Chi. White Sox 5, Chi. Cubs 1
When: 4:05 PM ET, Saturday, July 11, 2015
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Temperature:
73°
Umpires:
Home -
Alfonso Marquez, 1B -
Mike Everitt, 2B -
Tom Hallion, 3B -
Dan Bellino
Attendance:
41596
By The Sports Xchange
CHICAGO -- A little more than five years into his career, Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale had never started a game at Wrigley Field, or even against the Chicago Cubs, his team's crosstown, interleague rival.
That changed Saturday, and Sale put on quite the show for the North Siders, tossing a shutout through six innings and striking out 10 as the Sox beat the Cubs 5-1.
"He was great today," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "With the atmosphere today, he was throwing harder. He probably exerted himself a little more than he has all year. He just couldn't slow himself down, but he was still fantastic."
Sale (8-4) gave up six hits and a walk in seven-plus innings while allowing just one run, which came on a pinch-hit double by Jonathan Herrera in the seventh inning.
He had thrown 102 pitches; but, with the All-Star break looming and Ventura's bullpen down a man, Sale came back out for the eighth inning.
"It was great," Sale said. "This was my first time pitching here, so you definitely feel it. A bunch of people screaming their heads off; and, given the rivalry and what it is, you get a little hyped.
"But you go out there, and my guys put two on the board before I even took the mound. That helps calm the nerves a little bit."
The White Sox offense scored two quick runs against the Cubs' ace, left-hander Jon Lester.
The first three White Sox batters reached base, and third baseman Tyler Saladino's triple -- his first major-league hit -- put the Sox on the board. Saladino then scored on a hit by first baseman Jose Abreu to make it 2-0.
"I usually don't look at games after I get out, but I went back and looked and I made three mistakes," said Lester, who has lost a career-high six consecutive games and dropped to 4-8 in his first season with the Cubs. "Probably dumb pitch selection -- that's my fault -- on Eden in the first inning. I left the ball middle-middle and he did what he was supposed to. Same thing with the next guy. But get Abreu to jam, I don't know how that ball got through the infield."
The left-hander settled in after that, facing the minimum through the sixth inning, but left fielder Melky Cabrera led off the seventh with a single and moved to third when third baseman Kris Bryant sailed a throw to the dugout on right fielder Avisail Garcia's ground ball.
Shortstop Alex Ramirez singled to drive in Cabrera and catcher Tyler Flowers plated two more with a double to center, putting the White Sox up 5-0.
"(Lester) was outstanding," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "They kind of ambushed him in the beginning, but then he was magnificent. I thought he threw the ball extremely well today. They just got him early, then he settled in. Given them credit: They took advantage of our mistake."
Maddon had to make an early change when catcher Miguel Montero had to leave the game after two innings because of a finger injury. Taylor Teagarden took over for Montero and will start Sunday, Maddon said.
"It happened in the first inning," Maddon said. "He went up to hit and he said he was good, then he came back and he said he wasn't so good. And that was it."
NOTES: The White Sox have taken the first two meetings with the Cubs this season and five of the last six overall. They lead the all-time series, 54-46. The Cubs are 26-25 at Wrigley Field. ... Cubs starters came into the game with a 1.19 ERA (nine earned runs in 68 1/3 innings) in their last 11 games. Relievers had posted a 3.86 ERA during that stretch. ... Before Saturday, White Sox pitchers had gone 24 innings without allowing a run. Over the last 10 games, the Sox staff had a collective 2.06 ERA and held opponents to a .196 batting average with 70 strikeouts. ... Of the Cubs' first 85 games, 35 had been decided by one run -- the most of any team in baseball this season. They were 19-16 in one-run games this season, tied with the White Sox for the most victories.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
| Chi. White Sox |
|
Chi. Cubs |
|
Chris Sale
|
Player |
Jon Lester
|
|
Win |
W/L |
Loss |
|
7.0 |
IP |
7.0 |
|
10 |
Strikeouts |
8 |
|
6 |
Hits |
7 |
|
1.29 |
ERA |
5.14 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Chi. White Sox
|
9 |
0 |
14 |
.257 |
9 |
9 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Chi. Cubs
|
6 |
0 |
7 |
.182 |
19 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
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