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CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox’s bullpen couldn’t have endured much worse of a day than it suffered on Sunday.

But less than 24 hours after four White Sox’s relief pitchers combined to allow eight runs in a loss to the Kansas City Royals, the bullpen redeemed itself by pitching six shutout innings in a 7-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

The bullpen was given its shot to bounce back when starter John Danks made his shortest start of the season, lasting just three innings. The White Sox were trailing 5-2 in the fourth inning when manager Robin Ventura made his first call to the pen and brought in Zach Stewart.

With the White Sox’s offense struggling lately and the team trailing by three runs against Tigers starter Drew Smyly, who had a 1.59 ERA entering the day, it appeared as if Stewart’s job would be simply to last multiple innings and not put too much strain on the bullpen. But that changed when the White Sox’s offense got rolling with a combined five runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and Stewart shut down the Tigers completely. He allowed one hit and no runs through three innings.

“That’s a big spot to come into, and he did great,” Ventura said of Stewart. “You throw him into that situation, he eats up some innings right there. That’s a big plus for us to have him be able to do that.”

Next up was Hector Santiago. Santiago had his struggles after initially being labeled the team’s closer, but he’s pitched more consistently as of late. He continued to be sharp Monday and didn’t allow a run in his one inning of work.

“It was great to be able to come out and pick up Johnny (Danks) to be able to hold it down and keep us in the game right there,” Santiago said.

Ventura next went to Matt Thornton, one of the pitchers who was accountable for Sunday’s deficit. Thornton had allowed one hit, one run and one walk and picked up the loss against the Royals. On Monday, he appeared to be headed into trouble again when he allowed Miguel Cabrera to single, but Thornton got the next batter, Prince Fielder, to hit into a double play to close out a scoreless eighth inning.

And finally, it was Addison Reed’s chance at redemption. Reed took the brunt of Sunday’s loss. He allowed two hits, six runs and three walks in a 1/3 inning against Royals. He hadn’t allowed a run all season before the game.

On Monday, Reed again faced some more adversity, but this time he prevailed. He allowed a single and a walk before he finished off the Tigers and picked up his third save of the season.

Overall, it’s the type of performance the bullpen believes it’s closer to than what it did on Sunday.

“We’re confident in what we can do down there,” Stewart said. “Yesterday was a bad day, but we know exactly what we’re capable of. I think we showed it tonight.”

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Friday the closer role will be performed by a committee of pitchers depending on the game’s situation.

Chris Sale was named the White Sox’s closer on May 4 after the team decided to move him out of the starting rotation and into the bullpen due to elbow tenderness. But the Sox announced Friday that Sale will return to a starting role.

“Whoever ends up in the ninth inning,” Ventura said when asked who is closer would be. “We’re back to that. … I think it’s more of you see what they’re lined up with and go from there.”

The White Sox have used four different pitchers in save situations this season. Sale, a lefty, was used Tuesday and blew the save in his lone opportunity. Left-hander Hector Santiago picked up four saves in six opportunities, but he has allowed five home runs and has a 5.73 ERA. Matt Thornton, a lefty, has converted one save in two opportunities. Right-hander Addison Reed, who hasn’t allowed a run this season, has two saves in two chances.

“I think that’s not an easy role,” Ventura said. “With the amount of young guys we have out there, it’s not a thing we don’t monitor. You always constantly monitor them.

“We have some guys doing very well in the bullpen in the situations they’re brought in. Addison has done well. You probably look at him if they got a bunch of righties coming up. You probably look for Matty (Thornton) if there’s a bunch of lefties coming up. If there’s a mix, you might have Hector.”

General manager Ken Williams likes the multiple possibilities the White Sox have for closer as well.

“There’s a difference between evolving without talent and evolving with talent and a number of possibilities for back end of the bullpen solutions,” Williams said. “There’s a huge difference. If these guys have shown one thing, it’s that they have a very high ceiling back there. That’s one reason to give us optimism.”

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.

The White Sox’s bullpen continues to get younger and less experienced every day. With that, the burden of helping the kid pitchers improve falls squarely on veterans like Matt Thornton, Will Ohman And Jesse Crain.

Thornton, the most tenured of the group, takes his role of friend and teacher seriously.

