Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Chicago Cubs

Sox: Two Game Losing Streak

by

CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Cubs starter Shota Imanaga threw seven scoreless innings, Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker slugged back-to-back home runs in the first, and the Chicago Cubs blanked the visiting Boston, 6-0.  It was the second straight loss for the Red Sox after winning 10 consecutive games before the MLB All-Star break.

Embed from Getty Images

Imanaga (7-3) allowed just five hits, while striking out five and walking one, helping the Cubs take the weekend series and win their fourth straight game. Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ each added solo homers for Chicago, which now holds the majors’ best record (59-39).

Boston starter Brayan Bello (6-4) allowed three runs on six hits in the loss, striking out four and walking one. Masataka Yoshida and Abraham Toro each tallied a pair of hits for Boston, which dropped its second straight game after posting a 10-game winning streak to end the first half.

The Cubs struck quickly in the bottom of the first, as leadoff batter Busch sent the first pitch he saw over the wall for his 20th of the season. Tucker followed up with his 18th of the year to give Chicago an early 2-0 edge.

After Dansby Swanson walked and Nico Hoerner singled to begin the second, Vidal Brujan drove in the Cubs’ third run with a sacrifice fly to left.

Boston threatened to mount a two-out rally in the top of the seventh, as Yoshida singled to right and Toro reached on an infield single, while Yoshida advanced to third on Imanaga’s throwing error. From there it took just one pitch for the Chicago lefty to escape the jam, as Connor Wong was retired on a fly out to second.

Chris Murphy replaced Bello in the seventh, striking out Reese McGuire before allowing rookie Shaw’s third homer of the year with one out.

In relief of Imanaga, Brad Keller struck out the side in the top of the eighth.

Chicago tacked on against Murphy in the bottom of the eighth, as Crow-Armstrong and Happ clubbed consecutive solo home runs to push the Cubs’ lead to 6-0.

–Field Level Media

One Streak Ends Another

by

CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – After beginning the second half of the season with an interleague victory, the Chicago Cubs will look to push their winning streak to four games on Saturday night against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Seiya Suzuki — coming off an All-Star snub — propelled the Cubs to a 4-1 win on Friday with a three-run homer in the first inning. Suzuki now leads the National League with 80 RBIs, paired with his team-leading 26 home runs and .555 slugging percentage.

The Cubs’ win ended a 10-game wining streak of the Red Sox.

“Seiya is having a tremendous offensive season,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “You put men on base in front of him and good things seem to happen this year. We’ll keep trying to do that.

“Those guys at the top of the order are all swinging it good and it makes it tough to get through. You have to get through those guys four, five times a night and that’s what makes us a good offense.”

To Counsell’s point, Chicago’s 516 runs and 143 homers each rank second in the NL, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On the mound, Shota Imanaga (6-3, 2.65 ERA) will look to prolong his stellar campaign for the Cubs on Saturday. A left hamstring strain placed the lefty on the injured list for nearly two months, but Imanaga has gone 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts since returning.

He allowed just one run in seven innings in Chicago’s first-half finale against the New York Yankees, a 4-1 Cubs’ win. In his lone career start against the Red Sox, Imanaga surrendered just one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 7-1 win in April 2024.

With the series-opening loss on Friday, Boston shelved its 10-game winning streak come to a close – the longest for the franchise since a 10-game stretch in 2018.

On a day the Red Sox produced little offense, a baserunning mistake by Abraham Toro proved crucial in the club’s first loss since July 2. With Boston trailing by two runs in the fifth, Toro was doubled out at second base by All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to stunt a Red Sox rally.

“That fifth inning, we had a rally going and I’ve got to put the blame on me,” Toro said. “Being thrown out in a double play kills rallies. Just have to learn from it and go again tomorrow.”

Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14) is slated to make his 17th appearance (16th start) for Boston. A winner in three consecutive starts, Bello is 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA in July.

Last time out, the 26-year-old right-hander allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Bello has faced the Cubs once in his career, throwing six innings of three-run ball in an 8-3 win in July 2023.

Boston’s pitching staff will look to continue a stretch that’s seen it go 11 straight games of allowing four runs or fewer.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox, Cubs Anxious to Play Again

by

CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – A pair of teams eager to resume play will kick off the second half of the regular season on Friday afternoon, when the Chicago Cubs host the Boston Red Sox.

Embed from Getty Images

Chicago is on pace to finish with its most wins since its 2016 World Series championship season (103) and return to postseason play for the first time since 2020. The Cubs won eight of 12 games entering the All-Star break and sit a half-game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League’s best record.

With a pair of 25-homer sluggers in Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki spearheading the powerful lineup, the Cubs appear to be on track for a special end to the summer.

