Chicago White Sox: Previewing the Chicago Cubs series

The Crosstown Classic is here. This is always a very exciting time for players and fans alike, but these games are important for both teams.

The Chicago White Sox are going to begin a road trip from the home city. They are headed to Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs in a two-game set to kick off the Crosstown Classic. The White Sox have been playing some decent baseball lately and they will certainly look to give the Cubs their best shot.

On Tuesday it will be Ivan Nova for the White Sox against Cole Hamels for the Cubs. That is a pitching matchup that favors the Cubs but Nova can be really good when he is on so hopefully, this is one of those times where he is on. On Wednesday is where we have the premier pitching matchup. It will be Lucas Giolito vs Jon Lester. That one favors the White Sox but Lester is a future Hall of Fame pitcher that knows how to shove.

This will be the first time that Eloy Jimenez gets to face the team that traded him away. Eloy is having an awesome rookie campaign right now and will look to do some damage against his old club. He never played a game for the Cubs but he was their top prospect when they traded him and Dylan Cease to the White Sox for Jose Quintana. Look for Eloy to have a big series.

This is a huge series for both teams. The White Sox are looking to maintain the momentum they’ve had for a few weeks right now. They appear to be turning the corner. They are a year away from serious playoff talk but they want to remain relevant in the Wild Card race down the stretch after back to back bottom four seasons.

The Cubs are World Series contenders this year and there is no getting around that fact. Their biggest competition in the National League are the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers. They have aspirations of winning the division that they find themselves in second place in, behind the Brewers. A good series vs the White Sox could find them back in first.

They are coming off of a hard-fought series against the Dodgers where they were defeated three out of four times. Meanwhile, the White Sox are coming off a similar series with another elite team in the New York Yankees that they split 2-2.

As important as these games are for each club respectively for different reasons, they are also just simply fun. We don’t like them and they don’t like us. It is an awesome city rivalry that gets even spicier when both teams are good. This might be the last year that the Cubs are overall a better baseball team for a while, but they might be pretty even going forward. The White Sox will look to prove that now.

This could go on to be the best decade in Chicago baseball history with both teams being really good, so buckle up. It is a good time to be a baseball fan in this city. Go White Sox.