“I think every guy is different,” Thornton said. “Every pitcher has his own makeup, some need time in the minor leagues to be groomed others can get there more quickly. So far these guys have been great ,they are working hard. They are staying late after games. They are staying humble, doing everything that has been asked of them.”


to after the pen has done a great job to get us to the 14th inning to tie game and then oh my gosh we lost in a blink of an eye humble doing everything that is asked of them “

Thornton pointed to Hector Santiago’s meltdown in Oakland on Wednesday as how you are tested in the big leagues.

“You go from, ‘hey this game is locked down’ after the pen had done a good job to, ‘oh my gosh we just lost in the blink of an eye,’” Thornton said. “(Santiago ) was frustrated with the result, but to his credit he shook it off, showed up with a good attitude, working hard the next day.

No one can remember a team that had five rookies in its bullpen winning a division in recent years. Thornton, however, doesn’t concern himself with that.

“We are right around .500 and we have a lot of baseball to go,” Thornton said. “We have seen some good and some bad. The bullpen has been a part of both, but you see growth with these guys every day.”

Called up in place of the injured Jesse Crain, Dylan Axelrod became the fifth Sox bullpen pitcher with 50 or fewer days in the major leagues to pitch for the team in 2012. Axelrod will most likely stay with the team until Crain returns from the DL after May 5.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It could be around the ninth inning every game when Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura will sidle up to pitching coach Don Cooper and say "Who should we close with today?"

As the team prepared to open the 2012 season on Friday against the Texas Rangers, Ventura still refused to say if he had a closer.

"I just do not feel the need to announce it," the first-year manager said. "It's not going to be the same guy all the time. ... It will end up being different at different times of the season."

The Sox start the season with basically four rookies out of the seven bullpen pitchers.

"It depends on how guys do against certain teams and match-ups," Ventura said. "If we had Mariano Rivera I would be able to tell everybody I had a closer."

Part of Ventura's problem is that Matt Thornton may be best suited for both the closers and set- up roles. Thornton has 20 or more holds in four straight seasons, something no other reliever has done over that time period.

Thornton was also the failed team closer to start the 2011 season. After four early blown saves he went back to being a successful set-up man while relative unknown Sergio Santos claimed the job.

"For (the relievers) they understand when they are coming in and when they are likely to be used," Ventura said. "That's enough for them to know."

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

The question most baseball people have about the 2012 White Sox is what to really expect from a bullpen that for all intents and purposes has four rookie pitchers as part of a seven-man group.

Manager Robin Ventura has taken his time as far as handing roles out due to the great unknown of this season’s pen. Three main holdovers from last season will be counted on to lead the rookies through the daily battle of preparation along with pitching coach and bullpen coach Juan Nieves.

The team’s closer may be a revolving door. Matt Thornton, Addison Reed and Jesse Crain are the candidates for the coveted position. Thornton has the most experience; he won the job last season only to lose it after four early blown saves. The 35-year-old veteran has thrived in a setup role, however. He’s the only pitcher in baseball to post 20-plus holds in each of the past four seasons. With that, it’s worth questioning the logic of taking him out of that role.

Reed is without question the closer of the future, but putting his feet to the fire without any big-league pitching time could be a mistake. Reed’s biggest asset, a 98 mph fastball, certainly could make him an effective end-game solution.

Crain -- along with Thornton -- is the most versatile pitcher in the pen. Crain has never closed but his toughness indicates he could handle the stress of the role. Regardless of whom Ventura uses to close, this trio will be pitching in the final innings early on in the season.

With a bullpen short on experience, middle-inning veteran Will Ohman will be expected to do a little more than in the past. Newcomers Hector Santiago and Nate Jones will be joined by long man Zach Stewart to round out the bullpen mix. Santiago is a lefty screwball specialist who showed the ability to get hitters out on both sides of the plate. The Sox hope Jones will move toward a set-up role in the future. Like the starting rotation, the Sox’s lack depth in the minors if anyone is injured or in effective.

Three keys for the bullpen

• Thornton steps up to handle the closer role that was taken away from him in 2011.

• Crain and Reed are consistent in the set-up role behind Thornton. Reed must settle in while learning how to approach making 75 appearances (Reed appeared in 45 games in 2011.)

