The White Sox came into Sunday’s game against their crosstown rival, Chicago Cubs, as the hottest offense in the MLB. They were riding a seven-game winning streak, and looking for their second consecutive sweep.
The Cubs’ starting pitcher Yu Darvish knew all of these things but just went out and dominated the White Sox. Darvish (7IP 6H 1ER 1BB 10K 103PC 1W) came out and gave one of his best performances against the hottest offense.
The White Sox played well on Sunday in what felt like a playoff game. There were many tense moments and big decisions made by both teams. Jose Abreu hit another home run to give the White Sox an early 1-0 lead. This was Abreu’s sixth home run in this weekend series alone.
Abreu (7-12 6HR 6R 9RBI) put the team on his shoulders in this series and has gotten the attention he has deserved for a long time. Abreu tied the MLB record consecutive home runs hit in four straight at-bats. Several baseball players have managed to tie the record at four, but breaking the record with five consecutive home runs eluded Abreu.
Dylan Cease came into this game with a four-game winning streak. He pitched extremely well and showed a lot of poise on the mound. Cease (6IP 4H 2ER 3BB 5K 1L) was able to pitch out of most jams he got into, except one. He made one big mistake. He missed a pitch to Kyle Schwarber, which scored the two runs. This would be enough to cost the White Sox the game.
After a multitude of nail-biting plays and players stranded on base, the White Sox fell to the Cubs on Sunday and tasted the bitterness of defeat.
The White Sox now sit at 17-12, third place in the AL Central, and only two games behind Minnesota. The White Sox proved they could beat a quality team this weekend and do it on the road. The bullpen and pitching staff have done a fantastic job. And the offense has come to be what White Sox fans want and what analysts have predicted it to be.
The White Sox are off on Monday, have a two-game series against the pitiful Pittsburgh Pirates, and then take on the last-place Kansas City Royals over the weekend. It should be another easy week for the White Sox as long as they stay in their groove.