A series that looked like it could turn disastrous after a missed opportunity in Game One on Monday turned out ok. David Bote came through in Game Two. Yu Darvish did his thing Tuesday night. After another missed opportunity in Game One on Wednesday, with Jack Flaherty limited by a pitch count, Adbert Alzolay stepped up in Game Two, and the Cubs got themselves a white-knuckle series win. Coming on the heels of a tiring weekend against the Brewers, it was something the Cubs needed. Now, another high-stakes three days begins.
This weekend’s three-game tilt with the White Sox doesn’t quite have the same leverage as an intra-division set. Winning or losing towards the end of August is always impactful, of course, but the effect of the results aren’t doubled the way they would be against the Brewers, the Cardinals, or the Reds right now. On paper, this is just another interleague series, somewhere in between the one against Cleveland and the one against Kansas City in terms of notability.
But, of course, the series won’t be played on paper. It will be played in Wrigleyville, and it will be played against the team from the South Side, in a season in which that team from the South Side looks poised to break its playoff-less streak after eleven empty seasons.
Make no mistake—were the MLB playoffs not expanded this year, things would be different around this White Sox team. They’d be trying to find a crack for a wild card berth or a stunning division title, competing with Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Oakland, Minnesota, and even Houston, and needing to overcome at least two of them (not the most probable task). At the same time, though, make no mistake—the White Sox are good. And they’re getting better.
Nearly halfway through the season, Sox position players lead Major League Baseball in fWAR. They have the fifth-best wRC+ in the game. Their pitching staff narrowly outclips the Cubs for sixth place in FIP, led by a lockdown Alex Colome, an out-of-nowhere Matt Foster, a resurgent Dallas Keuchel, and a blossoming Lucas Giolito. It’s a good team, and while the Cubs may not see them at full strength (Yasmani Grandal, Luis Robert, and Nick Madrigal all appear questionable for the series), it’s going to be a tough series to win, though the advantage would tilt decidedly towards the Cubs should they open with a victory tonight, given Hendricks and Darvish are lined up to pitch Saturday and Sunday.
The pressure isn’t letting up on the North Side. Even with their own impotence early last decade, the Cubs are decidedly big brother. The White Sox are looking to change that.
