Cubs win fourth straight behind Swanson's power display
Kamil Krzaczynski - USA Today Sports

Cubs win fourth straight behind Swanson's power display
by - Senior Writer - Wed Jul 26 08:32:06 GMT-04:00 2023

CHICAGO - We have reached the 100-game mark of the MLB regular season, and there is still hope for the Chicago Cubs (49-51) to be buyers at the deadline potentially. That could all change with poor play over the next six games as the Cubs kicked off what could be their most crucial stretch of the season with a two-game series against the Chicago White Sox (41-61) at Guaranteed Rate Field.

In a match that featured two pitchers with contrasting styles, you had the Professor on the mound for the Cubs going up against the Hard-throwing Michael Koepech. Koepech is a high-walk and high-strikeout guy like most hard throwers, as his pitch counts tend to get him in trouble. Hoping to avoid that issue, Koepech challenged the Cubs hitters and forced them to be more aggressive than they typically are.

That aggressiveness paid off as the Cubs belted four homers in the game, which led to five of the team's seven runs as the Cubs picked up their fourth straight win 7-3. Take away the home run issues, and Koepech was alright, as he allowed four earned runs in five innings of work. His biggest problem wasn't even in his control as Hendricks continues to look like prime Hendricks on the mound.

The right-hander held the White Sox scoreless into the fifth and then managed to pitch into the seventh before coming out of the game. He walked one, struck out four, and only allowed four hits while surrendering three runs. The long ball was a massive advantage for the Cubs in this one, and Hendricks was given an early lead that he never gave back.

With Seiya Suzuki opening the second with a leadoff error, the long ball put the Cubs in front as Dansby Swanson turned on a heater to make things 2-0.

Christopher Morel followed up a few pitches later as the Cubs went back-to-back in the second to build a 3-0 lead.

Considering how Hendricks was perfect through three innings, that 3-0 lead was looking great, and it got better in the fourth with Swanson going deep for the second time in as many at-bats to put the Cubs in front 4-0.

For Swanson, this was his eighth career multi-homer game and his first with the Cubs, as he was having a great night at the plate.

"We’ve been playing really well recently," Swanson told reporters. "I love our at-bats. I love the way we’re playing defense, the way the pitching staff’s going. It’s fun to be a part of a collective group that believes in one another.”

His homer was followed by a pair of singles from Morel and Miles Mastrobuoni, but a double play mixed in there killed a rally for the Cubs. The Cubs kept the pressure on in the fifth, with Nico Hoerner leading things off with a single and advancing to second with another stolen base. He would eventually reach third before trotting home on the Cody Bellinger sacrifice fly as the Cubs led 5-0.

It took five innings for the White Sox to get a baserunner against Hendricks, but with one swing Eloy Jimenez set the offense up as he doubled to lead off the bottom of the fifth before advancing to third on a grounder. Jimenez would eventually come home to end the shutout as the Andrew Vaughn grounder made things 5-1. After a perfect sixth inning from Jesse Scholtens, the Cubs offense got right back to their home run derby, with Hoerner leaving the yard in the seventh to make things 6-1.

Ian Happ followed that up with a single before moving up 90 feet on a grounder. Those extra 90 feet proved crucial, with Swanson coming through once more for an RBI single to make things 7-1. After allowing just one run on one hit through six, you could see the fatigue setting in for Hendricks as things began to come unglued in the seventh.

Tim Anderson started things off with a single, while Luis Robert picked up a double. Throw in a walk to Jimenz, and the Sox had the bases loaded and nobody out, as this was their chance to make this a game. In his first game since returning from the IL, Yoan Moncada appeared to do just that as he crushed one deep to left field only to have Suzuki make a leaping catch to rob him of a homer.

“I felt like I could make that play, so I just went at it,” Suzuki said after the game. “That’s actually my first time robbing a home run, so personally, I was just really happy.”

“I thought it was gone, for sure,” Hendricks said. “And then he made it look so casual -- kind of nonchalant. Just an unreal catch. Unbelievable catch. Changed the scope of that game right there.”

A run did score on the play to make things 6-2, with Vaughn picking up an RBI single shortly after to make things 7-3.

Hendricks would then be lifted from the game in favor of Mark Leiter Jr, who promptly went on to finish the seventh before tossing a scoreless eighth. Needing just three outs to finish the job, Michael Fulmer was called on to pitch the ninth after closing out the eighth with a strikeout. Fulmer immediately found himself in trouble as he walked Robert to lead off the inning before the Jimenez single was the end of the night for Fulmer, with Adbert Alzolay being summoned to take over.

Ever since being put in the closer's role, Alzolay has been lights out, and he continued that by striking out all three White Sox he faced and gave the Cubs a massive 7-3 series-opening win. Hoerner and Swanson paved the way offensively, picking up three hits and a combined five RBIs. Morel and Yan Gomes added multi-hit games as the Cubs had 13 hits in the win. Alzolay earned his 10th save.

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