Crosstown Watch: Cubs off to stronger start than White Sox |
Ariana Pensy
-
- Sunday, April 09 2023
Although the season may have just started on March 30, the battle for the best team in Chicago belongs to the Cubs right now. With a 4-4 record, they have a better winning percentage than the White Sox who are sitting at 4-6.
The season started for the Cubs with a series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who narrowly missed the playoffs last season after finishing with an 86-76 record. After the Cubs won the first game, the Brewers won the last two games of the series. This was followed by a two-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, who had a bit of a dismal season last year at 62-100 but are sitting at the same record as the Cubs. It was supposed to be a three-game series, but the last game of the series was canceled due to the weather. In their series against the Texas Rangers, they won the series despite losing their last game. The most promising of these wins was in the second game when they had a 10-3 victory. On the other hand, the White Sox started their season with a four-game series against the defending champions, the Houston Astros, and split that series. Then, they played against the San Francisco Giants who won the series and scored a total of 31 runs in those three games. Afterwards, they played against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won that series as well, the first game in a high-scoring affair of 13-9 and the last game in a low-scoring 1-0 game. Overall, the Cubs are doing better in their games and have a better record. They both sit third in their division. But, it should be noted that the White Sox probably have a stronger schedule. The best opponent the Cubs have played so far is Milwaukee, while the Sox faced off against the Astros. Both teams played in a series against a team who went 62-100 last season (Pirates and Reds). But this season, the Pirates are 6-3. The difference in the strength of schedule is not much, but it should still be noted. So, the important thing for Cubs fans - will their standing as the best team in Chicago continue, and will they improve going deeper into the season? Well, in regards to maintaining their current status as the best team in Chicago, the White Sox are dealing with some injuries at pitcher, which has impacted their entire rotation. This problem is something that has affected them so far this season, which is reflected in their high-scoring ability with 51 RBIs, yet they are sitting at 4-6. The Cubs have a strong pitching rotation, so, barring injuries, they shouldn’t have that issue. To the second question - will the Cubs improve deeper into the season? Looking at their next series, against the Seattle Mariners (4-6), that should help them as the Mariners are not doing too well. They also have a series against the Oakland Athletics shortly after that, who are currently 2-7. In the month of April, they play seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are tied for first in the NL West at 5-4. Those games should give fans a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses later in the season. One strength for the Dodgers has been hitting home runs, as they are currently sitting as No. 2 in the MLB in home runs (24). The Cubs only have seven. Similarly, the Dodgers are adept at getting RBIs as they are No. 3 in the MLB at 56. The Cubs are tied for No. 18 at 39. So, the Cubs are probably going to need some low-scoring affairs to come out with some wins until they can solve this lingering concern.
