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The last time Matt Murton hit a game tying homer, the Chicago Cubs played an 18-inning marathon that lasted well over five hours. With his team down 1-0 in the eighth Wednesday, the redheaded left fielder again hit an opposite-field homer to even the score.

Even though Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander has enjoyed a phenomenal season, the rookie has run into difficulties against the White Sox. In fact, half of his six losses this year have come at the hands—or, more accurately, bats—of the South Siders.

The Detroit Tigers seem to be all but a lock for the AL Central division championship. They've dominated their chief competition in the first two games of a key four-game series this week, outscoring the White Sox by a total of 11-1. But anyone familiar with baseball knows that it ain't over until it's over.

New Cubs shortstop Cesar Izturis injured his hamstring early in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies and will likely hit the DL. If Neifi Perez hadn't been traded over the weekend to the Detroit Tigers, he would have gone in at shortstop and Ronny Cedeno would have to stayed at second. Instead, Cedeno moved to short and Ryan Theriot came in at second.

Pat Burrell and the Phillies defeated the Cubs 6-3 Tuesday, and Cubs starter Ryan O'Malley left after 4 2/3 innings with a strained elbow.

The White Sox are happy to have Minnesota in their rearview mirror, and not just because it's a flat, frigid land populated by flat, frigid people.

Nearing the end of a season that has alternated between meaningless and annoying, the Cubs had a chance to do something important: Shut the St. Louis Cardinals out in Chicago. Before the weekend series, the Cardinals were 0-10 in the city, swept twice by the Cubs and once by the White Sox. But as the Cubs usually do when the games actually matter, they came unglued.