Cubs smack four homers in wild win over rival White Sox |
CHICAGO - If the Crosstown Cup has taught us anything, it would be to expect the unexpected. That was the case on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field as the Chicago Cubs (58-60) took on their inner city Rivals, the Chicago White Sox (28-90). After going through a managerial firing on Thursday and hiring Grady Sizemore as their coach for the rest of the season, the 2024 season has been a nightmare for the Sox as they indeed have been one of the worst teams in baseball history.
With their ace Garrett Crochet going on Friday, this was the clear definition of a trap game and one the Cubs knew they had to focus on. Backed by four home runs in the first four innings, the Cubs backed Jameson Taillon with a massive 7-0 as they jumped all over Crochet in this one. However, it was the White Sox who nearly completed the massive comeback, scoring six unanswered runs to pull within 7-6 before losing by that score. It's no secret that part of the reason for the Cubs turnaround offensively has been their offense scoring more runs. In particular, it is an offense that has once again started to hit for more slug. You saw that immediately in this one, with Ian Happ wasting no time and getting Crochet for a leadoff blast to put the Cubs in front 1-0. 6th career leadoff home run for @ihapp_1! pic.twitter.com/GcJfAiKvBA They would never look back as Cody Bellinger followed suit three batters later with a two-run shot as the Cubs opened up a 3-0 lead before Taillon even threw his first pitch. “I knew it was a tough at-bat [going in],” Bellinger said after the game. “I didn’t know the exact numbers. Just kept it simple and really just put my swing on it.” 900th career hit is a home run for Cody Bellinger 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZrEFVA6p5Q “I've seen Cody have success against a lot of guys and a lot of left-handed pitchers,” Crow-Armstrong said during his postgame interview. “So that's not surprising to me that he had the day he had. Cody's a great guy to watch, but it never hurts when Ian Happ leads off the game with a homer and sets the tone like that. So I'm sure that freed up everybody else.” Anytime you can give a guy like Taillon an early lead like that, you have to like your chances, and despite giving up a hit in each of the first three innings, including a pair of doubles, Taillon was able to keep the Sox off the board while the Cubs offense continued to tee off on Crochet. After wasting a leadoff triple to begin the second, the Cubs got back to playing long ball in the third as Issac Paredes connected for his second Cubs homer in three games to push the Cubs lead to 5-0. A few moments later, it was Nico Hoerner leaving the building as the Cubs went back to back off Crochet to make things 6-0 as they hammered out four homers in the first three innings to chase the left-hander. Back-to-back jacks for Isaac and Nico! pic.twitter.com/aXzxScrlbc A pair of singles from Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong kept the inning alive while Miguel Amaya drove home the Cubs final run with a grounder to push their lead to 7-0. Little did anyone know, that run would go down as the game-winning run as Taillon and the rest of the Cubs staff started to fall about the rest of the way. That is always the problem of playing a team as bad as the Sox, as they can get up for certain games and treat those games like a World Series. The Crosstown Cup are those games for the Sox and with Andrew Vaughn leading off the bottom of the fourth with a solo blast, the Sox were on the board and trailing 7-1. That homer opened the floodgates for the Cubs as the White Sox responded with five runs over the next two innings, including four in the fourth to pull within 7-4. Four singles aided to two of those runs, with Dominic Fletcher and Nicky Lopez picking up two of the RBIs while a Brooks Baldwin grounder brought home the other in what was a massive inning for the Sox. The Cubs had a chance to respond in the top of the fifth, putting plenty of pressure on the Sox defense with three singles only to have caught stealing and a runner thrown out at home to end their inning as the Cubs failed to capitalize in a critical spot. Andrew Benintendi was credited with throwing Pete Crow-Armstrong out at the plate, but that was only the start of his massive game as he connected for a solo shot off Taillon in the fifth to pull the Sox within 7-5. “For us to come out ready to swing it, that was awesome,” Taillon said. “We’re definitely playing better. It feels like our lineup is deep right now, and guys are passing the baton to the next guy and having tough at-bats. Taillon managed to get through five innings with the lead, but after allowing five runs on nine hits and striking out four, it wasn't his best start, as the pressure was now on a Cubs bullpen that has been the best in the game for quite a while. For the most part, the combination of Tyson Miller, Drew Smyly, Porter Hodge, and Hector Neris did their job, but after allowing five hits in four innings and striking out only three, there was some traffic to work around. One of those five hits left the yard, with Benintendi connecting for his second homer in as many at-bats in the seventh, as the White Sox were suddenly within 7-6. With the White Sox offense suddenly in a groove and the Cubs failing to add on multiple times, this was going to come down to the bottom of the ninth, and it was an eventful one at that. Neris has been a nightmare on the mound more often than not this season, as he may be the team leader in saves, but it hasn't been pretty. Anytime your closer has to pitch out of a jam in most outings, it is a cause for concern, and after allowing a pair of singles to Fletcher and Baldwin to begin the ninth, Neris was in a jam again as the White Sox had two on and no outs. After retiring the next two hitters he faced, Neris walked Benintendi to load the bases as the Sox were one single away from walking off the Cubs. That was as close as they would get as Neris found a way to buckle down and got Vaughn to fly out to end the game as the Cubs held off the Sox 7-6. Never a doubt. pic.twitter.com/ob9e3w7CYJ [W]ith love, from the North. 💙 “That’s just cool bottom of the 9th baseball. Good at-bats from them, and then we locked them down.” “If I do it before, I can do it now again. I’m the best. Nobody better than me in this situation.” “He’s got an electric fastball and we did nice job with the offspeed in the zone.” Cody Bellinger CRUSHES lefties 💪 pic.twitter.com/qv3U7OIrFc
Bellinger: 3-for-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
Crow-Armstrong: 3-for-4, 3B, SB,
Paredes: HR, 2 RBI, R pic.twitter.com/ufJdZKjvjQ
PCA on Héctor Neris and the Cubs’ 9th inning performance. pic.twitter.com/k0qrL57TUJ
Héctor Neris is bringing ALL the confidence tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vmhlgH8MwF
Craig Counsell on the Cubs against Garrett Crochet. pic.twitter.com/c8V9cC0g4h
