Cubs Offense Shut Down as White Sox Take Second Straight Game

It was one of those games when just a hit, one measly hit, felt like it could get the Chicago Cubs (59-40) going. But even when they did get a hit – they managed only four all night – it wasn’t followed by another. You have to tip your hat to James Shields, he continues to pitch extremely well – in July he has a 2.28 ERA but that’s accompanied by a 5.48 FIP – lasting 7 2/3 innings allowing no runs.

The Cubs offense fails to produce tonight and the White Sox win 3-0 (Box Score).

Kyle Hendricks finally allowed a run tonight after a stretch of 19 2/3 innings over his last four starts where he didn’t allow one single earned run. He pitched well overall but made a few mistakes that the White Sox made him pay for.

In the first inning he struggled to find the zone, walking two batters while giving up two singles that led to the White Sox first run. He tossed 30 pitches before the inning was finished. Although, his biggest mistake was a throwing a soft 82 MPH change up right in the meat of the plate in the third inning against Adam Eaton. Eaton drilled the ball to deep right field and over the wall for a home run.

Stats that mattered

• Hendricks was good again tonight – 5.2IP, 3R, 6H, 2BB, 7Ks, 1HR
• The Cubs’ offense was flattened by James Shields – only 3 chances with RISP, 4H, 4BB, and no extra base hits
• Joe Nathan looked good in his second outing – 1.0IP, 0H, 1K

Bottom line

Sometimes in life you have to make lemonade from lemons, I’m pretty sure the saying goes something like that. Anyway, you get what I mean, right? This game was a stinker. The Cubs offense looked terrible. Part of it – a big part – was due to James Shields, but the other part was simply the Cubs not being patient, not having good at-bats.

It’s important to remember how young this team is. They’re good, very good, but they’re also very young and they’re still learning. That’s the fun part about baseball, it’s a constant learning process. We’ve seen what this team is capable of when they’re confident and swinging the bat well. It can be hard, and even frustrating, to watch games like this, but it’s all part of the process. It’s where they end that will matter most.

Next up

The Cubs head back to Wrigley Field and the friendly confines on Wednesday to take on the White Sox in the first of two home games against their cross-town rivals. Game time is 7:05 PM CDT as Jason Hammel (9-5, 3.35 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs.