliever last season. He was 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA this season. But on Friday, the White Sox announced Sale would move to the closer role because of tenderness in his elbow. While the change should strengthen the bullpen, it will also likely weaken the starting rotation.

Dylan Axelrod took his first shot at Sale’s spot when he made his first start of the season on Sunday, allowing six hits, two runs and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

And then there’s Floyd and Peavy, who are keeping the staff together.

Floyd, the No. 3 starter, had a couple of so-so starts earlier in the season, but he’s bounced back nicely, allowing a total of four runs, three walks and 21 strikeouts in his last three outings. He has a 3.03 ERA on the season.

Peavy, the No. 2 starter, has been the most consistent pitcher. After battling a variety of injuries since his arrival to the White Sox in 2009, the former Cy Young winner has looked like his old self this season. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any outing. He’s 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in six starts.

Floyd and Peavy provide the White Sox with two dependable pitchers, but they’re going to need more from their starting rotation if they’re going compete for anything this season.

DETROIT -- A day after losing to Detroit on a ninth-inning homer, Adam Dunn and the Chicago White Sox returned the favor.

Dunn hit a two-run shot deep into the right-field seats off Jose Valverde in the ninth Saturday and Chicago went on to beat the Tigers 3-2.

Detroit defeated the White Sox 5-4 on Friday night when Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run shot with one out in the ninth. There was also one out when Dunn hit his 422-foot drive off Valverde (2-1).

"We needed to win this game today," Dunn said. "I definitely didn't want to chase anything -- just got a pitch that I could get in the air and it happened to go out."

Nate Jones (1-0) got the win and Addison Reed came on to strike out Austin Jackson with runners on second and third for the final out. It was Reed's first career save.

Detroit's Delmon Young went hitless in his first game back from a seven-day suspension following his April 27 arrest in New York.

It was Valverde's second blown save of the season. He was perfect in 49 chances in 2011.

"Last year is over," Valverde said. "The closer, everybody knows, it's not easy. One pitch can be the game, like it was today. Adam Dunn got it."

Dunn endured a horrendous 2011 season, his first with the White Sox. After hitting at least 38 homers for seven straight years, he managed only 11 last season to go along with a .159 batting average.

He's back to his productive self so far in 2012, hitting .250 with eight homers.

"It's good," Dunn said. "This is kind of what I expect to do."

Paul Konerko also went deep for Chicago.

The Tigers scratched out their two runs in the second on RBI singles by Andy Dirks and Jackson.

The White Sox trailed 2-0 before Konerko's solo shot in the seventh. Alejandro De Aza started the ninth with a single and a stolen base. He was sacrificed to third and Dunn -- always a strikeout risk -- made solid contact to put Chicago ahead.

Jones had pitched the bottom of the eighth, and Hector Santiago came on to try to close it out, but a walk and a double put Chicago's slim lead in jeopardy. Reed, who hasn't allowed a run this season, got the best of Jackson to preserve the win.

Gavin Floyd allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings for the White Sox.

Floyd was unlucky in the second, allowing an RBI single to Dirks on a slow grounder that slipped between third baseman Brent Morel and shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

Jackson's run-scoring hit actually deflected off Morel and past Ramirez, who looked as though he might have been in position to keep the ball at least in the infield and prevent the runner on second from scoring.

"You just kind of stay positive and continue to try to make pitches," Floyd said. "Got the ball on the ground, and it seemed like they were just missing guys."

Floyd retired 12 in a row starting in the third. In his last three starts, he's allowed four runs in 21 innings.

Detroit's Max Scherzer yielded a run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out nine without a walk. Showing none of the control trouble that plagued him in a seven-walk performance last weekend against the Yankees, Scherzer retired the first 11 White Sox before Dunn lined a single to right.

Chicago's second hit nearly ended Scherzer's outing. In the fifth, A.J. Pierzynski's line drive up the middle hit Scherzer's right foot during the pitcher's follow through. The right-hander picked up the ball and threw wildly to first, and the play went for an infield single and an error, with Pierzynski ending up on second.

Scherzer stayed in the game and got out of the inning on a flyout and two strikeouts. He allowed a single to De Aza in the sixth -- then promptly picked him off first. Konerko broke up the shutout an inning later with a homer to left.

Young was reinstated from the restricted list Friday after his suspension, but he didn't play that night. He received mostly cheers and a few scattered boos from the home crowd for his first plate appearance.

A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 3-2 comeback win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday at Comerica Park.

