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CHICAGO -- Whoever the Chicago White Sox have placed in the No. 9 in their order hasn’t produced at the plate. The White Sox rank among the worst teams in the American League in average and on-base percentage from their No. 9 spot.

That’s livable.

You can get by with a subpar No. 9 hitter, especially when the White Sox’s No. 1 (Alejandro De Aza), No. 3 (Adam Dunn), No. 4 (Paul Konerko) and No. 5 (A.J. Pierzynski) hitters are all among the league leaders in various categories in their respective hitting slots. The White Sox have even received adequate production from their No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 hitters.

But the White Sox have struggled all season at the No. 2 spot, and that isn’t so bearable. Their No.2 hitters collectively rank last in nearly every American League hitting category.

The White Sox’s No. 2 hitters have batted .158, which is the worst in the majors by 51 points. Only the Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and White Sox have hit under .240 in the slot in the American League.

The White Sox also rank last in baseball in on-base percentage. Their OBP of .212 is 58 points lower than the next American League team and well below the American League average of .314.

All together, the White Sox’s No. 2 hitters have compiled 28 hits, six doubles, one triple, three home runs, 25 runs, 45 total bases, 17 RBIs, a .254 slugging percentage and a .467 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). Their hits, total bases, slugging percentage and OPS all rank the worst in baseball.

Although the White Sox’s No. 2 hitters have struggled to get on base, they’re still tied for 15th in baseball with 25 runs.

Just think what the middle of the lineup could do with more No. 2 hitters getting on base. Of Dunn’s 14 home runs this season, 13 of them have come with one or no runners on base. Eight of Konerko’s nine home runs have been solo shots. Those additional runs could certainly come in handy in one-run games, which the White Sox are among the worst in with a 3-6 record.

The White Sox have tried a variety of hitters in the No. 2 slot. Alexei Ramirez and Brent Morel struggled there and were moved elsewhere, and now Gordon Beckham has been given a shot. He hasn’t fared much better. In the No. 2 slot, Beckham is hitting .194 with three home runs, seven RBIs and a .257 on-base percentage. His three home runs have come in the past five games.

If Beckham doesn’t continue to get it done there, newly-signed Orlando Hudson could be given a chance at it. Hudson isn’t the same hitter he was in 2009 and before, but he has batted in the No. 2 slot for most of his career, and even his current average (.219) and OBP (.265) would be upgrades to what the White Sox are getting there now.

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.

CHICAGO -- The White Sox started three regulars who were hitting under .200 and one hitting .208 on Tuesday night against defending AL Central champion Detroit Tigers.

The coaching staff sounds uncertain when trying to evaluate the situation. The struggling quartet of Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo, Gordon Beckham and Brent Morel is obviously hurting the team. But is this an early-season glitch in the offense or a trend of what to expect from these young players?

“You try to have patience with them because this is a mental as well as physical grind,” Ventura said.

The manager and his coaching staff go over their options while supporting hitting coach Jeff Manto on a daily basis.

“Patience is one way (to help young hitters),” Ventura said. “Sometimes you give them a kick, but again it’s not always that easy. I realize how tough it is.

Morel, Viciedo and Beckham are hitting a combined .195 with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs in 307 at bats.

At some point you have to also look at the 33 runs they have scored in 35 games as further indication of how futile the offense has been. Complicating this situation is the sudden flop of Ramirez, who is hitting .156 over the past 22 games (14-90).

“For them they have to realize that they can’t get it back in one day,” Ventura said. “It’s a consistent thing of day in and day out of coming in here having the proper attitude coming in here working at it and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Going into action on Tuesday the Sox were hitting .238 as a team -- the third worst average in the American league.

Chicago has been buoyed by relatively solid pitching. With that, the White Sox sit just two and a half games out of first place as both the Indians and the Tigers struggle to stay above the 500 mark.

“Most of us have played, so we get what (the hitters) are going through,” Ventura said. “I get that but they can’t lose their confidence.”

The White Sox have benefitted from quality contributions by Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn and, until a recent slump, A.J. Pierzynski. All this main group of veterans need is a little help from their younger teammates.

STREAKING

1. Adam Dunn, DH/1B: Game-winning home runs and big hits have been a part of the White Sox slugger’s game recently. Dunn told ESPNChicago.com that getting use to a DH routine has been key to his early season return to form. In the White Sox’s last seven games, Dunn is hitting .333 with 5 home runs and 9 RBIs. Dunn, who is batting .250 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs heading into Monday’s games, led all major league batters in home runs last week and had a game-winning blast off Tigers closer Jose Valverde on Saturday.

