Major League Baseball

Guillen still confident in White Sox

Published Jul. 23, 2011 11:20 p.m. ET

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Ozzie Guillen still thinks the Chicago White Sox can win the AL Central without making a trade before the July 31 deadline.

''I don't see why not,'' he said after Saturday night's game against Cleveland was postponed by rain. ''A lot of people say we need this or we need that, but you know what we need? Those guys (currently on the team) to play well. That's my opinion. That's good enough for me.

''If we play well, I don't think we need to add anybody.''

Guillen knows the third-place White Sox, who trail Detroit by 4 1/2 games, are in a critical stretch. Following Sunday's series finale against the Indians, Chicago plays 10 consecutive games against Detroit, Boston and New York.

Guillen realizes if the White Sox struggle, general manager Kenny Williams could decide to become a seller instead of a buyer.

''If we don't play well and go seven (games) behind, we could go in a different direction,'' Guillen said. ''That could affect the front office's decision. We have to play well for the next couple of weeks because I want to keep this same ballclub and take a shot.''

The White Sox are 48-51, but Guillen believes his team is capable of making a move.

''We have a better ballclub than we've played,'' he said. ''I still believe we have a good ballclub.''

The White Sox will stick with right-hander Edwin Jackson, Saturday's scheduled starter, while the Indians will go with right-hander Justin Masterson, their scheduled starter for Sunday.

Jackson will try to win his ninth straight decision over Cleveland. He looks to continue his mastery of the Indians, which has come while pitching for Tampa Bay, Detroit and the White Sox. The streak began on Aug. 5, 2008, while he was pitching for the Rays. Jackson is 8-0 with a 2.73 ERA in his last nine starts against the Indians. Four of those victories came pitching for Detroit.

Jackson defeated the Indians on April 2, allowing three runs, five hits with seven strikeouts.

Intermittent rain at Progressive Field postponed Saturday's game without a pitch being thrown.

The teams and fans waited for exactly two hours before a decision was made. A makeup date was not announced. The White Sox return to Cleveland for a three-game series, scheduled for Sept. 20-22.

With radar showing a line of thunderstorms approaching, the infield was covered minutes before the scheduled 7:05 p.m. start, though it was not raining. There was a brief shower and some occasional drizzle, but for the most part fans sat in the stands watching other games or old cartoons on the giant videoboard.

Notes: The White Sox are 5-1 against the Indians and 7-19 against the rest of the division. ... DH Adam Dunn is batting .031 (2 for 65) with no extra base hits and two RBIs against left-handed pitching. He was in Saturday's lineup despite the fact LHP David Huff was scheduled to start for Cleveland. ... The White Sox begin a three-game series at home against the Tigers on Monday.

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