Chicago Cubs get shut down by White Sox 3-0 to end road trip

The Chicago Cubs prized new closer was available for the first time tonight but did not get to see any action, as the Cubs dropped game two of the Crosstown Classic 3-0.

It was one of those nights. James Shields (3-5, 4.68 ERA), who has struggled badly this season, dominated the Cubs’ lineup all night. Shields went 7 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and gave up only four base hits.

Kyle Hendricks pitched a fairly good ballgame, but it wasn’t enough. It’s hard to win when your offense doesn’t score any runs. Hendricks (9-7, 2.39 ERA) went 5 2/3 innings giving up three earned runs on six hits and two walks. He recorded seven strikeouts.

More from Chicago Cubs News

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis
• Cubs might start to limit Justin Steele’s workload soon

Travis Wood came in to relieve Hendricks in the sixth inning, walking his first three batters, and walking in a run. The Cubs (59-40) have had multiple games this season in which they trailed by a small amount but took themselves out of it late in games via bullpen implosions.

The offense couldn’t get anything going all night. Kris Bryant pulled off the hat-trick, striking out three times in four at-bats. The entire lineup struggled to make hard contact off of James Shields.

Dexter Fowler went 0-for-4 and failed to reach base. His absence at the end of the first half of the season was a big reason for the Cubs’ offensive woes. If they want to get back to being an offensive powerhouse, they’ll need him to get going again.

The only bright spots in this game were Pedro Strop and newly acquired Joe Nathan. Nathan pitched a flawless seventh inning, striking out one without giving up a hit. Strop then came in and pitched a clean eighth inning.

Next: Aroldis Chapman deserves a second chance

The Cubs’ revamped bullpen will be a huge part of their potential success down the stretch. With Chapman now taking over the ninth inning duties, Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop will move down an inning each, giving the Cubs a three-headed monster to mop things up for the starters.

The Cubs still have not lost a series after the All-Star break. At this point, they can only split the series, but they still have a chance to avoid losing it. We’ll head back to Wrigley now to finish the next two games of the Crosstown Cup.

Tomorrow’s game will feature Anthony Ranaudo for the White Sox (50-50) and Jason Hammel for the Cubs. You can catch the game on ESPN once again at 7:00 pm CT. Be sure to check back with us tomorrow for pregame notes and lineups.