The Cubs and White Sox meet for the second spherical of the City Series on Tuesday and Wednesday at Wrigley Field. The Cubs swept the sooner two-game collection July 25-26 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It’s one other necessary collection for the Cubs, who’re 3 1/2 video games behind the Milwaukee Brewers within the National League Central, whereas the Sox will attempt to play spoilers.
Every Monday all through the season, Tribune baseball writers will present an replace on what occurred — and what’s forward — for the Cubs and Sox.
Patrick Wisdom adjusts to new function
Patrick Wisdom is making an attempt to profit from what has change into restricted enjoying time for the Cubs.
Nick Madrigal’s return from the injured record and the trade-deadline acquisition of Jeimer Candelario has made Wisdom the odd man out. With his begins coming predominantly in opposition to left-handers, Wisdom was within the lineup at first base Sunday in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Hyun Jin Ryu.
In the seventh, Wisdom took Blue Jays right-hander Jay Jackson deep for a two-run homer. It marked his the third consecutive 20-homer season.
“Helping the team is my biggest concern,” Wisdom stated afterward. “And it’s why you play the game, honestly. So to be in the (playoff) mix, it’s fulfilling but also it’s a lot of fun.”
Sunday’s begin was solely Wisdom’s third since July 29. All three have been at first base — the place he began 20 video games between the 2021 and ’22 seasons — after Candelario’s addition.
“Just not searching, not trying to find something in the cage that’s going to work, and it’s just believing in my abilities and not losing sight of that,” Wisdom stated of his method to irregular enjoying time. “You’ve got to keep motivating yourself from the inside and know that when your time comes that you’re going to be ready … when they tell you: ’Hey, you’re going in.’”
Wisdom was a part of two robust performs at first in Sunday’s 11-4 loss. He couldn’t cleanly deal with a sinking liner by Cavan Biggio within the second and was unable to corral a throw from Nico Hoerner up the center that was dominated an error on the second baseman.
Wisdom stated the most important problem of switching sides on the diamond is knowing how the ball will transfer off the bat. Biggio’s ball had a lot topspin on it that Wisdom stated he tried to “tackle the ball.”
“I try to get as many reps as I can over there to get your eyes used to it,” Wisdom stated. “A couple of miscues today, but it’s the nature of it. So you just move on and you understand what you did wrong and fix it.”
Learning continues for Oscar Colás
Oscar Colás delivered the massive hit for the White Sox throughout a three-run second in opposition to the New York Yankees on Wednesday, connecting for a two-run homer in a 9-2 Sox win.
Friday in opposition to the Brewers, he made a pair of what supervisor Pedro Grifol known as “mental” errors whereas making an attempt to throw out Carlos Santana at third base within the fifth. After fielding Sal Frelick’s single and seeing Santana making an attempt to go from first to 3rd, his throw from proper subject was not in time and allowed the path runner to maneuver to second.
Willy Adames adopted with a two-run single, and the Sox misplaced 7-6 in 10 innings.
“The first mental mistake was not thinking that Santana was going to go to third base,” Grifol stated Friday. “I think he got caught off guard on that. One mental mistake led to another. When he saw him go first to third, now he tried to make a great throw which was off line and he allowed the runner to advance.”
That’s a part of the ups and downs for the rookie.
After Wednesday’s recreation, Colás stated he continues to be taught each on the plate and in proper subject.
“I’ve been doing work with Pedro and the staff (on defense),” he stated via an interpreter. “On the alternative facet, simply making an attempt to be extra per the zone I would like the pitch to be and the place I need to hit the ball after which throughout it’s a piece in progress.
“I’m learning every day and trying to do the adjustments I need for that.”
Colás is slashing .215/.259/.291 with three residence runs and 13 RBIs in 54 video games.
“You’ll see spurts of plate discipline and good fundamental baseball and you’ll see spurts of chasing and not that good of fundamental baseball,” Grifol stated Saturday. “That’s just part of the development process that we’re going through with him. We’re throwing a lot at him and he’s embracing it and he’s working on it.”
Colás is assured extra energy is on the way in which.
“I know sooner rather than later the results and power are going to show up,” he stated.
What we’re studying this morning
Week forward: Cubs
The Cubs have an opportunity this week, with two days off, to realign the rotation and provides a taxed bullpen wanted restoration days.
The Cubs will begin Kyle Hendricks in Tuesday’s collection opener in opposition to the White Sox whereas Wednesday’s starter is to be decided. However, the expectation is Marcus Stroman (proper hip irritation) will come off the 15-day injured record to make that begin.
Left-hander Drew Smyly made his first reduction look as a Cub in a non-opener scenario throughout Sunday’s loss to the Blue Jays. It was his first such outing since Oct. 2, 2021, when he pitched for the Atlanta Braves.
