Why Sox, Indians are headed in different directions

CLEVELAND — Don't like the worn-out phrase “small sample size”. Never have, never will.

So don't go there.

Wait ... sorry, don't like that one either.

Let's try this — the White Sox' offense has opened the season with a big-time bang, even if only two games are in the books.

They scored 15 in Friday's season-opening win against the Indians here at Progressive Field and kept the line moving a day later with an 8-3 decision over a Cleveland team that looks like it could realistically drop 100 games this year.

“Right now, everybody feels good at the plate,” Sox manager Ozzie Guillen of his offense, which is out of the gates with a .363 batting average.

Among the early leaders in American League MVP voting, right fielder Carlos Quentin was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI Saturday. He's batting a cool .625 with 3 doubles, a home run and 7 RBI in the first two games.

“In (2008), Carlos ran it from the first day to the last day,” White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said. “He's capable of doing it. Obviously, he's not going to hit .800 but when he's right he's one of the most dynamic players in the game. There are not many better than him when he's swinging it good.”

Gordon Beckham is also off to a hot start (. 625), and the second baseman was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in the Sox' second straight win over the Indians.

Adam Dunn was 1-for-3 with an RBI single and 2 walks Saturday, and the White Sox' new designated hitter is batting .429 with 1 homer and 5 RBI.

Looking up and down the lineup, every White Sox regular is off to a good start except Alexei “I hate April” Ramirez (. 222) and Alex Rios, who is 0-for-8.

Before calling for his benching, Rios crushed a pitch from Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco in the first inning that would have been a tape-measure shot on most days. But with the wind blowing in on a cool day in Cleveland, the drive died in left field.

In the second inning, Rios hit another laser that third baseman Jack Hannahan caught in self-defense.

“They feel comfortable,” Guillen said of his hitters. “The main thing about baseball is to try to keep it as long as you can when you're hitting well. Make sure you stay on the same path and make sure you don't change anything.”

There is no way the Sox can keep up the early pace, especially when they start playing teams with legitimate major-league pitching.

But there are so many weapons from top to bottom, and the lineup is already beginning to remind me of the 2000 team that featured Ray Durham at the top followed by Jose Valentin, Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee and Chris Singleton.

That offense still holds franchise records for most runs in a season (978), most hits (1,615), most extra-base hits (574) and the highest OPS (. 826).

Konerko is still around, and now he's surrounded by Dunn, Quentin, Rios, Beckham and A.J. Pierzynski.

“We had a lot of people work hard in the off-season,” Walker said. “These guys, I think when they realized when we were really going to put together a team to win, everybody got excited.”

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