You don’t often see teams begin a full rebuild during the middle of a season. But that’s exactly what the Chicago Cubs did by unloading the final links to their World Series team from a few years ago. A plethora of deals at the deadline saw the north siders jettison Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant. They unloaded Joc Pederson earlier in the campaign and purged the pitching staff during the offseason. Many fans are now like the grounds crew from the movie Major League asking, who are these effing guys? Meanwhile on the south side the Chicago White Sox have a comfortable lead in the AL Central, but you can throw the records and stats out the window for the Crosstown Classic. The clubs wrap up a three-game set on Sunday night with Dylan Cease scheduled to oppose Zach Davies.
First pitch for this inter-league matchup between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs is scheduled for 7:09 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 8, 2021 from Wrigley Field. The matchup will air live on ABC. Bet on MLB odds and player props at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
MLB Betting Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
After going through their own rebuild that included a 100-loss season in 2018, the Sox have emerged as a top contender. I guess the Cubs should take notes on how it’s done. The Sox have the biggest lead of any first-place team with the only thing holding them back being complacency. That was evident in their recent series with Kansas City when they dropped the final two of a three-game set. They were expected to win a lot of games and the Sox haven’t disappointed. What’s impressive is their +110 run differential leading to massive winnings on the runline. The Sox are up nearly $1200 against the spread. The Cubs have gone through a lot so far this season. Not that long ago they were leading their division only to suffer through an 11-game losing streak. That was the first domino to fall in what the team has since become. A loss to Colorado in the finale of that series dropped them to 2-4 since the deadline and things don’t look promising for the remainder of the campaign.
Probable Pitchers
Dylan Cease: It seems odd to think about setting a rotation for the postseason when the calendar just flipped to August. With a big division lead and one of the most durable and productive starting fives in MLB, the Sox are looking ahead. Barring a major injury the odd man out could be Cease, meaning he has a few more starts to make his case. He hasn’t been bad this season going 8-6 with a 3.92 ERA over 114.2 innings. He’s made every scheduled start and is coming off his best outing in months limiting the Royals to one hit with 11 strikeouts over 6.0 scoreless innings. That was an encouraging sign after pitching to an ERA over 5.00 in 11 starts during June and July. Cease was roughed up by the Cubs in two starts last year surrendering seven earned runs over 10.2 innings for a 5.91 ERA. Things will look much different this time around, though.
Zach Davies: While the season numbers project out well, Davies has been awful his last two starts with an ERA over 9.00. He was touched for six hits, including a pair of homers, and seven earned in 4.0 innings in his most recent start in Colorado. That wasn’t the most ideal spot for him after allowing four runs and seven hits the start before against the Reds. He’s gone seven straight starts allowing at least two earned runs and for a guy who relies on control he’s issued a MLB-high 60 free passes for a 1.53 WHIP. He’s already walked more hitters than he had in any of his previous six seasons. All the trouble started after he tossed six hitless innings against the Dodgers to help the club post a combined no-hitter. Opponents are hitting .262 against him and with the walks the Sox should have plenty of scoring opportunities.
White Sox at Cubs Prediction
We know where the Cubs are going from here, but it’s going to take time getting there. Hopefully for them it’s not another century before winning a World Series. It’s hard to know where the Cubs’ offense is going to come from with all the big bats sent elsewhere. That sets up Cease, who’s fighting for a more prominent role, to do big things. And if there’s anything that can wake up the Sox it’s a game against the Cubs.
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