August has proven that the White Sox can win series on the road when they absolutely need to. Earlier in the month, they took two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field to show they could hang with the American League's best team.
This past weekend, with their status as AL Central leader hanging in the balance, they halted the Detroit Tigers' recent surge by sweeping them at Comerica Park. The result is that they lead the division by a season-high 5 1/2 games.
Now, the Sox head to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs for the second time this season. Winning at least two games there would mean their second series win over their crosstown rivals this season after beating them twice at Rate Field in May.
White Sox enter Wrigley Field with momentum on their side
Few things in baseball matter as much as momentum. Right now, both teams are heading in opposite directions after how this weekend's games turned out.
While the Sox brought out the brooms against the Tigers, the Cubs suffered an 11-4 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals and also lost Dansby Swanson to the injured list with an injured left oblique. The day before, Matthew Boyd became the answer to a trivia question when he surrendered three homers to Joshua Báez, the first time an MLB player in the modern era had gone yard in each of his first three career at-bats.
It's true that momentum doesn't always carry over from one series to the next, but the Sox have a real opportunity here. Although a sweep over the Cubs objectively wouldn't mean as much as the one they just had over a divisional rival, it definitely would provide another reminder that they can beat anybody. Just ask the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, both first-place teams who lost twice during a Sox homestand in June.
This is not to say the Sox are going to simply waltz into Wrigleyville and make it their own. As of this writing, Luis Castillo is their only starting pitcher who has been announced, and that's for the series opener. That can be dangerous against a team like the Cubs that more or less already has a playoff spot wrapped up and also is aiming for big things in the National League.
But if that scares you, remember that the Sox opted for a bullpen game for their first contest against the Tigers, and it didn't matter. The offense gave the staff enough support, and it set the stage for the biggest series win of the season to date. Who's to say that this can't happen again?
Most of all, a sweep or series win would provide the ultimate boost to a fan base that already has enjoyed a season in which the Sox have snapped their three-year streak of 100 losses. Getting to the playoffs only two years after losing a modern-era record 121 games would be impressive on its own. But to sweep the Cubs out of their ballpark or at least win twice would make it all the sweeter.
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