While I’ve been enjoying being at home, most of my baseball favorites have been sent home with their tails between their legs. The Oregon State Beavers didn’t have far to go after being eliminated from the NCAA baseball tourney on their home field. The Indiana Hoosiers at least won one elimination game before being knocked out by Louisville. Meanwhile, the Cardinals swept the division leading Cubs, taking advantage of their Busch Stadium home. It was the sixth loss in seven games for the Cubbies to fall behind the Brewers in the standings. Unlike the Beavers and Hoosiers that were sent home packing, the Cubs season is far from over. At least, they get to go home and face the Angels tomorrow. 

Home Field Advantage is a proven positive this year. The Cubs swept the Cards in the friendly confines of Wrigley earlier this year, while the Cards returned the favor at Busch. They will play again next week at Wrigley to break the overall series tie and determine the Pre-All-Star-Break Champion. The Cubs are 18-10 at home and the Cards are 19-12. Both have losing records on the road. This weekend’s sweep is the first against the Cubs since early April when the Braves brought out the broom at SunTrust Park in Atlanta. Chicago will host the next 7 games and will hopefully reverse their recent skid. 

On the positive side, the cross-town White Sox have been far more successful of late, winning 6 or their last 7, including a sweep of the Royals and 2 of 3 against the Indians at their home, Guaranteed Rate Field. I will always know it as Comiskey Park, even though it was U.S Cellular Park when they last won the World Series in 2005. If it weren’t for the success of the White Sox at home this weekend, baseball would have been a total bummer. It only goes to prove that “there’s no place like home (regardless of what they name it.)”