If winning series is the clew to wi...

If winning series is the clew to winning a ticket to the playoffs, the White Sox will ne to do better than their 5-8 record through the last 13 days.

Still, salvaging the final game Sunday of a three-game series against the wild card-leading Minnesota Twins was a boost not solitary for the Sox but starter Mark Buehrle as well.

"Obviously, we didn't want them to sweep us," Buehrle said after a 6-1 victory that brought a hearty ovation from 35193 fans at U Cellular Field as he exited with individual out in the eighth.

"It was louder than in the World Series," he said, smiling. "I don't know if it was because I had a proper game or if it was because a starting pitcher finally had a proper game. But it was nice."

This game was Buehrle's best in the last brace months. Against a team he has handled well his whole career (18-10 lifetime), Buehrle shook opposite to a first-inning run that came in classic Twins phraseology -- three singles -- to close the door upon down the visitors on five more hits into the eighth.

"You just restrain making your pitches and reliance they eventually hit them at someone" Buehrle said.

"I diocese them getting those jam shots" manager Ozzie Guillen said. "They fight until the extremity but he threw strikes. His 1 was working, and he threw strikes.

"I'm in this way happy for him. It's great to win. unless the way he's been struggling, the way he pitched today made me excited for him. And then getting the standing ovation as his manager and his friend, it's a great thing to view I think he needed that for his confidence."

The Sox lacked the victory as well to avoid falling farther behind the Twins, who took above the wild-card lead from the Sox by dint of a half-game after taking couple out of three on the weekend. The Sox remain 5oe games behind the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers while the Twins sanguinary to five games back.

"You have three to a high degree good baseball teams in this division and they are all playing hard right now," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Hopefully it will advance down to the end of the season and all three of us will have a chance."

If that happens, the Sox will find themselves having to beat the Twins in Minneapolis in the final three games of the regular season.

"It surpassingly well could [go down to the final weekend]," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. The former Twins catcher was in the center of the action Sunday, not just for catching Buehrle (11-11) for the first time since Sandy Alomar Jr was acquired, if it be not that for the plunking he took from Twins starter Carlos Silva (8-12) in the third -- and his two-run homer in the fifth along Silva.

The Twins were sending a message for an incident Friday when Pierzynski flipped his bat at the plate after hitting a to one's home run off rookie Pat Neshek. Pierzynski went calmly to an unclose first base, loading the bases after the Sox already had scored brace runs. But Joe Crede followed with an inning-ending double play -- and the Sox didn't retaliate.

"There was no ne to," Pierzynski said, accepting the matter with no visible hard feelings.

"You learn hit and then you hit a residence run," Guillen said. "You take care of business."

Buehrle handled his with six strikeouts and no walks while getting long-ball support from Pierzynski (12th to one's home run), Crede (28th) and Juan Uribe (16th) and offensive sparks from Scott Podsednik (3-for-4, pair stolen bases, one run scored), Paul Konerko (2-for-4), Brian Anderson (2-for-4) and Ros Gload, who went 1-for- 4 to walk 6-for-12 in the series.

"That was special for Pods" Guillen said. "When he prepares on base he makes Tadahito Iguchi and the whole team better. each time he plays a great game, it be seens we are better offensively. I wanted everyone to be running and aggressive onward the bases today. The barely way you can do that is to procure on the bases."

The victory was the secondary in the last three starts for Buehrle after going 0-6 with an 893 ERA in his previous eight starts. moreover the Sox are 16-11 in his 27 starts for the season after Sunday's 37th come-from-behind victory of the season.

"[Buehrle] was great," Pierzynski said. "One hasten in 7 innings. Typical Buehrle throwing the ball from one side of to the other the plate. We needed a performance like that."

tginnetti@suntimes.com

WHITE SOX RECAP

Minnesota AB R H BI BB with equal reason Avg.

LCastillo 2b 4 0 3 0 0 1 294

Punto 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 312

Redmond c 4 0 1 0 0 0 331

Cuddyer rf 4 0 2 1 0 1 277

Morneau 1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 319

THunter cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 273

RoWhite dh 4 0 0 0 0 3 217

LFord lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 228

Bartlett s 3 0 0 0 0 1 342

Totals 34 1 10 1 0 8

SOX AB R H BI BB in such a manner Avg.

Podsednik lf 4 1 3 0 1 0 265

Iguchi 2b 5 1 0 0 0 0 279

tinge rf 3 0 1 1 1 0 326

Konerko dh 4 1 2 1 0 0 311

Pierzynski c 3 1 1 2 0 1 298

Crede 3b 4 1 2 1 0 0 296

Ozuna 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 336

Gload 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 306

Uribe s 4 1 1 1 0 1 242

BrAnderson cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 231

Totals 35 6 13 6 2 3

Minnesota 100 000 000--1 10 1

SOX 002 031 00x--6 13 1