Buehrle gets the call for two innings to open Monday's intrasquad game, followed by Javier Vazquez being scheduled for two in Tuesday's intrasquad action. John Danks opens the regular portion of the Arizona schedule on Wednesday afternoon at Tucson Electric Park, followed by Jose Contreras on Thursday at Hi Corbett Field.

According to Guillen's comments earlier in the week, the rotation's third spot would have a direct bearing on the rotation's top spot as he didn't want Buehrle and Danks pitching back-to-back. With Danks third, the rotation leaves Buehrle primed to face Cleveland on March 31 at Jacobs Field.

"Right now, [Buehrle] is," said Guillen of his choice for Opening Day starter. "Danks is third because when I look at it, I think Danks is going to throw a lot of strikes, and then we have Jose [fourth] to protect the kids.

"Detroit has a lot of right-handed hitters, so having Contreras there is something we looked for. I'm not saying it's official, but that's really what it looks like right now. I haven't even told those guys yet."

Going by pure results from 2007, Vazquez would have the numbers to be the Opening Day starter. The right-hander led the team with 15 victories, 216 2/3 innings pitched and 213 strikeouts. Buehrle was no slouch either, with his 10-win total unable to increase on a few occasions due to a struggling bullpen, not to mention his 3.63 ERA and the southpaw tossing the 16th no-hitter in franchise history.

Guillen predicted how neither pitcher would care about the arrangement for the first two starts. In talking with Vazquez and Buehrle on Friday, Guillen's assessment was correct.

"Any time you start Opening Day it's an honor, especially since Javier is equally as deserving after the way he threw last year," said Buehrle, whose Opening Day run was ended when Contreras got the call at home against Cleveland in 2007. "Ozzie has explained to us, if Danks is the No. 3, he wants a righty-lefty setup as much as he can and break up certain guys. I can understand that. If [Gavin] Floyd throws the ball better than Danks and he wins the No. 3 spot, then I agree with him, to put me No. 2 and Javy No. 1."

"It means that you did things right, but Burl, he's done everything right throughout his career, so he deserves it," Vazquez added. "Whoever it is, it really doesn't matter. I mean after that first game, rainouts, off-days, it's no big deal."

Floyd, projected as the fifth starter, opposes Buehrle on Monday for two innings. Nick Masset, who will get a chance to show his value as a starter in a bid to earn a rotation spot, has two innings against Vazquez on Tuesday. Getting the second start of spring and of the regular season does present one bonus to Vazquez, who is on pace to pitch the home opener on April 7 against Minnesota.

News and features:

• White Sox GM a breaker of barriers

• Masset struggles with command

• Crede has precautionary X-ray on ankle

• Cooper offers staff assessment

• Masset, Wassermann up for final spot

• Guillen expects to be back in Tucson

Multimedia:

• Swisher ready for his White Sox debut  400K

• Guillen on '08 roster  400K

• Anderson looking to start strong  400K

• Thome excited for season  400K

• Cabrera on end of camp  400K

• Fields talks about demotion  400K

Spring Training info:
• MLB.com coverage  |  Schedule  |  Ballpark  |  Tickets

"Everyone I know in Chicago is waiting for that day, and it's an important game," Vazquez said of starting Game 1 at U.S. Cellular Field.

More from the mound: Ehren Wasserman, who enters Cactus League action as the leading candidate for the seventh bullpen slot, makes his debut Monday and pitches again Wednesday against the Rockies. Reliever Scott Linebrink pitches Monday and Thursday, as does new acquisition Tomo Ohka. Closer Bobby Jenks is on the chart for Wednesday's opener.

Surprise, surprise: When asked the standard early camp question as to who stood out from the first week of competition, Guillen once again pointed to Floyd.

"Gavin Floyd is throwing the ball unbelievable, outstanding," Guillen said. "I kind of worry about that. I don't want anybody throwing the ball real good right now, but he is."

Brian Anderson is swinging the bat "the best I've ever seen," according to Guillen, while he also was impressed by shortstop Juan Uribe's positive outlook to his present situation.

"I appreciate the way he showed up in camp with the same enthusiasm," said Guillen of Uribe. The two have yet to meet and talk about Uribe's current status, moving from starting shortstop to competing for the second base job. "It's up to him if he's going to be the everyday second baseman."

One more thing: Like many hitters in the early stages of Spring Training, Alexei Ramirez's swing is not quite where it should be come April. But Guillen certainly likes what he's witnessed from the newcomer during defensive drills.

"To impress me taking ground balls takes a lot," Guillen said. "I played that position for a long time. The one thing I know about baseball is shortstop and I see this kid take ground balls next to Orlando Cabrera and he really impressed me.

"Right now we're going to wait until the games start and see when he starts getting more comfortable swinging the bat," Guillen added.

Around the horn: Danny Richar remains the only White Sox player yet to arrive in Tucson. ... Speaking through translator Omer Munoz, Contreras reiterated that both his physical and mental state are strong as he prepares for the 2008 season. ... The famous Tucson Rodeo had a strong White Sox support system on Thursday. Josh Fields and his wife, Carlos Quentin, Jerry Owens, Nick Swisher, Boone Logan and Danks all took in the night's festivities and competition.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.