Win and survive.

That's the White Sox's theme for the remaining 23 games this season after a patchwork lineup and the pitching of Javier Vazquez and Bobby Jenks produced a 4-2 victory over the Indians on Wednesday and kept them in first place in the American League Central.

The Sox's task becomes even tougher with the strong possibility that slugger Carlos Quentin probably won't be available until at least next week's Toronto series—and maybe much longer.

"That's our hope," manager Ozzie Guillen said of a return Monday by Quentin, who has 36 homers but has been hampered by a sore right forearm near his wrist.

Yet, here we are only five months into his Chicago career and the Sox are relying not on Jim Thome or captain Paul Konerko, but rallying behind Quentin---the main reason for their current grasp on first place. In a recent ten game stretch, the Stanford product hit .387 (12-for-31) with five home runs and 10 RBI.

"Oh, he has carried this ballclub," said Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "A kid without that much experience in the big leagues batting third and having [the year] he has had, I never thought that was going to happen. I didn't expect this kid to be carrying the ballclub. We hit the lottery with him."

While he has been hit by a pitch a major-league-high 20 times, Carlos Quentin has refused to add padded protection on his left arm, saying recently that "it bothers me when I'm swinging, so I don't wear it."

Hitting coach Greg Walker said: "I heard [Nick] Swisher talking the other day about a friend who had something more streamlined. Some players don't mind it, and some can't stand it. [Quentin] just personally doesn't like it."

Most of the time, Quentin has been hit in the left biceps or shoulder because he actually rolls into the pitch instead of trying to back away from it. He also stands almost on top of the plate.

Walker has feared that one pitch will hit him in the forearm and "those are the ones where they take you back to the X-ray room and they tell you you're done. That's a bad feeling."

But Quentin has refused to back off.

"He's committed to staying there as long as he has to to hit a baseball," Walker said. "He is one tough son of a gun."

It was first mentioned in passing a few days ago by a veteran baseball scout, his theory that these 2008 White Sox are better than the 2005 World Series champion White Sox.

In qualifying his belief, the scout said this season's Sox might not win as many games and certainly might not win the World Series, but that he would pick this one talent-wise, albeit with barely half the season played.

Speculation that the Sox may replace DJ with Stone in the TV booth next year.

"His longest contract as a player was one year, and that speaks to why Darrin Jackson changed uniforms eight times in his baseball career.

But as a broadcaster, Jackson has never been in the uncomfortable position in which he currently finds himself — unsure whether the White Sox want him back next season.

The Sox hold an option on Jackson, and they don't plan to let him know their intentions until late in the season or after the season, when they're obliged to do so contractually. ..."