Sox Swept, Slip to Second

The White Sox found yet another way to lose to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, losing 7-6 in 10 innings despite jumping out to an early 6-1 lead. With this series sweep, the Twins leapfrogged over the Sox to gain possession of first place in the AL Central, meaning the South Siders are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs.

Scoring six runs in the third inning, the White Sox grabbed a solid five-run lead in the final game of the series. But Gavin Floyd failed to make it out of the sixth and the already overtaxed bullpen was unable to maintain the advantage. Manager Ozzie Guillen left both Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks in the game longer than he'd typically rely on either of them, making us wonder how much their fatigue figured in the loss.

Amid the turmoil of the sweep and tensions already present in the locker room, the Sox now head into the season's final weekend with the whole season hanging in the balance. They host the Cleveland Indians for three at the Cell starting tonight. Meanwhile, the Twins welcome the Kansas City Royals to the Metrodome.

With the race for the AL Central so tight, it's looking increasingly likely that for the Sox to even make the playoffs, they'll end up having to play a couple games after the season officially ends on Sunday. A make-up game against Detroit from a rain-out two weeks ago looks likely now. And should the Sox and Twins end up with the same record after all 162 games are on the books, then they'd have to play on Tuesday to determine the division champ. That game would be played in Chicago. At that point, if the Sox even make it to the postseason they'll be so out of gas it won't even matter. Three losses to either the Red Sox or the Rays and they'll be on their way home for the winter anyhow.

AP Photo/Paul Battaglia