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Last Meeting ( Jun 13, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 0, Chi. Cubs 1
The Chicago White Sox have fashioned themselves one of the hottest streaks of the season - and they'd love nothing more than to extend that run against their cross-town rivals.
The White Sox will look for their 10th consecutive victory Friday afternoon in the curtain-raiser of their twice-annual Windy City showdown with the Cubs.
The White Sox took two of three from the Cubs when they last met two weeks ago at Wrigley Field, losing the series finale June 13 before reeling off nine straight wins.
They'll look to build their first 10-game winning streak since 1976 against the only team to have beaten them in the past 2 1/2 weeks. And the White Sox had a glorious chance to win that game, but stranded two runners in the ninth inning of the 1-0 loss.
The White Sox looked impressive in sweeping the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves out of town. Thursday's victory, their 13th in the past 14 games, was a 2-0 masterpiece in which Gavin Floyd and two relievers limited a formidable Braves lineup to just a pair of hits.
Paul Konerko's two-run homer in the eighth inning provided the lone runs of the game.
Fireballer Jake Peavy (6-5) will attempt to keep the hot streak going. And if he can duplicate his previous outing, that won't be a problem. Peavy was a force in his last start, tossing a complete-game three-hitter while striking out seven as the White Sox blanked the Washington Nationals 1-0.
Peavy has enjoyed some success against the Cubs in his career, going 4-2 all-time with a 2.72 ERA over nine starts. He last faced them June 11, scattering two runs on six hits over seven effective innings in a 10-5 triumph. He's allowed just four runs over his previous 23 innings, lowering his ERA from 6.23 to 5.07.
He'll face a Cubs lineup that continues to scuffle as it approaches the halfway point of the season. The North Siders dropped two of three games to the Seattle Mariners, scoring just one run over the first two games before averting a sweep with a 3-2, 13-inning win in Thursday's finale.
The Cubs rank near the bottom of the NL in runs scored and are batting an unimpressive .259 to date.
They may get some help in that regard from today’s starter, Carlos Zambrano (3-5). The burly right-hander is one of the better hitting pitchers in the league, though he's hitting a modest .250 this season with no home runs and four RBIs in 20 at-bats.
Zambrano had his strongest game of the season on both counts last time out. In his fourth start since returning from a stint in the bullpen, he limited the Los Angeles Angels to a run on eight hits over seven strong innings, striking out seven. Zambrano also had two hits as the Cubs cruised to a 12-1 victory.
The 29-year-old is 5-3 with a 4.56 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts) against the White Sox. He was touched for five runs in 5 1/3 innings the last time he faced them, a 6-0 loss last June 28.