Cubs vs. White Sox - 5/20

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05/18/2005 6:50 PM ET
Cubs open series with White Sox
White Sox (29-12) at Cubs (18-20), 1:20 p.m. CT, Friday
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

It's time for bragging rights, time for Cub fans and White Sox fans to show their colors -- and time for Interleague baseball.

The Cubs will play host to the White Sox at Wrigley Field on Friday in the first of six games in this home-and-home city series.

"My first year here, I remember a guy told me, 'I don't care if you don't win a game the whole year, just beat the White Sox,'" Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "I'm like, 'Dang, dude, I won't be here too long.' The way people are talking, who knows, I might not be here a long time anyway."

The Cubs arrive after a two-game sweep of the Pirates, and they were able to come from behind in both games to win. The Cubs have had trouble scoring runs, though, and they should get a boost from the revved up crowd.

"There's a lot of hype with this one and the New York one, and I was involved in that and it's a big deal," Cubs outfielder Jeromy Burnitz said, "but the fact is, it is just a series. I don't think the players are near as into the Interleague thing as the fans are."

Burnitz admitted he's not a big fan of playing outside one's league.

"I've never liked Interleague Play," he said. "I think it unbalanced our whole schedule. I guess there's an argument to be made with the fan deal that there's more attendance, and I guess there is, but from a player's perspective, I've never liked it."

Jerry Hairston Jr. grew up in Naperville, Ill., and had some family allegiance to the White Sox because his father played for them. This will be a new experience for him.

"I remember growing up that it was a pretty big rivalry, and I've heard it's grown more and more intense every year," Hairston said. "I know the White Sox are playing great baseball right now. They're probably the best team in baseball and we're going to have to be ready, and hopefully we'll play well."

It'll be a challenge. The White Sox don't get the attention the Cubs do in Chicago, and lately, stories have been about how manager Ozzie Guillen had to park at the McDonald's restaurant across the street from Wrigley Field last year. This is a chance for one of the teams to grab the headlines and show who's the best in town.

"Growing up there, it has been a Cubs town," Hairston said. "I'll tell you what, the way the White Sox are playing, I know more and more fans are coming out to the ballpark and rooting them on -- and rightfully so. They're playing great and like I said, hopefully we'll meet the challenge and play well and it will be a great series.

"Their pitching has been great -- everything's been great," Hairston said of the White Sox. "They've been getting timely hitting and playing pretty good defense."

The Cubs do get a break. They won't have to face eight-game winner Jon Garland or lefty Mark Buerhle. The Cubs will start Greg Maddux, Carlos Zambrano and Mark Prior. Maddux will be making his third career start against the White Sox. The veteran right-hander has been pitching for so long, he's faced White Sox coach Harold Baines (2-for-6 lifetime) and TV broadcaster Darrin Jackson (4-for-25).

Let's see who emerges this year. What's also interesting is who won't be there -- no Sammy Sosa, Kerry Wood, Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez or Frank Thomas. Sosa was the Cubs' all-time Chicago series leader in games played, plate appearances, at-bats, runs, hits, total bases, home runs, extra-base hits, RBIs, walks and strikeouts. Wood, who is on the disabled list, has fanned 34 in the series. Buerhle has 28 strikeouts for the White Sox.

interleague 2005
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This has been the White Sox's year so far.

"They're a good team and I think they're well balanced," said Prior, who will start the series finale on Sunday. "They've been pitching well, and that's the thing. That will carry them.

"It's going to be a tough series," Prior said. "Any one of the five [starters] who they throw out there will be extremely tough. It'll be a lot of fun -- there's a lot of excitement, the energy is always in the ballpark."

Will this be a good test for the Cubs?

"You don't gauge what we do against Interleague teams, but you still have to win these games," Prior said. "You're going to have St. Louis playing the Royals or somebody playing Tampa, so things are a little out of balance. It's like scheduling your football schedule. You play the harder teams, and hopefully it makes you better. They're a very good ballclub and it should be a lot of fun."

Year by year: The Cubs have won the crosstown series twice since Interleague Play began in 1997. Here's a breakdown:

1997: White Sox, 2-1
1998: Cubs, 3-0
1999: White Sox, 4-2
2000: Tied, 3-3
2001: White Sox, 4-2
2002: Tied, 3-3
2003: White Sox, 4-2
2004: Cubs 4-2

2004 Recap
Round 1 at U.S. Cellular Field
June 25: Cubs 7, White Sox 4
Prior and Garland, two Cubs first-round draft picks, squared off against each other in the series opener. Garland was the Cubs' pick in 1997, and the 10th player taken overall. He was dealt to the White Sox on July 29, 1998, for reliever Matt Karchner. Prior was the Cubs' first-round pick in 2001.

In the game, Mark Grudzielanek's three-run homer in the fifth, his first homer of the season, helped open a 4-1 lead. Todd Hollandsworth added an RBI triple and Michael Barrett hit a RBI single in the sixth. The White Sox rallied for three runs in the eighth, including a three-run homer by Paul Konerko off Kyle Farnsworth. The sellout crowd of 39,596 was the largest of the season at U.S. Cellular Field.

