The Cubs’ 7-3 win over the White Sox Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field was their seventh straight over the South Siders (and the Cubs have won nine of 10 since the beginning of the 2023 season).
It also evened up the all-time series between the two clubs at 74 wins each. The Cubs are 37-38 against the Sox at Wrigley and 37-36 against them on the South Side. The Cubs have scored 697 runs in the 148 games, the Sox have 674.
The game started well for the South Siders when Chase Meidroth led off the game with a home run off Matthew Boyd. But Boyd got out of the inning by retiring the next three hitters, two by strikeout.
The Cubs didn’t score in the first despite a one-out walk and stolen base by Kyle Tucker.
They went to work in the second. Dansby Swanson led off with a single and stole second. Moises Ballesteros then walked, and Nico Hoerner also walked to load the bases.
Miguel Amaya gave the Cubs the lead [VIDEO].
Hoerner stopped at second, and both runners moved up on a ground out by Vidal Bruján.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s single plated two more Cubs [VIDEO].
PCA stole second, but was stranded.
The Sox put another single run on the board in the third to make it 4-2. That might have been worse if not for this terrific catch by PCA [VIDEO].
I don’t think any other center fielder in the league even gets to that ball, much less catches it.
In the top of the fifth, Boyd surrendered another homer, this one to Tim Elko, that brought the Sox to within one run.
The Cubs pushed the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Swanson put a ball in the bleachers [VIDEO].
More on that blast from BCB’s JohnW53:
Swanson’s homer made him the fourth Cub to reach double digits this season. Going into today, six teams had two: Athletics, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees.
One out later, Nico singled and Amaya reached on a throwing error. Brujan’s double that bounced into the basket scored Nico [VIDEO].
Boyd then threw a 1-2-3 sixth and completed his day with four hits allowed (two homers) and eight strikeouts without a walk. It was an odd pattern, with the Sox scoring runs in the first, third and fifth, but going down 1-2-3 in the second, fourth and sixth.
Now I know you’re going to ask: How is this outing better than Jameson Taillon’s almost-identical game from Wednesday, the one that I questioned?
Well, it’s not. Actually, the games are pretty much dead even, with one more strikeout and one fewer homer from Boyd. Mainly, I was concerned that Taillon has now served up seven home runs in his last 10 innings and leads MLB with 13 homers allowed. In Boyd’s last two starts, that’s three homers in his last 12 innings, and seven on the season. So… I’m still concerned about the long balls from Taillon, not so much from Boyd.
Here are Boyd’s eight K’s [VIDEO].
Brad Keller, who’s been really good lately, threw a scoreless seventh with one walk. Daniel Palencia had a scoreless eighth, with two strikeouts.
The Cubs extended the lead in the eighth, taking the game out of a save situation. With one out, Swanson and Justin Turner walked.
Nico drove in Swanson with this single [VIDEO].
That made it 7-3, but with Porter Hodge warming up for a potential save situation, Hodge came in the game anyway. He allowed a one-out single, and then with two out got a popup that appeared to be headed into the seats behind third base.
Instead, the wind blew it back into play and Nicky Lopez caught it to end the game [VIDEO].
Here are some more game facts for you from BCB’s JohnW53. First:
The Cubs hit for a team cycle again — the third time this week and ninth time this season. Going into today, the Mets were the only other team with as many as five. The Royals had four and eight teams had three.
The Cubs stole six bases on the afternoon: Two each by Tucker and Swanson, and one apiece from PCA and Hoerner. About that from JohnW53:
The Cubs’ six stolen bases were their season high. They last had more than six on Aug. 26 of last year: eight, in an 18-8 win at Pittsburgh. And that was the ONLY time they have had more than six since they had seven at home vs. the Braves on May 25, 1924. They had six 11 times after that.
How many times have the Cubs had at least 11 walks AND at least six steals in a game? They had done it only once before, while beating Boston, 5-4, at the West Side Grounds on June 13, 1911. And that game lasted 12 innings, so today’s is the first ever in a regulation-length game!
One more note about all those walks drawn by the Cubs Saturday afternoon from John:
The Cubs’ 11 walks were also a season high, topping the 10 they had in their 18-3 demolition of the Athletics in the first MLB game at Sacramento on March 31.
The 11 walks and nine hits gave the Cubs a lot of baserunners. They went 4-for-17 with RISP and left 14 (!) on base, which obviously isn’t ideal. But scoring seven runs is just fine, and a win is a win. The Cubs have outscored the White Sox 20-4 in the two games so far in this series.
Now the Cubs have to try to break the Scourge of Sunday that has infested their schedule so far in 2025. They’re 1-6 on Sundays so far this year and the only win, oddly enough, was at Dodger Stadium on April 12, the evening PCA had his two-homer game.
Colin Rea will start Sunday’s game for the Cubs. Jonathan Cannon gets the call for the White Sox. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and Chicago Sports Network with the Sox announcers).