White Sox vs. Cubs

“To be able to go through this whole thing together does help, from the sense that (the pressure) is spread out”, Maddon said Sunday, when the Cubs lost 3-1 in the series finale against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

RHP Jake Arrieta picked up his third straight win in the Cubs’ 6-3 victory on Saturday at the Chicago White Sox.

Pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning as the New York Yankees held on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays.

When the Cubs loaded the bases in the sixth inning on a single, a walk and a hit batter, both White Sox and Cubs fans were on their feet in anticipation of something positive.

They matched their longest streak since they reeled off nine in a row during the 2008 NL Central championship season and made it 15 wins in 16 games.

Jorge Soler followed with a single up the middle, driving in Bryant to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Addison Russell reached on an infield hit after a replay challenge overturned the call on the field, but Starlin Castro grounded out to end the game. Alex Wilson relieved and Altuve singled on the first pitch for his third hit of the game.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.

After the win, the Sox flew to Anaheim for four games against the Angels, hoping to make up some ground in the alleged wild-card “race”. The last time they had a stretch like that was right after the All Star game when they had seventeen games.

The White Sox lineup was not available at the time I wrote this preview.

What happened was Sale struck out 15 in seven innings and allowed only one hit, ending the Cubs’ nine-game winning streak while barely breaking a sweat on a hot, humid afternoon.

Jackie Bradley Jr. looks to build off a career day as Boston wraps up vs. the Mariners after totaling 37 runs and 47 hits in the first two games. LHP Andrew Heaney (5-1, 2.53 ERA) pitches for Los Angeles.

But despite the dominant strikeout numbers, Sale doesn’t appear to be the favorite for AL Cy Young honors, as his 3.32 ERA ranks just 12th in the Junior Circuit among all qualified starters.

Twins 4, Indians 1 – Tommy Milone (6-3) returned from the disabled list and pitched five innings, and host Minnesota beat Carlos Carrasco (11-9) and Cleveland. Joc Pederson and Greinke hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth. Bean, Major League Baseball’s first ambassador for inclusion, revealed he is gay after his playing career.

BALTIMORE — Adam Jones hit two home runs, Gerardo Parra had five of Baltimores 26 hits, and the Orioles breezed past Oakland. Jose Abreu (.292, 69 Rs, 21 HRs, 68 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one RBI.

His final inning was equally impressive, striking out the side once again. Shuck has been on the DL since August 1.