CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

Cubs vs. White Sox The Cubs and the crosstown rival White Sox play four times this season with two two-game series … following the current two-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field, the clubs will meet Aug. 15-16 at Wrigley Field … in 2022, the White Sox took three of four games from the Cubs, sweeping the two-game set at Wrigley Field and splitting at Guaranteed Rate Field.

A QUICK MEETING: The Chicago Cubs today wrap up a two-game series with their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox … the Cubs yesterday won the first game of the four-game season-series between the two clubs, 7-3 … the offense was sparked by four home runs (Swanson – 2, Morel, Hoerner) and five stolen bases in support of Kyle Hendricks (3 ER/6.1 IP), who earned his fourth win of the season … Adbert Alzolay struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning for his 10th save.

Today marks the second (1-0) of 16-straight gamedays for the Cubs through August 9 … these two games against the White Sox conclude 13-straight days in Chicago following the All-Star Break.

The Cubs tonight play game two (1-0) of a six-game road trip at the White Sox (two games ending today) and at the Cardinals (four games starting tomorrow).

The Cubs enter play today sitting 5.0 games back of the final wild card spot and 6.0 games behind division-leading Milwaukee.

Chicago is 11-7 in its last 18 games and 12-13 in its last 25 contests since June 25 following a stretch in which it went 11-2 in 13 games from June 9-24.

The Cubs are the only N.L. Central Division club with a positive run differential (+45) … Pittsburgh is at -74, St. Louis -22, Milwaukee -6 and Cincinnati -3.

AMONG THE LEADERS: Dating to June 9, Chicago’s 23-15 record (.605) is the fourth-best in the N.L. and tied for fifth-best in the majors, trailing Atlanta (26-11/.703), Cincinnati (27-13/.675), Baltimore (24-15/.615) and Philadelphia (24-15/.615).

During that span, the Cubs have scored 222 runs, second-most in the major leagues, trailing Atlanta (228), while the club’s .265 batting average (346-for1,308) is the fourth-highest in the N.L. and seventh in the MLB.

THE FIRST 100: Chicago yesterday played its 100th game of the 2023 campaign … the club finished the first 100 contests at 49-51, compared to 41-59 in 2022 … here’s a look at the first 100 games in 2023, compared to 2022.

FIRST 100 G AVG OBP SLG R/G HR SO ERA IP ER BB SO
2022 (41-59) .245 .320 .396 4.3 100 881 4.35 895.0 433 334 874
2023 (49-51) .253 .330 .408 4.9 113 913 4.11 885.0 404 313 824

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: The Cubs yesterday homered four times and recorded five stolen bases in the 7-3 win over the White Sox … Ed Hartig notes that it’s the first time the Cubs have hit at least four home runs and stole at least five bases in a game since July 28, 1888, vs. Detroit (five home runs and six stolen bases).

Dansby Swanson notched his eighth career multi-homer game (last June 23, 2022 vs. San Francisco with Atlanta) … in three games since being activated from the injured list July 22, Swanson is 7-for-11 (.636) with a double, two home runs and six RBI with multi-hit efforts in all three games.

Nico Hoerner yesterday became the first Cub since Jason Heyward (April 6, 2019 at Milwaukee) to record a game with at least three hits, one home run and two stolen bases … he joined Alfonso Soriano (July 8, 2013) as the only two Cubs players (since 1997) to accomplish the feat against the White Sox.

Christopher Morel yesterday hit his first home run since July 2, snapping a 56-at-bat homerless drought, the third-longest stretch of his career.

THE STRO-SHOW ON THE SOUTH SIDE: Marcus Stroman in his lone Crosstown Classic start, May 29, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field, tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in a no-decision.

Justin Steele (2nd, 2.95) and Stroman (4th, 3.09) own the second and fourth-lowest ERA in the N.L. respectively … no N.L. club since the 2017 Washington Nationals (Max Scherzer – 2nd/2.51, Stephen Strasburg – 3rd/2.52) have had two of the three lowest ERAs in the N.L. on the same time the entire season.

Stroman has made 35 career interleague appearances (32 starts), going 13-11 with a 3.32 ERA (74 ER/200.2 IP), including 3-3 with a 3.05 ERA (14 ER/41.1 IP) in seven starts in 2023.

NOTES ABOUT THE CROSSTOWN CLASSIC: The Cubs are 66-73 all-time in Crosstown Classic matchups, with the Cubs outscoring the White Sox 636-634 … since winning three of the final four games of the 2020 season-series, the Cubs have are 3-8 in the last 11 games against the White Sox.

