MLB: Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox

Game 116 Recap: White Sox 3 Cubs 1

Top Play (WPA): Each of the top three plays today were solo home runs by the South Side squad, with Jose Abreu taking the WPA cake by virtue of hitting his first. The Cuban slugger drove a 1-2 fastball  from Dan Haren into the bullpen in right to give the Sox a 1-0 lead (+.120). Alexei Ramirez and Melky Cabrera would add solo shots in the fourth and fifth to pad the lead, bringing the score to its final resting place of 3-0. Chris Sale didn’t need any further assistance. In a testament to Sale’s brilliance, the Cubs’ top four plays by WPA were three walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Bottom Play (WPA): The Cubs’ only real scoring chance came in the sixth inning, when with one out Dexter Fowler broke up Sale’s no-hit bid with a single to left. Chris Denorfia then walked, and one out later Anthony Rizzo wore his league-leading 24th hit-by-pitch. Jorge Soler worked the count to 2-2 before striking out looking on a slider off the plate to end the threat (-.082).

Key Moment: The Soler at-bat mentioned above proved to be the defining moment of the game. Sale was utterly untouchable all day, tying his career high with 15 strikeouts. He did it by combining overwhelming velocity—touching 99.5 mph at his peak—with a devastating slider/change combination that generated 28 whiffs on 54 swings.

Cubs batters didn’t do themselves any favors, swinging and coming up empty on nine pitches outside of the strike zone. The zone also appeared to be pretty darn generous, as Sale alone was credited with nine called strikes that were outside of the zone, at least according to Brooks Baseball.

For a game that felt lopsided throughout, the Cubs actually had the tying run come to the plate in the ninth inning after Addison Russell legged out a sharp smash to third, hit with two outs, that seemed to end the game before a Joe Maddon review provided new life for the North Siders. White Sox closer David Robertson retired Starlin Castro on a weak ground out to second to end their chances for good.

Trends to Watch: Losing streaks. Long, painful losing streaks. After a period of playing such infallible baseball, the Cubs need to avoid a letdown series against the shorthanded Tigers. Soler provided the only scoring for the Cubs by doing this. He has now hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games, raising his average to .270 in the process. If he can find the elevation to match his elite exit velocity (13th in the majors), he could provide a major offensive boost down the stretch.

Coming Next: The Cubs enjoy a day off Monday before welcoming the Tigers in for a truncated two-game set. Jason Hammel and Jon Lester start for the Cubs, while Detroit trots out Anibal Sanchez and youngster Daniel Norris. It’s a critical homestand to continue the positive momentum, as after two with the Tigers, four with the Braves and one with the Indians, the Cubs head to the West Coast for six crucial games against playoff contenders Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Lead photo courtesy Matt Marton-USA Today Sports.

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