Cubs Win 5th Straight; White Sox, Sale Falter Late

June 8, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Sunday smorgasbord: It’s not every day the Chicago Cubs have a five-game winning streak. The statistical-analysis department at ElliottHarris.com has figured it takes multiples days to reach that total. Well, after beating the Miami Marlins 5-2 on Saturday at Wrigley Field, the Cubs do have a five-game winning streak. Because of such success, the Cubs have improved to the point of being on pace to end the season with a 68-94 record. They better start ordering some champagne for September when the Cubs clinch a double-digit — and not triple-digit — loss season.

Video below of Isabeli Fontana for those interested (and for anyone else).

* Highlight of the day at Wrigley? Lennie Merullo, the last living member of the 1945 Cubs (the franchise’s last World Series appearance) being interviewed by Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies. before the former Cubs infielder sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” You will find video of his singing effort, if you scroll down.

* The Cubs’ recent success can be attributed to what exactly? Well, a good conspiracy theorist (is there any other kind?) would say the front office realizes it wants a top draft pick in 2015 but not the top one because that player would be slotted for a higher signing bonus than the Cubs would like to pay.

* It’s not every day White Sox left-hander Chris Sale fails. Mainly because as a starting pitcher, he is on the mound generally every five days. OK, it’s not every five days that Sale fails. But he did Saturday night. Staked to a 5-0 lead, he gave up five eighth-inning runs to the host Los Angeles Angels. A Mike Trout grand slam tied the game and led to Sale’s exit. If it’s any consolation to Sox fans (and the guess here is that it is not), the bullpen subsequently allowed another eighth-inning run in what became a 6-5 Sox loss. Manager Robin Ventura opted to stay with Sale in the eighth because that often is what managers do with the No. 1 starter. Reminder to Sox fans: Trout is paid to play, too. And he is really good. Reminder to Ventura: While there is no guarantee that Jake Petricka would have done better facing Trout, there is the certainty that he couldn’t have done worse.

* Speaking of really good, it’s not every day that White Sox slugger Jose Abreu strikes out four times in a game. Which the rookie did Saturday for the first time in his career. Guess the folks figuring out where to place his statue outside U.S. Cellular Field can take the day off Sunday.

* It’s not every day the WNBA’s Chicago Sky gets blown out. Although based on results from Friday’s and Saturday’s games, one could surmise that the Sky actually does do that. After losing at home Friday 102-88 to the Los Angeles Sparks, the Sky lost on the road to the Atlanta Dream 87-59. Sky star Elena Delle Donne had a season-low seven points after a season-high 33 Friday. After making all 16 of her free-throw attempts Friday, Delle Donne had none Saturday. On the bright (?) side, the Sky does not play again until Tuesday at Allstate Arena against the Seattle Storm. If the Sky (5-3) continues such an up-and-down season, it might want to consider changing its nickname to the Elevators.

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Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the efforts of the editorial and video departments at ElliottHarris.com):