White Sox feeling better about themselves after strong week

The White Sox have turned a corner.

Where exactly the road is taking them remains to be seen. Probably to a fork somewhere, which, based on where they’ve been before, leads to someplace good and someplace bad.

For these Sox — one of the best teams in baseball for one stretch this season and one of the worst for another — there’s no place in between.

Two consecutive series victories against quality opponents have them on the right track, though, if for no other reason than being in a better state of mind.

“I like the way we’re playing,’’ manager Robin Ventura said after his team took five of seven games against the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays last week. “Offensively, we’re swinging it a little bit, doing some things and playing defense along with it. That’s a good sign for us. Pitchers are getting back to being healthy and getting after it. I like the way this is headed. I like the fire that these guys have shown and bouncing back in some tough situations.’’

Tough? How about six weeks of punishing toil in vain, losing 26 of 36 games after that giddy 23-10 start. Adam Eaton called the skid the toughest month of his career from a team standpoint.

Emotions ran hot at times, as they will with any team that cares or has pride. During the bad stretch, Jose Abreu spoke out not once but twice about the importance of staying unified through thick and thin.

It was an old-school all-for-one, one-for-all message from a player struggling with his own hitting problems at the time.

“We’re a very emotional team,” Eaton said. “One through nine in our lineup and our pitching staff. We’re invested emotionally in games, so when we’re losing, it kind of builds on each other and in the loss column. I don’t think there was ever a low point. We just hate losing. We had to stop it.’’

It stopped, mercifully, after a three-game sweep in Cleveland that started the Indians on their current hot streak, the type of run the Sox believe they are capable of and need to be serious contenders again. The Sox took three of four in Boston and then two of three from the Jays.

They host the last-place Minnesota Twins (24-51) for a three-game series starting Tuesday, go to Houston to play the red-hot Astros (39-37) this weekend and then return home for three against the New York Yankees (37-37) and Atlanta Braves (26-49) before the All-Star break.

It’s not the roughest stretch of their schedule.

“There is still a lot of season left,’’ Eaton said. “As terrible as it was, we’re still in a good position.’’

The Sox trail the first-place Indians by seven games in the AL Central. They trail four teams in the wild-card picture and are even with two others. Believing they’re good enough to hang with the contenders isn’t even half the battle, but it’s a start. After all, the Sox are 12-18 in their division, and six of those wins came in six games against the Twins.

And they haven’t caved. That’s something not lost on general manager Rick Hahn, who, before the Jays series, praised players, Ventura and coaches alike for their effort, preparation and “fight” through the slide.

“You’re going to struggle, but how you persevere and come out of it is what they’re going to write about at the end of the season,’’ Eaton said.

NOTE: Jose Quintana, who starts Tuesday, is 0-6 with a 4.50 ERA in his last eight starts after going 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA in his first seven. Quintana allowed a season-high six runs with eight hits and a career-high six walks against the Red Sox in his last start.

Follow me on Twitter @CST_soxvan.

Email: dvanschouwen@suntimes.com