Game Thread: White Sox at Cubs

Chicago kicks off the Crosstown Classic with Shane Smith on the mound looking to snap the South Side losing streak

MLB has launched its very first “Rivalry Weekend,” where typical City rivals will face off all on the same weekend, and when you’re done rolling your eyes what better way to kick off the inaugural weekend than the Crosstown Classic in Chicago?

The Cubs (25-19) will host the White Sox (14-30) at Wrigley Field in a three-game series while riding a five-game Crosstown win streak, which is hardly shocking when you factor in that the Sox had the worst season of all time in 2024. There’s not much that the South Siders can hang their hats one, but they do still have a (very) slight lead in all time series wins, at 74-72.

(Of course, in all-time play between the two teams heading back to the 1906 World Series and scores of games played in the City Series over the first half of the 20th Century, the White Sox all-time record remains dominant.)

Prior to the game Friday, the White Sox also announced a flurry of roster moves, that both excited and puzzled fans. They did finally designate Jacob Amaya for assignment (.097/.119/.113), but then decided to add Vinny Capra — who was recently claimed off waivers from the Brewers — and miraculously has a worse batting average (.074) than Amaya.

Righthander Shane Smith, is making his ninth start of the season, and has been phenomenal since joining the team as a Rule 5 draft pick. Smith has a 2.08 ERA and a 197 ERA+. He has also given up just one home run, which would be tied for first in the league alongside Kodai Senga and Mitchell Parker. Smith’s fastball averages in the mid-90s, but his off-speed pitches tend to be the problem for hitters. His changeup is tossed about 22% of the time, and the curveball just 8% of the time, but both pitches have just a .143 opponent batting average, and efficient whiff rates, at 34.7% and 45.5%, respectively.

The White Sox continue to roll with Chase Meidroth in the leadoff spot, and though he is only batting .248, he gets on base higher than most on the team (.350 OBP). Both South Side catchers have been at the top of the team leaderboards for majority of offensive categories, and will be in the game with Thaiss starting behind the plate and Edgar acting as DH. The middle of the order will be rounded out by Joshua Palacios and Miguel Vargas, who have a 1.011 OPS, and .857 OPS with four RBIs, respectively, over the past week.

On the mound for the North Siders is Cade Horton, who is making his second start of the year for the Cubs after being called up to the big leagues on May 6. Horton struggled in his first outing (4 IP, 4 H, HR, 3 ER, HBP, 5 K), but that could also be attributed to first-game jitters. With the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, Horton has posted a 1.24 ERA across 29 innings with 33 strikeouts and a 0.862 WHIP.

Though Cubs hitters have not yet faced Smith, the North Siders have had some solid and clutch offense this season, and rank fourth in MLB in OPS while the White Sox rank last. It also helps that two of their hitters — Seiya Suziki and Kyle Tucker — are ranked in the top seven for RBIs, with Tucker ranking in the top 20 for league OPS. Pete Crow-Armstrong is right up their with them with 30 RBIs, and ranks second on the team in OPS (.844). He’s also a weapon in the outfield, with nine outs above average, tied for first in the league, and hasn’t made an error this year.

Catch the Crosstown action either on CHSN or on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. If you’re for some reason dying to watch the North Side broadcast, you can view the game on Marquee Network or listen in on AM 670 The Score.