Francisco Liriano Trade: LHP 'Surprised' By Trade To White Sox

Francisco Liriano wasn't surprised by the news that he'd been traded by the Twins, but he didn't anticipate he'd be headed to the Twins' AL Central rivals in Chicago.

"I was really surprised even though I knew something like that was going to happen, but not to the White Sox," Liriano said on a conference call Sunday. "But you know, it is what it is. They're in first place, they believe in me, so hopefully I can go out there and help them win some ballgames.

"I feel like I'm being more consistent than I was before, throwing more strikes, going deeper in games, too. I think I'm playing really well right now and try to take that to the White Sox and hopefully help them win some ballgames."

Related: Kenny Williams and Francisco Liriano Conference Call Notes

Liriano is just 3-10 with a 5.31 ERA in 2012, but he is striking out nearly 10 batters per nine innings.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Final Score: Chicago's Winning Streak Ends With 2-0 Loss To Texas

The Chicago White Sox could not muster up any offense against Scott Feldman and the Rangers and their winning streak is over at five after a 2-0 loss in Arlington on Sunday night.

Related: White Sox Roster 2012: Chicago Promotes Ray Olmedo

Feldman went eight innings for Texas, sriking out five and walking none. He gave up seven hits.

Gavin Floyd went 6-2/3 innings for the White Sox, allowing two runs (one earned). His day could have been worse considering the seven hits and five walks he gave up, but the Rangers struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, as they did all weekend.

Alexei Ramirez mishandled a ground ball with two outs in the bottom of the third to allow Texas to take a 1-0 lead. The Rangers got their second run on a Michael Young ground out in the fifth.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Rumors: Chicago Has Discussed Brandon League With Mariners

The Chicago White Sox have discussed relief pitcher Brandon League with the Seattle Mariners recently, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. It's also being reported by other sources that Seattle is close to dealing League, although it's unclear where he'll be heading at this point.

The White Sox have been active as usual this summer, already acquiring a trio of fairly big names in third baseman Kevin Youkilis, reliever Brett Myers and starter Francisco Liriano. GM Kenny Williams apparently isn't doing yet, though, as he told CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes that the team could still make additional moves this week.

The bullpen has been one of the key areas that Williams has looked to address this summer, so the tie to League makes some sense. League, 29, has a 3.05 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 19 walks this year, although he's pitched better since being removed from the closer's role early in the season.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Roster 2012: Chicago Promotes Ray Olmedo

The Chicago White Sox have promoted infielder Ray Olmedo from Triple-A Charlotte to replace the traded Eduardo Escobar on the active roster, as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes. Escobar was dealt to Minnesota on Saturday night along with Pedro Hernandez in exchange for Francisco Liriano.

For Olmedo, his return to the majors has required some serious patience. After spending time with the Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays from 2003-2007, the infielder has bounced around the minor leagues trying to get his big league career going again.

After playing fairly well in the minors this year, he'll finally be getting his opportunity with one of the AL's key contenders. Primarily playing shortstop, the 31-year-old has hit .273/.340/.335 with zero homers and nine steals in 310 plate appearances with Charlotte.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Preview: Chicago Can Sweep Texas With Win On Sunday

The Chicago White Sox already know that they ware going to be leaving the Lone Star State with a crucial series victory over the Texas Rangers. But with a win on Sunday, that series victory could become a sweep, and could extend their 2.5 game lead on the Detroit Tigers in the A.L. Central standings.

The White Sox will be sending Gavin Floyd to the hill on Sunday, and though the White Sox starter has been the subject of trade rumors, it appears as if he's going to be staying in Chicago. In five career starts in Texas, Floyd has given up 15 earned runs in 28.1 innings, which amounts to a 4.76 ERA. The good news for the White Sox is that Floyd has been stellar of late, allowing only six earned runs total over his last five starts. In three of those starts, he allowed zero earned runs.

