Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox – Series Preview (July 25-27): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (60-42) dropped their series against the Royals to finish a 3–3 homestand that saw them fall a game behind the Brewers in the NL Central race. Despite the struggles against Kansas City, the North Siders are 11-7 so far in July and are 18 over the .500 mark for the year. They look to get back to their winning ways when they head across town for three with the rival White Sox starting Friday night.
The South Siders (37-66) have posted a 5-1 record out of the All-Star break, but they are still way off the pace in the American League Central. The pitching staff has been improving throughout the season and the team ERA is down to 4.08, which is the 19th best in MLB. Former Milwaukee starter Adrian Houser has been pitching great so far with a 1.89 ERA in 62 innings.
The White Sox bullpen has been very solid with a 3.89 ERA that ranks 15th in baseball. It’s a closer-by-committee approach with limited save opportunities available. Dan Altavilla, Tyler Alexander, and Mike Vasil have been some of the best performers in 2025.
The offense has not improved very much at all with a team OPS of .652 that is ahead of only the Pirates, and their 85 homers are also second worst in MLB. The Cubs will get to see former teammate Mike Tauchman, who has the highest OPS (.804) on the roster, after he missed the series at Wrigley Field with an injury.
There aren’t many dangerous hitters on the White Sox roster. Luis Robert Jr. has tremendous power if he can make contact, which has been a major struggle in 2025, and Miguel Vargas leads the team with 12 dingers.
The Cubs can never take their crosstown rivals for granted, even when they are as bad as they have been the past two seasons. With a showdown against Milwaukee looming, manager Craig Counsell‘s squad can’t be caught looking ahead. Every game is huge in a pennant race.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, July 25 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, July 26 at 6:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, July 27 at 1:10pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/25 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 2.40 | 7-3 | 4.31 | 3.12 |
| Adrian Houser | 32 | R | 1.89 | 5-2 | 3.01 | 2.32 | |
| 7/26 | Cade Horton | 23 | R | 4.04 | 3-3 | 4.30 | 2.24 |
| Aaron Civale | 30 | R | 4.76 | 2–6 | 4.92 | 1.44 | |
| 7/27 | TBA | ||||||
| Sean Burke | 25 | R | 4.19 | 4–8 | 5.01 | 1.81 |
What to Watch For
- The Cubs have yet to name a starter for Sunday, and they will probably use some kind of opener.
- Matt Shaw is 9-for-18 in the second half with three home runs.
- Carson Kelly is hitting .340 in July with four home runs and an 1.123 OPS.
- Imanaga has given up just one run over 14 innings in his last two starts.