2. Gordon Beckham, 2B: Despite striking out with the tying and go-ahead runs on base to end Sunday’s loss to Detroit, Beckham is coming off his best week of hitting this season. Beckham came out of his season long slump with eight hits, batting .350 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in his past seven games. Hitting coach Jeff Manto has worked with Beckham, who is batting .215 on the season, on standing more erect at the plate thus avoiding a hitch from crouching too often. Beckham’s defense remains Gold Glove-caliber.

SLUMPING

1. Alexei Ramirez, SS: Ramirez is in a funk at the plate, going 2 for his last 16, dropping him to .196 on the season. The power numbers have also disappeared for Ramirez, who has just four extra-base hits in 112 at-bats. Ramirez is next to last in baseball with a sorry .476 OPS, including a .217 on-base percentage. But like his double-play partner Beckham, Ramirez’s defense is stellar.

2. Matt Thornton, RP: A tough week for the usually dependable Sox set-up man/closer, who posted a 15.43 ERA in his last three outings and a 2.14 WHIP. Thornton’s blown save and loss on Friday night against the Tigers was a product of a bullpen whose roles remain undefined with Chris Sale moving from the rotation to closer. Thornton is one of the top set-up men in the game, and he should remain in that role only.

CHICAGO – One three-hit game may not constitute a hot streak, but it’s a start for Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham.

When you’ve struggled like Beckham has this season, that’s all you can ask for.

Beckham snapped an 0-for-10 hitless streak Tuesday with his first three-hit game of the season. He raised his average from .153 to .190 with his game.

The White Sox’s hope now is Beckham can build on the game and return to being the type of all-around hitter they saw when he first entered the majors in 2009.

“That’s something that can get him started,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said prior to Wednesday’s game. “It has to start somewhere. That builds confidence.”

Beckham joked with the media prior to Wednesday’s game about being the center of attention after one good game, but he admitted Tuesday was a positive for him.

“I had a different feel,” Beckham said. “It was a good feel. I don’t really know how to describe it. It was just me. I don’t really know what that means, but that’s what it kind of was.

“I know I can hit. I was happy last night. I came out, and I’m continuing to work the way I’ve been working. Whatever happens in the year is what I worked for and what I deserve. I’m not going to put any numbers. Usually this is a conversation you have in spring training, but apparently my season started a month later.”

The one area Beckham has been focusing on in his at-bats is standing up straighter. His swing was being affected by crouching too much in the batter’s box, according to White Sox personnel.

Ventura has been mostly hands off with Beckham this season.

“He helps when he feels like I need to be helped,” Beckham said of Ventura. “Nothing like, ‘You need to this, you need to do this.’ He just wants me to be me. Go up there and play like I should. That’s kind of what he wants.”

If Beckham can get his bat going again, he believed he might be most helpful to the White Sox in the No. 2 spot in the order. Right now, he’s been batting No. 9.

“I guess on paper it would with who I am and the hitter I am and the hitters in this lineup, yeah, probably No. 2 is most suitable for me,” Beckham said. “Alexei (Ramirez) he seems he’s better off in a RBI, run-producing spot. Right now, they’re not putting him there because me and (Brent Morel) who are probably the two hitters you could put (at No. 2) are struggling a little bit.”

It might be a little early to start handing out All-Star ballots, but Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale is certainly opening up some eyes around the American League. Sale won his third game of the season on Tuesday, allowing just one run in six innings in a 7-2 victory over Cleveland.

The young left-hander was more excited about teammate Gordon Beckham's breakout three-hit game than his third win of the season.

“That was probably the [most fun] part of the game tonight watching Gordon go off,” Sale said. “He was taking good at-bats, taking good swings. Yeah, I think we got him back.”

Before the game manager Robin Ventura confirmed his belief in both Beckham and third baseman Brent Morel, who have been slumping with the bat since the season began. Ventura did say that at some point both needed to begin producing in order to remain starters.

“He swung it well,” Ventura said. “That’s just a part of believing in himself and that he keeps working at it. It’s just nice to see that it does pay off and that he hasn’t gone down that path of not believing in himself.”

Beckham not only hit his first home run of the season, he broke out of an 0-for-10 slump and doubled his RBI output from two to four. Beckham pointed to a good at-bat on Saturday night that may have jump started his offensive outburst on Tuesday.

“I battled in that at-bat,” Beckham said. “I didn’t feel great and knew that the game was on the line and did not give in, so that definitely was a good at-bat.”

