I’ll admit it, I wasn’t able to catch much of the first Cubs/Sox series at Wrigley back in May, so when I saw that they were playing this week at U.S. Cellular I made sure to tune in for as much as I could. Surprisingly, the Cubs were able to win two of three games, the first of which came in dominant fashion behind a season high twelve runs. The second game was more the type of win that Cubs fans have come to expect on the few occasions that they see a victory, a 2-1 grind it out game where a run wasn’t scored by either team after the third inning. Finally, order was restored in game three with a 7-0 win by the White Sox in a disappointing finale to a series that had previously been able to instill a bit of pride in the north side of the city. Here are five observations from the second crosstown series of 2012.
1. Maybe The Cubs Will Start Hitting Now…..Never Mind
After the 12 run explosion on Monday night, some people might have thought that the Cubs could move up from 26th in the league in run production. However that game turned out to be fool’s gold after they proceeded to put two runs on the board in two combined games. Two things might help explain the temporary influx; two home runs that barely cleared the fence with the wind blowing out, and a rookie pitcher making his first start. Monday was fun to watch, but there may not be another game like it for the Cubs this year.
2. Power Hitters Are Frustrating
Adam Dunn came into the game with the most home runs in the majors at 23, and Alfonso Soriano came in with 12 home runs since May 15th, but both combined for eight strikeouts and only one home run over the last three games. The better bet will always be the guys that hit less long balls but have a higher average; Bryan LaHair and Paul Konerko combined for a pair of homers while only striking out five times.
3. Keep An Eye On Luis Valbuena
3 for 11 with one home run in the series won’t blow anyone away, but Valbuena is doing well filling in for Ian Stewart and may challenge for the everyday third baseman role when he returns. There’s no getting around it, Stewart has been downright awful at the hot corner. 5 home runs and a .201 average in 179 at bats isn’t going to cut it anywhere on the MLB, and if a guy comes along and does better than that with less experience, it’s hard to deny him an extended audition. Valbuena’s average seems low right now at .217, but with only twenty three at bats that number will fluctuate very quickly. After the first game of the series his average was just under .300, and with a pair of long balls to boot. He has made some great plays in the field and could prove to be just as talented as Stewart on defense as well. Stay tuned.
4. Jake Peavy Is Back
He hasn’t gotten the publicity that he deserves because of the emergence of Chris Sale, but Peavy looked to be close to his former Cy Young self despite taking the loss Tuesday night. He now sits at 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA and has to be firmly in the All Star conversation in the American League. He was able to locate multiple pitches consistently, something that he had struggled with before during his time on the South Side. He should play great at the top of the rotation for a team that should be in the AL Central division hunt for the rest of the season if he can continue to mix things up effectively.
5. This Was A Series Of Firsts And Lasts
Ryan Dempster’s last minute trip to the DL for lat stiffness before the beginning of the series was disappointing, but understandable given his current trade value. However that does mean that Dempster missed out on his last opportunity to take part in the crosstown classic, a series like few others. There is very little chance that Dempster will be on the team come next year, and he has to be as unhappy about missing his last chance to bring pride to Wrigley as the fans. On the other hand, prospects like Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson will most likely be on the regular roster in 2013, and it should be fun to show off some of the new weapons to skeptical Sox fans. Out with the old, in with the new.
ChiSportsPulse 