This round of the City Series arrives as the July 31 trade deadline nears. The Cubs are in a position to buy while the White Sox will be looking to sell.

The Chicago Cubs need a third reliable starting pitcher, and the Kansas City Royals have the man for the job in last season's Cy Young runner-up, Seth Lugo.

The Royals won the series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and knocked Chicago out of first place in the NL Central.

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux fires away a pitch during the first inning of a game at Wrigley Field on July 26, 2005, against the San Francisco Giants. Maddux recorded his 3,000th strikeout in the third inning. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs’ biggest need, with about a week before the July 31 deadline, is starting pitching. Lugo, who held the Cubs to four hits and two runs in six innings, will be highly sought after by contending teams if the Royals make him available. But their trade-deadline direction is unclear.