CHICAGO — For the first time in a month
Anthony Santander Jersey , the Chicago Cubs will play after an off-day as they head into the stretch run of what they hope leads to their third straight
National League Central Division title.With their magic number at eight to
clinch, the Cubs begin a three-game series against their crosstown rival Chicago
White Sox on Friday fresh off a difficult slate during which they played 29
games in 30 days. Over that time, the Cubs won 18 of the 29 games and will
return to action after catching their breath Thursday. They will attempt to use
this weekend’s three-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field to hold off the
second-place Milwaukee Brewers.As much as his team may be fatigued, manager Joe
Maddon liked how the Cubs closed off the long string of games. Despite a 9-0
loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, the Cubs enter Friday’s game
having won five of their last seven games, which closed out a successful stretch
that Maddon was pleased with overall.Article continues below ...“That’s a pretty
good stretch right there,” Maddon told reporters Wednesday, according to the
Chicago Tribune. “What was it? Eighteen and 11 during that stretch
http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-brach-jersey , something like that? Sign me up … We’ll take that every day of the week.“I’m
really pleased and happy and proud how the guys have handled this.”Jose Quintana
will start for the Cubs on Friday as he faces his former team. Quintana (13-10,
3.95 ERA) had gone five starts without a loss before he suffered a setback in
his last outing, when he allowed two runs over five innings against the
Cincinnati Reds and struck out seven. Quintana, who spent 5 1/2 seasons with the
White Sox before joining the Cubs at midseason last year, will start against the
White Sox for the first time.The White Sox will face the Cubs following an
extra-inning 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. That snapped a
three-game losing streak as Matt Davidson delivered a 10th-inning RBI single.
The White Sox dropped two of three games against the Cubs in May, but with some
success this weekend, the White Sox could provide some assistance to the Brewers
in their attempt to chase down the Cubs.The White Sox could get first baseman
Jose Abreu back after he missed the three-game series against the Indians when
he was hospitalized with an ingrown hair infection in his right thigh. Abreu has
also been sidelined recently for three weeks following testicular torsion
surgery.
