It’s just another Cactus League game Thursday for Cubs manager Dale Sveum, but not for Chicago fans, it’s round one of Cubs vs. White Sox. The two teams square off at HoHoKam Stadium.
“I’ve got to be honest, they just run into each other,” Sveum said of the Cactus League games. “It’s just another game where everybody gets their work in. That’s what it is. It’s just another Cactus League game where guys are just getting their work in, getting their at-bats, getting their innings in. It’s a little tough to think you’re going to be super serious when you don’t have your [regular] lineup out there, they won’t have their lineup out there. It still in the preliminary stages of Spring Training where obviously, two weeks from now, if we had five or six games left, you’d have your team out there and start playing matchups and doing the things you’d do during the season.”
This season, the Cubs-White Sox series has been condensed into a four-game stretch May 27-30 with two games at each ballpark. Major League teams will have Interleague games every day during the season.
“We’re all going to play the same amount of games against Interleague play,” Sveum said. “It’ll be sporadic from day one. It’s not something you have to deal with. It’s just going to be earlier than normal.”
There will be a slight difference. In the past, the Cubs usually had all of their games vs. AL teams in one stretch, and would add a player to be the designated hitter. This year, the games are spread out and that may not be an option. The Cubs play the Rangers April 16-18, for example, then have to deal with NL Central rivals for the next six games.
The Cubs also will play the Angels June 4-5 in Anaheim; and travel to Seattle June 28-30 and to Oakland July 2-4. The Angels come to Wrigley Field July 9-10.
– Carrie Muskat
