Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/23/21): White Sox 3, Cubs 1 – Arrieta Solid as Cubs Offense Falls Short

The Chicago Cubs came into today’s matchup against the White Sox looking to bounce back after getting blown out against the Angels on Monday. The Northsiders sent fan favorite Jake Arrieta to the mound in an extended inning outing.

Arrieta has pitched well this spring and that continued today. He went 5.2 solid innings, allowing only one earned run and five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The Cubs’ bullpen gave up three earned runs and eight hits to go along with two walks and eight strikeouts.

The Cubs offense didn’t have much production with a strong wind blowing in all afternoon. Jason Heyward touched home in the bottom of the 5th inning after an RBI single off the bat of Nico Hoerner. The Sox took the lead back in the top of the 8th inning with a bloop RBI single from Luis Roberts. They added to their tally one inning later when Danny Mendick homered off of Pedro Strop. (Box Score)

Why the Cubs Lost

As a whole, the Cubs pitched well but the team went cold offensively. A combination of too many strikeouts and a lack of timely hitting ultimately led to the loss.

Key Moment

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Hoerner led off with a triple but was ultimately left stranded after three straight strikeouts by Cubs hitters.

Stats That Matter

• Hoerner went 2-3 with an RBI, raising his average to .355.
• Joc Pederson, who has been on fire for much of the spring, has seen his average dip to .342 after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
• The Cubs struck out 10 times and left 13 runners on base while failing to draw a single walk.
• After today, Andrew Chafin‘s ERA now sits at 5.14 over seven innings pitched.

Bottom Line

The key from now through the end of spring training is to stay healthy and stretch the starters out for the regular season. So far so good on that front.

On Deck

The Cubs visit the Mariners on Wednesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:40 pm CT. Zach Davies takes the mound for Chicago against Seattle’s Justin Dunn. The game will be broadcast on Mariners’ TV and radio networks.