Sox taking care of business against losing teams

Seattle can still churn out the Starbucks coffee and grunge music. Good baseball, though, is a rare gem in the Emerald City this summer.

Translation: The Mariners are the kind of team the White Sox cannot slip up against in the heat of a pennant chase.

The White Sox showed no let-up against the league's worst team Monday, tattooing the Mariners 13-5 in the first of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.

This, after Seattle (46-78)was swept out of the Metrodome over the weekend.

"We have to take advantage of these games," White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera said, "just like everybody else is doing."

The White Sox took care of business against the soft underbelly of the beast that is the American League last week, going 5-1 against Kansas City and Oakland. But the Twins matched the White Sox' strong hand, beating up on the Yankees and Mariners.

"Every team you play can beat you and sweep you or take two out of three," said White Sox veteran Paul Konerko. "We don't come to the ballpark anytime thinking this is going to be an easy week. It's just not like that."

The White Sox spotted Seattle a 3-0 lead in the first. Homers by Nick Swisher and Cabrera put the Sox ahead, and Jermaine Dye's second double of the game chased Jarrod Washburn - a potential White Sox trade target for the No. 5 starter job - in a 6-run fifth.

"Teams that aren't in the running can give you fits," Dye said, "because they're coming out relaxed, just playing their game. The pressure is on us to keep doing what we've been doing."

Monday's win inched the White Sox a game ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central. But there is no rest for the wicked.

After the Mariners leave town, the AL East-leading Rays come in for three games. The White Sox play 20 of their last 36 games against teams with winning records, including trips to Boston, New York and Minnesota.

The Twins play 14 of their final 36 vs. clubs above .500 and still go to Anaheim and Tampa Bay.

But, Swisher cautioned, let's worry about the next game first.

"If you start worrying about things in the future, things that are ahead of you, then you won't take care of the things that you need to take care of for right now," Swisher said. "We've put ourselves in a wonderful position and this isn't something that we're going to let slip out of our hands."