By Eric Gold, MLB Editor (My Sportsbook)

2004 FINISH (83-79) - Second (AL Central)

OVERVIEW

The White Sox won nine of their final 13 games, but that was a small consolation to the awful season the club endured in 2004. There were high expectations in Ozzie Guillen's first season as manager, but injuries to Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez put a damper on a possible run toward the AL Central crown. Chicago ended up four games over .500 and nine games behind the first- place Minnesota Twins.

The White Sox lost 20 of 28 games from July 25 - August 23 to fall from first place, a half-game ahead of the Twins, to third place, nine games off the pace. The Sox played 22 straight games within their division from July 21 - August 12, going 9-13.

Despite losing Ordonez and Thomas for nearly half the season, the White Sox finished with 242 homers, tied with the New York Yankees for most in the majors.

Thomas had surgery after the season to repair a stress fracture in his left ankle. He finished the 2004 season hitting .271 with 18 homers and 49 RBI in only 74 games. Ordonez had bone marrow edema in his left knee and played in only 52 games, hitting .292 with nine homers and 37 RBI.

Outfielder Ross Gload was named the American League's Rookie of the Month for September, hitting .403 (27-for-67). He finished the year with a career-high 16-game hitting streak. Gload hit .321 for the season, while center fielder Aaron Rowand batted .310. Left fielder Carlos Lee had another solid year with a .305 average with 31 homers and 99 RBI.

The White Sox made a couple of big trades involving starting pitchers. On July 31, they sent Esteban Loaiza to the Yankees in exchange for Jose Contreras. Just over a month prior, Freddy Garcia came to Chicago from the Mariners in a trade that sent catcher Miguel Olivo to Seattle.

Mark Buehrle led the staff with a 16-10 record, while Shingo Takatsu had 19 saves.

PEAK PERFORMER

With Thomas and Ordonez out for extended time, first baseman Paul Konerko picked up most of the slack by hitting .277 with career-high in homers (41) and RBI (117).

WEAKEST LINK

The White Sox were third-to-last in the American League in ERA at 4.91, slightly behind the Toronto Blue Jays. Jon Garland (12-11) was the only other double-digit winner. Billy Koch was a bust as a closer and was traded to Florida.

OFF-SEASON NEEDS

Speed is definitely a need on this team, although Willie Harris (19), Rowand (17) and Lee (11) were each successful on a number of steal attempts. Since their spending is expected to be limited, look for the White Sox to make some November acquisitions of mid-level free agents.