Freddy Garcia To Start Tonight For Sox

When the White Sox take the field against the Royals on tonight, an old familiar face will take the mound for the White Sox. Freddy Garcia, signed by the Sox to a minor league deal in June, makes his 2009 debut for the White Sox after rehabbing his surgically repaired shoulder.

Garcia previously pitched for the Pale Hose from 2004 until 2006, winning 40 games in 2 1/2 seasons and was the winning pitcher when the White Sox clinched their World Series title in '05. Traded to the Phillies following the '06 season, he has pitched only 14 games since departing the South Side because of injuries. Has the Sweaty One finally worked himself back to health? Said Garcia, "I pitched for a long time with my shoulder bothering me. [Now] it's like I got a new shoulder." Given Jose Contreras's backslide and Bartolo Colon's flameout, the hope is that Garcia can hold down the back end of the rotation.