John Danks was good enough Friday in his first game in more than a year to earn a quality start for the White Sox, if not the Sox 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins in 11 innings.
But six innings of three runs on four hits--with five strikeouts and no walks--may only be the beginning of even better days for the lefty with a repaired shoulder.
``The John today on the mound may well be different from the John we see six months from now,'' general manager Rick Hahn said. ``When you're coming back from a shoulder surgery, it's not always a linear process and it's not always one where you have continual improvement over time.
``He's going to build up arm strength through further outings when he pitches competitively. I expect we're going to see a pitcher who's going to battle and keep us in games, give us a good chance to win right now--but he may well continue to improve over the next six months or a year.''
Danks last pitched May 19, 2012 in an interleague game against the Cubs. Shoulder surgery and the long rehab process were as much a mental exercise as a physical one.
``The DL is a lonely place,'' said manager Robin Ventura, who endured his own long rehab years ago after dislocating his ankle in a spring training game. ``It's tough. It's miserable and everything that goes with that.
``To have him come back, with the emotions and keeping that in check, he did great.''
Danks threw 76 pitches, and the radar gun often seemed out of whack registering his ``speed'' at times at 76 mph. He did hit one batter, but the hit that hurt the most was a home run by Derek Ditrich with Placido Polanco on base.
The other run scored when the last batter he faced, Marcell Ozuna, led the 7th with a double and eventually scored.
``I should have thought more about that home run pitch,'' Danks said. ``I should have had a better idea, but that's on me.
``But all in all, it was a great first time out,'' he said. ``The competitor in my wanted to go more, but I understand. It's part of coming back.''
Ventura saw plenty of good things in six innings.
``He was getting people to swing and miss. It was what you'd expect in him coming back,'' Ventura said. ``He had enough spotting his curveball and fastball--that's what he plays with.''
Danks is willing to accept trading a once-electric fastball for command.
``I've seen 93 mph fastballs get hit a long way,'' he said. ``I think if the rest of my career I can throw 87 to 90 and throw where I want to--I've learned location means a lot.
``I felt great,'' he added. ``From where I was in spring training to here, it's night and day. I feel we're at a good point. My stuff is coming, but I feel I have plenty to compete.''
The Sox had tied the score with two runs in the fifth giving Danks the lead in the sixth when Paul Konerko singled home Alex Rios, who had singled to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.
The winning run scored in the 11th when Konerko singled with one out. Pinch runner Tyler Greene scored on Jeff Keppinger's single, giving the Sox their second walk-off victory of the season.
The Sox had a chance to win in the 10th when they loaded the bases against Chad Qualls.
But Rios grounded into a double play, ruled out at first in a close play.
``You just have to keep playing,'' Ventura said.
Danks' return was considered a victory in itself by his teammates.
``I know what he has had to go through mentally and physically to get back here, and it has been a long road and not an easy one,'' pitcher Chris Sale said. ``I'm just happy for him.
``Regardless of how it goes, it's a win either way. Having him go back out there and jump on that horse, it's fun to watch.''
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Gordon Beckham's progress suffered a ``slight'' setback Friday after experiencing soreness in his left hand after playing for Class AAA Charlotte Thursday night.
The White Sox decided to keep him off the field until Wednesday.
General manager Rick Hahn said the soreness is typical for some players coming back from hamate bone surgery.
``It's just the regular ramp-up of activity so we decided to be conservative,'' he said.
Beckham, who had surgery April 16 to remove the bone tip, was ``ahead of schedule'' in what is typically a six-week recovery, Hahn said. ``I don't want to characterize it as a setback because six weeks is the usual [recovery time],'' he said. ``We're just not maintaining the ahead-of-schedule routine.''
Beckham contacted Hahn before Thursday's game and set he was feeling well, but afterward he told Hahn of feeling discomfort when he swings.
Beckham is hitting .318 (7-22) in five rehab games with Charlotte, with two RBI and five runs scored.
Beckham has started two games at second base and also played two at shortstop.
While Beckham has been slowed, pitcher Chris Sale said he felt good Friday after going through a shoulder workout with trainer Herm Schneider.
Sale emphasized he is ready to resume pitching Tuesday against the Cubs.
``I think we're progressing the way we want to,'' he said. ``I wanted to throw and Herm said to wait a day.
``In my mind I'm going to start on Tuesday, but it's kind of out of my hands,'' said Sale, who missed his last turn when he experienced shoulder soreness.
Manager Robin Ventura said Sale is slated for Tuesday. ``If it changes, it changes,'' he said.
Hahn said the decision to have Sale skip his start Wednesday against Boston was ``precautionary.''
``We decided to err on the side of caution as much because if he wasn't feeling right, would he change his mechanics to compensate and then possibly hurt himself,'' Hahn said.
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After throwing 80 pitches in a rough outing against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, White Sox left-hander Hector Santiago bounced back with six strong innings in a 6-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox ace Clay Buchholz on Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

The 25-year-old left-hander, pressed into service when Chris Sale was scratched from his scheduled start with a sore shoulder, threw 107 pitches over six innings, allowing two runs on a one-armed opposite field single to left in the first inning by David Ortiz. Santiago (2.81 ERA) gave up five hits and four walks while striking out nine.

Buchholz (7-0) held the Sox to five hits in seven innings and left the game leading 2-1. The Red Sox tacked on two runs in the eighth and ninth innings against the Sox struggling bullpen.

It's possible Santiago was headed to the bullpen, with a return by John Danks to the rotation expected Friday.

Starting pitching continues to be the team's strong suit, despite injuries to Gavin Floyd and missed starts by Sale and Jake Peavy. In the last 32 games, Sox starters have made 21 quality starts with a 2.86 ERA.

Alex Rios extended his career high hitting streak to 17, the longest in the AL this season. Rios drove in the Sox run with a ground out to shortstop in the third inning. Paul Konerko hit his first home run since late April in the ninth inning. Konerko was 2-for-4.

The Sox (21-24) won the first two games of the series.

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Business Awards on Wednesday night in New York.

The award was presented by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.

"Jerry has had a profound impact on sports," says Richard Weiss, publisher of the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. "Along with his extremely successful franchise ownership in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, and his leadership at the highest levels within baseball, Jerry has also made deep and lasting community service contributions."

White Sox ace Chris Sale was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox with a sore shoulder.

The Sox are calling it a precautionary move and expect him to miss one turn and return to the rotation to face the Cubs on Tuesday. Sale has mild tendinitis in the posterior shoulder.

Sale was sidelined with a sore elbow last season.