Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox preview, Friday 7/25, 6:40 CT

Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Friday notes...

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Cubs are 27-23 on the road, compared to 33-19 as the home team and 33-17 at Wrigley Field. However, their .540 winning percentage on the road is tied with the Astros, also 27-23, for the best by any team. The Brewers are .538 (28-24); the Dodgers, .532 (25-22); the Mariners, .529 (27-24); and the Tigers, .528 (28-25). Four more teams are exactly .500. Twenty have losing records. The Cubs are 37-36, .507, against the White Sox on the road. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THAT OTHER LEAGUE: Despite losing two of three to the Royals this week, the Cubs continue to have a good record vs. American League teams this year at 20-13. The .606 winning percentage is the best of any NL team vs. AL teams so far in 2025.
• EVERYONE DIGS THE LONG BALL: The Cubs have seven with 13+ home runs this season. (Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Carson Kelly, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker) That ties for the most such players on any Cubs team in franchise history. The club has previously accomplished this only seven other times (also 2021, 2019, 2015, 2004, 2002 and 1987). (H/T: Chris Kamka.)
• THE RAKING CONTINUES: Matt Shaw, six games since the All-Star break: .474/.474/.947 (9-for-19) with three home runs, six RBI, two stolen bases and four runs scored.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Start of three on the South Side.

Watch game one tonight on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/84Gid46wOJ

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 25, 2025

White Sox lineup:

Back at Rate Field pic.twitter.com/CO243TmPGb

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 25, 2025

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Adrian Houser, RHP

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Shōta Imanaga has been excellent since his return from his hamstring injury. In six starts since then: 1.78 ERA, 0.659 WHIP, only three walks in 30⅓ innings. The latter has reduced his walk rate, which was a bit high earlier this year, to 5.8 percent, which is very

good (though still a bit higher than the 4.0 percent he had last year).

Last year against the White Sox he was removed in the fifth inning, despite allowing only one run and striking out six. Don’t recall the specifics of that. Many of the White Sox players in that game aren’t on the team anymore, either.

This will be his first career start on the South Side.

I wrote about Adrian Houser in this trade target article earlier this week. More details on his great season in that article, and I’m still hoping the Cubs acquire him.

No current Cub has homered off Houser in 78 plate appearances, though Ian Happ is 4-for-14 with seven walks.

Baseball Savant

Baseball Savant

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here. It’s also on Chicago Sports Network with the Sox announcers, and in the local Chicago market the Sox broadcast will be simulcast over the air on WCIU-Ch. 26.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation White Sox site South Side Sox. If you do go there to interact with White Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2025 Game Thread procedure will be identical to last year’s.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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• The Short Porch is looking at ways to improve the Cubs bench at the trade deadline
• A new look coming for Bleed Cubbie Blue in August
• Royals 8, Cubs 4: We’ll never be Royals
• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 102
• BCB After Dark: Can the Cubs deal for Dylan Cease?
• Minor League Wrap: A Ballesteros blast can’t save Iowa