Chicago Cubs’ streak ends at the hands of Sox Chris Sale

Sox Sale ends Cubs’ streak at nine

The streak ends at nine, but the Chicago Cubs have nothing to hang their heads about. The 3-1 loss to the White Sox came at the hands of one of the best young lefties in the game in Chris Sale–a strikeout pitcher against a team that strikes out a lot. The recipe was already there. Dan Haren wasn’t sharp, but he did take a ball off the foot so it’s tough to say how much that affected him at  the time. All the scoring came on solo home runs, three by the Sox and one by Jorge Soler for the 3-1 final.

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The Cubs offense has gotten much of the press during this impressive streak, but Justin Grimm has been an unheralded star out of the bullpen this year. He hasn’t allowed a run since July 20, and carries an ERA of 1.34 in 33 2/3 innings. Grimm has become an integral part of the Cubs pen, and is under team control until 2020.

Even with the solid play, it seems the Cubs can’t catch a break with the teams they’re chasing. When the Cubs finally do lose, the Pirates manage to gain a game in the standing with an 8-1 win over the Mets. The highly-touted Mets’ staff didn’t disappoint as Matt Harvey allowed just one–but the Pirates erupted after a lengthy rain delay en route to the win.

These stories and more that you may have missed:

‘Cubs bats flounder in loss to Sox, Sale’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Chicago Cubs’ Grimm shining bright during streak’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Ramirez helps Pittsburgh sweep Mets with 8-1 win’ – Rum Bunter

‘Day after getting hit by helmet, Padres’ Alonso protects self in dugout’ – Cut4

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