The Chicago Cubs have been heavily criticized during this four-game series against the Chicago White Sox and for good reasons. Their pitching has been shaky, their offense has been inexistent and they haven’t even looked like a team ready to compete against their rival.
Tonight, however, most of those concerns went through the drain. The Cubs had double-digits runs and hits, their pitching was very solid and their defense also came through when it was needed. The result was a 12-5 win for the Cubs at the U.S. Cellular Field.
The White Sox got ahead with two runs in the second – thanks to an RBI single from Alexei Ramirez and a run scored by Alejandro De Aza on a groundout - but the Cubs answered with four in the top of the third. Ryan Kalish scored on an RBI single from Luis Valbuena, Anthony Rizzo added a two-run shot and Junior Lake managed to walk with the bases loaded to put the Cubs up by two after three frames.
The Cubs added two more runs in the fourth after Starlin Castro connected a two-run shot but the White Sox answered right back with two runs of their own. Tyler Flowers singled Alexei Ramirez and later scored on a single from Conor Gillespie to put the White Sox down 4-6 after four.
It seemed like the game was going to stay that way until the Cubs jumped all over reliever Maikel Cleto in the eighth inning scoring five runs. The right-hander hit Welington Castillo with the bases loaded and in the next at-bat, Mike Olt sent a grand slam deep into left field. It was Olt’s first GS of his MLB career.
Starlin Castro closed the scoring rampage with another run in the ninth on a single by catcher Welington Castillo. The White Sox pulled one back with two outs in the final inning when Marcus Semien scored on an RBI single by Dayan Viciedo and they had the bases loaded before Wesley Wright recorded the final out retiring Alejandro De Aza to end the game.
The Cubs’ offense was so efficient that the lineup managed to bat around twice, during the third and the eighth innings. They also scored double-digit runs – to go along with 15 hits and six walks – for the first time this season and this performance not only avoided the sweep, but also gave the fans a glimpse of what the future could be.
Rizzo, Castro, Castillo, Lake and Olt all managed to contribute on offense. Meanwhile, both Zac Rosscup and Neil Ramirez looked dominant in the bullpen. The young players stepped it up for the Cubs and there’s no doubt that more performances like this should only boost the team’s confidence as the season advances.