Twins take 3 of 4 from White Sox

Bobby Jenks turned what looked like a pretty decent for the Chicago White Sox into a near-nighmare in the span of a few brief minutes.

The Sox took a 6-3 lead into the ninth inning of Sunday's series finale at Minnesota. All Jenks, their longtime closer, had to do was hold on and they'd leave Target Field with a split, which you'd expect the Sox to be thrilled with given their history in Minnesota. Instead Jenks couldn't get an out. He started the inning with back-to-back walks and gave up two straight hits before being pulled for Sergio Santos, who gave up another walk and then the winning hit to Delmon Young as the Twins won 7-6.

Losing the series would have buried the Twins, and it would have allowed the Sox to really pull away in the AL Central, as Detroit was busy being swept by Cleveland. Instead the Sox remain mired in a three-team race. They're not in serious trouble by any means, but both the Tigers and Twins sit just a game and a half back. If either gets hot — or if the Sox continue to scuffle — the lead could easily be lost entirely.

It's the first chink we've seen in the armor of the Sox in months. Now with Jenks struggling and Jake Peavy hurt, they've got some serious concerns that need to be addressed. We'll see if general manager Ken Williams deals for a starter or a left-handed power hitter very soon. In any case, the Sox need to turn their second half around starting tonight at lowly Seattle.