Chicago @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 21, 2011 ) Chi. Cubs 2, Chi. White Sox 3

THE STORY: Crosstown rivals battle for bragging rights when the Chicago White Sox host the final game of a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. The Cubs earned a 6-3 comeback victory in the series opener before the White Sox answered with a 3-2 win on Tuesday. The game was delayed by rain for an hour and 44 minutes before Brent Morel's sacrifice fly in the eighth inning put the White Sox in front to stay.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Comcast Sports, WCIU (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Doug Davis (1-5, 4.95) vs. White Sox RH Jake Peavy (2-1, 4.66)

Davis is coming off of his first win and easily his best start of the season, holding the New York Yankees to one run on just three hits in 7 1/3 innings on June 17. He is still struggling to find the strike zone consistently, however, with 11 walks allowed in his last 16 2/3 innings. He is 1-3 with a 5.00 ERA in six career games against the White Sox, having a particularly tough time with LF Juan Pierre (11-for-28, 5 walks, 3 doubles).

Peavy will be making his first start after returning from his second stint on the disabled list, this latest trip due to a groin issue that flared up in an ugly June 5 loss to Detroit (4 IP, 6 ER). He had struggled in three starts since a three-hit shutout of Cleveland on May 18, allowing 11 earned runs in just 14 innings. He is 5-2 with a 2.40 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cubs, striking out 65 in 60 innings.

ABOUT THE CUBS (30-43): Chicago, who ranks second in the National League in batting average, hasn't ordinarily had problems making contact this season, but patience at the plate has been a problem. The Cubs have drawn just 179 walks, the fewest in the major leagues, while striking out 510 times. Tuesday was a microcosm of the season, as the White Sox collected eight strikeouts without issuing a single base on balls. C Geovany Soto, who has struggled all season (.215), was fanned three times in four at-bats. Chicago's pitching staff has the highest ERA in baseball by a wide margin.

ABOUT THE WHITE SOX (36-39): 1B Paul Konerko continued his torrid June, extending his home run streak to five consecutive games with a solo shot in the second inning on Tuesday. Konerko, who is batting .331 on the year with 21 homers and 59 runs batted in, has hit 10 home runs in just 16 games this month while batting .433 (26-for-60) and driving in 18 runs. The White Sox got a stellar effort Tuesday from their bullpen, which allowed just two hits in 3 2/3 innings after the rain delay. Sergio Santos recorded his third four-out save since becoming the team's closer in late April.

FINAL PITCH: The White Sox have had bragging rights over the Cubs in recent years, going 4-2 against their interleague rivals in each of the last two seasons. The Cubs last won the season series in 2007, when they won five of six.