A.J. Pierzynski started the White Sox scoring with his fifth home run of the season in the second inning of off Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez. Much like his teammates, Pierzynski was excited for Beckham.

“April is over and he and Albert Pujois went homer-less in April,” Pierzynski joked. “It was nice to see him get his first one out of the way. That should help him relax and use the whole field.”

With a record of 12-11 the Sox are in a three-way tie for first place in the AL Central with the Tigers and the Indians.

A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

How it happened: Thanks to an error-filled third inning the White Sox were able to put up four runs in support of starter Chris Sale. Gordon Beckham had his best offensive night of the season, leading off the third inning with his first home run of the season of off Cleveland starting pitcher Ulbaldo Jimenez and finishing with three hits. The Sox got a break on an infield popup that was lost in the smoke from the exploding score board that had blown into the infield. They scored three more runs on an error, two walks and a fielder’s choice. A.J. Pierzynski continues to have great at-bats, hitting his fifth home run of the season with one out in the second inning.

What it means: The White Sox moved into a first place tie with Cleveland and Detroit after another masterful outing by Sale, who is 2-0 against the Indians in 2012. Beckham had his first three-hit game of the year and doubled his RBI output from two to four. Beckham was in an 0-10 slump before hitting his home run.

Outside the box:The White Sox are now 5-1 against the American League Central after going 32-40 in their division during 2011. Both Beckham and Brent Morel started to hit after manager Robin Ventura said that both players needed to improve their performance soon.

Up next: Right-hander Phil Humber (1-1, 4.66) and Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin (1-2 5.48) are the starting pitchers for Wednesday’s 7:10 start at U.S. Cellular Field.

Patience had been Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura's mantra as he watched both Brent Morel and Gordon Beckham struggle with the bats this season.

On Tuesday the manager admitted, at that some point, his patience may wear thin if his pair of infielders do not get their act together.

“Eventually you have to do something about it,” Ventura said. “Right now I still believe in what I see and talking to them I am still confident that they are going to perform.”

Read the entire story.

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura knows his offense has been struggling, but for right now, he’s not losing any sleep over it.

“There’s not a lot you can do, this is who we are,” Ventura said. “You work at it, you look at stuff and try and help guys out. We haven’t spent any all-nighters in here.”

When Ventura says this is who the White Sox are, hopefully he doesn’t mean they’re a team that will average two runs a game, which is what they’ve done during their five-game losing streak.

Ventura decided to give two struggling players, Brent Morel and Gordon Beckham, days off on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. Beckham is hitting .153, Morel is hitting .178 and neither has a home run on the season. Ventura said he’s just going with a different look with the lineup, but wasn’t committing to any permanent changes. Ventura said he’d wait and see how things go on Sunday, but expected them to both be back in the lineup on Tuesday.

“I think a lot of it has become mental, it mounts up on them,” Ventura said of Morel and Beckham’s struggles. “These are just little mental breaks, giving them this day and they have [Monday] off and then they’ll be back at it. You look at Gordon, the at-bat he had last night, it was a good at-bat. He just didn’t get a hit. But he grinded it out, the competitiveness was there. He competed that at-bat.”

(Read full post)

The early-season struggles of Gordon Beckham and Brent Morel continue to be focal points, and some of the Chicago White Sox coaching staff are throwing extra batting practice every day in an attempt to get them out of their slumps.

Part of the solution is to get the two young infielders set with a plan of attack in each and every at-bat.

“I think when you go up to the plate you have to have a plan,” manager Robin Ventura said. “It’s been said before, it is better to have a bad plan than no plan at all. It is [about] an approach of a guy going up there -- you can’t swing at everything and hope something is going to happen. That is a part of practicing and becoming more comfortable with what they are trying to do to you.”

(Read full post)

Will the real Gordon Beckham please stand up -- and be counted on to hit at least .275 in the Major Leagues.

The Chicago White Sox second baseman has been going downhill at the plate since his breakout 2009 campaign that produced a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year balloting.

Once again, early season struggles from Beckham have raised the question whether or not a trip to the minor leagues would be the fastest way to solve his hitting woes.

(Read full post)

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.

CHICAGO -- Since we’re here on the South Side, the home of unvarnished opinions and un-ironic mustaches, you have to lead with the bad.

So here’s the bad: Gordon Beckham needs a treasure map to get to first base. He struck out three times on Friday and now has nine Ks in 20 at-bats. The new Adam Dunn racked up the Camo Sombrero: where you get credit for working really hard in a four-strikeout game. Even the grounds crew had a bad day. Miguel Cabrera won an argument that the batter’s box was improperly placed and the Sox had to call in a new one from the bullpen. The coffee maker is already out of order in the pressbox and the scoreboard misspelled “struck out” as “stuck out.” That is ironic since it’ll be using that phrase A LOT this season.

