MINNEAPOLIS -- Joe Mays' next turn in the Twins' starting rotation is supposed to come Monday at Kansas City. But even Mays knew his spot was marked down in pencil, and not pen.

The veteran right-hander's struggles continued in a 6-4 loss Wednesday night to the White Sox as he was tapped for five runs and nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. It took a late-inning surge long after Mays was off the mound to make the game close.

Mays is 6-8 with a 5.16 ERA for the season, but spiraled to 1-6 with a 7.94 ERA in his last nine starts. Manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters after the game he planned to meet with Mays and general manager Terry Ryan to discuss their options.

"We're going to sit and talk about this and reevaluate and see where we are with him," Gardenhire said. "Obviously, he's busting his tail out there and trying everything he can."

Trouble came early in the first inning. Mays lost Tadahito Iguchi with a full-count walk. Three pitches later, Carl Everett launched a two-run home run to the right-field upper deck for a quick 2-0 deficit.

Three scoreless innings followed but the starter did not survive the top of the fifth. Timo Perez led off with a bunt single to first base and moved to third base on Iguchi's double to left field. Everett followed with a two-run single to left-center field for a four-RBI night. He was thrown out at the plate on A.J. Pierzynski's one-out double.

Jermaine Dye's RBI double to right field made it a 5-0 game and finished Mays. After handing Gardenhire the ball, he walked off to boos from 32,687 at the Metrodome.

"I don't blame them. I'd boo myself right now, too," said Mays, who walked one batter but did not record a strikeout. "I haven't done my job. I pretty much stunk the past 2 1/2 months."

An injury to Shannon Stewart and Jacque Jones' departure because of a death in the family forced the Twins into fielding a makeshift outfield and lineup against Chicago's Mark Buehrle. A similar lineup boosted Johan Santana to a 5-1 win over the lefty last week.

Buehrle (14-6) allowed one run and six hits over eight innings Wednesday. It was a 6-0 game when Matthew LeCroy broke up the shutout with a 457-foot home run to center field with two outs in the seventh. Three more runs made it tense in the ninth, with two coming on Nick Punto's home run. Minnesota had the tying run at the plate, but Dustin Hermanson got the final two outs for his 31st save.

Mays missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John reconstructive right elbow surgery. Although he was off to a respectable 5-3 start and 4.13 ERA at the All-Star break, reports say his fastball velocity has dipped from 90-91 mph to the high 80s. He also hasn't been as effective with his breaking pitches.

"(140)-plus innings now. We're seeing where he's at," Gardenhire said. "He's having a little bit of a hard time out there. You could see it. The ball is not snapping right now. Now we have to make a decision."

There were no excuses coming from Mays.

"I know it's been a year and a half since I had been out there," he said. "I still go out there and try to make my pitches. You have to try and survive. I'll continue battling and sooner or later, hopefully, will start to click."

Whether the pitcher gets that chance to work out his problems is the big question. The resurgent Twins are 2 1/2 games out in AL Wild Card race and 10 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central standings and every start will count in September.

Prospect Scott Baker, who's already had two impressive big league spot starts this season, has been waiting in the wings. Baker is 5-8 with 3.01 ERA in 22 starts at Triple-A Rochester.

Minnesota might wait to promote Baker until after the rosters expand Sept. 1, which would give Mays one more chance to start. Because injuries have thinned his roster depth, Gardenhire wasn't sure if a move could be made sooner.

"We're really stuck here," he said.

Knowing a meeting with the manager was forthcoming, Mays did not have the appearance of someone who would move to the bullpen kicking and screaming.

"The thing is, the team is in a race," said Mays, who is in the final year of a four-year contract paying him $7.25 million this season. The club holds an $8.5 million option for 2006 with a $500,000 buyout. "They have to do whatever is in the best interest of the team. You just have to swallow your pride and know that it's in the best interest of the team."