Cubs Win Crosstown Classic, Stay Tied in Central

The Chicago Cubs squeaked out a 5-4 win over their crosstown rivals on Sunday to win the series two games to one. It had been a day of domination until Andrew Benintendi decided enough was enough with a towering three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth.

But the Sox couldn’t complete their comeback. They’d recently seen a resurgence since the All-Star break, going 4-2 before running into the Cubs.

Ben Brown got the nod to pitch for the baby bears. He threw five innings and only give up a single run. Brown’s been having a down year and was recently recalled from Triple-A after a rough first couple of months.

Pete Crow-Armstrong broke the game open offensively with a double and a pair of RBIs. The awe-inspiring centerfielder has all the tools to be an elite figure in the game on a perennial level. He’s a legitimate triple threat who has a shot at winning the MVP among other awards.

Nifty Nico

Nico Hoerner was the star of the day, putting on a clinic in all phases of the game. At one point he won a 14-pitch at-bat. Later there was a brilliant move in the infield, feigning the catch before throwing out the runner at third. His pesky baserunning paired with the bulldozing of the opposing third basemen by way of Ian Happ led to an exciting score. It was one for the highlight reel. They were running wild. Hoerner’s heroics couldn’t have had better timing, as the NL Central ramps up its demand for good baseball.

The Cubs are good this year, but they can’t seem to get any separation. That said, the sizzling hot Blue Jays are the only team with more wins in all of baseball, but by a single game.

Those Brewers are on a warpath of their own, breathing down the Cubs’ necks. Of course it’s the Brewers. You can never count them out. But this time it just feels like the Cubs have the more complete team. With the trade deadline looming, as well as the upcoming series against them we might know soon enough. The Brewers also came back to win against the Marlins Sunday, meaning the two top teams in the NL Central stay tied for the lead, for now.

The Cubs and Brewers square off for a pivotal three-game series on Monday.