--The White Sox won't see another left-handed starter until Friday against Toronto, but manager Ozzie Guillen feels they are built better this season to solve southpaws than in years past. The Sox were 31-20 against lefties last season, hitting an AL-best 73 homers, but hit just .251, which was 12th in the AL. This season, Guillen has a mostly righty lineup he's used against lefties, and Chicago is 2-0 vs. left-handers after beating Minnesota's Francisco Liriano and Tampa Bay's Scott Kazmir.
--DH Jim Thome hit his fourth home run of the season in Wednesday's win over Baltimore, and he is now three homers shy of tying Mike Schmidt for 13th on the all-time homer list. But manager Ozzie Guillen reiterated that he will continue handling Thome a bit different this season, sitting him against tough lefties at times, to not only keep his back healthy, but to use Paul Konerko in the DH spot. Konerko is hitting .429 against lefties so far this season. --RHP Octavio Dotel was still the talk of the team after the reliever was one of the party of 30 or so members of the Sox team and front office to take a tour of the White House on Monday and meet President Obama. It was Dotel's second trip to the White House, but the first time he asked the leader of the free world for a hug. "Nothing against President Bush, but this was a totally different feeling," Dotel said. "President Obama was there, and he knows the White Sox. I took the chance (by asking for a hug)." A hug he received.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 -- Home runs Jim Thome needed to tie Mike Schmidt for 13th all-time at 548 (through April 19).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't think I've left spring training and felt the same. The season is a different animal and you're not pitched the same way during the season. It's a grind every day. I'm trying not to look back and not look ahead, just try to be as good as I can on that at-bat I have, and that's it." -- 1B Paul Konerko, on his strong start to the season.
