Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox – Series Preview (May 28-29): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights

The Cubs (18-26) had a disappointing series split with the Cincinnati Reds after winning the first two contests of the four-game set at the Great American Ballpark. Thursday was an embarrassing 20-5 shellacking that just reinforced the mediocrity of David Ross‘s squad. Now the schedule becomes very difficult again, beginning with two at Guaranteed Rate Field against the White Sox.

The Sox (22-22) continue to hover around the .500 mark and a -42 run differential may actually indicate their record is bit lucky. Star shortstop Tim Anderson is red-hot at the plate but the rest of his teammates are off to surprisingly slow starts offensively. As a result, the dynamic lineup that was expected on the South side sits just in the middle of the pack in most categories through 44 games.

Allowing 33 runs in three games to the Red Sox has done some damage to the South Siders’ ERA, though the return of Johnny Cueto has given a boost to the starting rotation. The bullpen has struggled mightily so far and has been a big issue.

Both of these teams are reeling right now, after being beaten by a combined 36-8 on Thursday. The pressure in this situation is completely on the White Sox however, the Cubs had no preseason expectations while Tony La Russa‘s team was expected to compete for a World Series.

Will that be enough for the Cubs to pull a surprise? Probably not, but it would be fun if they could.

Game Time and Broadcast Info

• Saturday, May 28 at 6:15pm CT on FOX
• Sunday, May 29 at 1:10pm CT on Marquee Sports Network

Starting Pitchers

What to Watch For

• Nico Hoerner and Willson Contreras returned to the Cubs lineup on Thursday. Hoerner marked his return with a home run against the Reds.
• Thompson gets another start as he continues to pitch outstanding baseball in 2022.
• Frank Schwindel has hit four home runs in his last 27 at-bats.