While the Chicago White Sox played and won, the Minnesota Twins could only wait and watch.

It's not what the Twins hoped would happen on their strange day off, a rain-delayed 8-2 victory by the White Sox in their makeup game with the Detroit Tigers yesterday.

Instead of traveling to Tampa Bay to start the first round of the playoffs as AL Central champions, the Twins instead were forced to point the charter plane toward Chicago and play the White Sox today to once and for all determine the division title neither team has seemed to want.

"We know where we're going, and we know what we've got to do," manager Ron Gardenhire said through a team spokesman.

The winner of the tiebreaker game will advance to face the AL East champion Rays in a best-of-five series beginning Thursday.

With right-hander Kevin Slowey still recovering from a line drive Chicago's Juan Uribe hit off his wrist last Thursday, rendering it sore and stiff, the Twins will send right-hander Nick Blackburn to the mound at U.S. Cellular Field against White Sox lefty John Danks.

"I'm excited about it," Blackburn said.

He has already pitched against the White Sox five times this season, going 2-2 with a 5.67 ERA, 37 hits, four homers, nine walks and 12 strikeouts over 27 innings.

ELSEWHERE

Padres: Bud Black is coming back as manager of San Diego despite the club's worst finish in 15 seasons. The Padres announced late yesterday afternoon that Black and most of his staff will return in 2009. The Padres finished 63-99, 21 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yankees: Closer Mariano Rivera will have offseason surgery on his sore right shoulder but should be ready to throw by spring training. Manager Joe Girardi said yesterday it doesn't appear to be a serious injury and there is no structural damage.

Cardinals: Pitcher Kyle Lohse and St. Louis agreed yesterday to a $41 million, four-year contract. Lohse was 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA this season and led the staff with 200 innings.

Pirates: Pitching coach Jeff Andrews and first base coach Lou Frazier were fired yesterday by Pittsburgh after only one season in their jobs.