The Rangers will send out part-time starter Scott Feldman, who has found himself back in Texas' rotation for the time being. In his most recent start, on July 23 vs. the Boston Red Sox, Feldman allowed only a single run over seven innings while striking out five. On the season, he has a 5.37 ERA.

Game date/time: Sunday, July 29, 6:05 p.m. CT

Location: Rangers Ballpark In Arlington, Arlington, Tex.

TV: CSN

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Final Score: Philip Humber Leads Chicago To 5-2 Win

After struggling through much of the season, SP Philip Humber put together an impressive outing to help the Chicago White Sox (55-45) beat the Texas Rangers (58-41) in a 5-3 win Saturday night.

Humber (W, 5-5) lasted two batters into the 7th inning and held the prolific Rangers lineup to just 1 ER on a C Mike Napoli home run. Collecting 4 strikeouts and allowing only 2 walks, Humber did surrender a cycle to the collective Rangers offense -- a single, double, triple and homer -- but nothing else as he scattered all four hits through his 6+ innings of work.

DH Adam Dunn (31) and 1B Paul Konerko (17) added a home run each, but the White Sox were not able to chase Rangers SP Matt Harrison (L, 12-6) until after 7 IP of work. SS Eduardo Escobar -- in his last game with the White Sox -- went 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

Francisco Liriano Trade: White Sox Acquire Twins Starting Pitcher

The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed SP Francisco Liriano from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for INF Eduardo Escobar and SP Pedro Hernandez, according to their official Twitter account:

Sox acquire Liriano for Escobar and Pedro Hernandez

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 29, 2012

Liriano, 28, struggled early in the season, owning a 11.02 ERA and 6.65 FIP through the first month, but after a stint in the bullpen, he has improved significantly. In each of the last three months, he has not had a FIP above 4.35 or an expected FIP above 3.90 xFIP.

Escobar has appeared in 36 games for the White Sox in 2012, playing third base, shortstop, second base and left field. The flexible 23-year-old infielder has a .207/.281/.276 slash through 97 PA.

Hernandez, a 23-year-old rookie left-handed pitcher, made his major league debut on the 15th and pitched 4.0 innings and allowed 8 ER. He has a 3.18 ERA and 2.49 FIP through 17 innings in Triple-A in 2012.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

Alejandro De Aza Injury: White Sox Center Fielder Out Until At Least Monday

The Chicago White Sox will be without their speedy center fielder for at least one more game, according the The Chicago Tribune. CF Alejandro De Aza was on the bench Saturday night against the Texas Rangers with CF Jordan Danks starting in his place.

The 28-year-old De Aza is struggling with a sprained left wrist and will not be back sooner than Monday, according to the Trib, but even then, he and the White Sox will play the injury rehabilitation by ear:

"It still bothers me a little bit, but (it's) better," De Aza said. "We'll see (Saturday) after treatment. We'll see how we are doing."

De Aza currently sports a .278/.345/.402 slash with 18 steals and only 8 caught stealing. In his first season as the full-time center fielder for the White Sox, he has compiled 2.4 wins above replacement through only 432 PA.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

John Danks Injury Update: White Sox Hoping For Late-August, Early-September Return

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher John Danks hasn't had a great 2012 season, but the team is hoping he can still work his way back onto the mound and help with a playoff run. Danks has only started nine times this year, and he holds a 3-4 record with a 5.70 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 23 walks over 53.2 innings of work, and now the Sox are trying to cut down his long toss regimen to get him back on the mound quicker as he recovers from a left shoulder strain.

Scott Merkin of MLB.com recently spoke with Robin Ventura and Don Cooper, and Chicago's pitching coach noted that the team is hoping Danks can come back by late-August or early-September:

"It's getting to that point where it's going to have happen pretty fast for him to be able to go down and have a rehab assignment and feel strong enough where he can come in here and pitch," Ventura said. "It's getting closer and closer to that time, and if not, you kind of look toward next year."

"We were thinking maybe late August, maybe early September," Cooper said. "And then, if it's not early September, maybe it's the start of 2013. Nobody really knows. That's going to unfold in front of us, one way or another."

