Hawk Harrelson made an observation during the Crosstown.
He said that every team in MLB will win 60 games and lost 60 games. He said the difference between clubs is what they do in the remaining 42 contests.
There is nothing more deflating that poor defense. If a team plays poor defense (can't catch or throw the ball), you are giving your opponent more outs in stead of the normal 27. Nothing demoralizes a pitcher more than bad defense behind him. Jon Lester got a little testy after his last start, but would not name names, saying everyone on the team shares blame (but then admitted that he "only" threw three bad pitches that game.)
A team beats itself (and cuts deeply into those 42 key games) by bad defense. The White Sox played most of the first half in zombie motion. But lately, the defense has picked up, especially turning double plays against the Cubs which equated to winning the series. But Harrelson thought that even with the Sox defense improvement, the team may have burned through too many of their 42 swing games as losses.
In the past few weeks, pitching has been dominating both Cubs and White Sox contests. This puts more premium on defense, which the Cubs did not have at critical times. Now, some may bring out excuses that the young players, including Castro, have played a long first half and may be tired from the daily grind. But this is professional baseball, every player taking the field should be ready to perform. The other excuse on the Cubs side of town is that this team is "over achieving" or a "year ahead of schedule." That may be true from an internal planning stand point, but on the field seven games above .500 and in the second wild card means that the team is in a position to win, if fundamentals hold up in the tough second half.
The White Sox play a large chunk of their second half schedule against the AL Central. If the team has any change to make a wild card run, the Sox will have to beat up on their Central rivals. The Tigers are down with injuries, the Indians do not have the depth, but the Royals play the best defense in the league. There is an unlikely chance that the Sox could have a hot streak since it has four quality starting pitchers who can keep games close.
The Cubs sit in third behind the two best teams in the NL, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The Pirates end the first half on a roll, cutting deep into the Cardinals Central lead. It is unlikely that the Cubs have the depth, especially on the bench, to make a charge past the Pirates. The Cubs won't be able to make much headway against the Cardinals since the teams don't play until September.
It is still possible that both Chicago teams may end the season right around .500.
