Linebrink, who signed a four-year, $19 million free agent contract in the offseason to come to the South Side, wanted a sit-down with Guillen to let him know where he was coming from and that he can be counted on to resume his role as the key eighth-inning setup man.

It would seemingly be a tough argument to make considering Linebrink missed five weeks because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder and was shaky in his fourth appearance Wednesday since being reinstated, but whatever Linebrink was selling, his manager bought it.

"Yes," Guillen replied, when asked if he would now start using Linebrink in the eighth with a lead. "I don't have another choice. It's going to be between him and (Matt) Thornton, depending on if it's lefties or righties. We have to start using (Linebrink) and build confidence around him and make sure he knows we have confidence in him."

Giving up three earned runs against the Yankees on Wednesday would seem like a red flag, but Linebrink sat with pitching coach Don Cooper on Thursday morning and went over the video.

"Coop and I talked about it. Now it's a matter of executing pitches," Linebrink said. "As much as I would have liked all of that to come back all at once, it is a two-part process. The stuff seems to be coming back. I was throwing 93 (mph), which was close to where I'm usually at. You try to focus on getting your shoulder healthy, and you wonder if that felt right or it didn't. And I think you spend so much time and energy on that, now it's time to start focusing on where you want to put the pitch and executing."

The struggling Sox bullpen could use the boost. Any boost as a matter of fact, considering the 6.15 ERA the group has in September.

"I feel it, and I'm definitely up for the challenge," Linebrink said. "This is a fun time, too. I'm not cringing in the corner, thinking about the pressure. I relish that, and I think a lot of guys pitching in the back end of the game, when you squeeze them like that, they really focus in on the job and thrive on that."

YANKEES 9, WHITE SOX 2: The Sox looked as if they were ready to make a statement in the first inning, when Orlando Cabrera led the game off with a double and then scored on a fielder's choice, but it was the only noise they made all night until Paul Konerko connected on a meaningless ninth-inning solo homer run. And the news got worse as the game went on, as not only did Javier Vazquez get shelled for seven runs (six earned) in just 3 2/3 innings, but the Twins came back against Tampa Bay to cut the Sox's division lead to 1 1/2 games.