CLEVELAND -- James Baldwin missed two starts last month with a tired arm. And now the Chicago White Sox's 14-game winner is still hurting as the team shoots for the playoffs, the latest in a line of pitching problems for the AL Central leaders.

	Baldwin

Baldwin, rocked for four runs and eight hits in just 4 1/3 innings Friday night against the Cleveland Indians, returned to Chicago on Saturday to have his shoulder examined by team physician Dr. James Boscardin.

Baldwin complained of pain after the short outing.

"He threw 93 mph, but his velocity began to drop in the fifth inning. Obviously he's still having some discomfort," Chicago manager Jerry Manuel said Saturday, discussing the team's latest pitching setbacks.

Reliever Bill Simas was also sent home Saturday to have his sore ellbow looked at.

The White Sox, who took an 8½ game lead into Saturday's game against the Indians, are also without 10-game winner Cal Eldred, who has been on the disabled list since July.

Eldred has a stress fracture in his elbow and had a screw surgically inserted last week. Amazingly, Eldred hopes to throw on Wednesday to see if there is any way he can still come back should the White Sox make the postseason.

But now the availability of Baldwin and Simas is also unclear for the final three weeks of the season.

"It's tough, another tough loss for us," Manuel said. "We have to continue to overcome different things."

Manuel said Sean Lowe, who's been making spot starts while shuffling from the bullpen, would get Baldwin's scheduled start Wednesday against Detroit.

"Hopefully they'll find out what is going on," Baldwin said Friday night.

"Right now when we have three or four weeks left, everyone feels nagging injuries and sometimes you have to go out and deal with it. I've dealt with it as long as I can. I don't know what it is.

"You want to go out and help the club, but if you are feeling a little discomfort, you don't want to hurt the club. You don't want to go out and feel like the way I'm feeling."

Simas, who has 3.62 ERA in 64 innings, had trouble getting loose Friday night. His elbow first started bothering him during an early August trip in Texas.

With three pitchers ailing, the White Sox will count on veteran starter Mike Sirotka and rookies Kip Wells, who came out of spring training as the No. 2 starter, and Jon Garland to stabilize the rotation. Another starter, Jim Parque, has also struggled, winning only twice in his last 10 outings.

In the bullpen, the White Sox will continue to turn to rookies Lorenzo Barcelo and Mark Buehrle, who have been effective since being called up in July, to get to setup man Bobby Howry and closer Keith Foulke.

"We've got to be concerned, it's late in the season and we don't have a lot of time," general manager Ron Schueler said.

"But we'll get by."