This two-game series vs the Cubs heading into the All-Star break marks the end of NBC Sports Chicago’s simulation of the 2020 White Sox season.
Result: White Sox def. Cubs 10-8
Record: 55-37 this season, 1st in A.L. Central (3.5 games ahead of Twins)
W: Dylan Cease (5-4)
L: Jose Quintana (9-5)
SV: Alex Colome (19)
Game summary: The series everyone has been waiting for: Cubs-White Sox, with the added bonus of a matchup between Dylan Cease and Jose Quintana, who switched teams in a trade also involving Eloy Jimenez just under three years ago. Who would come out ahead in this one?
If you guessed Cease, you are correct. The White Sox made Quintana’s latest return to the South Side a living nightmare. Jose Abreu extended his hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI single in the first. Nomar Mazara and Edwin Encarnacion went back-to-back in the second, respectively hitting a two-run homer and solo shot to give the White Sox a 4-0 lead. The third didn’t alleviate the onslaught whatsoever. Lus Robert hit a two-run blast that bounced Quintana from the game before he could complete three innings.
Meanwhile, Cease largely cruised through his outing, overpowering Cubs hitters with a 95+ mph fastball and mixing in a devastating changeup. Cease’s eight strikeouts stood out a lot more than the two solo homers he gave up to Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber in his 5 2/3 innings of work.
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The White Sox would need all the insurance they could get because the Cubs went down swinging. Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant each went deep in the late innings, driving in five runs and putting a jubilant White Sox home crowd on edge. Fortunately for the South Siders, Abreu and Encarnacion kept the Cubs at bay with long balls of their own to secure the win in the first of two against their crosstown rivals.
White Sox lineup:
Edwin Encarnacion: 2-5, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI, 2 R (.327 BA)
Eloy Jimenez: 3-4, R (.261 BA)
Yoan Moncada: 0-3, 2 BB (.275 BA)
Yasmani Grandal: 0-5 (.301 BA)
Jose Abreu: 2-3, HR (27), 2 RBI, 2 R (.321 BA)
Tim Anderson: 0-4 (.269 BA)
Luis Robert: 1-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, R (.255 BA)
Nick Madrigal: 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R (.286 BA)
Nomar Mazara: 2-4, HR (18), 2 RBI, 2 R (.257 BA)
Scoring summary:
Bottom first
Jose Abreu singled to center field, Eloy Jimenez scored. 1-0 CHW.
Bottom second
Nomar Mazara homered to right field, Nick Madrigal scored. 3-0 CHW.
Edwin Encarnacion homered to center field. 4-0 CHW.
Bottom third
Luis Robert homered to right field, Abreu scored. 6-0 CHW.
Top fourth
Kris Bryant homered to left field. 6-1 CHW.
Top sixth
Kyle Schwarber homered to right field. 6-2 CHW.
Bottom seventh
Abreu homered to center field. 7-2 CHW.
Top eighth
Schwarber homered to right field, Javier Baez and Bryant scored. 7-5 CHW.
Bottom eighth
Encarnacion homered to left field Madrigal and Mazara scored. 10- 5 CHW.
Top ninth
Jason Heyward doubled to left field, David Bote scored. 10-6 CHW.
Bryant homered to center field, Jason Heyward scored. 10-8 CHW.
Notable performance: Edwin Encarnacion gets back-to-back showings in this section of the recap. That’s what happens when you record four RBIs for the second straight game. Encarnacion is also rising up the home run and RBI leaderboards. He’s now tied for second in homers (33) and is seventh in RBIs (71) in the American League.
Next game: Game 93: Cubs vs. White Sox (Jon Lester vs. Lucas Giolito)