Beat the Streak! – Lineups 7/23

Five games. That’s where the losing streak currently stands. Every player is going to go through slumps, it’s just unfortunate that the entire White Sox team appears to be experiencing one at the same time. A team that in the week leading up to the All-Star break averaged nearly 7 runs a game has spent the last week establishing an average of about 2 and a half per. What that means is, they have the tools to step out of it. The season average falls pretty neatly in between the two at 4.63 runs per game and those runs aren’t scored accidentally, the team can hit.

Who better to bring in to lead a slumping team than a man who has plenty of slump experience? Gavin Floyd makes his return to the rotation after missing a couple starts with elbow issues. We’re all aware that Floyd has not been a model of consistency, but some time off to get himself focused, and for some overall physical recuperation beyond just the elbow should do a great deal to point him in the right direction. He’s got some poor history against the Twins, but lineups turn over, he’s not facing all the same guys. Any problems he has with the Twins specifically is superstition, they just catch him on bad days (or good days for him).

The Twins will be represented by Francisco Liriano, who last faced the Sox in June when they gave him a lift to the best start of his season. The last time he started in Chicago, he had what you could argue was the best start of his career, pitching a sloppy no-hitter against a Chicago team that was learning to perfect the act of disappointment.

Tonight’s Lineup:

1.De Aza – CF
2.Youkilis – 3B
3.Dunn – DH
4.Konerko – 1B
5.Rios – RF
6.AJ – C
7.Viciedo – LF
8.Ramirez – SS
9.Beckham – 2B

The Twins don’t have a whole lot to offer and are probably the perfect opponent for the White Sox to get back into the swing of things against. Besting Liriano would also help fans to shake off some of the rust that’s been building up on their confidence over the last week. The team is out of first place for now, but knocking that half game off of the Tigers lead is a good first step.