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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs have featured one of the best lineups in baseball this season.Lately, however, the Cubs have sputtered at the plate. The team has lost three of its past four games against right-handed starters Zach Davies, Junior Guerra, Miguel Gonzalez and James Shields.Cubs manager Joe Maddon wants to see the slump come to a stop when his players welcome the Chicago White Sox to Wrigley Field on Wednesday night. The Cubs dropped the first two games of the annual crosstown battle Monday and Tuesday on the South Side before the series shifted north.I think theyre taking advantage of our youth, Maddon said of opposing pitchers after Tuesdays 3-0 loss to the White Sox. Primarily, we have to not expand the strike zone. Weve been expanding a little bit against these guys. Weve got to keep them in the zone, and obviously when they make a mistake, its got to be hit hard and kept fair. We have not done that. We fought back a couple games ... but overall, the starting pitching the last four games has forced us out of our game plan.Despite a recent blip, the Cubs (59-40) possess the best record in the National League. A star-studded roster became even deeper this week as the team acquired left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees. Chapman joined the Cubs on Tuesday and could make his team debut at Wrigley Field.Meanwhile, the White Sox (50-50) have climbed back to .500 thanks to a four-game winning streak that included three straight walk-off victories against the Detroit Tigers and Cubs. The White Sox won two of three games at Wrigley Field last season and are 27-25 all-time at the Friendly Confines.Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel (9-5, 3.35 ERA) will look to win his third straight outing when he takes the mound against the White Sox. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound hurler is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts since the All-Star break. He is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in eight starts this season at Wrigley Field.Hammel, 33, has not faced the White Sox as a member of the Cubs. He is 1-2 with a 4.01 ERA in nine games (four starts) against the South Siders, whom he last faced in 2013 with the Baltimore Orioles.Right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (1-0, 17.18 ERA) is set to make his team debut with the White Sox. The 26-year-old opened the season with the Texas Rangers before he was traded to Chicago on May 12 for right-handed pitching prospect Matt Ball. The White Sox recalled him from Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday to fill the roster spot created by Chris Sales five-day suspension for destroying team equipment.Although Ranaudo always has tantalized scouts -- then-Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein selected him in the supplemental first round (39th overall) in 2010 -- he has yet to excel in the majors. Ranaudo is 5-4 with a 6.33 ERA in 13 career games (nine starts). In two relief appearances with Texas earlier this season, he allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. He walked eight and struck out two.At the plate, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has started to heat up after a slow start to the season. Abreu has reached base in 43 of his past 46 games. He is hitting .276 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI, but he has gone a career-high 26 consecutive games without going deep.Abreu clubbed 36 home runs in 2014 and 30 home runs last season. This season, he is on pace to hit 17.You can see that there is probably some frustration with the homers and the expectations he puts on himself, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. Right now, I think hes a lot better off at the plate just mechanically, mentally, all that stuff that goes into it. Hes just a better hitter right now. You go through periods where you dont swing it very well, but right now hes in a pretty good spot. Ante Zizic Jersey . 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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- With its losing skid at five and any hope for a bowl game eliminated, Purdue is seeking motivation with No. 6 Wisconsin coming to visit on Saturday and then a season-ending Nov. 26 date at rival Indiana.Interim head coach Gerad Parker has seen his team (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) play well during the first half against Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota and Northwestern, only to be outscored 114-17 the rest of the way against those teams.With lots of uncertainty about the programs future, primarily who will be coaching Purdue in 2017, it would be easy for some players and coaches to go through the motions these final two weeks.Parker believes theres plenty of reason to be motivated, starting with the Badgers (8-2, 5-2).This week is fully and completely about our seniors, Parker said Tuesday. The staff has continued to work our tails off. The players have as well, and this week is about our seniors playing their last game in Ross-Ade Stadium. Its a chance for those seniors to play an unbelievable football team in Wisconsin. Those guys want to go out the right way.Purdue has won only one Big Ten home game -- Nebraska in 2015 -- during the seniors careers and is 3-28 overall in conference play since 2013.Its been hard, Parker said, Sadly, the reason we are in this position is because of our past. Everything is contagious. Winning is contagious and losing is contagious. Ive wanted to approach this week by week.Senior wide receiver Bilal Marshall said the opportunity to stun a top 10 team in his final home game would wipe away some of the frustrations of a four-year career in which Purdue has gone 9-37.ddddddddddddWe have to stick together and not be selfish, Marshall said. For us seniors, its our last two weeks, and our last week in Ross-Ade against a big opponent and obviously, we havent seen the Old Oaken Bucket in forever. For our younger guys, we want to finish strong because no one knows whats going to happen after these last two weeks.Sophomore quarterback David Blough leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 292.1, but he has been intercepted 16 times, one of the reasons the Boilermakers are tied for 126th among the 128 FBS programs in turnover margin at minus-16. Bloughs three interceptions against Northwestern this past Saturday set up 17 Wildcats points in their 45-17 victory.We have been in position to succeed and have been coached well, but we havent executed, especially on my behalf, Blough said.Game notes Purdue ranks last in Big Ten scoring defense (38.4), last in total defense (466.9 yards), 13th in rushing defense (248.8 yards) and 11th in pass defense (218.1 yards) ... Parker indicated Tuesday that DT Lorenzo Neal, OT Mike Mendez and RB Richie Worship likely will miss the Wisconsin game because of injuries ... Purdue has not beaten Wisconsin in Ross-Ade Stadium since 1997 ... Purdue has not won a game in November since beating Indiana in 2012.---For more AP college football coverage: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '