Rozner: Cubs, Sox series far from a crosstown classic

The Cubs and White Sox each played their 36th game of the season Saturday.

After a weather delay of 2:15, they actually played the game, much as they did Friday in awful weather.

That's the entirety of the significance of this matchup.

They got the game in at Wrigley Field and that matters because the schedule simply provides so little space for more makeups after the brutal early-season conditions forced so many cancellations.

Other than that, these are merely regular-season games that the Cubs need to win against a bad team, and games the Sox have to play because they're on the schedule.

So we can stop pretending there's some importance beyond that.

“We're just trying to win a game,” said Sox third baseman Matt Davidson, after they lost their seventh straight. “It doesn't matter who it's against.”

There's no rivalry here when one team is terrible and one team is trying to win the World Series, and neither team tried very hard to sell it as something else this weekend.

Not even fans can manufacture hatred when there's nothing special going on, and it doesn't help that it's cold and raining, and sitting outside for terrible games isn't a whole bunch of fun.

It's not a secret that the Sox are trying to develop young players while preparing for another big draft, and the Cubs are going about the business of getting their act together after an ugly first month of baseball.

It's really an unfair fight, the Cubs crushing the Sox Friday and again on Saturday, the Sox looking much like the Cubs did a few years ago during their rebuild, and the Cubs getting fat on a horrible pitching staff.

The crosstown games haven't had much meaning — beyond the standings — in 10 years, which was the last time both teams were good and could muster up some intensity.

Any suggestion to the contrary is insulting to the fans' intelligence and the players' integrity. They have zero interest in pretending that there's something big happening here, especially when it's so tough for the South Siders.

By the time Saturday's festivities concluded at 6:55 p.m., only a couple thousand frozen fans remained and they could barely locate enough energy to sing their favorite song, which was of no interest to the visiting players.

“We are not just sitting here thinking, 'Oh well, next year is going to be better,' ” Davidson said. “We're trying. We're not enjoying it. We want to go out and win.

“Hopefully everything turns and we get the ball rolling.”

Yeah, that's not going to happen. The Sox (9-27) have the worst record in baseball and are on pace for a 41-121 record, not quite the 1962 Mets (40-120), but awfully close so far.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have properly taken advantage of the Marlins and White Sox to get fat at home before four games with the Braves, who went into Saturday night in first place in the N.L. East.

The Cubs have shown they can beat up on some bad teams and now at least for a few days they'll get a test with a very good and young Atlanta team before a series at Cincinnati.

There will be some buzz in Atlanta for a set that matters to both clubs, unlike what's taking place at Wrigley Field right now.

And that's OK.

It's a long season and not every series is going to feel like the Red Sox and Yankees did last week.

There's also no reason to pretend otherwise.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's “Hit and Run” show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.