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Six-run first powers Cubs to win over White Sox
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Six-run first powers Cubs to win over White Sox
by - Senior Writer - Fri Feb 23 18:09:34 GMT-04:00 2024

MESA - Baseball is officially back as a new era of Chicago Cubs baseball kicks off for 2024. Sure, it is only Spring Training, and none of this will matter until the end of March, but this year could go down as one of the more critical Spring Training's in team history.

Leading the Cubs onto the field for the first time in his career was Craig Counsell as he embarked on his tenure as a Chicago Cub Manager. Facing off against the Chicago White Sox to kick off the Spring schedule, the Cubs turned to lefty Jordan Wicks for the start after making seven starts last season.

Expected to be in the mix for the fifth starter spot this season, Wicks is listed as a potential breakout candidate, and after going a combined 11-1 between the Minors and the majors last season, you can see why. Wicks gave the Cubs 1 2/3, allowing just a solo homer in the second as the Cubs offense came to life for the 8-1 victory.

Six of those eight runs came in the first inning as the Cubs bats came out swinging. Looking to settle into a potential leadoff role again this season will be Ian Happ, who opened up the bottom of the first with a single. That was followed by a long Christopher Morel homer as the Cubs were quickly in front 2-0. Had they not scored the rest of the way, that Morel homer would have been the game-winning hit, as the Cubs expect massive things from Morel offensively this season.

Already with two runs across, the Cubs offense continued to swing the bats well, with Miguel Amaya keeping the party going with a single followed by a two-out hustling double from Pete Crow-Armstrong to keep the inning alive. A Luis Vazquez loaded the base ahead of the Joe Hudson double to extend the Cubs lead to 5-0. Hudson had a massive day at the plate with a team-high five RBIs as he would later come around to score on the Matt Shaw double, capping off what was a six-run first inning.

The lone blemish on the afternoon for Wicks, and the entire pitching staff, for that matter, came with one out in the second as Tim Elko managed to take Wicks deep to make things 6-1. Wicks would get one more out before handing things over to Hunter Bigge, who closed out the inning. It may have been the Cubs offense that stole the show early on, but the pitching set the tone as the Cubs staff allowed just four hits and one walk in the game.

That was especially good to see with so many young guys on the mound in this one, including Caleb Kilian, who tossed two perfect innings. For Kilian, this is a vital spring as he hasn't been as sharp the past two seasons, and it could be now or never for him to reach the majors this season.

Once the fifth inning rolled around, you started to see the changes in the field while Richard Lovelady threw another scoreless frame. With Matt Mervis opening the bottom of the fifth off with a walk before the Alexander Canario single, the hit-by a pitch to Crow-Armstrong loaded the bases again as the Cubs were threatening for the first time in a while. That set the stage for Hudson once more, whose grounder to third not only resulted in an RBI single but also Crow-Armstrong hustled around the bases to score from second and put the Cubs in front 8-1.

That would be all the offense they would need, as a tremendous pitching effort slammed the door on the White Sox the rest of the way. That included innings from Jose Cuas and Thomas Pannone in the sixth and seventh before Bailey Horn took his turn in the eighth. A top-25 prospect in his own right, Horn has a shot at making the MLB roster out of camp, and with a perfect eighth inning and a pair of strikeouts, he made a great first impression.

Closing things out on the mound for the Cubs was another top-25 prospect in hard-throwing righty Porter Hodge. Hodge was far from perfect, allowing a one-out single to Zach Remmilard before walking the only batter of the game. All that matters is finding a way to limit the damage as Hodge got Carlos Perez to ground into a game-ending double play to secure the 8-1 victory.

Leading the way offensively was Hudson, who picked up a pair of hits with his five RBIs. Fast-rising prospect Shaw added two hits to round out the multiple-hit efforts, while five other players recorded a hit in the victory.

The Cubs will return on the diamond tomorrow when they hit the road to take on the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale. Drew Smyly is slated to start that game as he is battling for an unspecified role as a starter or reliever.

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