Chicago Cubs defeat Chicago White Sox 3-1 – MLB Update
The Chicago Cubs avoided annihilation at the hands of their cross-town rivals as they finally managed a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, July 3.
The game was dominated by the pitchers and the runs came in two innings only with the Cubs scoring in the fourth inning and the White Sox attempting a failed reply in the eighth inning.
The Cubs opened their scoring helped by Darwin Barney’s effort before Aramis Ramirez unleashed a 390-feet hit for a double-run homer as Starlin Castro completed his run. Ramirez in on a hitting streak now, yielding seven home-runs in ten games. Castro had
more to his joy than completing 99 career-runs. He got named for the All-Star game for the first time just before the start of the game at a slender age of 21. With his skill of hitting, he is now expected to be up there for a long time.
The White Sox did not have a substantial reply to the Cubs effort, not until the late eighth inning attempt. Mark Teahen scored the only run for the White Sox as all batters in their bull-pen failed at the plate. It was an apologetic sight as the pitchers
from cross-town, led by Rodrigo Lopez allowed the White Sox only four hits.
Lopez pitched his seven innings without conceding a run and managing three strike-outs at an ERA of 3.91. He did not make any error and did not walk any batter. Lopez won his first game of the season having previously lost two. Kerry Wood, Sean Marshall
and Carlos Marmol were brilliant in the support role as they managed to hold on to their lead. Wood and Marshall held games while Marmol registered his 17th save of the season.
Gavin Floyd from the White Sox had a satisfactory performance barring the third-inning uncultivated performance. The Cubs unglued him in the fourth inning for three runs and they proved to be too much in front of an organised Cubs’ attack. Floyd lost his
eighth game this season, his win-loss tally now standing at 6-8.
Brian Bruney and Will Ohman were efficient as relief pitchers but their effort was of little use as their batters succumbed to the wily pitching of the Cubs.
Ramirez, who scored a two-run homer said that the win came in handy as it is never good to be swept at home and that too at the hands of the cross-town rivals.
On being asked about his hitting streak, he said, "I feel pretty good right now. I get a good pitch to hit and I don't miss it."
The White Sox won the three-game serried 2-1 and 4-2 in the six games played this season. They are now 42-43 for the season and will be all-out in the second-half of the season to go above the .500 mark and sustain it.
The Cubs have had an ordinary season thus far, with a win-loss record of 35-50.
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