Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/8/21): White Sox 9, Cubs 3- Former Farmhands Continue to Haunt Cubs as Sox Sweep

You’d be forgiven if you turned the game off after the top of the 2nd inning as the White Sox jumped out to a 7-0 lead early and finished off the weekend sweep over the Cubs with a 9-3 victory.

Cubs starter Zach Davies wasn’t good and lasted just two innings, coughing up home runs to Tim Anderson, old farmhand friend Eloy Jiménez, and Andrew Vaughn in the 1st inning. Davies then surrendered a two run double to Jiménez in the 2nd.

White Sox starter (and another former Cubs farmhand) Dylan Cease fared just a tad bit better than Davies, taking advantage of a less than robust Cub lineup to strike out 10 batters in five innings of three-run ball.

The Cubs did scrape together some runs after that early 7-0 deficit, two of which scored on pinch hitter Frank Schwindel single up the middle in the bottom of the 2nd inning. The hit was impressive considering it came against a 100 mph fastball from Cease.

New pickup Greg Deichmann also got his first career RBI on a 99 mph pitch he fisted the other way into short left field to score Willson Contreras in the 3rd. That made it 7-3 and it seemed the Cubs were back in the game, but that was all they would get.

Jiménez continued to terrorize the Cubs with another jack in the 5th inning, an oppo taco that just left Cubs fans shaking their heads about both the trade four years ago and the current state of the team. Vaughn added on with an RBI knock to finish the scoring at 9-3, not that it was needed. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

The guys they traded to the White Sox led the way in this one, as Jiménez crushed Cub pitchers and Cease dominated Cub hitters.

Key Moment

If it wasn’t the first or second home run in the 1st inning, it was probably the third. The three home runs in the opening frame all but cemented the win for the SouthSiders.

Stats That Matter

• Rafael Ortega continues to hit extremely well, busting out two more hits on his way to a 2-for-4 evening.
• Cubs relievers pitched seven innings and only gave up three hits and two runs. That’s positive, right?
• Davies’ line on the night: 2 IP, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Not gonna cut it with the lineup right now.

Bottom Line

Yes, the Cubs were razed at the trade deadline and are no doubt emotionally decimated, but a Sox sweep at Wrigley is tough to swallow under any circumstances. Having it happen with two former Cub prospects doing most of the damage is doubly difficult. The Cubs are going to continue to struggle against good teams the rest of this season, but perhaps there will be some bright spots in the near future with Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson starts looming on the horizon. Also, for those interested, the Cubs are currently slated to pick 10th in the 2022 MLB Draft.

On Deck

No rest for the weary as the Cubs take on the NL Central leading Brewers on Monday night at Wrigley. Freddy Peralta takes the ball for the Brew Crew and Alec Mills gets the ball for the Cubs. Hey, Mills has done well against the Brewers at least once, right? Game time is 7:05pm CT and will be broadcast on Marquee and 670 The Score.