• GM Kenny Williams continues to trade for more young pitching to fortify the bullpen and rotation.

The White Sox depart Arizona with their Opening Day roster set, but without a regular closer.

Manager Robin Ventura said the decision could be revealed on Opening Day. Candidates he has mentioned are 2010 All-Star Matt Thornton, rookies Addison Reed and Hector Santiago, or Jesse Crain, who dealt with a strained oblique this spring.

"I will know and they will know," Ventura said. "I don't really feel the need to tell everybody and make a statement about it."

One thing that was announced is the final bullpen spot, which will be filled by rookie Nate Jones.

"[He] didn't necessarily have a spot when you visualize it, and all of a sudden you go through spring and you see how he's progressed and done things. Those are the good surprises," Ventura said.

The White Sox will play two exhibition games against the Astros on Tuesday and Wednesday in Houston.

The Chicago White Sox are ready for Opening Day as the team made its final cuts on Saturday, sending six players to the minor leagues.

Chicago will start the 2012 season with four rookies on its roster and four relief pitchers with less than 70 big league innings pitched.

The White Sox’s roster composition dispels the notion that a team should not decide on who makes the 25-man roster by spring training results.

“That is part of me coming in here (as manager) and seeing these guys for the first time,” Robin Ventura said. “It is about going back to see what you have done in the past. I am happy with what I have.”

As far as the final cuts go, infielder Eduardo Escobar beat out veteran Dan Johnson for a utility role while RHP Nate Jones and LHP Hector Santiago captured the last two bullpen spots. Brian Bruney and Dylan Axelrod where reassigned.

Ventura has yet to name his closer. The competition is between Matt Thornton and rookie Addison Reed. The manager said he would make a decision on that role before the team breaks camp Monday afternoon.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chris Sale was dominant throughout his second to last spring start, pitching six strong innings against the Dodgers on Thursday. Sale struck out seven Dodgers hitters without allowing a walk. Superstar Matt Kemp struck out swinging in all three at bats against the Sox’s southpaw.

“He was making a lot of people not have very good at bats today,” manager Robin Ventura said. “That’s the thing you notice more than anything.”

Sale is set to pitch the season’s fourth game against Cleveland on April 9 at Progressive Field.

“ I’m confident in myself getting deep in games,” Sale said. “I’m not worried about the innings right now maybe down the road when the innings pile up I will.”

Like many No. 1 draft picks, the Sox may limit Sale’s first season as a starter to around 150 innings .

Sale threw 86 pitches on Thursday, the team is likely to back him off of his pitch count in his final tune-up in Houston next Tuesday.

Thornton leading in the closer derby?

Lefthander Matt Thornton may have already won the closer’s role to begin the season. Thornton was used by Manager Robin Venture to finish Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

The eight-year veteran, for his part, is fine with any role.

“They can tell me Opening Day,” Thornton said. “It doesn’t matter to me, but they will figure that out soon enough.”

Thornton, who had two strikeouts in one inning of work Thursday, has been in competition rookie Addison Reed and Jesse Crain for the job.

“I’m happy with all of them, we are just putting them in to get their innings and get their work but none of that means anything (about) where they are at today,” Ventura said. “At this point we have not totally concluded how we are going to do it.”

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.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago White Sox reliever Jesse Crain is ready to return to the bullpen after recovering from a right-side oblique strain. Crain threw 40 pitches in a side session on Sunday morning and then declared himself ready to compete again.

“It went good,” Crain said. “The next thing I need to do is throw to hitters and I’ll do that on Tuesday.”

Crain is one of three pitchers competing for the closer’s job vacated by the trade of Sergio Santos this winter.

“I haven’t been thinking about [closing]. My concern has been to get healthy,” Crain said. “I’m not in control of that. All I can do is go out there and throw. If they decide to put me there, yeah. All of us would love to have that opportunity.”

Rookie Addison Reed, Matt Thornton and Crain are competing for the role, and manager Robin Ventura is in no hurry to name a winner right now.

“I never have had the opportunity to do that in the big leagues,” Crain said. “As a set up guy you come in to as tough or tougher situations [all the time]. How many times have me and Thornton come into a game with the bases loaded or two men on in the sixth or seventh -- that is where the game is there. I wouldn’t put that much pressure on myself if [closing] was the case.”

