CHICAGO -- The victory total has not gone the way the Chicago White Sox would have hoped, but plenty of individual accomplishments are still on the table over the final two-plus weeks of the season.
The White Sox have three players who could be headed for postseason honors, including Jose Abreu, who seems to be a lock for the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Abreu will head into the upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins one RBI short of 100, a spot he has been stuck on since Aug. 31. He has hit just two home runs since Aug. 1, but his 33 total home runs are third best in the American League, while he leads the AL in slugging percentage at .588.
Chris Sale won't pitch in the upcoming series, but he is a strong contender for the AL Cy Young Award with the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez. Sale lowered his ERA to an AL-leading 1.99 after pitching eight scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
The White Sox's final postseason award hopeful is Alexei Ramirez, who could be looking at a Silver Slugger Award at shortstop, while also hoping to get votes toward his first Gold Glove Award.
Ramirez leads all AL shortstops in home runs with 14, RBIs with 65 and slugging percentage at .410. He is also tied for first in fielding percentage among AL shortstops with a .983 mark.
HEAD TO HEAD
The current White Sox roster has 86 combined at-bats against Twins starter Phil Hughes, and Moises Sierra is the only one with a home run against the right-hander. ... White Sox hitters Tyler Flowers, Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo are a combined 3-for-31 (.097) against Twins left-hander Tommy Milone. ... After starting his career 0-4 in five starts, Twins starter Trevor May gave up three runs on six hits over five innings on Sept. 3 against the White Sox to pick up his first career victory. ... While the Twins' Joe Mauer is 8-for-18 (.444) against White Sox starter Jose Quintana, Oswaldo Arcia and Brian Dozier are a combined 7-for-32 (.219) against the left-hander. ... White Sox right-hander Scott Carroll has a 2.70 ERA against the Twins in 16 2/3 innings. ... Mauer is just 3-for-13 (.231) in his career against White Sox starter Hector Noesi.
NOTES
White Sox pitchers have a 1.99 ERA (10 earned runs, 45 1/3 innings) over the last seven games and have delivered a quality start in all seven of those games. ... Reliever Jake Petricka has converted five consecutive save opportunities and has a 1.56 ERA over his last 18 home games. ... Now back in the major leagues, Marcus Semien looks as if he has picked up his clutch abilities again as his sixth-inning home run Thursday gives him all four of his home runs this season in the sixth inning or later. Not only that, all six of the home runs have given the White Sox the lead. ... Abreu has hit safely in four of his last five games, but only has one hit in those games where he has hit safely, going 4-for-19 (.211) over that stretch. ... The White Sox are 25-22 in one-run games this season. ... The Twins have not won a series going back to August 14, going 0-6-2 in that stretch. ... The Twins scored just two runs Thursday while getting swept by the Cleveland Indians in a doubleheader.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: White Sox LH Jose Quintana (7-10, 3.38 ERA) vs. Twins RH Phil Hughes (5-9, 3.55), 7:10 p.m. CST
Saturday: White Sox RH Scott Carroll (5-10, 4.92) vs. Twins LH Tommy Milone (6-4, 4.31), 6:10 p.m. CST
Sunday: White Sox RH Hector Noesi (8-8, 4.28) vs Twins RH Trevor May (2-4, 8.38), 1:10 p.m. CST