Chicago (53-58) at Minnesota (51-61)

It’s been more than a year since the Chicago White Sox won two straight games against the Minnesota Twins. It’s been much longer since they’ve done it in the same season in the Twin Cities.

If the White Sox are to accomplish that feat, they likely need to find a way to get the best of Carl Pavano(notes) on Saturday night at Target Field.

Carlos Quentin(notes) homered twice and drove in four runs to help Chicago (53-58) snap a six-game skid with a 5-3 win in Minnesota on Friday.

“This is the White Sox up and down, unpredictable team,” manager Ozzie Guillen said.

It was just the second victory over the Twins in the last 12 meetings for Guillen’s team. The White Sox are 5-18 in the series since last taking two straight versus their AL Central rival last April and May. Chicago, 4-8 at Target Field, has not won two straight at Minnesota in the same season since Sept. 21-22, 2007.

Repeating that feat might not be easy against Pavano (6-8, 4.90 ERA), who has allowed three runs in 16 innings while going 2-0 against the White Sox this season. After tossing a complete game versus Chicago at Target Field on June 16, Pavano allowed two runs in seven innings at U.S. Cellular Field on July 7.

“He just seems to throw the ball well against us,” said Chicago left fielder Juan Pierre(notes), batting .360 versus Pavano. “He throws a lot of strikes. Mixes it up. Doesn’t get in a pattern where you can follow what he’s going to do.”

Pavano, however, has surrendered 23 runs and 33 hits over 22 innings while going 0-2 in four starts since the win at Chicago. He surrendered seven runs and nine hits in four innings of a 7-3 loss at Oakland on Sunday.

“I don’t even know where to start to tell you the truth,” Pavano told the Twins’ official website.

Quentin is 0 for 17 with six strikeouts against Pavano, but all three of his hits in his last 12 at-bats have left the park.

“Quentin is one of those guys that can run off five or six home runs with the best of them,” Pierre said. “We’ll jump on his shoulders when need be.”

The White Sox opted to push Jake Peavy’s(notes) start back to Sunday and have called up right-hander Zach Stewart(notes) (0-1, 4.86) to make his fourth career start in this contest.

Acquired from Toronto on July 27, Stewart is making his first big-league appearance since allowing two runs in six innings and not getting a decision in the Blue Jays’ 4-2 loss at Detroit on June 27.

Stewart will likely face Twins slugger Jim Thome(notes), who remains two shy of 600 home runs after sitting Friday.

Thome, who hit 134 of his 598 homers in three-plus seasons with the White Sox from 2006-2009, is 0 for 7 with four strikeouts against his former team in 2011.

“I hope if he hits it, it’s not to win the game,” Guillen said. “But I want to see it.”

Jason Kubel(notes) hit a two-run homer and had two of the five hits Friday for the Twins (51-61), who have dropped two straight and five of six.

“Not a good way to start it,” manager Ron Gardenhire said

Kubel is 7 for 17 (.412) with two home runs in his last four games.