CHICAGO – Like a rival wrestler, the Chicago Cubs stepped up just in time for the mat on Sunday to secure a 2-1 victory in the final game of their series against their rival rivals, the Chicago White Sox. That last team has become one of the darlings of Major League Baseball, and slipped its way into playoff controversy for the first time in more than a decade.
The Cubs have a relatively recent title – won back in 2016 – and are now attempting a “Last Dance” with a veteran group that many would say has suffered since winning this World Series. Was Sunday just a one-day rehearsal for the Cubs or can they keep some headlines to themselves as the White Sox emerge from their redevelopment on the South Side?
“That team is built and there’s a lot of hype,” said first baseman Anthony Rizzo after his Cubs dropped the first two games of the series. “It’s hard to be on the other side, but when you see teams come together like that, it can be very scary.”
Scary is a good word to describe the offensive of the White Sox, who marked a major league market by hitting 28 home runs over a span of seven games that ended Saturday. The White Sox hit a whopping 12 home runs in their three-game series against the Cubs, outsourcing the opposition overall 18-7. You would not know which team was in the first place (they are the Cubs) by watching the weekend series at Wrigley Field.
“We have a lot of guys who can make your jackets and they can wear you,” observed White Sox manager Rick Renteria. “We have been very happy. Hope it continues and this is just a sign of things as we develop as a club.”
Renteria is in the midst of its second rebuild in Chicago, after joining the Cubs in 2014. He was jailed after one season in favor of Joe Maddon, but found his way back to town as a bank coach and then manager on the other side of town. Now Renteria is helping a powerful lineup, which has dynamic young stars and veterans stalwarts.
“They have some destructive power in their entire lineup,” losing loser Jon Lester said Friday. “Then you mix a man like [Yasmani] Grandal, [Jose] Abreu and Edwin [Encarnacion] that will give you that veteran bat and work more of your counting. Their younger boys are looking for mistakes, and they do not miss them now. If you do not perform, they will pay you. It’s an impressive setup. You just hope the other guy doesn’t pitch again [as well]. “
Outhitting the White Sox is perhaps the best formula to beat them, as they lead the American League in home games by a wide margin. Young studs like Luis Robert and former Cubs prospect Eloy Jimenez had their moments over the weekend, but it was Abreu who took the center stage for the White Sox.
There for the difficult days of rebuilding the team, Abreu is now the veteran anchor in the midst of a devastating group of hitters. He ran six times over the weekend, and told the city – and baseball in general – that there is more than just one great first baseman in the city. The Cubs’ Rizzo said so much.
“He does it every year,” Rizzo said after Abreu’s three-homer game on Saturday. “He’s been a staple there.
“He is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated first basemen in the game.”
While the White Sox are flying high, even after their seven-game streak came to an end on Sunday, many might wonder where the Cubs stand. They were the White Sox at one time, back in 2015, coming out of their own rebuild, tied for playoff and eventual World Series glory. But sometimes they seem like a shell of themselves. It is a testament to their leadership that they are in the first place after a quick start, despite holes in almost every area of their game. After their 5-7 homeland, the Cubs choose to see the glass as half full.
“It’s fun, in general, if you don’t play your best baseball to get away with some wins,” Cubs first-year manager David Ross said after Sunday’s final. “The way we play this homestead is not indicative of the ball club we are.”
But ultimately, your record – if you stats – tells who you are. In the case of the Cubs, they have perhaps the most confusing crime in baseball – and have for several years. Once again, they have the ability to get on base, but they are not able to ride those laps as often as they want at home. The Cubs run fifth in baseball in base percentage, but 16th in handball average and 22nd in sloping percentage with hurdlers at base. It’s crazy and not a new phenomenon.
That’s why Cubs president Theo Epstein got angry when he was asked about his crime that goes into the series against the White Sox.
“It’s an interesting question,” Epstein said. “We are doing certain things well and in certain areas there is really good room for improvement. The big picture is that I really encourage our record to be what it is and many of our best hitters have not really gotten on course yet. They sieve. “
That’s the hope anyway, but there have been very few signs – other than the Cubs’ ability to see pitches. At some point, there must be a fee. Almost all major Cubs sleeves have an OPS below .800. Something does not click. Wer.
“We’re just trying too hard,” Cubs shortstop Javier Baez said. “We care a lot. … I know it’s a short season and there’s a lot of pressure, because we need to get better in a shorter time.”
It’s interesting how perspective can be so different for two teams despite similar records. After their consecutive win, the White Sox are 17-12. The Cubs are 17-10, but it seems the team is looking for answers.
The White Sox’s biggest concern over the weekend was what would 64-year-old longtime pitching coach Don Cooper dance to Saturday’s win? He opted for “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry and then wound his way into the White Sox lore. The culprits of the ‘Dancing for Dubs’ experience, catcher Zack Collins and second baseman Danny Mendick, were asked in a Zoom call if it meant anything to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“Yes,” she replied at once. “Away, way more fun. … We’re trying to take this new energy, this new vibe and roll with it.”
If you know how things go in baseball, it would be foolish to anoint the White Sox as the next great thing and write off the Cubs again, but that assessment feels like it has some immeasurability to it. The Cubs have proud top-down leadership and a lot of talent on the roster, so a full write-off – especially if they are in a battle – would not be fair.
But what happens in Wrigleyville should not affect what the baseball world already thinks about the White Sox. Their offense is awfully good – and the only pitchers in baseball who are cool with that are their own.
“It’s unbelievable,” said White Sox veteran pitcher Gio Gonzalez. “They broke down baseballs.
“They must be born next to a nuclear power plant. They destroy baseballs. It’s fun to watch. It’s literally fun to watch.”
The same was said earlier about the Cubs. But just in case someone writes off the Cubs too soon, they will have one more shot at the team from across town. The two clubs have been fighting off in the last three games of the season, probably with plenty on the line.
“They’re a good team,” Sunday’s Cubs hero Kyle Schwarber told the White Sox. “There’s no if, and, or just over there. They’re a good team.”
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