Wednesday at Wrigley Field delivered a 3-0 shutout, but the real story wasn’t the White Sox pitching. It was the wind. Statcast data confirms a breeze blew Alex Bregman’s deep fly ball back into play by exactly six feet. The Cubs stayed stuck in a 1-0 hole for most of the afternoon. It looked like a gorgeous day for baseball, yet the weather played the final role in a loss where the team managed only two hits all game long.
The Pitching Duel Nobody Expected
Most fans assumed the White Sox starter would be an easy out given his numbers this year. José Urquidy entered the game with a massive 8.10 ERA and allowed 20 hits in just 10 innings between the Pirates and Sox. Those stats suggested a free pass for the Cubs offense, but Urquidy kept them off the board while Sean Newcomb shut the door for two innings.
The Cubs lineup could not find a rhythm against a pitcher who looked far sharper than his record indicated.
Even when the Cubs finally got on the board, the lead was short-lived.
Miguel Vargas led off the sixth with a double that got stuck in the ivy beyond left fielder Ian Happ. Andrew Benintendi followed with a single to make it 1-0, but the Cubs could not push past the White Sox bullpen. Clay Holmes worked into the sixth inning and scattered six hits while issuing two walks in his 5 1/3 innings. With the assistance of twelve outs achieved through ground balls, he contained the damage and maintained a low score through the eighth inning.
A Wind That Changed The Score
The turning point came late in the seventh when Alex Bregman launched a ball high over left field. Although White Sox left fielder Sam Antonacci executed a leaping catch against the ivy-covered wall, the wind forcing the ball back into play was the true narrative. Without that gust, the game could have been tied or even won in an instant. To secure the victory and finalize the outcome, the White Sox scored two additional runs during the eighth inning.
On the other side, the Cubs offense sputtered badly.
Tyrone Taylor had an infield single in the fourth and hit a double leading off the sixth, but those were the only two hits the team managed. Pete Crow-Armstrong flied to medium deep right field and Braden Montgomery made a perfect throw to catch Taylor at second base. The lack of extra-base hits made it impossible to score against a bullpen that held the line until the final out.
The teams split the six-game season series, which means the rivalry remains dead even heading into the next matchup. Clay Holmes has been solid over his past two outings at Wrigley Field, yielding just one run over 12 innings combined. The Cubs will need to find a way to get more than two hits if they want to beat a team that just shut them out completely. In the eighth inning, Ryan Rolison surrendered two runs, a factor that ultimately decided the game.
For a fan base that loves the game, the day was a mix of beautiful weather and painful outcomes. The wind did its job, the pitchers did theirs, and the Cubs went home with a loss they will want to forget. As the saying goes around the league after a tough loss like this: “Flush this one and move on.” The Cubs must do exactly that to stay competitive in the division race.
