Chicago baseball at midseason point

With the major league baseball season in full swing and the year less than a
month away from the all-star break, both Chicago teams sit atop their respecti-
ve divisions. On one side of town this was expected and on the south side of
town it came as a surprise. The Cubs have been the best team in baseball for
the past two weeks while the Sox have been hanging on to first in the underach-
ieving AL Central.
The two teams square off this weekend in what figures to be three intense ga-
mes at the Friendly Confines. The Cubs have the dubious distinction of being
th best team in baseball this late in the season since 1977. You talk about a
futile organization. The NL Champion Colorado Rockies have helped their cause,
struggling at 9 games under the .500 mark.
The crosstown series is about as even an overall season as you will find.
Tied at 30, the teams have home records of 16-14 and have scored 291 runs
apiece. Not only do both teams want to maintain their first-place leads,
but seek to take over the series lead. The North Siders have the advantage
in this series, but are coming off their first three game losing streak of
the season. Riding an 11-game home winning streak, the Cubs boast an overal
l home record of 29-8, also best in the majors. However, the Sox have momen-
tum on their side, coming off a three game sweep of the lowly Pittsburgh Pir-
es. They also catch a break in avoiding Carlos Zambrano this weekend and
possibly next weekend.
On the injury beat, both teams have key players out. The Sox lost first
baseman Paul Konerko to the 15-day DL due to a left oblique strain. Conseq-
uently, this is the first time Konerko has been on the DL in his professional
career. He has been a Cub killer, hitting 14 home runs against them as well
as hitting over .300. Alfonso Soriano is on the DL with a broken left hand.
The Cubs are 32-15 when he bats in the leadoff position. Replacing him for
the next 3-4 weeks will be Japanese phenom Kosuke Fukudome. Zambrano is
scheduled to have an MRI today to check on his sore shoulder. He will miss
his next scheduled start against Baltimore and hopes to be back on the mound
next series.
Slugger Jim Thome will also be on the bench due to the lack of designated
hitter. Nick Swisher will take over first base duties for Konerko and the
"Cuban Missile", Alexei Ramirez will most likely man second. Matt Murton
could see some time in left, and Ronny Cedeno seen turning two. Pitching
matchups favor the Cubs in this one as three veterans take the hill in Ted
Lilly, Jason Marquis and Ryan Dempster. The Sox counter with the up-and-
coming John Danks, the aging Jose Contreras, and hard-thrower Javier Vazquez.
Sunday night baseball concludes the crosstown series until next weekend at
the Cell. Let us all enjoy the black(Sox) and blue(Cubs) rivalry for one
more year.