NEWSLETTER
The Cubs are hosting the Sox today for the first of the four-game Crosstown Cup, and I can’t wait.
After all, the vibes have been extremely positive lately, which’ll happen when your team wins eight out of nine games, trades for a dominant starter, gets Kyle Schwarber back (and mashing!) from Triple-A, and a number of other players from the disabled list. Hopefully, Hendricks hits the ground running today and the Cubs’ rotation looks formidable once again.
And hey, before he went down with a hand injury at the beginning of June, Hendricks had actually found a bit of a rhythm. In the six starts following his first three of the year, Hendricks had a 1.96 ERA with a 3.56 FIP (Hendricks’ soft-contact-driven strategy lends itself to a lower ERA than FIP when the defense is working). Let’s see if he can jump right back on that horse.
Oh, and I almost forgot: Hendricks tossed 5.0 perfect innings for the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate in his last rehab start before rejoining the big league team.
Starting for the White Sox today is righty Miguel Gonzalez. Gonzalez is struggling this season, after posting a pretty solid 3.73 ERA in 2016. With just a quick look at his numbers, though, you’ll immediately notice the problem: a complete and utter inability to strike anyone out (13.3%). If he had enough innings to qualify, that would be the second lost strikeout rate in MLB. So, then, expect a lot of balls in play today, as the Cubs bats let it fly.
Let’s see if the Cubs can keep the good times rolling.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (51-46) at Chicago White Sox (38-57) – 1:20 CT on ABC-7, 670 The Score
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun today.
Starting Pitchers
Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (R): 4.09 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 4.09 xFIP; 2.43 K/BB
versus
White Sox: Miguel Gonzalez (R): 4.89 ERA, 5.13 FIP, 5.56 xFIP; 1.61 K/BB
Chicago White Sox:
- Melky Cabrera, LF
- Yoan Moncada, 2B
- Jose Abreu, 1B
- Avisail Garcia, RF
- Matt Davidson, 3B
- Tim Anderson, SS
- Adam Engel, CF
- Kevan Smith, C
- Miguel Gonzalez, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Jon Jay, CF
- Javy Baez, SS
- Kyle Hendricks, P