June 26: White Sox 6, Cubs 3
Konerko, Joe Crede and Jose Valentin each homered, and Felix Diaz posted his first big league win in his first Major League start as the White Sox evened the series. Diaz gave up three runs on six hits over six innings. Shingo Takatsu pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Thomas reached base four times. Corey Patterson was 2-for-4 with one RBI.

June 27: White Sox 9, Cubs 4
Timo Perez and Miguel Olivo each homered off Cubs starter Maddux. Sammy Sosa homered in his first two at-bats against Esteban Loaiza, including a 454-foot blast to center field, which was the sixth-longest home run by a Sox opponent in U.S. Cellular history. Thomas was ejected between the sixth and seventh innings for arguing balls and strikes.

It was Maddux's first career start against the White Sox, and he gave up nine runs -- seven earned -- on 11 hits over four innings. After the game, the White Sox acquired pitcher Freddy Garcia and catcher Ben Davis from Seattle for Olivo and two Minor Leaguers.

Round 2 at Wrigley Field
July 2: Cubs 6, White Sox 2

The series shifted to Wrigley Field. Zambrano and two relievers combined on a three-hitter. Grudzielanek had three hits and Sosa drove in two runs with a single in the third. However, Zambrano had to leave the game after 6 1/3 innings because of a cramp in his right forearm. It was blamed on dehydration.

The game was not without controversy. Ross Gload's apparent grand slam in the first inning was reversed. Gload had fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches, then sent a drive to right. Umpire Charlie Reliford signaled home run, but Cubs manager Baker argued the call. After a conference by the umpires, the crew overturned Reliford's decision and ruled the ball foul. Gload hit a two-run double on the next pitch to give the Sox a 2-0 lead, but the Cubs rallied.

July 3: Cubs 4, White Sox 2 (six innings)
Maddux survived three rain delays to pick up the rain-shortened victory. The Cubs scored all the runs they needed in the first inning as Rey Ordonez hit a two-run homer and Moises Alou hit a solo shot. There were delays of 31 minutes in the second, 15 minutes in the third and 59 minutes in the fourth. The game was finally called after six innings and a fourth delay.

Sosa added an insurance home run for the Cubs in the fifth. Michael Wuertz picked up his first career save.

July 4: Cubs 2, White Sox 1
Todd Walker drew a bases-loaded walk off Damaso Marte in the ninth to give the Cubs the win and their first sweep of the White Sox since 1998. Walker fell behind, 0-2, in the count before drawing the walk. Derrek Lee hit a solo homer in the second off Buehrle, but the White Sox tied it on Carlos Lee's home run off LaTroy Hawkins in the ninth. Glendon Rusch threw eight scoreless innings for the Cubs, giving up five hits and striking out six.

The three-game set at Wrigley Field drew 117,749, an average of 39,250 per game.

Pitching matchup
CWS: LHP Freddy Garcia
• 3-3, 4.02 ERA in 2005
• Did not face CHC in 2004

CHC: RHP Greg Maddux
• 2-1, 4.15 ERA in 2005
• 1-1, 8.68 ERA in 2004 vs. CWS

Player to watch
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has been bothered by back spasms, but he was able to pinch-hit on Wednesday. Maybe Thursday's off-day will help him.

Quotable
"It's a big deal for the fans, but for us as a team, we approach [the White Sox] just like everybody else. We've still got to go out there and play the game." -- Ramirez on the upcoming series

On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• CWS: WGN TV
• CHC: Comcast Sports Net

On radio
• CWS: ESPN 1000 AM
• CHC: WGN 720 AM

Quick hits
Since Interleague Play began in 1997, the White Sox lead the series against their crosstown rivals, 22-20. In those 42 games, 20 have been decided by one or two runs; 11 have been settled in the final at-bat; and five have gone extra innings. ... Scott Podsednik is 1-for-17 against Maddux, and Carl Everett is 8-for-34 versus the right-hander. ... Walker, who could be activated for the series, is 5-for-12 against Garcia, while Hairston is 0-for-13.

On deck
• Saturday: vs. White Sox, 12:20 p.m. CT
• Sunday: vs. White Sox, 1:20 p.m. CT
• Monday: vs. Astros, 7:05 p.m. CT

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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The Sox fans and the media make a huge deal out of the Cubs-Sox games. I still don't see a rivalry. We are not fighting them for a playoff spot. This inter-league series (inter-league series in general) is crap.
Ozzy Guillen should shut the f*ck about other teams, players, fans, etc. He should just be worrying about his own business. You don't see Baker bashing the Sox, or Sammy Sosa after he left the town. You don't see Joe Torre or Willie Randolph thrashing each other's teams.

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Today's game was sad. The Defense looked bad, and Maddux just lost it in the 5th. Then the offense cannot even score (well 1). I hope it's going to be better the next two games.