The White Sox losing streak officially exceeded a handful as they dropped their sixth straight game on Friday night to the Cubs. Yu Darvish was masterful yet again in 2020 to the tune of 7 innings pitched, 5 strikeouts, and just 3 hits allowed. Given the shutout, the Cubs offense provided more than enough as they launched four homers to win the game. The loss officially drops the White Sox to third in the division despite being tied in the standings.
W: Yu Darvish (8-3) | L: Dylan Cease (5-4)
Notable Performances
Tim Anderson: 1-for-4, 1B
Anderson got the game off to a positive start in the 1st inning as he smoked a single into right-center for a base hit to start the game. Anderson would end up going hitless the rest of the game, although he did make a SportsCenter worthy snag in the 4th on a Victor Caratini line drive.
Luis Robert: 1-for-3, 1B
One bright spot of the night was Luis Robert’s single in the bottom of the 5th. Although it was just a single, it was the first indication of a light at the end of the tunnel with the slump Robert is in.
Adam Engel: 1-for-3, 2B
Engel is the only other logical option given he was the only other Sox player with an extra base hit in the game. He smacked a double off the wall to lead off the 3rd and was ultimately stranded on the bases by Darvish.
Moment of the Game
One bright spot about blowouts is the potential to see position players pitch, and that was the case on Friday as Yolmer Sanchez made his major league pitching debut. He’s now the first position player to ever pitch in the crosstown series between the Cubs and Sox. He surrendered a home run to Willson Contreras and a double to a left-handed hitting Javier Baez, but eventually induced all three outs to record his first inning pitched.
Player of the Game
Given the combination of his basehit and outstanding play in the field, Tim Anderson is tonights Player of the Game. Expect to see him on Top-10 later tonight.
Looking Ahead
The White Sox will continue the crosstown series with the Cubs on Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field with first pitched scheduled for 6:10 PM CT. Dane Dunning (2-0, 3.19 ERA) will take the mound for the White Sox, as veteran left-hander Jon Lester (3-2, 4.40) will oppose him on the mound for the Cubs.
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