Cubs Love Home Cooking White Sox Fall Flat

July 23, 2019

When you struggle on the road it is imperative that you win a vast majority of your home games. The Cubs began a 9 game home stand after the all-star break. They compiled a very good 7-2 record. They have 36 home wins. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have more.

 At Wrigley, the Cubs swept a 3 game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In game 1, Pedro Strop coughed up a three run lead but the Cubs scored one run in the 8^th inning to win 4-3. The next two games they pounded Pirate pitching, scoring double digit runs in both games.

Next up were the Cincinnati Reds. In the first game, all-star pitcher Luis Castillo, struck out 10 Cubs as the pesky Reds won 6-3. In his first start in game 2, Alec Mills gave up 3 runs in the first inning. Mills followed with five scoreless innings allowing the Cubs to overcome the deficit.  Kris Bryant’s homer tied the game. Kyle Schwarber’s walk-off homer won the game. Six scoreless innings by Yu Darvish led the Cubs to a 5-2 victory in game 3. The Reds and the Pirates don’t have enough pitching and won’t be a factor in the N.L. Central.

I guess that winning never mattered to Manny Machado when he was a free agent. He chose the last place San Diego Padres. In game 1, even with Anthony Rizzo’s grand slam and a couple of highlight catches by Bryant in left field, the Cubs needed a Padre error to win this game 6-5.  Following this was another 6-5 victory. The best pitched game of the series was from Kyle Hendricks, who left game 3 trailing 2-1. The Cubs never got the chance to bring the tying run up to the plate. The bullpen, especially demoted Carl Edwards Jr., gave up 3 runs in the top of the 9th. Well, you can’t win ‘em all; Cubs lose 5-1.

The key to the Cubs success is there are different heroes every game. The Cubs have 4 players with at least 20 homers.  Three of them are Bryant, Rizzo and Schwarber. Leading the way is Javier Baez who continues to torment pitchers while playing great defense. Speaking of defense, I can’t see a better center-right field combination than Albert Almora Jr. and Heyward. Who would have thought that the Cubs best pitcher would be Yu Darvish? During the home stand he didn’t allow a run in 12 innings. Of the eighteen outs per start, over a third were strike outs.

The Cubs start a crucial road trip against the red hot San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers and St.  Louis Cardinals. The road woes continued on Monday in San Francisco when Pedro Strop coughed up a two run lead in a 5-4 loss.

Before Christopher Columbus set sail, people argued whether the world was round or flat. There is no doubt that the White Sox came out flat after the all-star break. Any momentum generated prior to the break, dissipated with a 7 game losing streak including 4 to the last place Kansas City Royals. There was not much energy. All their hitters went cold at the same time

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They traveled to Tampa Bay to play the Rays. It seemed they were going to start hitting with 9 runs in the first of a three game series. Although they didn’t hit in game 2, they won in thrilling fashion. Trailing 1-0 with two outs in the 9^th inning, James McCann tied it with a homer. Yoan Moncada scored from first base on a Jose Abreu single to win the game in extra innings. The Sox lost game 3 but won the series. The only positives were the two consecutive good outings from pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito’s last start and Moncada’s bat. Things could get better with 3 home games against the Miami Marlins. In the first game, Abreu, Moncada and McCann homers and a complete game by Ivan Nova resulted in a 9-1 win Monday night.

The slump also displayed the shortcomings of Manager Ricky Renteria. Things that should have been taught in spring training are mid-season problems. Rundowns are a nightmare, and the Sox must lead the league in pop-ups falling between 2 to 4 players. I won’t get into it but there is priority system in the infield and outfield. You have to shout out loud enough so everyone knows it’s your play.  I’ve mentioned Renteria’s poor handling of the pitching staff. It seems that the only time he pulls a pitcher, the horses have already left the barn. A good team needs a competent manager and good coaching.

As the trade deadlines loom, I hope General Manager Rick Hahn doesn’t make the mistake of trading closer Alex Colome. You would get a good return. However, if you plan on contending next year, you need a good bullpen. Aaron Bummer should also be retained. If anyone is interested in Evan Marshall, Jace Fry or stupid enough to want Dylan Covey, see what you can get. It’s too bad Abreu is a free agent after this season. If not, he would command a lot on the trade market. The only other reason to keep him is they have no immediate replacement. He is also a mentor to Moncada and Luis Robert. Hahn said don’t expect Robert to be called up this year. Why not get your top prospect some experience?