Cubs Limp into Weekend Series With White Sox

The Chicago Cubs are going into this weekend series against the Chicago White Sox very banged up. Besides having LF Alfonso Soriano, CF Reed Johnson and SP Carlos Zambrano on the disabled list, the might also be without RF Kosuke Fukudome and RP Scott Eyre.

Fukudome is nursing a tight calf, most likely due to playing 6 straight games on Artificial Turf in Toronto and Tampa Bay last week. He missed the last two games of the Baltimore series and the Cubs have been sending out Mark DeRosa to play RF. Hopefully Fukudome will be able to recover in time for the weekend series.

Eyre was removed after pitching to 3 batters on Thursday, complaining of a tight groin. The Cubs have no plans on placing him on the DL now, hoping that he responds to treatments instead. Hopefully the Cubs injury woes are only temporary and that once the Cubs get through this stretch, they'll be healthy for the remainder of the year. Hopefully.

After losing two of three to the Orioles this week, the Cubs are hoping to rebound with another series win in Chicago, this time playing in U.S. Cellular field on the southside of Chicago. But the White Sox come in with a bit of momentum of their own, after taking 2 of 3 from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The pitching match ups are expected to be Ryan Dempster vs Jose Contreras on Friday, Sean Gallagher vs Javier Vasquez on Saturday and Sean Marshall vs Mark Buehrle on Sunday. I would expect the White Sox to take 2 of 3 from the Cubs this weekend, but still giving the Cubs the season series.