When you're a surprise contender that has lost 4 of 5 and 9 of 14, you can use some kind of a break to get momentum back in your favor.
For the White Sox, that break might come in the form of their schedule over the next three days. After facing tough opposition in the form of St. Louis and Los Angeles in their last two interleague series, the Sox get to return home and face the Cubs.
One month ago today, the Sox began a three-game sweep of their crosstown rivals at Wrigley Field. The wins were the second, third and fourth in a stretch of 13 wins in 14 games for the Sox. That's the stretch that propelled them into first place in the AL Central, where they still reside — if only because of the ineptitude of their competition.
Even though the Sox play in the worst division in baseball, and they do, they're not staying in first place for long if they don't start playing better. Getting to beat up on the worst team in baseball could be just what they need to turn themselves around.
That's why this series is pretty darn important for the Sox in my book. Pseudo-rivalry aside, the games aren't really that important in general when the Cubs and Sox meet. They're interleague games, meaning they're never against an opponent with which either team will ever battle for a playoff spot, and they typically fall in the first half of the season.
This series is of little consequence for the Cubs, other than that they're three more chances to showcase possible trade chips and three more games in which the Starlin Castros on the roster can develop. For the Sox, these games are of greater than normal consequence. Three chances to pile up wins against such a terrible opponent might not be something the Sox can allow to slip past them in a competitive race.
