Chicago @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Mar 19, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 8, Chi. White Sox 4
Now that the Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup, fans in the Windy City can turn their full attention to the White Sox and the Cubs.
Lucky fans.
Two of the biggest busts of the season begin a three-game series at Wrigley Field today as interleague play returns to Chicago.
It's been nothing but frustration on both sides of town through the first two months of the season. Neither club has put together a consistent stretch of baseball, which has led to dissatisfaction with players and managers alike.
Talk has already surfaced that both teams will trade off high-salaried players and that the jobs of managers Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella could be in jeopardy if the clubs continue to stumble.
Both teams are closer to last place than they are to first in their respective divisions.
The White Sox, picked to contend in the American League Central, are seven games under .500 in third place and trail Minnesota by 8 1/2 games. The Cubs are also in third place at six games under .500 and trail Cincinnati by 7 1/2 games.
Perhaps a return to a National League venue will help Jake Peavy. Pitching in American League ballparks certainly hasn't done the trick. Peavy was one of the dominant pitchers in baseball while with the San Diego Padres, going 92-68 with a 3.29 ERA in parts of eight seasons.
Peavy was 3-0 with the White Sox after the 2009 trade, but it's been a much different story this season in the league where pitchers don't swing the bat. He's won four times in 12 starts and is 1-3 in his last four outings. Keeping the ball in the park has been an issue for Peavy, who has given up 11 homers in 76 1-3 innings.
It's been a rocky stretch for Cubs starter Randy Wells. He opened the season 3-0 in his first five starts, but hasn't won since April 30 against Arizona.
Wells is 0-4 in his last seven starts and has had problems getting through the first inning. In his last start against Houston, he gave up three runs in the first, including five straight hits and Carlos Lee's two-run homer. Wells managed to last 5 1-3 innings, but allowed six runs and was the losing pitcher.
That start looked good compared to his other first-inning meltdowns. Wells didn't retire a batter in his May 28 start against St. Louis, when he allowed five runs and six hits and threw only 16 pitches.
He wasn't much better in his May 6 start against Pittsburgh when the Pirates scored five runs and batted around in the first. Wells pitched two innings in that game.