The White Sox have pitched very well this season, but they are sweating right now over a lack of depth.

They placed Jose Contreras on the DL with elbow tendinitis Sunday. With no obvious choices at Class AAA to replace him, reliever Nick Masset will join the rotation. Masset is 1-0 with a 4.66 ERA in two career starts.

(Note: The White Sox re-signed Esteban Loaiza last month, but he showed up out of shape and is 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA at Class AAA Charlotte.)

Kansas City took two of three from the White Sox this weekend, and once again, Ozzie Guillen wore his emotions on his sleeve.

”We played terrible,” he said. ”I just watched an ugly game. I think a lot of people look at Detroit and Minnesota; we should look at ourselves. … We have to pitch better if we’re going to be in a pennant race.”

Jon Danks, who has given Chicago a huge boost this season, gave up six runs in four innings in Sunday’s 8-7 loss.

“Danks was kind of awful,” Guillen said. ”People ask about how the bullpen is going down, but the starting pitching has been awful.”

(Note: Jermaine Dye also left Sunday’s game after being hit with a pitch on the right kneecap. He’s expected to miss tonight’s game, with the Rangers in town. Also, keep in mind that the White Sox opened the year overbudget and aren’t in great position to trade for another starter.)

The lesson in all of this: In most cases, it takes more than five starting pitchers to win over a 162-game season. The Twins might look silly for keeping Francisco Liriano at Class AAA. Some have suggested unloading Livan Hernandez to clear a spot.

Sit tight, folks. The Twins open a three-game set at Yankee Stadium tonight sitting a half-game behind the White Sox. Having six effective starting pitchers is a nice problem to have. Just ask Ozzie Guillen.

Justin Morneau’s right hand remained numb as the Twins got ready to fly to New York this afternoon after falling to Texas 1-0.

Morneau took a fastball from Rangers closer C.J. Wilson off the base of the hand, and there appeared to be a bruise on the side of his right pinky. He shrugged it off, much as he did on the field, completing the at-bat. We’ll see how it feels overnight.

“The doctors checked it out, and it was still numb,” Morneau said. “The doc said it was fine. Everything was intact.”

(*) Michael Cuddyer will undergo a CT Scan on Monday, as the team looks for more answers about his left hand injury. It’s been diagnosed as a strained tendon in his left index finger, but Cuddyer continues to feel pain in the palm of his hand. He’s had an MRI exam, which looks at ligaments and tendons. The CT Scan will examine bone.

(*) Nick Punto said he was ready to play today if needed. He played catch before the game and hit some balls off a tee, and his knuckle felt fine, he said. Still, Gardy was concerned enough that he didn’t use Punto as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning with Brian Buscher at first base.

This way, if Punto still needs to go on the 15-day DL, the move would be made retroactive to July 12.

So, how about those Tigers, eh? Did I tell you to watch them, or what?

That team is simply determined to defy everything I write. Like my infamous 2006 World Series prediction: Tigers in 4! Still haven’t heard the end of that.

I wrote, “Tigers look poised to finally run away from the pack” — just before the Twins swept them in early May. I predicted a post-break surge, and they’ve dropped two of three in Baltimore.

Anyway, there won’t be a prediction in this space today. Just the hard facts. Two games into this series, the Rangers have been outscored 20-2. The vaunted All-Star quartet of Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley is a combined 4-for-30.

Kinsler, the AL batting leader, doesn’t have a hit. Hamilton, the RBI leader, hasn’t driven in a run. Today, Scott Baker will try to keep them at bay, as the Twins go for a sweep.

Updates to come…

Update (12:10 p.m.): Nick Punto has made enough progress with his sprained knuckle that Manager Ron Gardenhire doesn’t expect to make a roster move. Punto is not in the lineup today, but Gardy said he might be available as a defensive replacement and should be ready to play in New York.

