Rowand right along

SAN DIEGO -- The 13-game hitting streak belonging to Aaron Rowand came to a rather unceremonious end Friday night, with two groundouts, a fly out and a strikeout swinging. But that run really didn't matter to Rowand.
The fact that Rowand's swing has started to round into form holds far greater importance than his second double-digit streak in 2005.

"I don't much care about the streaks," said Rowand, who came into Saturday's contest hitting .287, with four home runs and 25 RBIs. "Thirteen games is nothing.

"God knows, I want as many hits as I can have every night. But if I don't get a hit, I won't be upset in the least that my streak came to an end. It's not about that. It's about winning."

Rowand practices what he preaches. After Friday's 4-2 victory over the Padres, the center fielder was watching video of a rare error he committed in the ninth inning, when he kicked away Ryan Klesko's leadoff single on an aggressive move toward the infield to make the play. The lack of hitting for the night wasn't an issue.

During the last 30 games, Rowand has knocked out 39 hits in 118 at-bats (.331) and raised his average from .235 to .287. He also hit .392 (20-for-51) during the recent 13-game stretch.

But Rowand is a perfectionist. While he fully admits his swing is pretty good right now, Rowand still points to the timing and rhythm of his approach that need to improve in order to catch the ball more out front, get the ball up in the air and drive it on a consistent basis.

If Rowand integrates those changes, he could be looking at this third double-digit hit streak of the year and a solid run at .300. The hitting streak he really wants, though, is one that is a little shorter but more productive.

"The streaks that you like the most are the five- or six-game one, when you get two or three hits every night," said Rowand with a laugh. "I'm still not quite where I want to be. I have good days and bad days.

"I want to get to the point where like last season, even if I didn't get a couple of hits or a hit on that day, all my swings were consistent," Rowand added.

Ready and waiting: With left-hander Shawn Estes on the mound Monday for Arizona, there's a strong possibility that Frank Thomas will return to the starting lineup. The slugging veteran certainly seems ready to get back into action.

Thomas had two at-bats during the first four games of this six-game road trip, taking a called third strike on Tuesday in Denver and hitting a mammoth, ninth-inning home run to center during Wednesday's series finale at Coors Field. His surgically repaired left ankle didn't suffer from the inactivity, but it did swell up in the altitude of Colorado.

"Being there three days, it really swelled up," Thomas said of Denver. "I'm 100 percent, that's all I can tell you.

"It never feels good to come and sit out. But it's part of the National League play, and we've been doing it for years. It's not a big deal. I'll get ready to come back for next week."

There also was confirmation from Thomas on Saturday that he won't be playing first base during the 2005 campaign, not that there would really be a reason for him to take the field following Interleague. But Thomas wants to play another four or five years, and certainly doesn't want to risk re-injuring the ankle.

"If I fracture it again, I'll be done," Thomas said. "I'm not playing first base this year. It's not really a choice, and it's not a wise thing to do. It will take a full year to heal this thing."

Getting defensive: The White Sox pitching staff ranked third in strikeouts in the American League entering Saturday night's contest, with 391 as a team. But none of the hurlers qualify for the top 10 individually, and there really isn't a classic strikeout pitcher on the staff. This same group has allowed the seventh fewest amount of walks in the AL, issuing just 177.

Those facts add up to an increased importance for the South Siders' defense, which has been more than up to the challenge. The team's fielding percentage sits at .984, just a few percentage points behind Texas' league-leading .988 percentage. It's an effort not lost on the White Sox hurlers.

"You're not afraid to let them put the ball in play," said closer Dustin Hermanson of the opposition. "You don't feel like you have to strike everyone out. That's how I like to pitch. I have all the confidence in the world to let the guys put the ball in play and take my chances with the guys on this team."

The defense saved Friday's victory as much as Hermanson did in the ninth inning. Rowand threw Phil Nevin out at third and made a diving catch in center field on Khalil Greene's line drive to save two runs in the seventh, while Joe Crede made two strong plays in the ninth behind Hermanson.

"We don't have too many strikeout pitchers on this team," Hermanson said. "So when you have a defense like this, you have to take advantage."

Down on the farm: All-Star Leo Daigle continued his amazing start to the 2005 season with home runs No. 17 and 18, but it wasn't enough offense to prevent Class A Winston-Salem's 10-8 loss. The first baseman drove in three, giving him 61 RBIs to go with his .345 average. Chris Amador and Robert Valido also went deep for the Warthogs

Josh Fields had four hits, driving in two runs, during Double-A Birmingham's 15-9 loss at Mobile on Friday night. Fields has raised his average from near .200 up to .232. Jerry Owens added three hits and two RBIs, while Ryan Sweeney had two hits and two RBIs as part of the team's 16-hit attack. David Cook launched his 14th home run, in support of Lucas Harrell (3-5), during Class A Kannapolis' 6-3 victory at Charleston. Cook, much like Daigle, will be playing in his respective All-Star Game.

Coming soon: It would be tough for Freddy Garcia to pitch much better than his last trip to the mound Monday in Colorado. The right-hander retired the final 22 hitters he faced at Coors Field, improving to 3-0 with a 2.54 ERA over his last four starts. Garcia is 14-6 with a 2.20 ERA lifetime in Interleague Play.

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/