Chicago Cubs send Lester to the mound for the Crosstown Cup win

The Chicago Cubs look to gain bragging rights in Chicago with a win tonight. The Crosstown Cup–held by the White Sox since 2014–will be up for grabs at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Cubs will send Jon Lester to the hill to try and claim the series win.

The Chicago Cubs will send Jon Lester to the mound as he comes off an emotional win in his last start. After the passing of his uncle, Lester wrote “PLACT” on his hat, for the Irish rally of “Play Like a Champion Today”. Lester did that, as he pitched eight innings, allowing just two runs on three hits. This might not seem like a “big game” for some, but the Cubs know what this would mean.

The Cubs (53-47) will hold on to first-place regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game. The Brewers lost to the Nationals in a 15-2 rout. A win for Lester (7-6, 3.95) would give the Cubs a 1 1/2 game lead–a far cry from the 5 1/2 game deficit they faced just a few weeks ago.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs: Adrian Sampson is forcing his way into the conversation
• Projecting the Chicago Cubs bullpen to open the 2023 season
• Cubs fans are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel
• Justin Steele has evolved into a frontline starter for the Cubs
• The future of first base is murky right now for the Cubs

Willson Contreras returns to the Cubs’ lineup, batting cleanup tonight. The Cubs didn’t need him last night as Anthony Rizzo did most of the heavy lifting with a three-run double and a RBI single as he knocked in four runs on the night.

For the White Sox (39-59), they’re in the same spot the Cubs were in five years ago. If someone plays well? They’re likely getting traded. Rick Hahn has done a fine job of acquiring top prospects, one of those being Yoan Moncada. He hit his first home run in the majors last night and looks to be a key piece of this offense moving forward.

Mike Pelfrey (3-7, 4.46) was wild in his last game but allowed just one run on two hits over five innings. He walked six, however, and has allowed 38 walks in 78 2/3 innings. The Cubs made the Sox throw over 200+ pitches last night, a huge part of their success last season.

Here are the lineups for tonight game:

First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. CT at Guaranteed Rate Field (It’s still weird to call it that). CSN Chicago will have the television coverage while 670 The Score will have the radio broadcast. Be sure to check back throughout the game for more Cubs news and coverage.