White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy has left Chicago’s game against the Detroit Tigers with a strained right groin.
Peavy allowed six runs in the fourth inning, then departed. He will be re-evaluated on Monday.
Peavy’s 2010 season ended when he injured his right shoulder on July 6.
The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner rejoined the team on May 11 after recovering from shoulder surgery and was 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts before Sunday’s game.

(AP) – Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen’s return to the dugout after after a two-game suspension wasn’t able to add a spark to the slumping White Sox.

With the offense reeling and the pitching staff inconsistent, Mark Buehrle hopes to snap out of his personal funk and help the White Sox avoid another sweep Monday night in the conclusion of a four-game set with the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

Guillen was back on the bench Sunday after a ban from Major League Baseball for posting messages about an umpire on his Twitter account when he was ejected from Wednesday’s game against the New York Yankees. The White Sox (10-19) lost both games in his absence to Baltimore, and the team’s struggles continued Sunday with a 6-4 defeat – Chicago’s fifth straight.

A loss Monday would mark the fourth time the White Sox were swept in a series this season and the first time Baltimore completed a four-game sweep in Chicago since July 6-9, 1995.

The White Sox have scored four or less runs in 17 of their last 18 games, and only Brent Lillibridge – who homered Sunday – is batting above .300. Adam Dunn hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the eighth, but he’s hitting .171 with 31 strikeouts.

The pitching staff has struggled as well, ranking last in the AL with 149 runs allowed.

Paul Konerko, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI, believes things will turn around soon.

“Just because you go out and play hard doesn’t mean you’re going to win or get the hit,” he said. “But over the long haul, you’ve got to believe you will. I believe I will and I believe the team will.”

Buehrle (1-3, 5.12 ERA) may hope Konerko is correct. He’s lost his last three starts, allowing 13 runs and 24 hits in 17 2-3 innings. He gave up three runs over seven innings in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at New York.

The left-hander also has lost three consecutive starts against Baltimore and is 5-5 with a 2.97 ERA in 16 career appearances versus the Orioles (13-13), winners of five of six.

Buehrle looks to slow a Baltimore offense which has scored 22 runs through the first three games of the series, though the Orioles have had some success against him.

Vladimir Guerrero is 12 for 33 (.364) with four home runs versus Buehrle, while Brian Roberts (13 for 39) and Nick Markakis (10 for 23) also have hit the left-hander well.

Markakis was hitless in his last 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position before his three-run double Sunday in the Orioles’ five-run fifth inning off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd extended Baltimore’s lead to 5-0.

“(Floyd) went away from his fastball, he threw a lot of cutters, slider and curveballs, you can almost go up there and sit on an offspeed pitch,” Markakis said. “The more pitches you can eliminate, the easier to hit.”

Jeremy Guthrie (1-3, 2.53) looks for his first win since April 1, though he pitched well in his most recent start. Guthrie went six scoreless innings Wednesday against Boston before Baltimore won 5-4.

The right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in his last four starts against Chicago. He’s held most of the current White Sox lineup at bay through his career, as Konerko is 5 for 24 (.208) while Alexei Ramirez, Omar Vizquel and Gordon Beckham are a combined 4 for 37 (.108) lifetime against Guthrie.

The Orioles have won six of the last eight meetings.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. STATS LLC and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

DETROIT (AP) – Even after his team shut down the Chicago White Sox for the first two games of the series, Detroit’s Max Scherzer took nothing for granted.

“It doesn’t matter how they’re playing, what they’re swinging like. You’ve got to come with your A game and be ready,” Scherzer said. “You have to go out there with the mentality that you’re going to have to be on the attack.”

Scherzer was focused and prepared, allowing four hits in eight outstanding innings, and the Tigers beat Chicago 3-0 on Sunday to finish a three-game sweep of the struggling White Sox.

Scherzer (4-0) struck out seven and walked three, helping the Tigers shut out Chicago for a second straight day. The White Sox were outscored 21-3 in the series and looked overmatched against Detroit starters Justin Verlander, Brad Penny and Scherzer.

“Justin was just absolutely overpowering. Brad had a great two-seamer going and located as well as anybody did,” Detroit catcher Alex Avila said. “Max, being able to locate with all three pitches — all three pitches working for him today — that keeps hitters off balance.”

After Penny took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Saturday, Scherzer made it to the fifth with one before allowing A.J. Pierzynski’s leadoff single. Mark Teahen, the next batter, grounded into a double play.

The White Sox have lost 10 of 11 and now must head to New York for a four-game series against the Yankees.

“Nothing works,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I’ll keep plugging guys in and hope things come around, but now every day is like rewinding a movie and watching it again.”

John Danks (0-3) allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked two. Danks has a 3.27 ERA, but the White Sox haven’t won any of his five starts.

Detroit has won nine straight over the White Sox.

The Tigers opened the scoring in the fourth after loading the bases with nobody out. Danks struck out Casper Wells, but Avila hit a broken-bat groundball to drive in a run.

Brandon Inge and Austin Jackson each hit RBI doubles with two outs in the sixth. Detroit has bounced back nicely from a 3-7 start. The Tigers are now 12-10, while Chicago and Minnesota — the other expected contenders in the American League Central — are below .500.

“Getting guys out there and getting in a groove is really what you think about,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “You want to play good baseball — steady. I think we’re doing that pretty good right now.”

Detroit’s starting pitchers have led the way with 14 quality starts in the last 18 games. The Tigers allowed three solo homers Friday night, but that was all of Chicago’s scoring in the series.

Scherzer left after 104 pitches, and Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his fifth save. The White Sox finished with five hits, and two of them didn’t leave the infield.

Pierzynski and Juan Pierre had two hits each for Chicago, but the White Sox didn’t get a runner past second base.

“The worst thing about being a coach in baseball or a manager is that you can only send nine guys out and pray,” Guillen said. “You can’t run plays like in basketball, and you can’t change your defense like in football.”

Jackson and Brennan Boesch had two hits each for the Tigers.

NOTES: Jake Peavy threw a side session Sunday of at least 40 pitches and reported no issues. The Chicago right-hander has been bothered by muscle tenderness and irritation in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. “It’s hard to be talking about this when the team is struggling like this,” Peavy said. “I let it go today and everything checked out. I’m excited about the progress.” … Chicago’s Omar Vizquel started at 2B on his 44th birthday. “I don’t think too many people think at the age of 44 they’ll still be playing baseball,” he said before the game. “I’m still having fun. That’s the main thing.” … Detroit DH Magglio Ordonez singled in the fifth and is now 15 for 26 against Danks. … White Sox DH Adam Dunn drew his 1,000th walk in the fourth. … The time of game was 2 hours, 19 minutes.