AMERICAN LEAGUE UPDATE: SOX GAINING RESPECT IN CUB COUNTRY.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

The Chicago White Sox will bring baseball's best record - currently 31-12 after their 5-3 taming of the rival Cubs on Saturday - to Angel Stadium on Monday. And with that gaudy record comes an apparently heightened sense of respect in the Second City.

One year after he said he had to park his car at a McDonald's adjacent to Wrigley Field, bombastic Sox manager Ozzie Guillen found more convenient digs upon arrival Friday.

He had a spot right next to Cubs manager Dusty Baker.

But the Sox's emergence isn't merely symbolic. Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland (Kennedy High of Granada Hills) and Freddy Garcia might comprise the best 1-2-3 set of starting pitchers in the American League. Vaunted prospect Brandon McCarthy is expected to make his major-league debut today, newly acquired outfielder Scott Podsednik has energized the offense and the Minnesota Twins' mini-dynasty is in some peril - they already are five games back.

It also doesn't hurt that the White Sox already ensured a series victory in their first go-round with the Cubs. The South Siders likely always will be second-class citizens in the battle for Chicago's hardball affection.

Guillen figures there is only one way to change that.

``If we don't win everything, they will still be more popular,'' he said. ``We have to win the World Series if we want to own this town. This is a Cubs town, and I respect that. I think they've earned that. But we're going to try and do everything we can to turn that around.''

For now, Guillen will do what he can to avoid his mouth getting him in trouble as far as the Cubs are concerned.

``If I say something about it, people will say I'm jealous or talking a lot of (bleep) again,'' he said. ``No, I think just, hey, we haven't earned anything yet and we're going for it. We're trying to earn something.''

--Sluggish starts: Seattle sluggers Adrian Beltre (.231) and Richie Sexson (.226) are struggling early, hardly a surprise given that both are adjusting to the American League. But the Mariners' starting pitching has compounded their hitters' woes by consistently pitching their club out of games, the main reason why the M's entered Saturday's game with a 16-25 record.

Entering Friday, Mariners starters had a cumulative ERA of 5.63 to put them 28th out of 30 clubs. This week, the club sent Joel Pineiro, expected to be among their top two starters, back to Triple-A Tacoma to work on mechanics.

Jamie Moyer, with a .332 opponents' batting average, appears to be showing every one of his 42 years, and stop-gap solution Aaron Sele has posted a 9.68 ERA in his four losses.

A shoulder injury to left-hander Bobby Madritsch ensured Ryan Franklin would stay in the rotation, and he has provided a modicum of consistency with a 4.37 ERA in seven starts.

Right now, that qualifies Franklin for staff ace status.

``In my heart, I'm not feeling like we don't have the talent to be more successful than we have been in our starting rotation,'' pitching coach Bryan Price told the Seattle Times. ``I always look at guys as what I think they can be and anticipate them getting there. I believe in this group of guys.''

--Byrnes backtracks: When boisterous Oakland A's outfielder Eric Byrnes plays winter ball in the Dominican Republic, the natives call him ``Captain America,'' because of his all-out style of play. Byrnes tried too hard to live up to that nickname last week, when he peeled a fan off the right-field wall after the fan ran onto the Coliseum field and eluded security guards.

Then, he stuck his foot in his mouth after manager Ken Macha suggested playing Outfield Cop wasn't such a good idea.

``I don't really care what he says,'' Byrnes said. ``I'm going to do what I'm going to do out there.''

Whoops. Byrnes, 3 for 9 lifetime against Boston's Bronson Arroyo, was benched the next day. Given that Byrnes has popped up on the trading block for most of the last year, he could be yapping his way out of town. Macha generally doesn't care for his players undercutting him, and Byrnes finally backtracked a few days later.

``I respect Ken Macha as a person and as a manager,'' he said twice.

--Ailing Rangers: The Texas Rangers again have gamely stayed in the AL West race, but again, the odds seem stacked against them. That is because a bullpen they leaned heavily on last year is down two stalwarts - Carlos Almanzar and Frank Francisco, who both suffered season-ending injuries. In the throes of desperation, they signed Yankees cast-off Steve Karsay to a minor-league contract.

Karsay has pitched in just 13 major-league games since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2002, but the Rangers can't exactly be choosers at this point.

``I think Steve is at a point in his comeback where he wants to come to an organization where he'll get an opportunity to get the ball once he is ready,'' pitching coach Orel Hershiser said.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

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- Matt McHale

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COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE WEEK IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 

- Rich Hammond