AMERICAN LEAGUE: AROUND THE HORN FOR THE A'S, IT'S A QUESTION OF ATTITUDE.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Many preseason publications picked the Oakland A's to win the AL West, but things haven't gone quite as they hoped so far. They are in last place in the division, but it's no time to panic.

All four teams are right around the .500 mark and none of the four are likely to run away with the division.

A's general manager Billy Beane could do well by asking former Angels GM Bill Bavasi what it's like to oversee a young team with high expectations, but so far Beane is struggling with his team's mediocre start.

``Right now I'm focused on the fact that we're in last place - and no one in the organization is happy with that, period,'' Beane said. ``I don't like the general malaise that has surrounded this team, and I know that (manager) Art Howe feels the same way.''

The A's are fielding offers for outfielder Matt Stairs, a big part of last year's success but someone who has been hurt and has struggled at the plate (.206, 7 homers, 22 RBI). A trade of Stairs would open up right field for Jeremy Giambi.

Stairs normally is the A's cleanup hitter, but in a game last week against the Devil Rays, Howe pinch hit for him. How many managers pinch hit for their cleanup hitter?

``He's not hitting,'' Howe explained. ``I don't know if he's pressing, but he's not hitting.''

--Bronx showdown: Pedro Martinez will start tonight for the Red Sox against the Yankees and former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens at Yankee Stadium.

The last time the two perennial Cy Young award winners faced each other was in last season's ALCS, a game won by Martinez and the Red Sox. It was the Yankees' only postseason loss of the year.

For Martinez to have the same result, he needs to bounce back from his second loss of the year, when he gave up three runs and seven hits and struck out ``only'' seven in a loss to the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

After that game, Martinez told reporters expectations of him have grown too high.

``I am only a little man pitching out there and trying to do my job,'' said Martinez, whose ERA rose from 0.90 to 1.19 and whose record fell to 7-2. ``You are the guys who got me so big. You write all that crap about me.''

--Freak injury: The Orioles have been considering moving Brady Anderson out of center field because at age 36, he seemed to have lost a step. But he recently explained that he's been feeling numbness and weakness in his left foot all season.

The reason?

An ice pack applied to his knee during spring training apparently deadened a nerve in the foot. The Orioles had considered moving Delino DeShields to center field, but Jerry Hairston, who would have taken DeShields' spot at second base, got hurt.

Anderson just recently is reporting improvement in his foot.

--Juiced-ball theory: More evidence that the baseball is juiced - Angels first baseman Mo Vaughn hit the speakers that hang high above the field in the Metrodome twice in one game last week.

The second one Vaughn hit would have ended up a foul ball in the seats behind the third-base dugout, but instead caromed back toward the field of play where Twins third baseman Ron Coomer made the catch for the out.

``I just laughed,'' Vaughn said. ``What can you do?''

Twins manager Tom Kelly told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that it's happening too much this year to be coincidence: ``The balls are hitting the speakers,'' Kelly said. ``The balls almost never used to hit the speakers.''

--Short hops: Rickey Henderson recently drew his 2,000th walk, and now trails only Babe Ruth (2,062) and Ted Williams (2,019) on the all-time list. . . . he Blue Jays have called up former Angels catcher/DH Todd Greene. . . . Through Friday, Angels outfielder Darin Erstad had 77 hits, a pace for 260 over the course of the season. The all-time major league record is 257 set by George Sisler in 1920.