The Sox can slug with anyone because when it comes to games of Home Run Derby, few teams can match them.
But it the taut, low-scoring nail-biters haunted them in the past.
That's why Thursday's 2-1 victory to complete a three-game sweep of the Twins may have been the most impressive performance of the last three days.
"You have to be able to win some one-run games, and we did it today," shortstop Jose Valentin said.
The sweep was the first for the Sox in Minnesota since June 1995. They have won five in a row for the first time since last September and are a season-high nine games above .500.
The Twins are going in the other direction, losing their fifth straight for the first time this season and falling two games behind the Sox.
Jon Garland (6-5) outdueled Johan Santana (6-5) to get the victory on a day in which the Sox managed only four hits.
One of the hits was Carlos Lee's two-run homer in the first inning that provided all the scoring offense the Sox could manage.
Santana struck out 12, tying a season-high. In his last five starts he has 51 strikeouts, a 4-1 record and 1.89 ERA.
"This kid is the best pitcher in the American League right now," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Santana. "Before the game we [said] we needed to pitch well to beat him and that's what we did."
Garland went seven innings, allowing seven hits and one run in the first. He was also the recipient of some fine defensive plays.
In the first, after Lee's homer put the Sox up 2-0, Christian Guzman singled and Doug Mientkiewicz doubled to put Twins on second and third with no outs. Lew Ford hit a hard grounder up the middle that Valentin dived for, caught, then threw out Ford. Guzman scored but Mientkiewicz had to hold at second.
Garland then retired Corey Koskie and Torii Hunter on fly balls to end the inning with the lead.
"It was a huge play," Garland understated.
With one out in the fifth, the Twins had runners on first and second when Guzman hit a line drive that Paul Konerko snared at first and fired to Valentin to double off Joe Mauer and end the inning.
In the past those are the kind of plays the Twins would make to kill Sox rallies.
"So many times we have come in and had tough times," Valentin said. "Beating those guys here is not easy. The way we are playing the game right now is just a great feeling."
Garland's performance was the second stellar outing by a starter in the three games and newly acquired Freddy Garcia picked up his first victory in a Sox uniform Wednesday night despite giving up five runs.
"It was a good time for that outing," Garland said. "I hadn't thrown too well, even though I had a couple of good games mixed in the middle. It was a good time for me and a good time for the team."
The Sox have been on an emotional high since the beginning of the Cubs series last Friday. They hope it continues this weekend when they travel to Wrigley Field.
"I think it's good for the players to get that feeling," Guillen said. "To go to [Wrigley] will be like a playoff game for us. When you're in a pennant race every game is big, especially in this division."