>>Cubs Solve Sale, Sox for Series Split
Chris Sale returned from his jersey-trashing suspension and threw six effective innings, but John Lackey outpitched him and Aroldis Chapman got the final four outs to save the Cubs' 3-1 victory over the White Sox in Chicago's rivalry series Thursday night.
Sale (14-4) was greeted with smiles and hugs from his teammates following a five-day ban for tearing up 1976-style uniforms he didn't want to wear before his previous scheduled start. He had command issues, but worked out of trouble while allowing two runs and six hits.
Lackey (8-7) allowed one run in six innings for his first win since June 8. Chapman, in his second appearance since being acquired from the Yankees, struck out two and consistently hit 102 mph in his first save for his new team.
Kris Bryant, who homered against Sale in the All-Star Game, hit an RBI double off the center field wall in the first inning.
>>Cubs Consider New Translator for Chapman
The Chicago Cubs are considering bringing in a new Spanish translator for Aroldis Chapman after the star closer from Cuba struggled to answer questions about a past domestic violence case in his introductory news conference.
Manager Joe Maddon suggested the change Thursday night, saying they had a couple of names in mind. Team spokesman Peter Chase said coach Henry Blanco remains the official translator for now.
Chapman earned his first save with his new team Thursday night, striking out two and getting the final four outs in the Cubs' 3-1 victory over the crosstown White Sox.
Catcher Miguel Montero served as Chapman's translator after the game for the second straight day.
>>Giants Add All-Star Nunez From Twins
Eduardo Nunez was an All-Star this year, but it was basically only because the Twins were required to have a representative. Still, the fact remains that the 29-year-old utility man is having a good season. He's hitting .296/.325/.439 with 15 doubles and 12 homers.
Nunez brings base-stealing potential to the Giants, as he's 26 of 32 in steals this season. He was actually leading the AL in steals heading into Thursday.
Overall, the Giants aren't averse to running, even if they lack gaudy stolen base numbers as a whole. Angel Pagan, Denard Span, Matt Duffy, Buster Posey, Joe Panik and Gregor Blanco entered Thursday with between five and nine stolen bases apiece.
Another element Nunez adds is versatility and depth to the infield -- and maybe even the outfield -- and the Giants have desperately needed it. Third baseman Matt Duffy, second baseman Joe Panik and right fielder Hunter Pence have all spent significant time on the disabled list this year.
Nunez helps give a layer of protection.
As for the Twins' return, Adalberto Mejia, 23, is a left-handed pitcher. He was ranked as the 86th-best prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus before the 2015 season, but fell out of the rankings before this season. No other major outlet ranked him in the top 100 heading into the season, but he appeared at No. 91 on Baseball America's midseason top-100 list.
In 11 starts for Double-A Richmond this season, he had a 1.94 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings. He was then promoted to Triple-A Sacramento, where he was 4-1 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 43 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. Keep in mind the Pacific Coast League is historically pretty hitter-friendly.
