Jose Contreras didn’t have his best pitch, the split-finger fastball, and against the woeful Royals he didn’t need it.
Last year it might have been a different story. Contreras won his fourth consecutive decision and Jim Thome hit a home run as the resurgent White Sox beat Kansas City 6-2 on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep. Orlando Cabrera’s two-run single capped a four-run second inning for the first-place White Sox, who came home in turmoil this week after manager Ozzie Guillen called out his hitters and general manager Kenny Williams on Sunday following a frustrating series at Tampa Bay. Things turned around quickly for the flagging White Sox hitters. It turns out they just needed to come home and face Kansas City pitching. "It’s great, believe me," Guillen said. "You can see the difference in the dugout. It seems like everybody is attacking pitches and putting good swings on the ball. Contreras slumped badly last season as he went through personal issues and struggled on the field. He regrouped in the offseason and his mental improvement showed Thursday, battling through some early problems. "In the past, the way he struggled today, I don’t think he would’ve made it out of the third or fourth inning," Guillen said. "All of a sudden he’s pitching tough and he started to find the plate a little bit better. His confidence level went up another notch." Catcher Toby Hall said Contreras’ split-finger wasn’t there early, so they mixed in changeups and sliders to complement his fastball. "That’s what was big," Hall said. "A couple times we played around with that split. But after that, I just put down slider and change and he went right with it. He got into a good rhythm." Contreras (6-3) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. He hasn’t lost since May 4 and is 4-0 with 1.50 ERA in his past six starts. "When you have a four-run lead, it’s easier to pitch," Contreras said through an interpreter. "Last year is a distant memory." Thome added an insurance run in the seventh with his 12th home run for the White Sox (33-26), who lead Minnesota by 2â•œ games in the AL Central. The Twins will come to town for a four-game series starting Friday. "This is a big series," Guillen said. "It’s not a ‘Wow, this is the series of the year,’ but it’s a big series." The sloppy Royals (23-37) committed two errors and could have been charged with more. They lost their 11th consecutive road game, one shy of the franchise record, and have dropped 15 of 17 overall. "I’m scratching my head and I’m frustrated," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "I’m upset that we can’t figure out the process a little quicker. I have said this many times, but that’s my responsibility to make sure we get this."
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