CHICAGO -- Sean Burke has looked forward to pitching against the Cubs since … well, the last time he faced them and lost at Wrigley Field two months ago.
We should actually put this idea in proper perspective and context: The right-hander has made 10 appearances and hurled 53 innings beyond that fateful afternoon at Wrigley Field, so his focus has been his mound work and the effort of the resurgent White Sox, who claimed a come-from-behind 11-9 victory over the Rays on Wednesday.
But once Burke saw his name on the starting ledger for Sunday’s series finale at Rate Field, he was more than ready to go.
“[The Cubs] are having a good year and are one of the best teams in baseball, but how my last one went against them, I feel like I beat myself more than they beat me,” Burke told MLB.com. “Just walks. Wasn’t around the zone enough.
“[There was] one big inning, I let some walks and a couple of key hits [and] they spiraled into a bigger inning. So obviously, they are still a good team. You have to execute pitches against them, but I feel better going into this one.”
The entire White Sox squad feels better about itself than when they lost three straight to the Cubs, outscored by a 26-8 margin. They have a 5-1 record since the All-Star break -- against a 3-3 mark for the crosstown National League Wild Card leaders -- and have baseball’s most potent offense during that time with 49 runs scored.
Their power was on display in the second inning Wednesday, after a pair of two-run home runs from Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero off Jonathan Cannon gave the Rays a 4-0 lead in the first. Luis Robert Jr. singled home a run against Taj Bradley, who didn’t make it out of the frame after throwing 41 pitches. That extended his hitting streak to nine games, while rookie Colson Montgomery homered for a second straight game, tying the score on a three-run blast to left-center. Chicago erupted for six in the eighth to claim the victory.
Montgomery was not part of the White Sox lineup in May, although he homered in the 2025 Cactus League opener against the Cubs. Neither was catcher Kyle Teel, who launched his first career homer among his four hits Wednesday after making a great recovery on a Brandon Eisert wild pitch to nail Caminero at the plate and hold the Rays to two runs in the fifth. The White Sox roster looks decidedly different, but the improved feel across the roster is even more pronounced.
“New players and the players we had, we got a lot of young guys,” Burke said. “This first half of the season, we’ve been able to learn a lot and kind of grow and develop mentally, physically, just kind of everything in the game of baseball. I know we are all excited to get back at them … I know everybody here is hungry to get back at them.”
“When I first got called up, we were still playing well,” said rookie reliever Grant Taylor, who worked the sixth Wednesday but has not faced the Cubs. “Just a couple of things here and there throughout the game that set us back. Seems like we are starting to gel a lot more on the field. I’m excited for the rest of the season to continue to build that and get better together. Hopefully, [it will] set us up really well for next year and years to come.”
In Burke’s first start against the Cubs on May 17, he walked five and gave up seven hits over 4 2/3 innings while yielding four of his six runs in the second. He hopes to have a much stronger result at home, and the same goes for his team following this dominant road trip.
First, their focus was Wednesday’s win. After Thursday’s off-day, it’s all about the Crosstown Cup.
“I know that rivalry, and that game means a lot to both franchises,” Burke said. “I grew up watching Red Sox/Yankees games in the height of that rivalry. To be part of a rivalry like that with us and the Cubs, it’s something I grew up dreaming of. I know how important it is to the fans and the city to pitch well in those games.”
“We are all looking forward to it," Montgomery said, "especially with how we are all feeling right now and the confidence that we have. So it’s going to be fun, and I’m going to enjoy the heck out of it.”