Crosstown Classic: Takeaways as the White Sox even series vs. the Cubs

Game on in the Crosstown Classic.

The Chicago White Sox forced a rubber match in Game 3 of the Crosstown Classic. The young Southsiders proved their mettle against the visiting Cubs by continuing their high-octane offense.

Meanwhile, questions might start to build in the Northsiders' pitching rotation. 

Here are our takeaways from Game 2 of the Crosstown Classic, where the White Sox evened the series with an 8-3 win.

White Sox surge hasn't stopped

The Chicago White Sox scored five runs on Friday night. The only downside is that they allow 10 runs. 

On Saturday, that surge continued.

The Southsiders hit five home runs, including two by Munetaka Murakami, as the big-booming offense continued.

Murakami might steal the show, but Miguel Vargas has consistently shown he can keep up with the likes of Murakami and Carlson Montgomery. His three-run homer in the first inning set the tone Saturday.

In his last 10 games against the Cubs, Vargas is batting .361 with 13 hits, four home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored. This does not include Saturday’s numbers.

This game raises questions about the Cubs' rotation

The Cubs have an 18-4 record when scoring first this season. They’ve also done a good job rallying in games, too.

However, the White Sox took advantage of some early inning struggles.

Jameson Taillon, usually a dependable starter for the northsiders, was tagged with three runs in that first inning. The White Sox poured on from there, chasing Taillon from the game after he gave up eight earned runs.

The White Sox got up on Edward Cabrera on Friday night, too. They tagged him for three earned runs.

The concern regarding the starting rotation grows even louder now.

Ben Brown, who starts now due to injuries, has been fantastic in the starting rotation after moving from the bullpen. However, the Cubs need much more than that from their starting rotation if they want to sustain the momentum, they built in April and May. Colin Rea starts on Sunday vs. the White Sox. 

Perhaps outings like Saturday night further discussions to acquire another starting pitcher for the friendly confines.

Davis Martin is thriving as the Sox ace

The Cubs' offense has been known to hit, and hit well.

That makes it even more impressive to see Davis Martin continue his stretch of impressive pitching as the most dependable starter for the Chicago White Sox.

Against a lineup that includes Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, seiya Suzuki and others, Martin struck out seven Cubs and six innings of work.

His only blemish was a solo shot allowed to Miguel Amaya.

After that, the White Sox bullpen took care of business. Brandon Eisert got out of a bases loaded jam to preserve the seven-run White Sox lead.

Martin was never supposed to be the White Sox ace. That role was originally reserved for Drew Thorpe, and eventually, Noah Schultz. Martin owns that title right now.

The White Sox offense deserves its flowers. The young team on the Southside found its mojo, and has yet to lose it for an extended period of time.

Much of that is thanks to a starting rotation that is far from its full potential. Will Venable sleeps easier at night knowing Martin has emerged as a dependable starter now, and in the future for a team that’s winning baseball games.