Rangers (50-48)

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Brandon Boggs, LF

3. Michael Young, SS

4. Milton Bradley, DH

5. David Murphy, RF

6. Hank Blalock, 3B

7. Marlon Byrd, CF

8. Chris Davis, 1B

9. Taylor Teagarden, C

Starting pitcher: RH Vicente Padilla

Twins (55-42)

1. Carlos Gomez, CF

2. Alexi Casilla, 2B

3. Joe Mauer, C

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Jason Kubel, DH

6. Delmon Young, LF

7. Brian Buscher, 3B

8. Brendan Harris, SS

9. Denard Span, RF

Starting pitcher: RH Scott Baker

Metrodome. First pitch: 1:10 p.m.

I’m anxious to see Rangers pitcher Matt Harrison tonight. He came over from Atlanta in the Mark Teixeira trade last season, and this will be his third major league start.

The Twins counter with Livan Hernandez, who is 7-1 with a 4.04 ERA at the Metrodome this season.

Update (4:55 p.m.): Michael Cuddyer did not have an MRI exam or any exam today. The knuckle feels a little better, but he still has no timetable for when he’ll be able to do baseball activities. Nick Punto’s knuckle is still sore and he was having trouble putting his left hand in his glove. If there’s not more progress for him by Sunday, the Twins could have a roster move before they get to New York on Monday.

Rangers (50-47)

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Michael Young, SS

3. Josh Hamilton, CF

4. Milton Bradley, DH

5. David Murphy, LF

6. Hank Blalock, 3B

7. Marlon Byrd, RF

8. Chris Davis, 1B

9. Max Ramirez, C

Starting pitcher: LH Matt Harrison

Twins (54-42)

1. Carlos Gomez, CF

2. Alexi Casilla, 2B

3. Joe Mauer, C

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Craig Monroe, DH

6. Delmon Young, LF

7. Brian Buscher, 3B

8. Brendan Harris, SS

9. Denard Span, RF

Starting pitcher: RH Livan Hernandez

Metrodome. First pitch: 6:10 p.m.

It was only one stinkin’ game, and I’m probably obsessed with it this morning because nobody else in the AL Central played last night, but the Tigers’ 6-5 win at Baltimore seemed telling.

Magglio Ordonez returned from the DL. Brandon Inge hit his first home run on the road in more than a year. Joel Zumaya needed 14 pitches in a 1-2-3 eighth, lowering his ERA to 1.46. And Gary Sheffield looked … like Gary Sheffield.

John Lowe’s game story in the Detroit Free Press has terrific detail about Jim Leyland getting a tip for Sheffield from a Hall of Famer at a clothing store in New York, and Leyland passing it to hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who passed it to Sheffield, who then hit his first home run in 14 games. Sheff would have had another homer if Jay Payton hadn’t reached over the wall to rob him. As Lowe writes:

It must be kept in mind that the Tigers have been a consistent offensive machine in the last two seasons only in that 2 1/2 -month span last season when Sheffield was healthy and productive.

One of the wisest old scouts in the business passed through the Metrodome shortly before the All-Star break and predicted the Tigers would win the division. He called them a second-half team, he noted that Justin Verlander was rolling and said Miguel Cabrera is getting more comfortable and will soon become the same force he was in the National League.

Here in the blogosphere, this would be a far more effective post if I rattled off 150 different statistical reasons to back up the old scout’s wisdom. I won’t. I’m just telling you it was in his gut, and he’s been right a lot over the years.

The biggest reason I doubted his theory was Sheffield, who entered the break batting .217/.323/.338. All I’m sayin’ is this: It’s a three-team race, and the Twins’ current 5-game lead over Detroit is every bit as important as their 1 1/2-game deficit to Chicago.

Note: Best thing I read off the Home Run Derby came here, of course. A Max Mercy byline, ghostwritten by some other Joe:

“I thought ze Derby was never to end,” Lajong said. “I mean, what was zat, eh, six hours? I fell asleep two times. Roy kept hitting zem out. I guess he, how you say, tuckered out.”

Hobbs knocked the cover off of 12 balls, smashed two light towers, knocked out three sportswriters (but continuously missed your humble correspondent — work on that aim, Roy!) and cracked 19 car windshields. He did unwittingly admit afterward that he was not entirely in command of the Home Run Derby rules.