A position-by-position look at the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox going into the World Series, starting tonight at U.S. Cellular Field:

First Base

Astros: Mike Lamb or Lance Berkman. A left-handed hitter with pop, Lamb probably will play against Chicago’s three right-handed starters and sit when lefty Mark Buehrle pitches. Berkman, a slugging switch-hitter, will likely move from the outfield to 1B in Game 2 against Buehrle. Lamb has two homers and a double in 22 at-bats this postseason.

White Sox: Paul Konerko. The AL championship series MVP is the one really big bat in Chicago’s scrappy lineup. After hitting 40 homers and driving in 100 runs during the regular season, he had four HRs and 11 RBIs in eight playoff games. Houston’s accomplished pitchers like to challenge people, but they might be wise to be extra careful with this guy – or even work around him. Make somebody else beat you.

Edge: White Sox, because Lamb gets most of the playing time at 1B for Houston, not Berkman.

Second Base

Astros: Craig Biggio. In the World Series at last after 18 big-league seasons. Incredibly, he’s still plenty productive at age 39. An effective table-setter with extra-base power, he provides leadership and sparks the offense from the leadoff spot.

White Sox: Tadahito Iguchi. A 30-year-old rookie from Japan who can do a lot of things: bunt from the No. 2 hole, drive the ball into the gaps, field his position, hit a home run, steal a base. He’s shown a knack for getting big hits, too.

Edge: Astros.

Shortstop

Astros: Adam Everett. Slick fielder who turned a terrific double play with Bruntlett to preserve victory in Game 4 of the NLCS.

White Sox: Juan Uribe. Free swinger with some pop: 16 HRs and 71 RBIs during the regular season. He’s 8-for-26 (.308) in the postseason with a homer, two doubles and four RBIs. He can hurt you, but quality pitches should be enough to get him out.

Edge: White Sox, by half a step.

Third Base

Astros: Morgan Ensberg. A breakout season (36 HRs, 101 RBIs, .388 on-base percentage) earned him his first trip to the All-Star game. Batting cleanup, he leads the team with nine RBIs in the postseason. Could use more protection in the lineup.

White Sox: Joe Crede. Coming off a huge ALCS against the Angels in which he batted .368 with two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs in five games. He’s been Mr. Clutch at the plate in the late innings.

Edge: Astros.

Catcher

Astros: Brad Ausmus. Two-time Gold Glove winner is a steadying influence behind the plate and knows just how to handle his experienced pitching staff. Dartmouth grad hit a tying homer with two outs in ninth inning of division series Game 4 against Atlanta.

White Sox: A.J. Pierzynski. With a reputation for being an unpopular agitator, Pierzynski wound up in the middle of one disputed play after another in the ALCS. But he’s been on a lot of winning teams and his bat often gets overlooked: 18 HRs during the regular season.

Edge: Even.

Left Field

Astros: Berkman or Chris Burke. Fully recovered from offseason knee surgery, Berkman probably is the most dangerous all-around hitter in Houston’s lineup – and he’s been on a tear for two months.

White Sox: Scott Podsednik. He gets a lot of credit for being a speedy offensive sparkplug from the leadoff spot, but he really wasn’t all that special a player this year – until the postseason. Podsednik had a .459 on-base percentage during the playoffs.

Edge: Astros.

Center Field

Astros: Burke or Willy Taveras. Thanks to some surprising production, Burke began starting every day during the NLCS, playing CF against right-handers with Taveras on the bench. Both are rookies and both have flourished in October.

White Sox: Aaron Rowand. A fearless player often seen diving for line drives and crashing into outfield fences. He should be a leading candidate for a Gold Glove award this year. Rowand can hit, but he went 3-for-18 (.167) in the ALCS with three doubles.

Edge: White Sox.

Right Field

Astros: Jason Lane. Finally given a full-time role this year, the talented Lane provided 26 HRs, 34 doubles and 78 RBIs. He is 9-for-38 (.237) in the postseason with two HRs and six RBIs.

