Starting pitcher Gavin Floyd is just the latest prized student to emerge out of pitching coach Don Cooper's fix-it-up program, as the former first-round pick of the Phillies (fourth overall) was acquired in the Freddy Garcia trade prior to the 2007 season.

But Floyd is not alone.

Friday starter Jose Contreras was plucked from the New York Yankees midway through the 2004 season, Matt Thornton -- also a former first-round pick -- came over from Seattle, Bobby Jenks had worn out his welcome with the Angels, and even John Danks had hit hard times with Texas after a much-hyped rise through the minor leagues.

"When you get drafted high by an organization, that means you have stuff," Cooper said. "It just doesn't work out for some guys. Sometimes the change of environment helps people, sometimes it's just getting stale."

That's when general manager Ken Williams has a history of acting, throwing the life preserver in that direction. Call it the Sox way.

Sure, there have been misses -- big ones. See Mike MacDougal and Andrew Sisco. But there have been bigger hits. None more than Floyd right now, who has emerged as the staff ace with a 3-1 record and 2.50 ERA.

"There have been some mechanical changes we made that has given him a chance to throw his fastball to both sides of the plate," Cooper said. (Bullpen coach) Juan Nieves did a (heck) of a job getting him started with some changes last year in (Class AAA) Charlotte, Gavin took it home with him for the off-season, and he hasn't looked back.

"Now that he sees himself doing this kind of stuff, his confidence has grown. It's not unlike what we did with Jose."

Contreras is the model, coming over from the Yankees tipping his pitches, with little confidence left and "too much in his mind," according to Cooper.

Once they got him to simplify things and build confidence, he was the best pitcher on the staff for the second half of the 2005 World Series run and the first half of 2006.

WHITE SOX 4, MARINERS 2: Four days removed from being the first weight thrown from the then-sinking ship, White Sox second baseman Juan Uribe continued his hot hitting, starting the third inning off with a single. But it was Paul Konerko's two-run double four batters later that put the Sox (17-17) on the scoreboard first. Jermaine Dye then made it a three-run game, when he recorded the sacrifice fly off Seattle starter Carlos Silva (3-2).

The Mariners did cut into the lead in the bottom of the third when Ichiro Suzuki scored on Jose Contreras' only real stumble of the night -- a wild pitch. That was the way the game stayed until the seventh, when Jim Thome finally woke up from his slumber and smashed a Silva full-count offering deep into the stands beyond the right-field wall. With the way Seattle's offense had also been struggling, it was all but the finishing blow to the 14-23 Mariners.

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