Since the Major League Baseball’s opening series in Toyko on March 25, viewers have seen some very exciting game play through both the National and American Leagues.

In Chicago, baseball lovers are divided between rooting for the White Sox or the Cubs. Both teams show signs of smart baseball playing and continue to stand in the top two spots of their divisions.

As of May 9, the White Sox ranked in second place in the American League Central with a record of 16-17, one game behind the first-place Minnesota Twins. In the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers are in last place, only 3 ½ games from first place. This shows the difficult league the White Sox are in. The race for the central division has been rough for the White Sox in the past couple of weeks.

The White Sox were on a five-game losing streak on their last stretch of away games. The White Sox have seen some horrible numbers on the road, with a record of 7-10, the most away game losses in the American League Central.

Not only have the White Sox seen bad numbers on the road, but most of their top hitters have been in slumps since the beginning of the season. Joe Crede, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome all have a batting average of under .250. The batter with the highest batting average is A.J. Pierzynski with .299.

The streak-hitting of Pierzynski has seemed to have rubbed off on some of the teammates, according to Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the White Sox in an article in the Chicago Sun-Times. The recent addition of Carlos Quentin to the White Sox roster has added some significant numbers to the ball club. Quentin leads the White Sox with eight home runs and 25 runs batted in.

Although the White Sox have seen worse numbers in their offense, the talk of the White Sox has been based primarily on their pitching. Starting pitcher Gavin Floyd leads the White Sox in the lowest earned run average and most wins and least amount of losses. Floyd has also come close to getting two no-hitters. Most recently on May 6, Floyd went 8.1 innings without giving up a hit. However, the most surprising statistic is Mark Buehrle’s record of 1-4. He also has the highest ERA in the starting rotation.

The White Sox need to improve on their overall offense and start earning more runs. Their defense has been solid, but Buehrle and Jose Contreras need to start producing better results. I give the White Sox an overall grade of C for this season so far, but their season is not over. The White Sox have the rest of their season to prove they will be the 2008 World Series Champions.