Reading Room: Road stops, Teahen, Thome

The White Sox come limping home from Detroit, somehow turning a 7-3 road trip into a disappointment by bunching the three losses at the end.
For one reason or another, this team has a habit of finishing up swings with really flat play. In late July, the Sox dropped two to Oakland ending a 4-6 West Coast tour, then came home to win seven of eight. More recently, they closed a 4-4 road trip to Detroit and Baltimore with two one-run losses to the Orioles.
That was exactly one month ago, and the White Sox have played .500 ball since then. The Twins, on the other hand, have gone 19-8 over the last 31 days.
Things look pretty bleak, to say the least. At six games back, they'll need to channel their July selves in order to make a race of it.
*Update from the last thread: Per Buehrleman's suggestion, I have updated the Mark Teahen defensive flow chart to account for his inability to pick a hop. I believe it's now complete.
*Brent Morel, Teahen's replacement, went 0-for-2 in a mixed bag of a first start. He also went to the Crash Davis School of Answers. There's a reason scouts say his makeup is a selling point.
*Poor Carl -- He has to keep drawing imposing Minnesota Twins ...
*Because the White Sox added one to their roster. And Ozzie Guillen still has no regrets over the decision. I'd single out a quote, but there aren't any of use. His answers this time are even more perplexing than his last ones. I don't know what anybody would expect him to say at this point, though.
*J.J. Putz returns to the bullpen just in time, because Bobby Jenks is dealing with forearm tightness.
*Old favorite Nick Masset allowed a steal of home because he turned the wrong way. Watch that video, and then watch this one of Harold Reynolds showing how Colorado Rockies rookie Chris Nelson timed Masset. Reynolds is hit-or-miss as an analyst, but he makes me smarter when he talks about baserunning.