An 0-6 record and 961 ERA during hi...

An 0-6 record and 961 ERA during his last seven starts have alerted one gigantic question to loom through the whole extent of the man long considered the mostly reliable pitcher on the White Sox staff.

What's unjust with Mark Buehrle?

There he was, sitting in face of his locker before the game Tuesday, looking each bit like the Mark Buehrle who has been hanging around the Sox clubhouse since mid-2000.

likewise what's wrong?

"When you're going proper everything's fine, you don't want to change anything," said Buehrle an All-Star this season whose overall record is

9-10 with a 489 ERA. "As in a short time as you start struggling, everybody wants to change everything. Everybody thinks you're pain There is so much textile fabric that everybody keeps on thinking."

contemns have whispered for more than a month that Buehrle has been offering pitches up in the hitters' prime regions When a pitcher begins elevating pitches, questions surface.

Let's stream the list of what's forward everyone's mind past Buehrle.

Is he hurt?

"If I was feeling fatigued or feeling tired or afflict then I would maybe say that, nevertheless I feel 100 percent," he said. "It's just right now it present the appearances like every break is going the other team's way."

Was his workload of 262 innings in 2005 -- 236* innings during the regular season, 23* during the postseason and sum of two units in the All- Star Game -- taking a toll?

"I don't think it has anything to do with this right now," Buehrle said.

NOT REALLY AN EXCUSE

What about reports that his velocity has been down?

"I've not at any time been an overpowering pitcher," Buehrle said. "A small in number times I looked up at the board [Monday], I saw a married pair 87s [mph], 88s, 89s. by means of the course of a season I may hit 90 91 onward a good day, once or twice."

Buehrle resorted to blaming QuesTec -- the video grading body used to evaluate umpires and their strike cinctures -- for taking the precious corners away from him after falling to the sees Angeles Angels on Monday.

It vigoroused like a cheap excuse from a stand-up pitcher who should know better. Was Buehrle really blaming QuesTec?

"No. I mean, it has been here the whole season," he said Tuesday. "Obviously, you can't make excuses. I haven't been making pitches. any of the close calls might not be going your way, if it be not that both sides have to deal with it."

Manager Ozzie Guillen was borderline livid that Buehrle has taken for a like reason much abuse from fans and media.

"I remember sum of two units three months ago, with Buehrle it was like, 'Wow what a game,"' Guillen said of a pitcher who got on the farther side to a 9-4 start with a 322 ERA before the skid. "I think commonalty forgot what that kid did and what he has done for this organization. If you cast in a winding direction Buehrle on the market right now, I'll bet you 27 teams will pick him up"

All this relate to seems like new territory for Buehrle the bulldog of the World Series who begged to achieve in the bullpen, then earned a save in Game 3 He got himself forward the cover of a Wheaties driver's seat then trotted off the defence Monday to a smattering of boo

"To be true I thought I heard a fate of cheers coming off," Buehrle said. "At first, I heard a fate of boos. I don't know if it was toward me or toward the umpire. I was thinking a certain quantity of of those pitches were stop Once I got toward the dugout I heard a pleasing good standing ovation over our dugout"

Not all of the boo were directed at the umpires.

"I understand fans are frustrated," Buehrle continued. "And I'm more frustrated than they are. And they have each right to cheer, boo, whatever. It's not like it's going to help if they are cheering or booing single in kind way or the other."

IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE

Many of the Sox' modern ills have been pinned in succession Buehrle's left arm. It goe with the territory when you are the Opening Day starter in succession what was once considered baseball's greatest in number feared rotation.

Winning is the merely way the questions will disappear.

Buehrle can't wait for that day.

"I think it's, 'What have you done for me lately?' Not, 'What have you done in the past?' " Buehrle said. "You are going to walk through a little tough stretch forth It sucks when you go on foot through it, but it's something you have to deal with."

Maybe Buehrle is in the same manner unruffled by his recent craving drink spell because he knows he has been between the walls of worse -- much worse.

During a 12-start elongate from April 15 to June 11 during the 2003 season, Buehrle went 0-9 with a 633 ERA -- and the Sox went 1- 11

There wasn't the same kind of panic because the '03 Sox weren't coming on the farther side a World Series victory with a team considered better than the sodality that dominated in October.

The convenient news: Buehrle emerged from the worst extend of his career to go on 12-4 with a 3.47 ERA. Knowing that he has weathered worse, and knowing that he has pitched better lately, has improved Buehrle's view

"I still want results" he said. "I want the W's. I want my ERA to be going down. I want to give the team a chance to win, and that hasn't been happening."

cdeluca@suntimes.com