"That's our goal," Guillen, the Chicago White Sox manager, said during a weekend series against Kansas City. "I hope that happens. I've seen Minnesota clinch in my ballpark once. I hope we can clinch in theirs."

The American League Central title awaits the White Sox. They survived a managerial gamble by Guillen and take a 2 ½-game lead into Tuesday's opener of a three-game series at Minnesota.

"There's no question we have the advantage," White Sox closer Bobby Jenks said. "They're the ones who have to catch us. Everybody picked us to finish in last place, but here we are."

On the verge of joining the Chicago Cubs in the playoffs for the first time since 1906.

Before even considering the mind-boggling possibility of an all-Chicago World Series in which "the city might explode," first baseman Paul Konerko said, the White Sox must put away the Twins, or "the piranhas," as Guillen calls them.

"We've got to put some poison in that water and make their teeth come out," Guillen said.

He was kidding, we think. It can be hard to tell with Guillen.

The White Sox started plotting for this series when Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper rearranged the rotation.

To hide the fifth starter and get the pitching matchups they wanted, the White Sox went to a four-man rotation in the last week. Righthanders Javier Vazquez and Gavin Floyd and lefthander Mark Buehrle all started on short rest.

Only Buehrle won with three days rest, holding Kansas City to three runs in six innings on Friday. Floyd and Vazquez were knocked around in losses: 11 runs allowed in 10 combined innings.

(To understand how rare this has become, consider that only 24 pitchers have made a total of 28 back-to-back starts on three days rest this season.)

Minnesota failed to take advantage of the opening. Because of that, the White Sox have the huge advantages of a comfortable lead and three well-rested starters for this season. Vazquez, Buehrle and Floyd are all scheduled to face the Twins with their normal four days rest.

"Our pitching staff is going to be stronger," Guillen said. "Every game we've got to go and battle, we've got to fight. This is grinder time."

The White Sox must deal with the bizarre specter of their own personal voodoo palace: the Metrodome. The White Sox are only 1-5 there this season. Club lore is filled with a litany of strange and bad things that have happened to the White Sox underneath the eggshell-white roof.

The White Sox, Buehrle said, would have preferred going into the series with more than a three-game lead to guard against the worst, which often comes to pass at the Metrodome.

"We respect them," Buehrle said. "We might be the only ones who do. We weren't supposed to be here, and neither were they. The experts picked Cleveland and Detroit, but it's us and Minnesota. That's why you play the games.''

The White Sox stand on the edge of the playoffs for many reasons.

Outfielder Carlos Quentin, nursing a fractured right wrist, carried the club for three months with his power. Cuban import Alexei Ramirez has been a multi-dimensional revelation as a rookie. The White Sox lead the world in home runs with 222.

The advancement of two young pitchers is the most important factor of all. Lefthander John Danks and Floyd have changed the White Sox.

A year ago, the pair went 7-18 with a 5.36 ERA in 36 combined starts. This season, they are 27-16 with a 3.53 ERA in 62 starts.

There is no mystery to the improvement. The difference, Cooper said, is both grasped the significance of first-pitch strikes and low-pitch counts.

"They're doing what proven veterans do," said Konerko, limited in September by a sprained ligament in the right knee. "I don't think anybody envisioned this. You'd hope for one guy to do it, but to get both is tremendous."

Danks had seven scoreless innings against Kansas City on Sunday to win what Guillen said was the most important game of the season to date. The rotation juggling was done to ensure Floyd faces the Twins. He has the White Sox's only win at the Metrodome this season and is 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA for four starts against the Twins.

"Everybody said going into spring training that we were the biggest questions on this team," Danks said. "I knew if that was true, we'd be a pretty darn good team. I think Gavin and I have both established ourselves as major-league pitchers. Now, we want to keep doing it in the playoffs."

Floyd is scheduled to start on Thursday against the Twins. Danks will be ready for Friday's home game against Cleveland. They are why Guillen insists "if we get into the playoffs, we're going to be dangerous."