'Scary' White Sox roll to lopsided win over Cubs
In his first six seasons with the White Sox, Jose Abreu drove in 100 or more runs five times.
He was pretty much a one-man wrecking crew from 2014-19, a dangerous hitter on a losing team.
Times have changed.
Abreu is still an RBI machine, but now the Sox have a roster full of players that can also do damage.
They are just over a month away from going to the playoffs for the second straight year, which has never been done in franchise history.
The White Sox now have a deep lineup, complemented by a strong pitching staff.
It was all on display Sunday in a 13-1 interleague win over the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox won 5 of 6 against their North Side rivals in this year's City Series.
"When things are clicking like that today, we're a scary team," starter Dylan Cease said after allowing 1 run on 4 hits over 6 innings while striking out 11. "And I think just in general we're a scary team. Our pitching is pretty incredible and our offense, especially as of late, has been nothing short of spectacular.
"We've just got to keep gaining ground going into October."
The White Sox separated themselves from the rest of the AL Central pack in July and Abreu led the charge.
In Sunday's blowout over the Cubs, the reigning MVP's 2-run double in the fifth inning upped his RBI total to 101. That's the most in the major leagues.
"You don't get RBI just because you go to bat 600 times," manager Tony La Russa said. "It's a skill and he's one of the elite run producers in the history of the game."
No longer having to do it alone, Abreu has plenty of help in the lineup.
Luis Robert stepped up Sunday, hitting a pair of homers, driving in 3 and scoring 3 runs.
Since returning from a torn right hip flexor, the Sox's center fielder is hitting .382/.425/.676 with 5 doubles, 5 home runs and 13 RBI in 16 games.
"I think maybe the first few months, or before the injury, I didn't hit too many homers just because of the cold weather," said Robert, who injured his hip running to first base on May 2. "But my swing has been the same and my approach has been the same. And now, I think you can see the results. I've been hitting more homers, but my swing's the same.
"I haven't tried to overswing or do anything. Just see the ball, hit the ball and try to keep my swing."
Cease is 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA over his last 7 starts. For the season, he ranks third in the AL with 188 strikeouts.
"I feel great," Cease said. "I feel like my velocity has been picking up. My stuff is sharp, my command is as good as it's ever been in my career right now. I'm ready to just keep taking the ball every fifth day."