Smyly didn’t enable a run in a single inning, giving up a single and a stroll. His transfer to the bullpen wasn’t seen as everlasting, although the Cubs hope it helps his stuff play up and will get him to be extra aggressive within the zone.
The Cubs might have extra reduction choices within the coming weeks. Veteran right-hander Brad Boxberger (proper forearm pressure) will pitch in an Arizona Complex League recreation Monday, whereas right-hander Nick Burdi (appendectomy) is becoming a member of Triple-A Iowa on a rehab project.
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: vs. White Sox, 7:05 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: vs. White Sox, 7:05 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: off
- Friday: vs. Royals, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: vs. Royals, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
- Sunday: vs. Royals, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
Week forward: White Sox
Reliever Lane Ramsey has been in a aggressive mindset whereas warming up.
“I think that’s helped and carried over,” Ramsey advised the Tribune on Sunday. “Going out there with the mindset of attacking each hitter and giving him my best stuff.”
It has proven within the outcomes. Ramsey has allowed one run on two hits in three video games since being known as up from Triple-A Charlotte on Aug. 5. He has three strikeouts and one stroll in 4 1/3 innings.
Ramsey pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his debut Aug. 6 in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
“I couldn’t even feel my body,” he stated. “It was a different experience than I’ve ever felt, as far as running out there and everything. Once the game started and the first pitch was a groundout (by Gabriel Arias), it was like, ‘All right, we’re here. Now it’s just baseball. Now it’s just pitching.’”
Grifol stated of the 6-foot-9 right-hander: “The ball gets on you a little bit. He’s throwing strikes with his fastball, he’s throwing strikes with his slider. He’s done a really good job.”
Grifol stated the following step for Ramsey and Declan Cronin, who was known as up July 28, is “throwing them into a little bit of crisis.”
“Right now, for the most part, they’ve come in in clean innings, but they’re going to graduate here pretty soon,” Grifol stated. “We’ve got to find out about all these guys this year so we can go into next season and not have to evaluate (in the) spring.”
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: at Cubs, 7:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Wednesday: at Cubs, 7:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: off
- Friday: at Rockies, 7:40 p.m., NBCSCH
- Saturday: at Rockies, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Sunday: at Rockies, 2:10 p.m., NBCSCH
This week in Chicago baseball
Aug. 14, 1939: First evening recreation for the White Sox
River Forest native Johnny Rigney — who had a no-hitter via 5 innings — threw a three-hitter in a 5-2 victory in opposition to the St. Louis Browns and struck out 10 in entrance of an estimated 30,000 followers at Comiskey Park.
Aug. 15, 1945: Cubs rout the Brooklyn Dodgers 20-6 at Ebbets Field
Paul Gillespie knocked in six runs with two residence runs and a single to guide the assault.
Aug. 17, 2018: Cubs tie a major-league file by turning seven double performs
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Cubs have been simply the third group to show seven double performs in a nine-inning recreation.
Starter Cole Hamels induced a double play in every of the primary three innings in opposition to the Pirates in a 1-0 win.
The Cubs wanted a game-ending double play induced by reliever Jesse Chavez and fielded by rookie third baseman David Bote with the tying and profitable runs on base.
Aug. 20, 2014: Cubs win “tarp game” vs. Giants
Head groundskeeper Roger Baird and the Cubs grounds crew had been tossed beneath the bus two nights earlier after the tarp debacle, through which they couldn’t get an already soaked Wrigley Field infield lined in time to stop it from turning into swampland.
Giants announcer Mike Krukow claimed they deliberately botched the tarp deployment to make sure a Cubs victory earlier than ultimately retracting his remarks. ESPN’s Keith Olbermann included them on his every day record of “worst persons” within the sports activities world.
And Major League Baseball cited the Cubs for “failure to properly wrap and spool the tarp after its last use” in its press launch asserting the choice to uphold the Giants’ protest, which led to the resumption of the sport.
Naturally, one other spherical of showers delayed the resumption, formally turning it right into a 6-hour, 31-minute rain delay. Taking no possibilities, the Cubs employed 32 grounds crew members to drag the tarp for the Thursday recreation, about twice as many as Tuesday evening.
Fans gave them a mock ovation once they rolled the tarp onto the sphere within the late afternoon, and everybody laughed.
“We watched the radar loop,” stated umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, a infamous White Sox fan. “Mother Nature was not raining, according to the radar. No one had any facts that saw this coming. Then it was just a bad set of unfortunate things.”
Baird was unavailable for remark. The Cubs requested the grounds crew to not converse to the media, deferring to spokesman Julian Green.
“There should be no thought or any question these guys fumbled the ball,” Green stated. “They step up to the plate and do this with a guy who’s led our crew for decades. Even after (Tuesday night’s) game, I would put my money on Roger Baird every time.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com