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Before they faced the White Sox this weekend, the Royals had the worst record in the American League. Playing on the road, their winning percentage was even lower than their overall record. But none of that mattered, as KC took the first and last game of the three-game series at the Cell.

One thing worth mentioning -- and there aren't many -- is that Jake Peavy pitched on Saturday and pitched well enough to earn the win. He reports no abnormal pain, so maybe we'll see his Cy Young Award-winning form next year.

A healthy Peavy, joined by Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks is a darn good start on a top-notch rotation. And believe it or not, Freddy Garcia has pitched well enough to be given a shot at the fifth spot. Garcia went eight innings on Sunday and gave up only two runs. It was his sixth straight Quality Start, and it appears that Don Cooper has figured out what Freddy needs to do and has got him doing it.

If it's not Freddy, it might be Daniel Hudson, who is starting Monday's game against the Twins at the Cell. Hudson has had a meteoric rise through the Sox farm system, going a combined 14-5 at ClassA Kannapolis, Class A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham, and Triple-A Charlotte. That's like pitching for the cycle.

And the reason we're focusing on next year is that 2009 is almost officially over. The Sox have an elimination number of 7 and trail Detroit by 6.5 games. They're four games under .500, which means they have to go 9-3 to have a winning record this year (or have a lot of rainouts that don't get made up). Given that nine of their remaining games are agains the Twins (3) and Tigers (6), it doesn't seem likely. Even if the Sox do go 9-3, the Tigers just need to post a 4-9 record to eliminate the Good Guys. So it's not quite wait till next year just yet, but it's in the rear-view mirror and gaining on them. Go Sox!