But forget all that noise. The White Sox beat the Tigers 5-2 in their home opener and, for a day, you could forget the carryover problems from 2011’s train wreck and just “appreciate the game,” as the Sox’s marketing department has opined.

Read the entire column.

»2012 White Sox Fantasy Projections: Starters | Relievers | INFs | Catchers | OFs

The Chicago White Sox’s infield should be the strength of the team this season. Comeback seasons from Adam Dunn (DH-1B) and second baseman Gordon Beckham will be key elements to the club’s success.

The infield returns in tact from last season’s group and only first baseman Paul Konerko could be considered as having lived up to expectations during the 2011 season. Konerko gets better with age. The 36-year-old slugger, who has averaged 35 home runs and 100 RBIs in his last three seasons, is just four homers away from 400 for his career. He will need more time at DH in order to keep his legs strong, and that’s where Dunn must step up his game.

Management believes Dunn will benefit from more time on the field. The outlook is good for Dunn, who has been more aggressive at the plate driving balls to all fields earlier in the count all spring after a disastrous debut season in Chicago. Dunn worked hard at his conditioning in the offseason which began with extensive hitting, something he never had to do in the past. Defense always has been a challenge for Dunn, who has looked good digging balls out of the dirt in spring training. Range is an issue regardless of whether it’s Konerko or Dunn at first.

This is Beckham’s time to prove himself after struggling the past two seasons following a promising rookie season in 2009. Beckham changed his approach after his father told him to get back to his roots and quit the big-league posturing. Beckham is as good on defense as any second baseman in the league. Taking the loop out of his swing will be his major challenge.

Like Beckham, shortstop Alexei Ramirez is one of the elite defenders at his position in the major leagues. Ramirez was supposed to step up his offense in 2011. Instead he hit 15 points less while staying flat in home run and RBI production (.269, 15, 70). The Sox will need more offense from him to make up for the loss of Carlos Quentin in the lineup.

In September, Brent Morel looked like the power-hitting third baseman the team was hoping for when he hit eight of his 10 homers on the season during the final month. Taking more walks will be key for a more productive season for the 24-year-old. Sox officials believe in Morel and feel manager Robin Ventura will have a strong influence on his career. Although he made 14 errors in 126 games, Morel is a solid defender.

Backup infielders Brent Lillibridge and Eduardo Escobar will get plenty of playing time as Ventura promises to rest his position players all season long. Sox fans will enjoy Escobar, who has some flash that might remind people of a young Ozzie Guillen. Lillibridge will back up the infield and outfield.

The White Sox are in transition behind the plate with a veteran in A.J. Pierzynski and heir apparent Tyler Flowers fighting for time. Ventura will be able to platoon the left-handed hitting Pierzynski and right-handed hitting Flowers but at some point the club may want Flowers to get more playing time.

At some point during the season a contending team will lose a catcher and approach the Sox about the availability of Pierzynski, who has 5-10 trade protection rights and will have to decide to stay or go.

Flowers, who has 20-homer potential, has improved dramatically at calling pitches at the major league level. He needs to catch 120 games to begin to reach his own expectations as a catcher.

Three keys to success

• Dunn bats at least .240. If he is able to make contact he will hit 35 home runs and drive in 100 runs.

• Beckham lives up to expectations, hitting .280 with 17 home runs and 80 RBIs.

• Ramirez and Morel pick up the slack left behind by Quentin’s departure, combining for 35 homers and 150 RBIs.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Chicago White Sox pared down their spring roster to 31 on Tuesday, by re-assigning outfielder Jordan Danks, infielders Jim Gallagher, Dan Johnson and Tyler Saladino as well as catcher Josh Phegley to minor league camp.

The only battle remaining seems to be in the bullpen where the locks are Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman, Addison Reed and Hector Santiago.

The remaining two slots in the pen will be decided between veteran Brian Bruney. Josh Stewart, Dylan Axelrod and Nate Jones. With Santiago most likely the third left-hander in the bullpen, it appears that Eric Stults, who has pitched well, may have the numbers working against him.

Johnson’s re-assignment clears the way for 23-year-old infielder Eduardo Escobar to make the club as the backup to Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham.

Manager Robin Ventura named his starting rotation on Monday with John Danks getting the Opening Day assignment against the Texas Rangers on April 6. Ventura will take his time in naming his closer. Crain, Thornton, Reed are the three candidates for the job.