All-time in Crosstown Classic games, the Cubs have scored 636 runs (4.6 runs per game) and batted .250 (1,174-for-4,701) with 177 home runs, while Cubs pitchers have posted a 4.35 ERA (596 ER/1,232.2 IP).

BELLI BOMBS AWAY: Cody Bellinger in the month of July is batting .429 (33-for-77) with four doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 1.200 OPS … he leads the league in average and hits in July, is second in RBI, tied for second in home runs, runs scored and slugging percentage (.753) and third in OPS.

In his last four games, he has recorded 10 RBI, tied for his third-most in a four-game span in his career.

In 32 games since being reinstated from the injured list on June 15 (left knee contusion) has batted .368 (43-for-117) with six doubles, seven home runs, 24 RBI and a .994 OPS, including a career-high 13-game hitting streak from June 24-July 7 … he has a 6.2% walk rate and 14.7% strikeout rate in this span.

START AT THE TOP: In 11 games since the All-Star break, the Cubs 1-4 hitters are batting .304 (56-for-184) with 20 extra-base hits (eight home runs), 38 RBI, a .361 OBP, a .508 slugging percentage … in the 20 games prior to the break from June 17-July 9, Chicago’s first four hitters in the order were hitting just .197 (64-for-325) with a .262 OBP, a .342 slugging percentage and 2.50 runs scored per game.

Since July 14, the Cubs top four hitters’ average stands as the best mark in the N.L. and tied for fourth in the majors, while they have the most RBI (38).

Starting Pitcher – #0 RHP Marcus Stroman (10-7, 3.09)
Last Time Out
Marcus suffered his seventh loss of the season in his third-shortest outing of the campaign … is 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA (9 ER/13.0 IP) in three starts against the Cardinals in 2023, compared to 10-4 with a 2.72 ERA (33 ER/109.1 IP) in 18 starts against the rest of the league.

Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
7/20 STL L, 2-7 3.2 7 5 4 4 4 99-56 0-5, 1 on
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 6-5 3.07 11 11 67.1 44 24 23 22 61
Road 4-2 3.11 10 10 55.0 50 23 19 24 44
AVG vs. LHB: .178 (43-for-242) / AVG vs. RHB: .248 (51-for-206)

Marcus is scheduled to make his team-high 22nd start of the 2023 season today, his 11th on the road … dating to Aug. 30, 2022, has allowed two runs or fewer in 20 of his last 28 starts, pitching to a 2.85 ERA (52 ER/164.1 IP), the second-lowest ERA in the majors during that span (min. 28 GS) … his 15 quality starts are tied for the major league lead this season and his 24 such outings since the All-Star break of last season are the most in the N.L. and tied for second-most in the majors … his .178 average allowed (42-for-236) against left-handed hitters is the second-lowest among qualified major league starters … his 3.09 ERA (42 ER/122.1 IP) is the fourth-lowest in the N.L., while his .210 average against is the third-lowest among qualified pitchers … his 122.1 IP is eighth in the N.L.

Earned his 10th win of the season July 15 vs. Boston, the fifth time in his career that he’s reached double-digit wins (last, 2021).

Started the Cubs’ second game in London vs. the Cardinals, suffering the loss (3 ER/3.1 IP) … left in the fourth inning with a blister on his right index finger.

Had a seven-start winning streak from May 19-June 20, the longest streak in the major leagues this season and longest in a single season since Justin Verlander also recorded a win in seven-straight starts, June 24-Aug. 4, 2022 … was the longest by a Cubs starting pitcher since Kyle Hendricks earned a win in eight-straight starts, May 16-June 22, 2021.

Was named the N.L. Player of the Week for May 29-June 4 … allowed one run (no earned runs) on five hits in 15.0 innings with 14 strikeouts in two starts during the week, earning a win in both outings.

May 29 vs. Tampa Bay tossed his second career complete game shutout (also Sept. 8, 2014 vs. Cubs), the Cubs first complete game since Alec Mills’ no-hitter, Sept. 13, 2020 at Milwaukee … took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning for the second time in his career (also July 24, 2014 vs. Boston).

Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout April 23 vs. Los Angeles (N.L.), retiring Freddie Freeman looking in the third inning.

Became the second Cubs starting pitcher since 1901 (also Jake Arrieta, 2016) with three outings of at least 6.0 scoreless innings in the team’s first 16 games.

Became the third Cubs starting pitcher since 1901 to allow two or fewer combined runs over his first four starts of a season (also Steve Stone, 1976; Jason Hammel, 2016).

Posted a 14.0-inning scoreless streak to begin the season, the fourth-longest by a Cubs pitcher since 1901.

