Chicago ? The season is nearly two months old, and already the White Sox have played like defending World Series champions. They have an improved offense with Jim Thome and a starting staff that is still one of the best in the majors.

At 31-15, the White Sox look like a team capable of repeating in the AL Central.

All that and they’re still in second place. The Detroit Tigers have played even better.

The White Sox figured they’d have a stiff challenge from the Cleveland Indians, the team that nearly overtook them last September.

But it’s the Tigers who have forged to the top of the division and have the best record in the majors.

“We’re in May. I’ll worry about the Tigers when we face them,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said this week.

“They’re playing well. They’re pitching well. That doesn’t surprise me. The last couple of years I’ve been saying this ballclub is the team to beat.”

The White Sox swept three from Detroit in the second week of April, but the teams don’t meet again until the Tigers come to U.S. Cellular Field next month for a three-game series June 6-8. Since Chicago’s sweep at Comerica Park, the Tigers have taken off.

With manager Jim Leyland’s leadership and an offense featuring former White Sox star Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers could be a formidable obstacle all season.

After beating lowly Kansas City on Thursday, Detroit has a 33-14 record. The Tigers have won 13 of 14 and own a major-league-high 20 road victories.

“We’ve played good baseball, but not like them,” Guillen said. “We’re not real consistent. Hopefully we continue to stay with them. It’s going to be a tough fight all the way to the end.”

The White Sox are coming off an emotional six-game homestand in which they won two of three from the Cubs in a wild series that included a bench-clearing brawl and then swept a team that has given them trouble the last five years, the Oakland Athletics.