CI Recap (5/11/18) – Cubs 11, White Sox 2: Will-son To Win

The Cubs looked to extend their winning streak to four games against a struggling White Sox team Friday. It became clear quickly that they would have very little problem achieving that goal. Sox starter Carson Fulmer didn’t have it, and the Northsiders didn’t look back after taking the early lead.

Willson Contreras had a huge game on his bobblehead day, with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. Kris Bryant also went deep and was on base most of the afternoon. Tyler Chatwood had his typical wild, yet mostly effective outing over five innings. The Cubs kept adding on and cruised to another comfortable victory. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras reached base nine times on Friday including three home runs between them. Those two performances led the charge for a Cubs offense that put up 15 hits on the day.

Key Moment

With one out in the bottom of the 1st inning, Willson Contreras hit a grand slam to center off of Carson Fulmer. The four-run home run put the Cubs ahead 5-0.

Stats That Matter

• Contreras had a ridiculous day with four extra base hits and  seven runs batted in. After a slow start, the Cubs backstop is red hot. Including his two triples on Wednesday, Contreras has amassed 20 total bases in his last two games.
• Kris Bryant reached base a total of five times on Friday including a long homer. He now leads the NL in wRC+ at 182.
• Ben Zobrist had three hits out of the leadoff spot, bumping his batting average to .309 on the season.
• Tyler Chatwood walked five more batters in his five innings of work. While the high walk rate seems like an trend that will eventually come back to bite him, Tyler has found a way to minimize the damage despite all the runners on base in the early going.

Bottom Line

The Cubs continue to take advantage of the bad teams they are playing. It’s a big part of having a successful season and they are doing it well of late. Willson Contreras heating up, and playing like many of us expected, bodes extremely well for this offense going forward.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Saturday at 1:20 pm CT. Jon Lester takes on veteran James Shields in a game that airs on ABC-7.