KANSAS CITY — Gavin Floyd hadn't won a game in more than a month because of poor run support, which is part of the reason why trade rumors keep surrounding the White Sox despite their recent winning streak.
But Floyd got just enough bat help Tuesday night, as the Sox ended their two-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Royals. They now trail the Twins in the American League Central by 1 1/2 games.
Floyd had received only three runs of support in four starts before Tuesday, and on Tuesday had to make four early runs hold up before turning it over to the bullpen.
Manager Ozzie Guillen, who was ejected in the fourth inning, said he would manage whoever general manager Ken Williams might bring in but reiterated the team is fine the way it's constructed even though his left-handed hitting DH Mark Kotsay was hitting .212 at game time.
Left-handed run production is the one area the Sox have been lacking since declining to bring back Jim Thome.
"I don't think right now we're desperate for anything. We're fine where we are," Guillen said. "We'll see, maybe later on we'll need somebody, maybe not. Hopefully we don't.
"Believe me, if we're in the situation where we think we have a shot and we need somebody, I think Kenny would be aggressive about it. Not because I say something about it, but because that's the way he is."
Of course, no one outside the organization — and many inside it — knows what Williams is really up to, and he relishes that.
"That's why I laugh when rumors go around that we're going to do this, we're going to do that," Guillen said. "Because he's the type of guy that whenever there are rumors out there, you expect something too quick and nothing happens.
"When he does stuff, he asks what we need, what we want. He keeps it real quiet, then all of a sudden we got a uniform hanging in the lockers. He knows exactly when it's time to move on or make a move, get somebody who can make a lot of difference."
Whether the Nationals' Adam Dunn could make a big difference — or whether the price would be right — is questionable.
That could be a tall order for Williams, especially if Dunn — who reportedly was watched by a Sox scout Tuesday — were only a $6 million, six-month rental player.
The player perhaps most affected by the addition of a left-handed bat would be Kotsay, who who started a three-run second inning rally against the Royals with a double and then doubled again in the third inning.
Rookie Dayan Viciedo also had a pair of hits and his first major league stolen base. Gordon Beckham also had two hits.
The Sox had a 4-0 lead until the fifth inning when the Royals scored three times off Floyd, two of the RBIs coming from ex-teammate Scott Podsednik. Only two of three runs were earned against Floyd, who gave way in the seventh inning to Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz, who got his second save with the Sox and his first four-out save since 2007.
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