Illinois

Through no effort of their own, the Chicago White Sox are closer to the AL Central division lead than they have been since May after they broke even in a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians at U.S. Cellular Field over the weekend.

The last two times Ryan Dempster has pitched for his team, the Cubs fell into last place. Despite this, manager Dusty Baker still insists Dempster will be his closer for the rest of this season and next, adding to the list of reasons that 94 percent of rational human beings hope Baker will be fired seconds after the final out of the 2006 campaign.

Cubs' first baseman Derrek Lee turned 31 Wednesday and celebrated by hitting a grand slam home run in the eighth inning to help his team beat the Pirates 7-2.

A rare stellar effort by Javier Vazquez couldn't save the White Sox Tuesday night as Boston rookie pitcher Kason Gabbard threw seven shutout innings in a 1-0 Red Sox win. The White Sox also lost ground in the A.L. wild card race to the Twins, who rolled the Devil Rays 8-0 in Tampa.

Cubs closer Ryan Dempster loaded the bases in the top of the ninth before throwing a wild pitch to give the Pirates a 6-5 lead and Freddy Bynum struck out with runners on to end the game as the Cubs secured their hold on last place in the N.L. Central.

On a station that's the home of the White Sox, WSCR's Mike Murphy is a beacon calling out to Cubs fans to air their woes. While he sometimes gets hot under the collar on the air, it's that same passion that drives him to strong opinions on Dusty Baker and his beloved Cubs.

White Sox fans who have been pining for the collapse of the Detroit Tigers all summer are finally seeing their wishes come true. Detroit has dropped 17 of 26 games in a tough stretch that has included the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and White Sox.