3. The Sox will win the Crosstown Classic
With the entire series being decided in less than five runs, it’s not hard to imagine the Sox winning both series next summer.
All four Cubs wins in the 0-4 Crosstown Classic this year were close. The Cubs won 7-6 on June 4th and 5th at Wrigley Field thanks to a go-ahead double from Ian Happ in the eighth inning and a walk-off home run from Tauchman.
The third and fourth Cubs wins on the Southside came from a seven-run blown lead on August 9th that ended with a Cubbies' 7-6 victory. Miguel Amaya's go-ahead single on August 10th in the eighth led to a 3-1 Cubs win.
The main reason why the Cubs won’t win either series is because they aren’t the same team.
They traded away Cody Bellinger and lost Drew Smyly, Kyle Hendricks, and Jorge López to free agency. While Matt Boyd and Kyle Tucker are strong acquisitions, the pluses don’t outweigh the minuses.
With all the motivation going towards the Sox trying to redeem themselves next year and the Cubs losing several key players, the Sox will make a statement in Chicago by upsetting the Cubs in the Crosstown Classic.