Third to first

• Erik Johnson was impressive in his Charlotte debut Friday, striking out six over six scoreless innings and walking just one. But it sounds as if Johnson will have at least one more Minor League start before getting a chance to return to the White Sox.

"I would say there's probably another one there for him to make sure he can keep that confidence going and do that two times in a row," Ventura said. "Then you start seeing where he's at, and we'll see where we're at."

• Double-A Birmingham dropped a 5-3 game to Mobile on Friday in a game that lasted 17 innings and 5 hours, 25 minutes. Birmingham pitchers fanned 17, while Mobile struck out 16. Micah Johnson finished 3-for-8 in the game, raising his average to .364, while Jeff Keppinger, in his first rehab start, finished 2-for-4.

• Alexei Ramirez ranks among the AL leaders in batting average with two strikes (first, .359), two outs (tied for second, .394) and RISP/two outs (12th, .417) entering play Saturday.