How it happened: Adam Dunn's two-run homer in the ninth inning gave the White Sox their first lead of the game. Closer Hector Santiago ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth, giving up a walk to Jhonny Peralta and a two-out, two-run double to Ryan Raburn. Addison Reed relieved Santiago and recorded the final out, striking out Austin Jackson for the save. Paul Konerko hit his sixth homer of the year, a solo shot, in the seventh. Gavin Floyd threw seven strong innings for the White Sox, allowing only two runs in the second inning. Floyd scattered seven hits and struck out six. Dunn and Alejandro De Aza each had two hits.

What it means: The White Sox evened the series with the Tigers at one apiece and improved to 6-4 against AL Central teams this season.

Outside the box score: The White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak at Comerica Park.

Up next: The Sox and Tigers conclude their series on Sunday at 12:05 CT. The probable starters are Dylan Axelrod (0-0, 2.70 ERA) for the Sox and Rick Porcello (2-2, 5.64 ERA) for the Tigers.

With Phil Humber's perfect game barely a week old, fellow Chicago White Sox starter Gavin Floyd tried to make that a distant memory on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately for Floyd, he lost the perfect game in the fifth with a walk and lost his bid for a no-hitter in the seventh, when Dustin Pedroia grounded a single up the middle.

Floyd still managed to limit the Red Sox to only one run in his 6 2/3 innings of work as the White Sox held on for a 4-1 victory, ending a five-game slide and avoiding a four game sweep.

“Gavin just had it,” manager Robin Ventura said. “I don’t know if you can sit there and kind of visualize a perfect game, no-hitter, I think people were probably doing that. But he's been that way. He's just been consistent, just locating and his off-speed pitches have been great.”

While pointing out that Floyd’s curveball was great as usual, catcher A.J. Pierzynski credited the use of his fastball for his success on the day. Pierzynksi said that Floyd had gone to his slider in big situations in the past, but today went with the fastball and caught the hitters off-guard.

With the White Sox holding on to a slim lead and facing a potent Boston lineup that has proven they can score in bunches, Pierzynski knew that the focus had to be on keeping the Red Sox off the board.

“You don’t even worry about that [no-hitter] stuff until the seventh, eighth inning,” said Pierzynski, who was behind the plate for Humber’s perfect game. “Gavin pitched well. He deserves a ton of credit. There was never a thought of perfect game or no-hitter or any of that stuff. You are trying to get through because you know at any moment they could strike for a bloop and then a home run and they are right back in the game.”

However, when Floyd was asked if he the thought of perfection had entered his mind, he gave a different point of view.

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A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field.

How it happened: White Sox starter Gavin Floyd was dominant, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Floyd ended up giving up three hits and a run in the inning, and ended his day with 6 2/3 innings pitched, nine strikeouts and one walk. The offense showed up early, scoring three runs in the first, including a two-run homer off the bat of Adam Dunn, his fifth of the year. They tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to give Matt Thornton a bigger cushion as he picked up the save.

What it means: The White Sox ended their five-game losing streak and got back to the .500 mark at 11-11. The White Sox are now even with the Detroit Tigers in second place in the AL Central and are only one game back of the first-place Cleveland Indians.

Outside the box: After giving up 10 runs in each of the first two games of the series to a torrid Red Sox offense, the White Sox pitching staff settled down in the final two games of the series. The Sox allowed only one run in each of the last two games, cooling down an offense that had averaged 8.7 runs in its previous six games.

Up next: Chris Sale (1-2, 3.12 ERA) takes the mound for the White Sox as they start a three-game set against the Indians. Cleveland counters with Ubaldo Jimenez (2-1, 4.50) at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, Tommy Milone outdueled Gavin Floyd and the Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Daric Barton drew a leadoff walk in the eighth and Luke Hughes struck out before Matt Thornton relieved Floyd (1-3). Suzuki doubled to left and Barton scored easily, then Eric Sogard added an RBI single as the A's ended a 16-inning scoreless stretch going back to Sunday's 5-1 victory against Cleveland.

Chicago's stellar pitching produced yet another strong outing on a road trip full of them, but the White Sox had their four-game winning streak snapped along with a six-game road winning streak.

CHICAGO – The Chicago White have experienced some good and some bad this season as one would expect from a team which stands at .500 after 12 games.

Here’s a look at what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong for the White Sox so far in 2012:

The good: Jake Peavy looks like the Jake Peavy of old through three starts. He’s 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA and has allowed 14 hits, six runs, two walks and struck out 21 in 19 2/3 innings.

The bad: April and May have often been Gavin Floyd’s worst months, and that appears to be the case again this season. With Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Floyd’s record fell to 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA for the season.

The good: The White Sox’s starting pitchers have been consistently solid this season. Only once in 12 games has a starter allowed more than four earned runs. The starters have combined to allow 30 runs in 73 innings.

The bad: Hector Santiago still hasn’t proven he can be an effective closer. Santiago has three saves and one blown save in four opportunities. He allowed runs in two of those appearances and has allowed a total of three runs in four innings. His ERA is 6.75.

