Aug. 28 -- SECOND CITY? FIRST-PLACE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CHICAGO -- So, I was watching highlights from the Democratic National Convention yesterday when Mayor Richard M. Daley appeared on screen and described his city, Chicago, as the home of the 2008 World Series matchup between the Cubs and White Sox.

Could happen.

Landed in Chicago about an hour ago, and I must confess, this is one of my favorite cities in the country. Chicago has a little something for everyone. The skyline is striking. The scenery is breathtaking. The food, whether it's deep-dish pizza or steak or even cheeseburgers, is tasty. And, this season, the baseball has been superb. The White Sox are hanging on to first place in the AL Central, and the Cubs, well, they have the best record in the National League.

The Phillies slipped back into second place with last night's 6-3 loss, which isn't a tremendously big deal. They're a half-game behind the Mets, and more than likely, the NL East lead will flip-flop between the Mets and Phillies a few more times before the season is over. Starting tonight, though, the Phillies open a four-game series against the Cubs, who are 49-19 at Wrigley Field. So, regaining their grip on first place won't be easy this weekend.

Here's a preview of the series:

PHILLIES (73-60) at CUBS (83-50)
Tonight, 8:05: LHP Cole Hamels (11-8, 3.20) vs. RHP Ryan Dempster (15-5, 2.85)
Tomorrow, 2:20: RHP Joe Blanton (1-0, 4.03) vs. RHP Rich Harden (4-1, 1.47)
Saturday, 3:55: RHP Brett Myers (7-10, 4.49) vs. LHP Ted Lilly (13-7, 4.23)
Sunday, 2:20: LHP Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.81) vs. RHP Carlos Zambrano (13-5, 3.53)
Hot: Phillies RF Jayson Werth went 10-for-30 (.333) with two homers and five RBIs on the nine-game homestand; Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins has nine hits in his last 12 at-bats; Cubs LF Alfonso Soriano has eight hits in his last 15 at-bats; Cubs 2B Mark DeRosa is 15-for-34 during his nine-game hitting streak.
Not: Phillies LF Pat Burrell has one hit in his last 16 at-bats; Phillies 1B Ryan Howard is in a 6-for-44 slump (.136); Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez is hitless in his last eight at-bats; Cubs SS Ryan Theriot has three hits in his last 14 at-bats.