Made his third career Opening Day start March 30 vs. Milwaukee (0 ER/6.0 IP), earning the win … improved to 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA (3 ER/21.0 IP) in his three career Opening Day starts.

In three Cactus League starts with the Cubs, went 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA (1 ER/10.0 IP) and 10 strikeouts.

Made two starts for Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP).

CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:

WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have lost four straight games, six of the last seven, 12 of 16 and 26 of 39 as they continue a six-game homestand tonight vs. the Chicago Cubs.

RHP Lance Lynn, who has struck out 53 batters over his last six outings (12.66 per 9.0 IP), is scheduled to start for the Sox.

The White Sox went 3-6 on their last trip from 7/14-23 at Atlanta, New York-NL and Minnesota … they were swept by the Twins last weekend, lost two of three to the Mets and took two of three from the MLB-best Braves to open the trip.

The White Sox are in fourth place in the American League Central, 12.5 games behind the division-leading Twins (54-49).

Following tonight’s game vs. the Cubs, the White Sox will conclude the homestand with four games vs. Cleveland.

Chicago went 1-5 on their last homestand prior to the All-Star break from 7/4-9 vs. Toronto (0-3) and St. Louis (1-2) .

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The White Sox are a season-high 12.5 games out of first place and 20 games under .500 for the first time since 9/24/19 (68-88).

The Sox are 8-3 and own a 67-50 edge in runs scored vs. the Cubs since the start of the 2021 season … they have not lost a series vs. the Cubs since 9/25-27/20 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Eloy Jiménez is slashing .360/.448/.840 (18-50) with six doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI, eight walks and a 1.288 OPS in 14 career games vs. the Cubs.

Andrew Benintendi is hitting .322/.371/.421 (39-121) with nine doubles, a homer, 12 RBI, 10 walks, 16 runs and 12 multi-hit eff orts in 29 games since moving to the leadoff spot on 6/17… he ranks seventh in the American League in average since 6/17.

Tim Anderson is 15-41 (.366) with two doubles, four RBI, three walks and fi ve runs scored in 10 second-half games … he has raised his average from .223 to .241 since the break.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP
The Cubs hit four home runs and limited the White Sox to just five hits in their 7-3 win to open the Crosstown Cup Series.

The Cubs hit a pair of home runs in the second inning and added solo shots in the fourth and seventh.

The White Sox scored once in the fifth and twice in the seventh and had the first two hitters reach base in the ninth but were unable to rally against the Cubs bullpen.

Michael Kopech suffered the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) and three home runs with five strikeouts in 5.0 IP.

Andrew Vaughn went 1-4 with two RBI and Yoán Moncada was 0-3 with a sac fl y in his fi rst game off the injured list … the Sox walked twice, went 1-8 with RISP and allowed five stolen bases.

UNFAMILIAR FACES
Last night marked just the seventh game this season the White Sox starting lineup included Tim Anderson, Andrew Benintendi, Yasmani Grandal, Eloy Jiménez, Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn (last game on 6/3 vs. Detroit).

The Sox are 4-3 when those seven players start a game.

ROUGH RIGHT FOR RIGHTIES
Lance Lynn is limiting right-handers to a .203/.274/.369 (49- 241) slash line this season … the .203 average is ninth-best among qualified American League pitchers.

Lynn is limiting righties to a .227 (831-3,662) average lifetime, the 10th-lowest mark among active pitchers … the Mets’ Max Scherzer ranks first with a .199 average.

CLOSE CALLS
Sixty-five of Chicago’s 102 games (63.7 pct.) this season have been decided by three runs or less (27-38).

The White Sox are 15-18 in one-run games and 5-8 in two-run games in 2023 … 40 of the last 44 games since 6/2 at Detroit have been decided by four runs or less (16-24 record).

The Sox 15 wins in one-run games are tied for sixth-most in the American League and 13th in MLB.

WHITE SOX VS. CHICAGO CUBS
The White Sox and Cubs meet four times this season: 7/25-26 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 8/15-16 at Wrigley Field.

The Sox won three of four last season … their win on 5/29/22 at home clinched a victory in the annual Wintrust Crosstown Cup.

The White Sox are 8-3 since the start of 2021 … they have scored 67 runs and hit 19 homers during the 11-game span.

The Sox are 73-66 all-time vs. the Cubs, going 36-34 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 37-32 at Wrigley Field … the Cubs own a 636-634 edge in runs scored in the all-time series.

INTERLEAGUE INSIGHT
Chicago is 11-17 vs. the National League this season (2-7 series mark), going 4-9 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 7-8 on the road … both series wins have come on the road (CIN and ATL).