“Our job is to just keep winning. It’s as simple as that,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s so much season left. Just keep winning. Stack up wins and we’re going to be in a good position.”

After a six-game road trip capped the first half of the season, Chicago returns to Wrigley Field on Friday, where the club has gone 30-16.

Veteran right-hander Colin Rea (7-3, 3.91 ERA) gets the start and will look to extend his personal winning streak to four games. Since his last loss against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, Rea has allowed just four runs in 18 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old surrendered one run in seven innings last time out in an 8-1 victory over the host Minnesota Twins.

In his only career start against Boston, Rea gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 victory as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers in May 2024.

Nobody in baseball entered the break as hot as the Boston Red Sox, who have won 10 straight games and catapulted themselves into the American League postseason picture.

Following a July 2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Boston swept the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays to pull within three games of the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays and just a game back of the second-place New York Yankees. A win on Friday would match the ninth-longest winning streak in franchise history, which was last accomplished in September 2016.

“We’ve still got a long way to go,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re happy with this stretch, we’re happy with how we’ve been playing. I think we’ve only had one bad series the last few weeks, so we’re playing well.”

Lucas Giolito (6-1, 3.36) will make his 14th start of the season for the Red Sox on Friday. Like his counterpart in Rea, Giolito has won three consecutive starts. Since allowing seven runs in less than two innings against the Los Angeles Angels on June 4, Giolito has gone 5-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 37 strikeouts in six starts.

The 31-year-old right-hander will hope to fare better against the Cubs, as he’s 2-3 with a 7.86 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings over five career starts against the club.

–Field Level Media

12 Runs, 17 Hits, 3 Errors vs 0 Hits

by

CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Chicago’s starting pitcher Shota Imanaga threw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter as the hometown Cubs recorded a 12-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

Embed from Getty Images

Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge each tossed a perfect inning to complete the 18th no-hitter in franchise history.

Imanaga (12-3) struck out seven and walked two while throwing 95 pitches for the Cubs (72-68).

Chicago’s last no-hitter was another combined effort, when Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on June 24, 2021. The Pirates were held hitless for the first time since they were stymied by the Chicago White Sox’s Lucas Giolito on Aug. 25, 2020.

The Cubs authored the fourth no-hitter in the majors this season, the first since the San Francisco Giants’ Blake Snell no-hit the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2.

Hodge induced three groundouts to shortstop to end the game, the last from Oneil Cruz, to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the Pirates (65-74).

Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong each homered as part of a three-hit, three-RBI performance.

Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds reached on the first of three errors by third baseman Isaac Paredes before being erased on an inning-ending double play in the first. Imanaga retired the side in order in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

The Cubs wasted little time getting the early jump on the Pirates, as Reynolds’ error in left field allowed Happ to score on Seiya Suzuki’s single in the first inning.

Crow-Armstrong’s RBI double and Happ’s two-run single extended Chicago’s lead to 4-0 in the second. In the third, Swanson deposited a 0-2 curveball from Domingo German (0-1) over the wall in left field. The homer was Swanson’s 14th of the season and second in three games.

Crow-Armstrong immediately followed by sending a 1-0 curveball from German over the wall in center field to stake Chicago to a 7-0 lead. It was Crow-Armstrong’s eighth homer of the year.

German permitted seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Swanson and Crow-Armstrong each drove in a run in the fifth inning before Bellinger drilled a first-pitch fastball from Kyle Nicolas over the center field wall in the sixth. The homer was Bellinger’s 15th of the season.

–Field Level Media

Cubs Look to Win (Again) at Fenway

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Chicago Cubs will look to win the first series they have played at Fenway Park since 2017 and extend their winning streak to five games in a Saturday rematch against the Boston Red Sox.

Embed from Getty Images

However, with Kyle Hendricks and Justin Steele both injured, the Cubs did not name a starter for Saturday’s game until manager Craig Counsell gave the nod to rookie right-hander Ben Brown (0-0, 3.72 ERA) following the series opener.

Hendricks officially was sidelined on Monday due to a lower back strain.

“What’s clear for me in this stretch is that we’re going to have to push our starting pitching a little farther in games,” Counsell said after Hendricks was shelved. “I think we’re equipped to do that and in a good spot to do that, but it’s definitely going to be part of the next two weeks.”

Shota Imanaga helped the Cubs achieve that goal in Friday’s series opener in Boston, tossing 6 1/3 solid innings on 88 pitches in a 7-1 win.

A 14-hit attack supported Imanaga. Michael Busch was 3-for-4 with a double, and Pete Crow-Armstrong was 2-for-3 and drove in two RBIs for the second consecutive game following an 0-for-16 streak to begin his career.

