Series Preview: Cubs at White Sox, September 21 – September 23, 2018

The Cubs finally got their off-day yesterday and although the games are “on the road,” this weekend, they’ll get to sleep in their own beds through the end of the regular season.

Indeed, the Cubs are headed to Guaranteed Rate Field ⬇️this afternoon and throughout the weekend, to wrap up their season series with the White Sox (after that it’s home series against the Pirates and Cardinals). If you recall, the Cubs won two out of three against the Sox at Wrigley Field back in May, so they need to just two more wins for … AH WHO CARES ABOUT THE CROSSTOWN CUP. 

The Cubs have a division to win and their magic number is 8. Beat the Sox today, and it drops to 7. Sweep them and it’s down to five, regardless of what the Brewers do against the Pirates. We’re in the home stretch now. Let’s see what they’ve got.

We’re Going Streaking

The Chicago Cubs (89-63) have won six of their past ten games and are on the doorstep of winning 90 games four seasons in a row for the first time in a century.

The Chicago White Sox (60-92) have lost six of their past ten games and have already lost 92 games for the second consecutive season. The last time they lost 90+ games in back-to-back seasons was 1988 and 1989, but the last time they lost 92+ back-to-back was 1968-1970, when they did it three seasons in a row. Fingers crossed for next year!

Game Times and Broadcasts Info

Friday, September 21st at 3:10 CT on CSNC, MLBN, 670 The Score

Saturday, September 22nd at 6:10 CT on CSNC, MLBN, 670 The Score

Sunday, September 23rd at 8:40 CT on ABC-7, MLBN, 670 The Score

Chicago Cubs

Probable Pitchers:

Jose Quintana (3.95 ERA, 4.50 FIP; 2.09 K/BB)

Jon Lester (3.43 ERA, 4.40 FIP; 2.37 K/BB)

Kyle Hendricks (3.58 ERA, 3.85 FIP; 3.67 K/BB)

Active Depth Chart:

C – Willson Contreras

1B – Anthony Rizzo

2B – Daniel Murphy

3B – Kris Bryant/David Bote

SS – Javy Baez

LF – Kris Bryant/Ben Zobrist

CF – Ian Happ/Albert Almora

RF – Ben Zobrist/Kris Bryant/Jason Heyward

Unavailable: Brandon Morrow, Yu Darvish, Justin Hancock, Drew Smyly, Mark Zagunis, Kyle Schwarber, Pedro Strop

Chicago White Sox

Probable Pitchers:

Reynaldo Lopez (4.05 ERA, 4.72 FIP; 1.97 K/BB)

Lucas Giolito (5.77 ERA, 5.55 FIP; 1.42 K/BB)

Carlos Rodon (3.22 ERA, 4.84 FIP; 1.67 K/BB)

Active Depth Chart:

C – Wellington Castillo

1B – Jose Abreu

2B – Yoan Moncada

3B – Yolmer Sanchez

SS – Tim Anderson

LF – Nicky Delmonico

CF – Adam Engel

RF – Avisail Garcia

Unavailable: Leury Garcia, Danny Farquhar, Miguel Gonzalez, Michael Kopech

Keep An Eye Out For …

Cubs Pitcher: Kyle Hendricks came close to a complete game shutout his last time out, can he he get close again? Or will the Cubs pull him early to preserve a little gas for October.

Cubs Player: Kris Bryant continues to improve his production, particularly in the power department, since returning from the disabled list, and he’s now slashing .288/.368/.441 (120 wRC+) since September 1. With that said … he did strikeout six times 9 at-bats, so … yeah, ouch.

White Sox Pitcher: Lucas Giolito is literally the worst pitcher in baseball by fWAR this season, and has a 5.77 ERA and 5.55 FIP. The Cubs – for god knows what reason – have struggled with bad pitchers all season. Hopefully, that stops this weekend.

White Sox Player: Yoan Moncada has also had an extremely disappointing season, hitting to a 94 wRC+ through 141 games, but he has been hot lately. Since August 25th, he’s slashing .300/.351/.422 (114 wRC+) and he’s currently working on a three-game hitting streak, featuring six hits and two extra bases.