Ozzie Guillen has a theory concerning a team out of playoff contention such as his White Sox still performing with great intensity, an idea espoused by general manager Ken Williams during a 10-minute closed-door clubhouse meeting Thursday morning.

If said team produces offensively, as the White Sox did with 12 hits during Thursday's 8-5 loss in 10 innings to Oakland, then the group looks alive.

But if the bats are slumbering as they had for the previous three games of this present five-game losing streak, well, then it brings cause for concern from the fans at home right on up to the White Sox general manager in charge of this 54-66 squad.

"Kenny wanted to express himself, and I don't blame him," said Guillen of the meeting led by Williams prior to the team's seventh loss in nine games. "Kenny's message was, 'I don't want anyone to quit. I want them to play the game the way we should be playing.'

"During the last couple of games, we just looked flat because nothing was going offensively. That's how I looked at it. You don't have people on base, then it's a boring game."

Thursday's series finale could be described as anything but boring, with the White Sox holding leads of 3-0 and 5-4, before Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki brought the game to a close with two outs in the 10th via a walk-off three-run home run.

Mark Ellis started the winning rally off of Matt Thornton (3-4) with a one-out triple into the right-center gap, barely eluding center fielder Jerry Owens, but was held at third when pinch-hitter Donnie Murphy lined out to second baseman Danny Richar, following an intentional walk issued to Marco Scutaro.

Just when the White Sox looked as if they would extend Oakland (60-62) to 11 innings, Suzuki launched Thornton's first pitch deep into the left-center field stands. Suzuki's long ball dropped the White Sox to 6-27 at McAfee since 2001 and gave Oakland a 5-4 victory in the 2007 season series, along with a 6-0-1 record in season series against the White Sox over the past seven years.

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