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(Sports Network) - The Chicago White Sox can thank their pitching for helping them to the top of the American League Central. After a fine display by one of its young arms yesterday, the club sends a reliable veteran out to the hill tonight in the second test of a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Chicago was 12th in the American League last year with a team earned run average of 4.77, but is third in all of baseball with a 3.39 ERA this year. Progression by youngsters Gavin Floyd and John Danks in addition to solid contributions from veterans Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez has the White Sox two games up on Minnesota in the standings.

Danks was again solid on Thursday, holding the AL East-leading Rays to a run on six hits over six innings while fanning eight in a 5-1 victory. Chicago also got homers from Paul Konerko and Joe Crede in the win, the club's second in a row and fourth in five games.

Matt Thornton, Octavio Dotel and Boone Logan each threw a scoreless inning of relief in the win, while Konerko, Jim Thome, Orlando Cabrera and Carlos Quentin all finished with two hits and a run batted in.

It will be Contreras' turn tonight, as he will try to stretch his unbeaten streak to five games. Contreras won three straight starts, allowing just a run in each outing, before getting a no-decision against the Angels on Sunday. The right-hander allowed just two runs and three hits over eight innings while striking out a season-high 10 in his team's 3-2 victory, lowering his ERA to 3.06 to go along with his 5-3 record.

The Cuban hurler yielded 21 homers in 32 games last year, but has allowed only three in his 10 starts in 2008.

Contreras has yet to face Tampa Bay this season, but is a perfect 5-0 against them in seven starts and one relief appearance, while posting a 2.89 ERA in that span.

The righty will try to shut down a club that lost for just the second time on its current 10-game homestand (5-2) yesterday. Edwin Jackson (3-4) took the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits in a six-inning start for Tampa Bay, which has dropped two of three.

Akinori Iwamura went 2-for-5 while B.J. Upton and Willy Aybar each had a double for Tampa Bay. However, the Rays could only push across one run, which was driven in by Carl Crawford in the third inning.

The Rays, one game up on Boston in the AL East standings, also took the field without closer Troy Percival last night. Percival was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a left hamstring strain that forced him out of Wednesday's game versus Texas with two outs in the ninth inning.

Percival has converted 14-of-16 save chances this year with a 2.95 ERA. Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler will likely share closing duties in his absence.

Though he continues to eat up innings, James Shields has struggled in his last two outings and starts for the Rays tonight. After posting a shutout victory over the Angels on May 9, Shields suffered a loss versus the Yankees in his next start despite holding them to a pair of runs over 7 1/3 innings.

However, in two starts since, he has gotten back-to-back no-decisions while allowing a total of nine runs (8 earned) in that time. The right-hander yielded five runs over 7 2/3 innings in Oakland on May 19 and was then tagged for four runs (3 earned) on eight hits over eight innings versus Baltimore on Sunday.

Shields, who is 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA this year, is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in two career starts against Chicago.

Chicago has won nine of its last 11 versus the Rays and gone 7-1 in Tampa Bay during that time.