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Cubs-White Sox postponed by rain

No makeup date yet; Zambrano pushed back to Thursday

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By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

06/16/09 9:00 PM ET

CHICAGO -- Fans of the Cubs and White Sox will have one more day to gear up for their intracity Interleague showdown.

Tuesday's game between the two teams was postponed because of rain, and no makeup date has been set. Ryan Dempster (4-3, 3.87 ERA) will open the home-and-road series on Wednesday against John Danks (4-5, 4.81 ERA), with Carlos Zambrano (4-2, 3.39 ERA), who had been scheduled to start Tuesday, pushed back to Thursday against Gavin Floyd (4-5, 4.94 ERA)

Both teams entered this series in different situations than one year ago, when they were both in first place. The Cubs, who were three games back in the National League Central heading into Tuesday night, have not played up to expectations. Manager Lou Piniella was asked before the game if he needed to show more fire. He has not been ejected since last year's Cubs-White Sox series.

"What do I need to show fire for?" Piniella said. "I'm not a dragon."

He has been ejected 60 times in his career, and his June 2007 tirade often is believed to have sparked the team to the division title. Fighting with the umpires won't get it done, Piniella said.

"If I was out there arguing all the time, what they'd be saying is, 'This guy lost his cool,'" Piniella said. "I still want to win, I still have it in my belly. I think the players know that. You let them play. I don't win baseball games. The players play on the field, and our job is to prepare them and keep them as motivated as possible and they have to do the job on the field."

He was reading an article recently about Lakers coach Phil Jackson and Dodgers manager Joe Torre and how calm, cool and successful the two are. It's not a bad idea.

"If I have something to beef about with the umpires, I'll go out there and beef and I will stand up for my players," Piniella said. "But what am I supposed to do? I don't think me going out there and kicking dirt and doing those things will get anybody fired up to play baseball. We'll let them play, and that's the end of it."

The Cubs and White Sox entered the Interleague series tied at 33-33.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.