The Chicago Cubs are experiencing just how well Chicago White Sox pitchers are throwing the ball.
Lucas Giolito will try to continue the White Sox’s recent success on the mound when they aim to sweep this two-game road set against the struggling crosstown rival Cubs on Wednesday night.
With four scoreless innings during the White Sox’s 3-1 win over the Cubs on Tuesday, Michael Kopech became the third starter in the last four games for the South Siders not to allow a run.
As a staff, White Sox pitchers have a 1.75 ERA with 41 strikeouts while the club has won three of four following a 1-10 rut.
That doesn’t bode well for the Cubs, losers in 10 of 13, who have totaled six runs in their five contests and have struck out 68 times over a six-game stretch.
The White Sox have won four straight at Wrigley Field, where they’ve also taken eight of the last 10.
“Good thing we got the win (Tuesday); now we want to finish off (the series with a sweep),” White Sox star Tim Anderson said. “Keep the same energy going into (Wednesday). We’re heading in the right direction. Keep building.”
Giolito (0-1, 2.57 ERA) allowed one run over eight innings of his first two starts this season, then yielded three runs on seven hits, including two homers, while striking out seven with a walk in six innings of a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.
The right-hander will look to snap a three-start losing streak to the Cubs, a team he’s gone 1-3 against, with an 8.71 ERA.
However, Giolito hasn’t faced the Cubs since 2019.
Willson Contreras has two hits in nine 11 plate-appearances vs. Giolito, but both were home runs. However, Contreras has missed the last two games with an apparent thigh injury, according to Marquee Sports Network.
Meanwhile, scheduled Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 5.47) has been a different pitcher depending on the location of his five starts this season. He’s 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA on the road but 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts at home in 2022.
The Cubs hope the latter trend continues as the right-hander looks to bounce back from allowing six runs and seven hits — three homers — over 4 1/3 innings of Friday’s 11-1 loss at Milwaukee.
“Consistency is what you’re striving for,” Hendricks told the Cubs’ official website. “And that starts with pitch-to-pitch for me. And yeah, I’m just not having that right now. It’s kind of been one game to the next.”
Though Hendricks is 0-2 in five career home starts against the White Sox, he’s posted a 2.83 ERA during those contests.
However, Anderson, who hit his fourth homer of the season on Tuesday, is 6-for-16 vs. Hendricks. Anderson is 9-for-20 during a five-game hitting streak overall.
Meanwhile, teammates Jose Abreu, Josh Harrison and Luis Robert are batting a combined .520 (26-for-50) with six home runs against him.
Former White Sox infielder Nick Madrigal singled against his former team Tuesday. He has four hits over his last four games for the Cubs.
–Field Level Media