The Chicago Cubs have had little trouble with the Chicago White Sox over the last two seasons -- a trend the club wants to prolong in their Rivalry Weekend opener Friday afternoon against the visiting South Siders.
The Cubs have won five straight in the crosstown rivalry and taken seven of eight since the beginning of the 2023 season. They had an extra day to prepare for the three-game set as the Cubs enjoyed a day off Thursday after taking two of three from the Miami Marlins.
After opening the Miami series with 10 runs in a pair of victories, the National League's highest-scoring offense mustered just two extra-base hits in a 3-1 loss on Wednesday.
"In general, we just didn't create enough offense," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "We had three at-bats with runners in scoring position. Just not a lot of offense."
Despite the lackluster performance, the Cubs still lead the NL with 244 runs. That's tied with the Detroit Tigers for second-most in the majors, trailing only the New York Yankees' 250.
Cubs rookie right-hander Cade Horton (1-0, 6.75 ERA) will get his first major league start Friday. Horton, 23, made his debut Saturday in relief against the New York Mets -- throwing four innings of three-run ball and claiming the victory. The native of Oklahoma City was drafted seventh overall by the Cubs in 2022.
The White Sox also send an impressive rookie right-hander to the mound Friday.
Shane Smith (1-2, 2.08 ERA) has allowed just two earned runs over 11 innings in May, which includes six scoreless innings Saturday in a no-decision against the Marlins. The 25-year-old was the first pick in December's Rule 5 draft, with the White Sox plucking him away from the Milwaukee Brewers.
The White Sox lost their 30th game on Thursday -- second-most in MLB behind the Colorado Rockies' 36. Chicago saw its season-long three-game winning streak snapped in a 7-1 setback to the Cincinnati Reds.
Starter Bryse Wilson allowed seven runs in 5 1/3 innings while Miguel Vargas' eighth-inning RBI single accounted for the entirety of Chicago's offense.
Despite the poor showing on Thursday, the club enters the weekend as a confident group. They've won two straight series, taking two of three from both Miami and Cincinnati.
"We were feeling really good and thought we were in a good spot to play a good game," White Sox first-year manager Will Venable said Thursday. "Disappointing to not do that, but overall a great series. And we'll turn the page on today and go and fight the Cubs (on Friday)."
The White Sox' .214 batting average is tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the worst in the majors, while their 149 runs scored are fewest in the American League. One bright spot through 44 games: The staff ERA of 4.04 has made an impressive leap from their 4.67 mark last year, when they lost a record 121 games.
