Staving off the sweep. The bats need to wake up, but you’ll take the win. Yu Darvish was just fantastic once again, and the Cubs don’t have a chance in this one if he isn’t. Considering how on fire the White Sox have been for over a week now, his performance was all the more impressive.
Thank you Javy Báez and Kyle Schwarber for the Cubs’ runs today. It’s been a rough stretch for them. Hopefully they smile.
Craig Kimbrel got the ball in the 8th inning to preserve the lead, and looked pretty good, but was pulled after a couple strikeouts and a couple walks. Jeremy Jeffress finished the frame and came back out for the 9th. Interesting. I guess Kimbrel really isn’t back to being the closer.
That 9th inning, man. After two quick outs, a dribbler went for a hit, then Jeffress walked the next two batters to load the bases for Yoan Moncada, who popped one up to the third base side and David Bote could not make the catch up against the screen (he should have had it). It felt like that was when it was all about to fall apart. BUUUUUT the next pitch was a routine grounder to Javy Báez, and the game was over. DEMONS EXERCISED, RIGHT?!?
The Cubs had a great chance for a decent inning in the 4th, with men on second and third and one out. Willson Contreras bounced one to third, the throw came home, and Anthony Rizzo was initially ruled safe. None of the views we saw on the broadcast clearly showed he was out, but the play was overturned on review. So we’ll just assume New York had some crazy camera angle we didn’t have. Then Contreras was thrown out trying to steal second, so the inning was over without the Cubs even having a chance to score a run. Shot themselves right in the ass, as so many of those great run-scoring opportunities have gone lately.
Then, thanks to White Sox mistakes, the Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out in the 5th. But you know how that goes, right? Jason Kipnis struck out, and Ian Happ grounded into a double play. It just has to be demoralizing at this point with the bases loaded. I can’t even make jokes anymore.
At least the Cubs won …