The White Sox have lost 10 of the last 16 and 14 of the last 23 interleague games … 14 of the last 16 games have been decided by four runs or less (fi ve of the last nine by one run).

Luis Robert Jr. is hitting .352/.395/.743 (37-105) with 10 home runs, 28 RBI and a 1.138 OPS in 27 games vs. the N.L.

33 STARTER LANCE LYNN RHP

LYNN AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 21st start of the season, ninth at home and sixth during interleague play.

Has struck out 59 batters over 42.2 IP in his last seven starts (12.45 SO/9.0 IP) … has recorded six-plus strikeouts in each of those starts, tied for third-longest streak in his career.

Has surrendered a career-high 28 home runs this season, the most in the majors … has allowed a homer in 15 of his 20 starts and multiple home runs eight times.

Owns a 10.80 ERA (24 ER/20.0 IP) and .333 (30-90) opponents average in the first inning … his 10.80 ERA is the highest mark in baseball this season while his 25 runs allowed are tied for the most.

Is one of just nine pitchers in MLB history with 125-plus wins (129) and an average of 9.0-plus strikeouts per 9.0 IP (9.17) in his career.

Ranks among MLB active pitchers in SO/9.0 IP (8th, 9.17), opponents average (9th, .243), wins (9th, 129), starts (9th, 305), opponents SLG (10th, .388), IP (10th, 1,820.1), strikeouts (10th, 1,854), HR/9.0 IP (11th, 0.98), opponents OPS (12th, .700), ERA (12th, 3.69), WHIP (13th, 1.27) and opponents OBP (14th, .312).

Signed a two-year contract extension with a club option with the White Sox on 7/17/21 … the Sox hold an $18-million option for 2024 with a $1-million buyout.

Is a two-time All-Star (2012 and 2021) … has finished fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2019, sixth in 2020 and third in 2021 … was a member of the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

LAST START
Suffered the loss on 7/21 at Minnesota, allowing a season-high nine runs (six earned) on eight hits, including a season-high four home runs, with three walks and six strikeouts over 6.2 IP … surrendered home runs to Alex Kirilloff (two-run) and Byron Buxton (three-run) in the first inning and Buxton (solo) and Ryan Jeffers (solo) in the fourth … allowed a two-run double to Kirilloff in the seventh.

Departed the game in the seventh with two outs, a runner on second and the White Sox trailing, 9-4 … threw 100 pitches (65 strikes).

Owned a 66.7 first-strike percentage and 14.0 swinging-strike percentage (13 swing and misses) vs. 30 batters … threw 25 cutters (88.9 mph avg; 90.4 mph max), 23
sinkers (90.8 avg; 92.1 max), 16 four-seam fastballs (92.0 avg; 94.2 max), 15 curveballs (80.0 avg; 81.8 max), 14 changeups (84.2 avg; 86.0 max) and seven sliders (83.0 avg; 84.9 max).

GRAB SOME BENCH
Ranks fifth among 2023 American League leaders in strikeouts per 9.0 IP (10.88) and seventh in strikeouts (139) … his 10.88 SO/9.0 IP is a career high … is on
pace to record 221 strikeouts this season, which would mark his second career season of 200-plus punchouts (career-high 246 in 2019).

Has recorded 26 career double-digit strikeout performance and seven with the White Sox … tied Jack Harshman (7/25/1954 at Boston) on 6/18 at Seattle for the White Sox single-game strikeout record with 16.

ORTHODOX HITTERS
Is limiting right-handed hitters to a .203 (49-241) average this season, the ninth-lowest mark in the AL.

Owns a career .227/.283/.353 (831-3,662) opponents slash line against right-handed hitters.

WORK HORSE
Is averaging 101.1 pitches per start this season, the highest total in baseball.

Ranks seventh in MLB with 1,820.0 IP since 2011 … is one of 13 active pitchers with 1,700.0-plus career IP.

Has thrown 100-plus pitches 75 times since 2019, the most in the majors during that span.

Has thrown 31.124 pitches since 2011, seventh-most during that span, and the most among MLB pitchers with less than 1,900.0 IP during that span.

VS. CHICAGO CUBS || INTERLEAGUE
Will make his 23rd career start (24th appearance) vs. the Cubs, 12th (13th) at home and second at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Is 0-5 with a 6.86 ERA (47 ER/61.2 IP) over his last 13 starts against the Cubs … last win came on 9/27/13 at Busch Stadium.

Has gone 2-3 with an 8.44 ERA (25 ER/26.2 IP) and .333 (39-117) opponents average in five interleague starts this season.