Sox Falter After Quick Start Friday

The White Sox found the offense they've been searching for early on Friday night. Five first-inning runs should have made it a comfortable night for starter Gavin Floyd.

But the White Sox stopped scoring after that initial outburst against Nick Blackburn (7-6) and Floyd couldn't hold the lead as Minnesota beat Chicago again, 8-5. The Twins are 6-0 against the White Sox this season and have won 28 of the last 34 meetings.

"Gavin didn't have it with him today," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said after the right-hander stayed winless since June 1, a span of six starts.

The Twins fashioned a big inning of their own, six runs in the fourth capped by Luke Hughes' three-run homer off Will Ohman, which followed a game-tying two-run single by Rene Tosoni.

Floyd (6-9) gave up nine hits and was charged with seven runs.

"I felt good from the beginning. As the game went on I lost command of my fastball and my other pitches, if I missed, I missed pretty bad," Floyd said.

"Just chalk it up as a bad loss or a bad start, keep working hard and the next start."

Adam Dunn, in a 4-for-52 tailspin with 29 strikeouts over his previous 15 games, drove a 3-2 pitch from Blackburn 412 feet into the right-field bleachers for a two-run homer to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead in the first. Alexei Ramirez had singled with one out and scored on Paul Konerko's double.

After Dunn's blast, his ninth homer of the season, Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios followed with back-to-back doubles to push the lead to three runs. Gordon Beckham's RBI single completed the early outburst.

"You score when you know you're struggling to score some runs, and you take the lead and all the sudden you lose the lead right away, guys got kind of a little bit down," Guillen said.

"After that we couldn't do anything else, we couldn't put a good swing on the ball."

It didn't take long for the Twins to get to Floyd.

Joe Mauer, back behind the plate after playing first base for the first time in the majors Thursday night, doubled off the right-center field fence with two outs in the first and scored on Michael Cuddyer's RBI single.

Floyd hit Mauer to load the bases again in the fourth after singles by Matt Tolbert and Casilla. Cuddyer then delivered another RBI single, and one out later, Tosoni lined his two-run single to right to tie the game.

"When you don't throw strikes, that's exactly what happens. I don't care if you throw 100 or you throw 60, you throw strikes you will have success," Guillen said of Floyd.

"He's not the type of guy that is going to trick anybody. He has to go after them, throw more strikes. Every time Gavin's around the plate, he's been effective."