“It’s kind of even hard to put into words,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said of Crow-Armstrong. “He cares so much. He works so hard. He wants to do so well and has got a great heart.”

Two of Brown’s six appearances have been starts, and he has allowed just one run on four hits over a combined 10 2/3 innings in those games.

Brown, who made his MLB debut on March 30, has thrown three scoreless frames in two relief outings since his last start on April 15 at Arizona.

The Red Sox are 3-8 this season at Fenway, where they have lost four straight series openers and allowed opponents to score seven or more runs six times.

On Friday, Tyler O’Neill’s solo home run in the fourth inning produced Boston’s only run against Imanaga.

O’Neill, however, has not hit any of his eight home runs this season with a runner on base.

“Us as a unit, where we’re at right now, we have to be better … understanding what we have to do to have traffic for the big boys,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Along with O’Neill, Rafael Devers is 7-for-13 over his last three games following a five-game injury absence. Cora expects him to return defensively to third base on Saturday.

Boston right-hander Josh Winckowski (1-1, 4.20 ERA) will make his second start of the season and only his third since the beginning of 2023. He dealt 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball last Sunday at Pittsburgh but did not factor into the decision.

Winckowski has been pressed into a starting role with Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock and Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list.

Winckowski, 25, is excited for another opportunity to prove himself out of a Red Sox rotation that has the best starters’ ERA in the American League (2.15).

“Specifically, people were saying we needed help in the rotation and that the rotation (stunk). So I’m really happy for all the guys to be proving everyone wrong,” Winckowski said. “I think the team definitely carries a chip on its shoulder to go win as many games as we can.”

–Field Level Media

Sox, Cubs: Rubber Game at Wrigley

by

CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Chicago Cubs host the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in the rubber match of both teams’ first series since the All-Star break.

Following an 8-3 loss on Friday in which five different Boston batters homered, Chicago evened the series on Saturday with a 10-4 romp.

Embed from Getty Images

Cody Bellinger hit a third-inning grand slam that gave the Cubs a 6-0 lead. The gap never dipped below five runs the rest of the way.

“He’s been more than expected since he’s been here,” Chicago manager David Ross said of Bellinger. “He’s the total package, right? The defense, the clubhouse presence, the at-bat. And the power is showing up.”

Bellinger homered twice in Friday’s loss and is hitting .476 (20-for-42) in the month of July.

Every Chicago batter connected for at least one hit in Saturday’s win. Five drove in runs, led by Bellinger, who had the four RBIs thanks to his eighth career grand slam. Patrick Wisdom drove in two with a fourth-inning home run, and Nico Hoerner, Christopher Morel and Miguel Amaya each had one RBI.

Cubs All-Star left-hander Justin Steele (9-2, 2.56 ERA) looks to pitch Chicago to the series win on Sunday. Steele has won in each of his last three starts in which he earned a decision, though his most recent outing — a six-inning appearance on July 5 at National League Central rival Milwaukee — was a no-decision.

Steele gave up three earned runs and nine hits in that contest, a 4-3 Cubs win. Both were the most Steele has allowed since giving up 10 hits and five earned runs on May 26 against Cincinnati.

The appearance against Cincinnati was Steele’s most recent loss. Sunday marks Steele’s first time facing the Red Sox.

Right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4, 4.11) will take the mound for Boston for his first career appearance against the Cubs.

Crawford last pitched on July 6, giving up three runs and seven hits over four innings in a no-decision against Texas.

The right-hander has struck out 58 over 61 1/3 innings on the season and recorded two of his three wins in 2023 over his last four starts prior to the All-Star break.

Boston aims to bounce back from its first loss since July 4. The Red Sox had won six straight games prior to Saturday’s setback.

“People make a big deal out of one game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll show up (Sunday) and play good baseball. We just didn’t make one play (Saturday), and that was it. We walked two, we hit one guy, we don’t make a play, they score six (runs).”

By scoring six runs in the third inning on Saturday, the Cubs matched the most runs scored by an opponent in a single game during Boston’s recent winning streak. The 10 total runs Chicago scored were just two fewer than Boston surrendered in its four previous games combined.

Though the Red Sox are five games above .500, Saturday’s loss dropped Boston to last place in the American League East.

–Field Level Media

Power to the Red Sox

by

CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – When the Boston Red Sox signed left fielder Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million deal this offseason, few expected him to put his name on a list with Ted Williams.

But he did just that.

Embed from Getty Images

Yoshida is Boston’s first left-handed hitter to string together eight straight multi-hit games since Williams accomplished the feat in 1940. He will try to keep the hits coming on Saturday when the Red Sox play the second game of a three-game set against the host Chicago Cubs.

