Seattle @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 28, 2010 ) Seattle 5, Chi. White Sox 6

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wasn’t talking about making any trades Wednesday in advance of Saturday’s non-waiver trading deadline.

Instead, he let a sign do the talking for him: “Don’t ask me about trades. I don’t know. Ask KW.”

“KW” was in reference to general manager Ken Williams, who has said in recent days that the price for new players remains too high.

The way the Chicago White Sox have been winning lately, they might not need to make any moves.

The White Sox will try Thursday night for their first four-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners in Chicago since Sept. 15-18, 1983. The White Sox (56-44) seek their 11th consecutive home victory, something they haven’t done since old Comiskey Park existed and the first George Bush was in the White House when they won 13 in a row at home from July 1-Aug. 5, 1989.

The White Sox have taken advantage of the reeling Mariners, winning eight of nine games against them this season. The most recent wins have been timely ones because the Minnesota Twins continue to keep pressure on the White Sox, having won five straight to stay one game behind Chicago for the American League Central lead.

Former Mariner Freddy Garcia (9-4. 4.74 ERA) will face Seattle’s David Pauley (0-2, 21.18) in a matchup of right-handers in Thursday's finale.

Chicago's home winning streak looked in jeopardy Wednesday night. Seattle took a 5-1 lead in the second before the White Sox smacked three home runs off Jason Vargas, tying the score 5-5. Alex Rios drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh in a 6-5 victory.

Paul Konerko has been a home-run maker for the White Sox against Seattle pitching. He hit a tying home run in the fifth inning Wednesday night, his third in as many games, and has six home runs against the Mariners this season. That ties the mark set by Harold Baines, who had six homers against Seattle in 1983.

Konerko had just one homer in the past month before this series.

Garcia will try to rebound from his worst start of the season in Saturday’s 10-2 loss to Oakland. The 33-year-old Venezuelan was rocked for five runs on six hits in just 1 1/3 innings.

He is 3-3 with a 5.57 ERA in eight career starts against Seattle.

Garcia threw seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing two runs against the Mariners on April 24 but settled for a no-decision.

Pauley is still searching for his first major-league victory. He is 0-5 with a 6.81 ERA in eight career starts. He lost to the White Sox July 19, allowing a season-high eight hits and three runs in six innings.

Seattle recalled left-hander Luke French from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, placing Ryan Rowland-Smith on the 15-day DL with a lower back strain. Rowland-Smith allowed a club record-tying 11 runs Tuesday night to fall to 1-10 on the season.