The White Sox bullpen could feature four rookie pitchers at the beginning of the season, including Reed.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The White Sox’s Don Cooper has moved on from an offseason report that claimed the pitching coach informed the front office every time former manager Ozzie Guillen made a move.

”In my world and in my heart I’m trying to have love for everyone,” Cooper said. “I try to love even those who curse me, but I am comfortable in my own skin as a person and as a coach. Words can hurt, and I was hurt by what was said. People are responsible for what they say, but in my mind it was over the day after I spoke about it. When I know words aren’t true they hurt a lot less, but in the case that was reported there was no truth to it. I know I can look in the mirror and feel good about that.”

After Cooper said Guillen told White Sox general manager Kenny Williams to "let them sweat," in reference to re-signing the coaching staff, Guillen fired back. The former Sox manager and current Miami Marlins skipper told the Chicago Sun-Times that Cooper “backstabbed” his fellow coaches.

”I think if everybody was honest they would say a change was needed, and I believe this change is best for all of us,” Cooper said. “That is if everyone is honest about it.”

Cooper has more important things to worry about now, namely four rookie pitchers -- Hector Santiago, Dylan Axelrod, Zach Stewart and Nestor Molina -- in the bullpen.

Cooper has three veterans back in setup men Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain and Will Ohman, the only relievers with major league experience.

“We will have four young guys at least in the pen to start the season,” Cooper said. “Every year presents a challenge and this may be our greatest one since I have been here.”

Chicago White Sox reliever Matt Thornton would have been devastated if he had been traded in the offseason.

"It was crazy during the winter, hearing all the rumors," Thornton said Wednesday. "One came from Gavin Floyd's wife's cousin's friend tweeted something that I was being traded to Toronto. How random can it get? That was my favorite one that I heard."

The Sox longest tenured bullpen man is looking forward to his seventh season as an important cog at the back end of games. As to what role he will have is out of his hands. After blowing four saves early in the 2011 season Thornton was removed from the closer's role he inherited when Bobby Jenks left the team.

"Things were definitely not going my way," he said. "At that time I had some pretty poor luck behind me, but at the same time there are things I could have done different. A lot of times after I dug myself a hole I made mistakes after that."

It remains to be seen if he will get another chance as he will be in the running with Jesse Crain and rookie Addison Reed as the closer.

Thornton may have the best stuff for the job, but it's up to new manager Robin Ventura to make a choice.

With spring training fast approaching, Doug Padilla previews the White Sox roster by position.

The White Sox considered the bullpen an area of strength so they shipped off right-handers Jason Frasor and Sergio Santos in offseason trades to save a little cash and strengthen the farm system.

But the Santos move leaves the White Sox with one of their biggest challenges of the spring: Finding a closer.

The Opening Day closer job appears to be down to Matt Thornton or Jesse Crain. The lefty Thornton looked uncomfortable in the role to start the 2011 season. The righty Crain, meanwhile, was solid in a setup role before running out of gas late in the season.

Young right-hander Addison Reed can’t fill two bullpen roles, but his emergence last season was part of the reason Frasor and Santos were dealt. When the season starts, Reed figures to be used like Frasor was when he came over at midseason in a trade with the Blue Jays. Eventually, though, he will be aimed for the closer role, whether it’s later in 2012 or beyond.

Veteran Will Ohman will be the only other lefty in the bullpen other than Thornton, unless Hector Santiago can earn his way onto the club with a solid spring. Dylan Axelrod and Zach Stewart are expected to duel for a long-man role, a spot not utilized much last season since a six-man rotation was used for a long stretch.

Brian Bruney will get a chance to earn a spot back on the roster after he was invited to camp on a minor-league deal. Even the deal that sent Ozzie Guillen to the Miami Marlins could pay dividends for the relief corps. Part of the compensation the White Sox received for Guillen, right-hander Jhan Marinez, has an outside chance at a bullpen spot.