White Sox: Jermaine Dye. The oft-injured Dye stayed healthy enough to get 529 at-bats this season, hitting .274 with 31 HRs and 86 RBIs. He has plenty of postseason experience, though this is his first World Series since his rookie year with Atlanta in 1996, when he went 2-for-17 (.118) with one RBI against the Yankees. Dye helps to protect Konerko, but he probably must provide some production.

Edge: White Sox.

Designated Hitter

Astros: Jeff Bagwell. A prolific slugger now slowed by shoulder injuries, Bagwell, like his buddy Biggio, is a Houston icon making his first trip to the World Series. The 1994 NL MVP, Bagwell has been limited to pinch-hitting duty since returning fin September.

White Sox: Carl Everett. A switch-hitter with a volatile temper and some offbeat opinions on history. He had 23 HRs and 87 RBIs this year but was held in check in the playoffs.

Edge: White Sox.

Starting Pitching

Astros: RH Roger Clemens, LH Andy Pettitte, RH Roy Oswalt, RH Brandon Backe. Houston’s stingy rotation is well-rested and set up perfectly. The 43-year-old Clemens led the majors with an amazing 1.87 earned-run average this season. He lost his first playoff start, then came out of the bullpen to rescue Houston in the 18-inning game and earned a gritty victory in the NLCS. He is 3-0 with a 1.90 ERA in seven World Series starts. Pettitte is 14-9 in his postseason career, and Oswalt won twice in the NLCS to earn MVP honors.

White Sox: RH Jose Contreras, LH Buehrle, RH Jon Garland, RH Freddy Garcia. These guys threw four consecutive complete games in the ALCS, becoming the first quartet to accomplish that feat in a postseason series since the 1956 New York Yankees. Featuring a nasty splitter, Contreras has been throwing the ball as well as any pitcher in baseball since the All-Star break. Buehrle started the All-Star game and works quickly. Garland (18-10, 3.50 ERA) had a breakout season and was impressive in his playoff debut.

Edge: Even.

Relief Pitching

Astros: RH Brad Lidge, RH Dan Wheeler, RH Chad Qualls, LH Mike Gallo, RH Russ Springer, RH Ezequiel Astacio, LH Wandy Rodriguez. Everybody knows about Lidge by now, but Wheeler and Qualls are an underrated setup tandem that did an outstanding job all year. Gallo gets the lefties out – he’s allowed one hit in 21â3 shutout innings spanning five appearances this postseason. Lidge must recover from Albert Pujols’ stunning homer in Game 5 of the NLCS, but it’s hard to imagine he won’t. He’s already established himself as one of the best closers in baseball.

White Sox: RH Bobby Jenks, LH Neil Cotts, RH Cliff Politte, RH Dustin Hermanson, LH Damaso Marte, RH Orlando Hernandez, RH Luis Vizcaino. Rested or rusty? The bullpen was used for only two outs in the entire ALCS – and those came way back in Game 1. There’s a lot of depth here, but it wasn’t needed at all against the Angels. Jenks, a hard-throwing rookie, was the closer down the stretch and earned two saves in the first round against Boston. Cotts and Politte quietly dominated hitters all season.

Edge: Astros.

Bench

Astros: Orlando Palmeiro, Bruntlett, Jose Vizcaino, Raul Chavez. This group is deeper than it looks because Burke, Taveras and Lamb have been rotating in and getting regular at-bats.

White Sox: Pablo Ozuna, Geoff Blum, Timo Perez, Chris Widger, Willie Harris. Not much to get excited about here, though the White Sox haven’t used their bench much lately anyway. Ozuna had a big stolen base in Game 2 of the ALCS, but that was it.

Edge: Astros.

Prediction

White Sox in 7 – They won’t throw this one. Say it’s so, Shoeless Joe.