Looking for their first four-game winning streak since April, the Chicago Cubs are in position to complete a series sweep of the host Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night. Chicago held the Orioles to two runs in the first two games of the series and delivered an emphatic response to ridicule of the starting rotation in the process. A 4-0 decision marked the sixth shutout victory of the season for the Cubs, who collectively have cooled the Orioles' juggernaut offense for the first 18 innings of the series.
Caught in a rare slumber, the Orioles were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position Wednesday night, sparking a sense of pressing at the plate. "I thought our swings were a little big," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "At times, we're getting a little too big trying to get the big hit.
I think it's going to turn around for us. We just have to relax a little bit." The Cubs have won five of their last six games, posting two shutouts during that stretch, and numbers point to a pitcher's duel in the series finale.
Up next is a four-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals before the All-Star break. The Cubs send left-hander Justin Steele (1-3, 2.
95 ERA) back to the mound after he threw a two-hitter with seven strikeouts Friday against the Los Angeles Angels for his first career complete game. "Something I've really wanted to do for a long time, so glad I got it," Steele said. Cubs infielder Miles Mastrobuoni said Steele's impact extends beyond the mound.
"A guy that you just lea.