BEST-CASE SCENARIO IN 2012: A spirited spring duel lands Crain with the closer job meaning the lefty Thornton and the righty Reed can set up. If Bruney is able to handle a sizeable workload in middle relief everybody can settle into their roles nicely, allowing Ohman to take on a lefty specialist job. A real assist could come from a minor leaguer like Gregory Infante, or future starters Nestor Molina or Simon Castro stepping up to land a relief role.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO IN 2012: The White Sox don’t appear to have as many options at closer as they did last season, so if Thornton or Crain aren’t up for the job it would spell trouble. Would the White Sox dare push Reed into the role with limited big-league experience? The White Sox need the Thornton/Crain closer battle to be epic and ultimately a tough decision since the pitcher that isn’t asked to close will still be needed in key late-inning spots as the setup man.

KID TO WATCH: Clearly this is Reed, but he is virtually guaranteed a roster spot so we’ll dig a little deeper here. Santiago was impressive every step of the way last season. He had 5 1/3 scoreless relief innings in the big leagues while still posting a 3.60 ERA in 23 starts at two separate minor-league levels. His chances of making the White Sox’s bullpen would seem to center around Thornton winning the closer role since using three lefties in relief to get to the closer, like the White Sox did last season, isn’t ideal.

CHICAGO -- How the Chicago White Sox fill their vacant closer role is anybody’s guess, although one certainty is that Matt Thornton will be in the mix for a second consecutive season.

At the start of SoxFest week, manager Robin Ventura tabbed Thornton as the favorite for the role. Days later in a radio interview, pitching coach Don Cooper sounded like somebody who wasn't ready to set Las Vegas-style odds on who might end up with the job.

Thornton himself said this weekend that he is ready to step up and earn the role he won out of spring training last season. And he has the confidence that if he does earn the job, it will turn out much different than last year.

“For me, any time I have failed in my career at anything … it doesn’t matter what it was, whether I was young, throwing strikes, I have always worked hard to get back to that point and be able to do it,” Thornton said.

There was no denying his struggles at the start of the 2011 season. He blew his first four save opportunities in succession, and by the final day of April, his ERA had swelled to 8.64. By May 6 he was not only carrying his four blown saves but watched his record fall to 0-3.

While the statistics confirmed his struggles, Thornton was also dealing with some unprecedented bad luck. He seemed to be the victim of much of the club’s early-season defensive woes, while the number of broken-bat hits against him also mounted.

Once the runners made it on base, whether they deserved to be there or not, Thornton looked uncomfortable and couldn’t avoid giving up the big hit.

“It kind of became a joke with my teammates,” Thornton said about all the broken-bat hits against him. “They were kind of blown away to see what happened. Whatever. I won’t ever make excuses. They got a hit, that’s all that matters. They got on base period, whether it was a hit, walk, error, whatever. They got on base and scored runs to tie the game, win the game, whatever. It was my fault. I will always stand there and face the music and bounce back from it to be better.”

The slow start and the loss of his job as closer defined Thornton’s season. Never mind that he rebounded to post a 2.89 ERA in May, a 0.77 mark in June and a 1.35 ERA in July. That success didn’t come as a closer. The left-hander never seemed to shake the perception that when the stakes were high, he couldn’t handle the pressure.

None of it will make him back down for another opportunity to end victories this season. Thornton said that recent history suggests he should be just fine in 2012.

“I remember after the ’07 season, it was a terrible year for me and I came back from that one [angry]; I was ticked off,” Thornton said. “I came back and had really good years after that. ... So yeah, I guess you can say I’m coming in a little ticked off again. I didn’t get the job done and I’m irritated by it and I want to prove that I am still as good as I was three years ago.”

For now, it appears that Thornton and Jesse Crain will duel this spring for the Opening Day closer role with youngster Addison Reed waiting in the wings. Reed is lined up as the closer of the future, but impressive outings in a set-up role could land him the job earlier than expected, which is just how Sergio Santos became the closer last season.

“Robin obviously has made comments about me supposedly having the lead for the closer job right now,” Thornton said. “Well, we haven’t started spring training yet so you don’t know what will happen. I’m not worried about roles. I’m just going to go out there and be ready to go wherever they need to help us win games.

“We have a great division. Kansas City’s youth, Detroit’s juggernaut lineup, Cleveland’s team last year and now with another year of experience. It’s going to be a fun division. It will be fun for us too and I’m looking forward to surprising teams.”