May 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Justin Turner (3) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run double against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Cubs Looking To Widen Gap With Inaugural Rivalry Weekend Series Against White Sox

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Dalton Rice | Last updated May 16, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Entering play on May 3, the Chicago Cubs held a three-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that was sitting at fourth in the NL Central with a 12-15 record just a week before. Today, the Cardinals sit just one game back of Chicago.

With a 4-6 record over their last 10 games, the Cubs' Rivalry Weekend series against the White Sox could not come at a better time. The White Sox 14-30 record leaves little to be desired and while not the worst in the league (thank you Rockies), they are still projected to lose over 100 games for the third straight season.

While the team from Chicago's South Side are riding a hot streak by their expectations, with seven of their wins coming in the last two weeks, the Cubbies have the upper hand as most teams that face the White Sox do. Their offense and defense is uninspiring, while the Cubs have the highest-scoring offense in baseball and have gotten by with an injury-plagued bullpen and rotation that is without top-of-the-line talents in Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The White Sox still hold bragging rights for now with a 78-74 record over the Cubs, but the last five meetings have gone in favor of The North Siders. The last time the Cubs lost a season series with their in-state rivals was in 2022.

Rookie starting pitcher Cade Horton is expected to take the mound at Wrigley Field for the first game of the series, marking his second career MLB start. Horton, 23, went four innings and struck out five batters while allowing three earned runs against the Mets last Saturday.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Here are this weekend's projected pitching matchups:

Shane Smith (1-2, 2.08 ERA) vs. Cade Horton (1-0, 6.75 ERA) - 2:20 pm EST
Sean Burke (2-4, 4.15 ERA) vs. Matthew Boyd (3-2, 2.78 ERA) - 2:20 pm EST
Jonathan Cannon (2-4, 3.60 ERA) vs. Colin Rea (3-0, 2.48 ERA) - 2:20 pm EST

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: