But that’s what the White Sox were able to do in the first half, and that included a half-ending three-game losing streak. The reason, of course, is pitching. All-Star Game starter Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia already have combined for 31 wins, and under-appreciated Dustin Hermanson didn’t give up a run until June and settled the bullpen by grabbing the closer role when Shingo Takatsu faltered.

The question isn’t whether the Sox will be playing in October, it’s whether their style of play will successfully carry over. The offense is strictly pedestrian — seventh in runs scored, tied for 11^th in batting average, no .300 hitter on the roster — except when you’re talking about stolen bases.

Will that be enough in a short series against far more powerful lineups, such as those in New York, Boston and Anaheim? Purists and pitching-duel aficionados are hoping so.

The New York Yankees thought they had made the upgrades they needed in the rotation to win their first World Series in five years, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. You could have predicted Jaret Wright’s return to the disabled list, and Kevin Brown certainly was a question mark. But Carl Pavano has pitched even worse than his 4-6-4.77 numbers indicate. And it’s Randy Johnson now, not the dominating Big Unit of years past. Throw in the inevitable aging of Bernie Williams, and Jason Giambi’s early struggles, and you have the recipe for a first half of underachievement.

But there is nothing wrong with the offense, which is bombing away with a slim league lead in runs scored, Robinson Cano looks more and more like the answer at second base, and Chien-Ming Wang was a first-half rotation savior (who says the Yankees’ farm system is barren?)

You never can rule out a deadline move when it comes to the Yankees, but they have about maxed out at $205 million in payroll. So unless there is a sudden turnaround in the rotation or a deal that proves fruitful, the staff that currently is 10^th in ERA doesn’t appear to be strong enough.

You can say much the same thing about the defending world-champion Red Sox. They sit 12^th in the league in ERA, and if you’re expecting a huge boost from Curt Schilling’s return to the rotation, you may have to wait until 2006, as he is going to the bullpen out of physical necessity more than the Sox’s crying need for late-inning help.

Unable to train on the ankle, he isn’t in top physical shape and the thought of him dominating October games just isn’t a logical one. Don’t be surprised to see a move in the bullpen and possibly another one on the right side of the infield.

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