During his impressive run, Yoshida has gone 17-for-34 (.500) with two homers, five RBIs and eight runs. He went 2-for-5 on Friday, helping the Red Sox pick up an 8-3 victory over Chicago in the series opener.

It wasn’t just Yoshida powering Boston to its sixth straight win, though, as the Red Sox clubbed a season-high six homers. Rafael Devers hit a pair of solo shots, while Adam Duvall, Triston Casas, Justin Turner and Yu Chang also went deep.

“We’re gonna hit, we know that. It’s just a matter of staying with an approach,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re playing good baseball right now. It’s a good brand of baseball, it’s fun, and hopefully we can continue (Saturday).”

Left-hander James Paxton (5-1, 2.73 ERA) will hope the lineup can produce similar results on Saturday when he makes his 11th start of the season.

Paxton has been stellar over his past seven outings, going 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

In his most recent start, Paxton allowed two runs on six hits in six innings during a victory against the Oakland Athletics on July 8. He walked one and struck out three.

Paxton has never faced the Cubs.

Right-hander Marcus Stroman (9-6, 2.96 ERA) will get the nod for Chicago as he attempts to get back on track.

Through his first 16 starts this season, Stroman went 9-4 with a 2.28 ERA. In three outings since then, he is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA, most recently surrendering four runs on four hits in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 6.

Due to his recent struggles, Stroman opted to sit out of Tuesday’s All-Star Game and focus on getting ready for the second half of the season.

“It’s been a huge process,” Stroman said. “I’m very thankful for everybody who’s helped me get to this point. I’m definitely looking forward to having a little bit of a break — kind of just reset my energy, clear my mind and have a good second half.”

Stroman will be presented with a good opportunity to find his early-season form on Saturday, as the right-hander is 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 15 career starts against the Red Sox.

Although the Cubs have alternated wins and losses over their past six games, center fielder Cody Bellinger has been a beacon of consistency. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, going 26-for-59 (.441) with four homers, nine RBIs and 15 runs during that span.

Bellinger accounted for most of Chicago’s offense during the loss on Friday, smacking two solo home runs.

–Field Level Media

Sports TV: Class is in Session with Doug Glanville on Marquee Sports

by

CHICAGO – Regional Sports Networks are upping the ante each and every year and Chicago’s Marquee Sports Network is leading the trend of RSN’s producing original “network quality” programs.

Class is in Session with Doug Glanville is a monthly show that explores the sports industry within the larger lens of its effect on society. It premieres its newest episode this Friday, April 23, on Marquee Sports Network. Presented by UI Health, this month’s episode focuses on the decision by Major League Baseball to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Colorado and how the Players Alliance is giving a voice to minority players and providing outreach in communities across the country.

To view a trailer, click below:

https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/doug-glanville-discusses-mlb-all-star-game-and-players-alliance-on-newest-episode-of-class-is-in-session/

Guests for this episode include:

Jason Heyward – Chicago Cubs outfielder, 12-year major league veteran and member of the Major League Player Committee for The Players Alliance
Curtis Granderson – 16-year major league veteran and President of The Players Alliance
Ken Rosenthal – Senior writer for The Athletic and MLB Network insider
Doug Glanville, the show’s host, creator and one of its executive producers, was nominated for a 2021 Sports Emmy Award for his “Enough” video essay and draws on his experience as a veteran MLB player, baseball analyst, writer, and college professor of sport and society as he interacts with this distinguished panel of guests.

“Having the opportunity to learn and engage with true insiders and their knowledge of the impact and motivation around MLB moving the All-Star Game is unique,” said Glanville. “Between Curtis, Jason and Ken, we get an education on all the factors at play and why it was so significant for MLB to take a stance. The conversations are deep and examine historical context through current player insight.”

During the wide-ranging discussion, Glanville and the panel of guests discuss what led to MLB’s decision to move the All-Star Game, the role of players in that decision and how The Players Alliance is going above and beyond to impact all communities, including Atlanta.

Jason Heyward, a native of the Atlanta area, shared his support for moving the game out of Atlanta, while acknowledging that he remains committed to his hometown.

“It’s cool to know that the Players Alliance will still be going to Atlanta, and will still be reaching out in these communities … I’m looking forward to being a part of that any way I can,” said Heyward.

Glanville, a nine-year MLB veteran, is a Marquee Sports Network analyst and the host of “Class is in Session with Doug Glanville” presented by UI Health, a half-hour panel show exploring the intersection between sports and larger society. Glanville was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 1991 MLB draft and made his major league debut with Chicago in 1996.

After spending five-plus seasons with Philadelphia and Texas, he returned to the Cubs in 2003 and hit a go-ahead triple in the 11th inning of Game Three of the NLCS against the Marlins. He was the first African American Ivy League graduate to play in the MLB.