Cubs, White Sox to battle in rubber game of crosstown slugfest

The Chicago Cubs and host Chicago White Sox have alternated lopsided victories to begin the first leg of their annual crosstown series.

Any kind of win will suffice on Sunday afternoon, however, as the clubs meet in the deciding game of a three-game weekend set.

Munetaka Murakami delivered his first career multi-homer game on Saturday to key an 8-3 victory for the White Sox, who regrouped from Friday's 10-5 loss.

Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery went deep for the second straight night for the White Sox, while Andrew Benintendi also connected.

Vargas is hitting .406 with five home runs and 10 RBIs against the Cubs in nine games over the past two seasons.

"I just want to compete out there. I want to be the best I can be in the field," Vargas said. "We've got a lot of excitement for this series, and I just want to be part of it with the boys. We had a good game today, and hopefully we've got another one tomorrow."

The Cubs were out-homered 5-2 in Saturday's loss, with Miguel Amaya and Pete Crow-Armstrong connecting.

"The ball was flying today," Crow-Armstrong said. "I'm not saying that they hit any real cheapies. ... They came out swinging. They played their tails off."

The Cubs' Alex Bregman joined Amaya with a two-hit game to extend his hitting streak to seven. Bregman is batting .333 (10-for-30) during that span.

The White Sox and Cubs will meet again for a three-game series in August at Wrigley Field.

On Sunday, right-hander Erick Fedde will try to pitch the White Sox to their fifth series victory in the past six sets, which would secure a 6-3 finish to a nine-game homestand.

Fedde (0-4, 3.77 ERA) was in line for his first victory on Tuesday before the bullpen squandered a three-run lead against the Kansas City Royals in a game the White Sox won 6-5.

Fedde scattered two runs and six hits in five innings, but the individual accomplishment didn't seem to matter to him, as he called the team's victory one "that kind of proves the growth of this team and where it's headed."

For the Cubs, right-hander Colin Rea (4-2, 4.68 ERA) will aim to regroup Sunday from a shaky outing in his most recent start.

After yielding two home runs in a 5-2 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday, Rea pledged to be more confident and resilient. He spaced five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Braves while recording just one strikeout.

"When they're putting good swings on good pitches, sometimes it can make it tough to still trust it and still go after them," Rea said. "And sometimes you think you've got to make a better pitch, or like a perfect pitch, and you don't necessarily have to do that. You just have to continue to execute."

Fedde is 0-3 with an 8.54 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs, with 28 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.

Rea has pitched to a decision-less record and a 2.45 ERA over 7 1/3 innings in two previous appearances against the White Sox, including one start.

--Field Level Media