Football
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Minnesota (57-41) at Chi White Sox (59-39) 8:05 pm EDT

Minnesota (57-41) at Chi White Sox (59-39) 8:05 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) - Two players to earn American League Pitcher
of the Month honors this season will duel Tuesday, when Jose
Contreras of the Chicago White Sox faces lefthander Johan
Santana of the Minnesota Twins in the second of three games at
U.S. Cellular Field.

Contreras (9-2, 3.43 ERA) won the first AL Pitcher of the Month
honor of 2006, going 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA in April. One of those
four wins came against the Twins on April 23, when he allowed
two runs and six hits in eight innings of a 7-3 triumph.

The 34-year-old extended his winning streak to a
franchise-record 17 games dating to last year before dropping
his last two starts. He still has not lost here this year,
going 6-0 with a 2.63 ERA in nine starts at U.S. Cellular Field.

Going 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA in June, Santana (11-5, 3.00) has the
distinction of being the most recent recipient of league Pitcher
of the Month honors. However, he has posted a 4.91 ERA through
his first four starts in July.

Santana was outdueled by fellow lefty Mark Buehrle in a 7-1
setback here on April 21. In 17 starts since, however, the
27-year-old has gone 11-2 with a 2.63 ERA.

Buoyed by homers from Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe
Mauer, Minnesota posted a 7-4 triumph in Monday's opener to
improve to 10-2 since the All-Star break. The Twins have
climbed within two games of the White Sox, who have begun the
second half just 2-8.

Javier Vazquez allowed at least five runs in his fifth straight
start Monday, raising the ERA of Chicago's rotation to 5.33 in
the team's last 13 games.

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