The good: The White Sox’s pitchers strike out opposing hitters a lot. The White Sox are tied for fourth in the majors with 103 strikeouts.

The bad: The White Sox’s hitters strike out a lot. They added more 16 strikeouts to their season total Thursday and tied for the major league lead with the Orioles with 111 strikeouts.

The good: Adam Dunn broke off his recent slump with back-to-back positive hitting days on Wednesday and Thursday. He went 1-for-2 with a double, three RBIs and three walks on Wednesday and 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and a walk on Thursday. He’s improved his average to .222 and leads the team with eight walks.

The bad: Dunn is still striking out a lot and isn’t hitting home runs. He leads the White Sox with 21 strikeouts and has one home run and seven RBIs on the season.

The good: Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski, the team’s regular fourth and fifth hitters, are on a tear. Pierzynski leads the White Sox with a .400 average, four home runs and 13 RBIs. Konerko has 17 hits, five doubles, one home run, nine RBIs and eight runs.

The bad: Brent Morel, the team’s regular No. 2 hitter, has struggled at the plate. Morel, who had the day off Thursday, has four hits in 39 at-bats and is hitting .103. He’s had one hit in his last four games.

The good: White Sox catchers A.J. Pierzysnki and Tyler Flowers have been nearly perfect throwing runners out. Flowers threw out both runners who tried to steal second on Thursday, and the pair have combined to catch six of seven potential base stealers.

The bad: The White Sox have been mediocre on the bases. They’ve stolen seven bases and caught stealing four times.

The good: The White Sox got runners on base during the Orioles’ series. They reached base 51 times on hits and walks in the four-game series.

The bad: The White Sox didn’t score the bulk of those runners against the Orioles. They left 33 runners on base in the series. On Thursday alone, they left the bases loaded in three innings.

The good: The White Sox have six wins.

The bad: The White Sox have six losses.

CHICAGO -- Gavin Floyd faced the Detroit Tigers' hard-hitting duo of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder a total of six times on Saturday, and the Chicago White Sox veteran right hander said he approached them the same way every at-bat.

“Like they weren’t there,” Floyd deadpanned. “I just tried to focus on the mitt and make pitches. That’s the goal when you’re out there… try to get in a zone and make pitches.”

Floyd didn’t allow Cabrera to reach base and he struck out Fielder twice on an afternoon in which he was erratic at times, but ultimately good enough to lead the Sox to a 5-1 victory. Floyd threw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits while walking three and hitting three batters in his first win of the season. Of Floyd’s 98 pitches, 57 were for strikes.

Less than a week after he gave up three home runs against the Texas Rangers in his first start of the season, Floyd said he never lost confidence in his pitches and relied on his focus when he found himself in a jam. Floyd hit Delmon Young twice on Saturday, had four 1-2-3 innings and got himself out of bases-loaded situations in both the second and sixth innings.

“I thought he pitched great,” manager Robin Ventura said. “He got into a couple of jams there, but for me, he battled and made pitches when he had to. He has been a guy throughout spring that I’ve seen make the tough pitch. He’s able to do that and he’s very talented. We just let him go today and he made all the pitches.”

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.

How it happened: Gavin Floyd rebounded against the defending AL Central champion Detroit Tigers, throwing six scoreless innings for his first win of the season. Floyd out-dueled rookie Adam Wilk, who took the loss after scattering two runs on three hits in five innings. He left the game with a left shoulder contusion. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez got the Sox on the board with a solo home run in the second inning, his second of the season. Catcher Tyler Flowers, starting in place of A.J. Pierzynski, hit his first homer of the season, also a solo shot, in the fifth. Adam Dunn drove in Brent Morel with a hard double to right-center field in the sixth. Detroit right fielder Brennan Boesch ruined the shutout with a home run in the eighth off of reliever Jesse Crain. Paul Konerko hit his 397th career home run in the eighth, breaking a tie with Joe Carter to place him 51st on the all-time home run list.

What it means: The Sox won their fourth straight game and second in a row over the Central Division favorites.

Outside the box: Prior to the game, manager Robin Ventura said it’s too early to express concerns over any players’ early season struggles. Gordon Beckham struck out for the 10th time this season on Saturday while Dunn recorded his 11th strikeout. “It’s going to be a while,” said Ventura, who didn’t single out any one player. “It’s more of their approach than it is what the numbers are. I like what I see and what they bring and so it’ll be a while.”

Up next: Chris Sale (1-0) takes the mound against Detroit right-hander Rick Porcello (0-0) in the final game of the series at 1:10 p.m. CT Sunday.

Gavin Floyd takes the mound for Chicago as the White Sox look to take their opening weekend series with Texas.