Miguel Amaya delivered a two-run, tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, and the visiting Chicago Cubs completed a four-game season series sweep of the crosstown rival White Sox with their fourth consecutive victory, 3-1 on Saturday night.
After White Sox reliever Chad Kuhl (0-2) allowed an inning-opening walk to Nico Hoerner and infield single to Dansby Swanson, both runners moved up on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s sacrifice bunt. Then No. 9 hitter Amaya, who doubled earlier in the contest, dropped a hit into left to break a 1-1 tie and give the Cubs a two-run edge.
Starter Justin Steele grinded his way through six innings, allowing six hits and two walks, but only an unearned run while striking out eight for the Cubs, who swept the annual season set from White Sox for the first time since 2013. Relievers Porter Hodge (1-1), Jorge Lopez and Hector Naris (17th save) combined to allow one hit and fan five as the Cubs moved within a game of .500 with their eighth win in their last 10.
White Sox starter Chris Flexen lasted just four innings, giving up four walks and three hits, but no runs. The Cubs stranded six runners in the first three innings against the right-hander, who totaled 78 pitches. Korey Lee had two hits for the White Sox, who struck out 13 times, are 0-3 since ending an AL-record-tying 21-game losing streak and have lost 12 straight at home.
The White Sox struck first in the second. Migel Vargas reached on a rare error by Hoerner and eventually scored when Brooks Baldwin’s single eluded diving left fielder Ian Happ.
With Flexen out and Jared Shuster on the mound for the White Sox in the fifth, the Cubs finally broke through. Cody Bellinger sent a two-out single into center field. He then scored from first base on Isaac Paredes’ double when cutoff man Baldwin seemed to lose track of Bellinger rounding third.
Swanson recorded his 1,000th career hit in the sixth. It came the same day that his wife Mallory scored the lone goal in the U.S. women’s soccer team’s Olympic gold-medal match victory over Brazil in Paris.
