--1B Paul Konerko called it "a good day" for him and his strained left oblique -- he was able to have a hard batting practice session for a second consecutive day. "I think I'm right there, getting ready to play for a few games, at least for a couple games," Konerko said. "Because the next piece is if it feels good, you're healthy and swing hard, you still got to see some pitches. (Two and half weeks out) in the big leagues, you need some repetition of 90 mph fastballs and sliders. That's the next piece. That's where I'm at. Hopefully the next couple days." Konerko will be re-evaluated on Thursday morning and could go out as early as Friday.
--3B Joe Crede was not in the starting lineup because manager Ozzie Guillen wanted to rest him. Crede did stress that his back was not a problem after it had acted up last week. "We've got to do it," Guillen said of the decision. "I've got to get Pablo (Ozuna) some playing time, he's always had good days against C.C. We'll try to find more days off for Joe Crede until the All-Star break comes up. We'll give him another day off before that. Hopefully he'll start the series against Oakland on the right foot. It's just prevention. He's coming off back surgery and I don't want him to have any setbacks. He's fine." --RHP Javier Vazquez was glad to tear June off the calendar; the right-hander went 2-2 with a 7.61 ERA last month. But the hope is that his problem has now been fixed. "We looked at film and I think we found something with my mechanics and what I was doing," Vazquez said. "We worked on it in the bullpen, and hopefully it's something that's fixed. It was small, but kind of a big thing. I was bringing my arms out and then leaning back and that's why I felt like I was all over the place. We'll see (against Oakland). Just less motion with my arms, keep them close to my body."
--RHP Bobby Jenks had been shut down the last few days with a sore back. Manager Ozzie Guillen didn't expect it to be anything to worry about and thoughts Jenks strained his back over-throwing against the Cubs over the weekend.
--OF Brian Anderson was back in the starting lineup against LHP C.C. Sabathia, and it proved to be a good decision with Anderson picking up the big two-run double in the seventh to temporarily give the Sox the lead. Expect Anderson and Dewayne Wise to remain a platoon situation.
BY THE NUMBERS: 6 -- Consecutive starts Mark Buehrle had made without a loss, through June 29. His last defeat came back on May 27, at Cleveland.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think there is a bottom line -- the Twins won 10 straight and we're still in first place. So we weren't doing so bad ourselves. The Twins won 10 in-a-row and we still have a lot of games left with them. It's going to be a dogfight and we knew that from the beginning. We have to stay focused and take care of ourselves." -- C A.J. Pierzynski, on the state of the American League Central race.