With the Detroit Tigers back in the thick of the AL Central race, the White Sox will need all the help they can get.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Preview: Saturday Game Schedule, TV Info And More

The White Sox are looking to take control of this three-game series against the AL West Division leading Rangers in Texas with another victory on Saturday. Chicago's bats were clicking on Friday and resulted in the South Siders coming away with a 9-5 win over Texas.

Philip Humber (4-5, 6.25 ERA) will take the mound for the Sox, facing Matt Harrison (12-5, 3.02 ERA) in the pitching duel. Humber is trying to bounce back from a miserable outing against the Tigers, when he gave up six runs in three innings pitched.

Take a look here at the game schedule for Saturday:

Date/Time: Saturday, July 28, 7:05 p.m. CT

TV: Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports

Online streaming: MLB.tv

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to White Sox blog South Side Sox and Texas Rangers blog Lone Star Ball. For more from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Final Score: South Siders Win Series Opener In Texas, 9-5

The White Sox went into to Arlington on Friday night and too the series opener against the Rangers by a score of 9-5. The AL West Division leading Rangers took a 4-1 lead after the first inning when Josh Hamilton's sacrifice fly and Nelson Cruz's three-run bomb countered the one run scored by the Sox in the top half of the inning.

Then Kevin Youkilis hit two-run shot to center field to weaken the Rangers' lead. That was followed up by Alejandro De Aza's two-RBI single in the fourth inning that gave the Sox their defining lead.

Alexei Ramirez also homered in Chicago's three-run ninth inning, for good measure.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to White Sox blog South Side Sox and Texas Rangers blog Lone Star Ball. For more from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish.

AJ Pierzynski Injury Update: White Sox Catcher Likely To Sit Out Two More Games

The White Sox said that injured catcher A.J. Pierzynski is likely to sit out for another two games with a strained oblique, even though he's on record that he would ready to go sooner than that. Resting Pierzynski is likely just a precaution by the Sox, particularly with the 90-100 degree temperatures the team is going to be facing in the next couple of games.

These are some quotes from Pierzynski, via Comcast:

"Hitting was the final hurdle. I can catch fine. I can throw fine. I did a full workout today. It's fine. Literally the only time I feel it is when I swing. It's not unmanageable, it's not unbearable, we're playing it safe than sorry and get better then continue to push it and have something crazy happen."

Pierzynski said there was some soreness in the week leading up to the injury, which happened on Monday. He says the oblique feels "100 times better" than it did three days ago.

Read more on the White Sox at South Side Sox and SB Nation Chicago. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Lineups: A.J. Pierzynski Remains Sidelined

Coming off a much-needed series sweep of the Twins, the White Sox head to Texas where they begin a three-game series on Friday night. Full lineups are listed below.

A.J. Pierzynski, who will sit out again on Friday night, is expected back by Sunday, according to Robin Ventura.

Chicago:

1. Alejandro De Aza (L) CF
2. Kevin Youkilis (R) 3B
3. Adam Dunn (L) DH
4. Paul Konerko (R) 1B
5. Alex Rios (R) RF
6. Alexei Ramirez (R) SS
7. Dayan Viciedo (R) LF
8. Tyler Flowers (R) C
9. Gordon Beckham (R) 2B

Related: Terrerobytes: Lots of Zack Greinke smoke, but ...

Texas:

1. Ian Kinsler (R) 2B
2. Elvis Andrus (R) SS
3. Josh Hamilton (L) LF
4. Adrian Beltre (R) 3B
5. Michael Young (R) 1B
6. Nelson Cruz (R) RF
7. Mike Napoli (R) DH
8. Yorvit Torrealba (R) C
9. Craig Gentry (R) CF

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to White Sox blog South Side Sox and Texas Rangers blog Lone Star Ball. For more from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish.

White Sox Vs. Rangers Preview: Chris Sale, Yu Darvish To Face Off On Friday

Friday's White Sox-Rangers game features a pair of All Star starters in Chris Sale and Yu Darvish.