The Cubs and Red Sox split the first two games of this historic weekend series at Wrigley.
The series may mean more to the 32-33 Red Sox in the standings, as they try to battle through a heap of adversity to start the season, but a win Sunday would still mean a lot to the Cubs.
Just as former players like to play well against their old team, the same can be said for coaches and front office executives. It's the competitive spirit in them all. Sure, Theo Epstein still keeps tabs on the Red Sox and how they're doing but why not get a couple of wins out of them while they're in town for the weekend?
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This series is also a sort of measuring stick for the Cubs. They've been trying to copy the Red Sox model for over a year and as Theo and Co. try to develop "The Cubs Way," the players and coaches merely have to look across the field to see how well it worked for Theo in Boston with "The Red Sox Way."
Here's the way the Cubs will line up against Franklin Morales (who gets the spot start for Josh Beckett, who landed on the DL Saturday with a shoulder injury) in the rubber game:
1. Reed Johnson - RF
2. Darwin Barney - 2B
3. Starlin Castro - SS
4. Alfonso Soriano - LF
5. Jeff Baker - 1B
6. Joe Mather - CF
7. Welington Castillo - C
8. Luis Valbuena - 3B
9. Paul Maholm - P
Adrian Gonzalez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks will get a rest for the Red Sox tonight. Saltalamacchia hit a two-run shot in Saturday's ball game.
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Here's the rest of the Red Sox lineup:
1. Scott Podsednik - LF
2. Dustin Pedroia - 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis - 3B
4. David Ortiz - 1B
5. Mike Aviles - SS
6. Darnell McDonald - RF
7. Kelly Shoppach - C
8. Ryan Kalish - CF
9. Franklin Morales - P