--Pitching coach Don Cooper has been juggling his rotation every way he can so that it lines up how the club wants it to, and that means that the club is prepared to bring LHP Mark Buehrle, RHP Gavin Floyd and LHP John Danks each back on short rest to pitch in Kansas City next weekend, skipping the fifth starter. What that will do will make sure they have RHP Javier Vazquez, Buehrle and Floyd in the series against the Twins. Vazquez is 2-0 against Minnesota this season, while Floyd is 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA. "Everything is lined up," Cooper added. "We have a plan, but we're not ready to give you that plan because it is contingent on other things that happen. That's why it gets back to one thing... take care of today."
--1B Paul Konerko continued receiving treatment on the sprained right MCL on Friday, but the Sox should have a better idea on a timetable for his return by Sunday. According to manager Ozzie Guillen, Konerko was scheduled to take flips in the batting cage this afternoon, and then see how it feels on Sunday morning. The team is scheduled to leave Sunday night for New York, and the hope is to have Konerko on the plane with them, close to being ready to play. --The Sox at least received some good news on Friday, winning the coin toss with Minnesota for home-field advantage if Minnesota and the Sox have to have a one-game playoff to decide the division. The winning call was heads, but the credit goes to Jake Hahn, son of assistant general manager Rick Hahn, who told his dad to call heads. "I would rather be out here than there," Guillen said. "We don't play well there, so at least we have some advantage."
--RHP Lance Broadway was still the leading candidate to start Sunday night against the Tigers, but Guillen still wasn't ready to commit one way or the other. RHP D.J. Carrasco is the other option. "Not yet, I'm leaning to give Broadway a shot," Guillen said. "I'm going to sit down with the coaching staff and with (GM) Kenny (Williams). I think they will respect my opinion but we got to keep it all together."
--RHP Scott Linebrink will now be given his eighth-inning set-up role back, after Guillen hasn't seen anyone else in the bullpen step up the last week. Linebrink was on the shelf for almost two months with inflammation in his right shoulder, but returned last week. Still, Guillen was reluctant to put him back in that role because of how many games he missed, but after watching Linebrink pitch well twice now, Guillen felt it was time. "I think I'm going to give Linebrink a shot and roll the dice," Guillen said. "We're gonna try to set it up the way we did earlier, seventh between (Octavio) Dotel and (Matt) Thornton, eighth Linebrink, ninth Bobby Jenks. I have nothing to lose. Everybody I put in the eighth has been getting hit, so why not put the guy that should be there?"
BY THE NUMBERS: 9-30 -- The Sox' record entering last weekend in games in which they have not hit a homer in this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The only thing a lot of people look at is the batting average, but I'm hitting decent power numbers -- maybe not to what I want, but close -- but I'm not going to grade myself. I grade myself on what the team does and right now it's an A because no one thought we would be in this position." -- 1B/OF Nick Swisher, on his season, despite his disappointing numbers.
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