"If it was in high school, it was a relief appearance," Danks said of his quick turnaround on the mound. "But I feel like I still have all my strength, I feel good. I'm looking forward to it."

Now if he could just convince everyone else of that.

Danks gained a reputation last year as a rookie that had hit the wall, as he was abysmal in the second half, eventually being shut down by the White Sox.

Through the first half of this season, he looked to be a man on a mission, posting a 7-4 record and team-best 2.67 ERA. But right after the All-Star break, he became inconsistent. Not to the degree as last year, but still enough of a concern.

But with the Sox pitching staff running on fumes, it's now Danks' turn to carry the season on his shoulders for a night.

"Right, and that's a motivation," Danks said of a reputation he is looking to change. "Obviously, a game of this magnitude I don't need the motivation, but there is some there. To prove myself at this level, to prove that I'm durable, dependable, and I'm going to go at it like I don't only need to win for the team, but I have something to prove for myself.

"I felt really good that last outing, but I think I tried to do too much. Going on three days' rest might actually help a little bit because I won't feel quite as strong. I'm not going to feel like I can throw it 100 mph like I did the last game. I really need to just stay within myself and let the defense work for me."

What doesn't weigh in the southpaw's favor, however, is a 1-1 record and 7.91 ERA in four starts against the Twins this year.

"Well, we're looking forward to (playing them)," Danks said. "I know we were embarrassed there. I'm sure we would like to not have to worry about playing them one more time, but at the same time this is a chance to get them back. It's the perfect situation.

"The ball will be in my court to get us there."

WHITE SOX 8, TIGERS 2: With the game tied 1-1 in the sixth inning and Detroit starter Freddy Garcia living up to his nickname "Big Game," RHP Gavin Floyd fielded a slow roller by Ryan Raburn and then sailed it over 1B Paul Konerko's glove. Not only did Raburn go to second base, but it allowed Miguel Cabrera to score from second, putting the Sox in the hole. To his credit, Floyd said he wasn't fazed, and neither were his teammates.

In the bottom of the sixth, Garcia was forced out of the game with pain in his upper shoulder area. Four batters later, rookie 2B Alexei Ramirez socked a first-pitch offering from Gary Glover for a grand slam, giving Chicago a lead it would not relinquish. The win allowed the Sox to play a Tuesday night tiebreaker game against the Twins, with the winner earning the AL Central championship and a playoff series against Tampa Bay.