Interleague Madness (and Plunking, Too!)

The Cubs beat the Red Sox 14-6 in the first of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Whether this sets the tone for the series or is a fluke will be decided over the weekend. Highlights included Gred Maddux's first home run since 1999, David Ortiz's usual power, Cliff Bartosh's well-padded 9th-inning chocking, and a rare unassisted out when runner Neifi Perez was hit by a batted ball.

The Cubs are now 3-4 in interleague play this season.

The other big matchup of the weekend will be the Cardinals hosting the Yankees. I can't believe I'm rooting for the Yankees to sweep, but I'm tired of the Cubs lagging behind when they seem to care about winning again. The Cubs and Cards won't face each other for a while, so any help from the Bombers would be helpful. The big question is whether those old geezer Yankees pitchers handle the humid heat as badly as they handled the cold earlier this season. The Cards are 4-2 in 2005 interleague play while the Yankees are 3-3.

The White Sox will attempt to continue their NL West domination when they face the Padres at PETCO Park, a venue the Cubs have so far mastered 6-1. They haven't suffered from the loss of the DH spot yet this season. The White Sox are 5-1 in interleague play this season.

Finally, for those of you who love or are tired of the plethora of nearly useless baseball statistics, take a look at Plunk Biggio.