All eyes will be on Chris Sale – and his uniform – when the Chicago White Sox take the field against the Cubs for the final game of the City Series on Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
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Michael Wacha (6-7) allowed three runs in six innings, and three relievers completed an eight-hitter. Chapman, in his second appearance since being acquired from the Yankees, struck out two and consistently hit 102 miles per hour in his first save for his new team.
Kris Bryant, who homered against Sale in the All-Star Game, hit an RBI double off the center field wall in the first inning off Sale. The White Sox scratched Sale, sent him home and later suspended him five days for “insubordination and for destroying team equipment”. The left-hander said they were uncomfortable and became enraged when the team wouldn’t switch them out.
He hugged teammates Dioner Navarro and Matt Albers, then did a lap around the clubhouse, greeting each player sitting at his locker. Melky Cabrera has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games and is 11-for-25 against Ricky Nolasco, who is scheduled to start for the Twins in the series opener. Chicago is still in the mix in the AL Wild card race and could go out and bring in some pieces to add to the mix but the biggest storyline surrounding them right now is the strained relationship with Kenny Williams and Sale and whether or not the unthinkable could happen and Sale gets shipped out of town.
Chris Sale will be pitching for the first time tonight after the “throwback cutting” incident that occurred this past Saturday.
Sale even found his way at the plate, recording his second career hit on this weird play. Kepler had an RBI double as part of a four-run seventh.
Tyler Saladino doubled off former closer Hector Rondon in the eighth.
Chapman and Cubs interpreter/coach Henry Blanco came under criticism Monday after the pitcher flubbed his introductory news conference with Chicago reporters.
Sale later told MLB.com that he stood by his actions and suggested manager Robin Ventura should have stood up for him.
“He’s a passionate guy about a lot of different things”, Cooper said.
Cubs – Maddon said OF Jorge Soler (left hamstring), now on a rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa, “is on the verge of coming back”.
Jason Heyward, who signed a $184 million contract with the Cubs in the offseason, didn’t start as Maddon went with a righty-heavy lineup vs. Sale.
“Man, I don’t know that anybody could handle it better than the way he has”, Maddon said of his struggles. “We’ve seem him do some really great stuff”.
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The Chicago White Sox are trying to stay in wild-card contention in the American League as they continue an eight-game road trip with the first of three against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
