It’s go time for the Cubs as they enter a pivotal stretch of their schedule to find out which path the entrance workplace takes on the commerce deadline.
The Cubs couldn’t safe the sequence win Sunday with an 11-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox with seven video games remaining on the homestand.
The White Sox had one in all their finest sequence of the season, taking two of three from the workforce with the highest document in baseball in Atlanta. The Sox proceed their longest journey of the season with three on the New York Mets and three on the Minnesota Twins.
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.
Ian Happ’s energy drought and the impression on the Cubs’ top-of-order lineup building
Consistent energy manufacturing hasn’t been there these days for switch-hitter Ian Happ.
Since early May, Happ is hitting .218 with a .676 OPS, 9 doubles, three dwelling runs and 22 RBIs in his final 58 video games (251 plate appearances) coming into Sunday. Two of these dwelling runs got here June 24 within the London Series. The Cubs aren’t getting the kind of energy they want from Happ, particularly together with his frequency batting within the No. 3 spot the place he has hit many of the season. He batted fourth in Sunday’s 11-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
“He’s trying to find his timing on the heater right now,” supervisor David Ross mentioned Saturday. “I believe the primary factor for him is getting again on the fastball and he does a pleasant job of getting a constant at-bats and having the ability to take walks even when he’s not timed up a bit of bit.
“For him, I think sacrificing some of that plate discipline will be hopefully short-lived for when you get on the timing then you’re back to where you want to be.”
Happ’s 40 walks throughout that 58-game stretch have helped his on-base proportion sit at wholesome .351 in that span. It hasn’t translated to being the run producer the Cubs anticipated when signing him to a three-year, $61 million extension in early April.
Ross mentioned there have been conversations about transferring him increased up within the order due to his stroll price and talent to work the rely regardless of his hunch. But then he had his multihomer sport in London and appeared to be turning a nook offensively. Ross counseled the job Mike Tauchman has carried out as their leadoff hitter when he’s began and didn’t sound inclined to attempt Happ there.
“Just because a guy walks, I still like (Happ) walking when he was in the four (spot),” Ross mentioned. “So guys that can get on base is always a positive, I don’t care where they’re at. Not everybody that’s just walking with a high on-base we just need to stick in the leadoff spot.”
When main off an inning this yr, Happ owns a .259/.385/.519 slash line with a .903 OPS, 10 walks, 18 strikeouts and 7 extra-base hits, together with three homers, in 65 plate appearances.
As commerce hypothesis will increase, Sox gamers give attention to what they’ll management
Last week noticed the All-Star break come and go.
The subsequent large date on the baseball calendar is the Aug. 1 commerce deadline.
With a document nicely beneath .500, there’s been loads of hypothesis from writers and analysts across the nation that the Sox can be sellers.
The commerce deadline isn’t a topic that comes up in supervisor Pedro Grifol’s conversations with gamers.
“What am I going to tell them? I’m going to say, ‘Hey, focus on the game?’ They know they have to focus on the game,” Grifol mentioned earlier than Saturday’s sport in opposition to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. “Everybody here’s a skilled. They’ve been via it. They realize it’s part of it. And till it occurs, there’s nothing actually to speak about or take into consideration.
“You’ve got to go out there and play and perform. I haven’t spoken to many of the guys about it.”
When it involves not letting the deadline develop into a distraction, Grifol mentioned the hot button is remaining centered on what gamers can management.
“(There is) really nothing we can do about (the trade deadline),” Grifol mentioned. “We can’t predict what’s going to occur. Things would possibly occur. They could not occur.
“We’ve just got to keep playing our game. Keep going out there and getting prepared to play. Those are things that are out of our control. You can’t focus on (the trade deadline).”
Week forward: Cubs
If the Cubs are going to make a run to get again to .500 earlier than the commerce deadline, that is the week to do it. It’s an opportunity to avenge their early May sweep in Washington the place the Cubs misplaced the three-game sequence by a mixed 5 runs, together with a pair of one-run losses. That sequence was a part of a highway journey that squandered their sturdy begin to the season. The Cardinals proceed to be one of many worst groups in baseball, and the Cubs should make the most of their struggles and impending vendor standing.
By the completion of their homestand Sunday, it ought to develop into extra clear what path the Cubs will take for the Aug. 1 commerce deadline.
“Obviously, we’re going to see where we are and our hope certainly is that we can we play well for the next two weeks,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer mentioned Friday. “We’ll sort of assess and I don’t want this to be a day-to-day assessment type thing, like, obviously it’s baseball. These decisions are hard. We want nothing more than to play really well over the next two weeks. … It’s a complicated time of year.”
- Monday: vs. Nationals, 7:05 p.m. Marquee
- Tuesday: vs. Nationals, 7:05 p.m. Marquee
- Wednesday: vs. Nationals, 7:05 p.m. Marquee
- Thursday: vs. St. Louis, 7:05 p.m. Marquee
- Friday: vs. St. Louis, 1:20 p.m. Apple TV
- Saturday: vs. St. Louis, 1:20 p.m. Marquee
- Sunday: vs. St. Louis, 1:20 p.m. Marquee
Week forward: White Sox
The Sox had been reeling, trailing by 4 runs within the first inning Friday in opposition to the Braves.
Touki Toussaint entered with two outs and issued a stroll which loaded the bases for All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr.
“Facing a guy who is red-hot, I knew I had to go after him and limit the damage as much as possible,” Toussaint advised the Tribune on Saturday.
The right-hander obtained Acuña to fly out to proper. Toussaint gave the Sox a much-needed increase out of the bullpen, permitting one run on three hits with 4 strikeouts and 4 walks in 5 1/3 innings in opposition to his former workforce.
“Critical,” Grifol mentioned of the outing.
According to STATS, Toussaint’s 97 pitches had been probably the most by a Sox reliever since Héctor Santiago threw 100 on Sept. 24, 2019, in opposition to Cleveland.
Toussaint has labored as a starter and reliever since becoming a member of the Sox on June 21.
“(I) prepare every day like I’m going to pitch,” Toussaint mentioned. “If I don’t, I don’t. If I do, I do. I attempt to put together daily and no matter occurs, occurs.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity and trying to take advantage of it the best I can and see where it takes me.”
He is scheduled to start out Wednesday in opposition to the New York Mets at Citi Field.
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: at Mets, 6:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Wednesday: at Mets, 6:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: at Mets, 12:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Friday: at Twins, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Saturday: at Twins, 6:15 p.m., FOX-32
- Sunday: at Twins, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
This week in Chicago baseball
July 17, 1966: Billy Williams hit for the pure cycle within the Cubs’ 7-2 victory
Williams singled within the first inning, doubled within the third, had an RBI triple within the fifth, homered to middle within the seventh and popped out to the third baseman in foul territory. It was the second sport of a doubleheader in opposition to the Cardinals, who took the opener 4-3 in 11 innings.
Williams was simply the fifth Cubs participant to hit for the cycle, becoming a member of Frank Chance (1904), Frank Schulte (1911), Hack Wilson (1930), Roy Smalley (1950) and Lee Walls (1957).
July 18, 1948: White Sox’s Pat Seerey hit 4 dwelling runs in a 12-11, 11-inning victory
Seerey hit two mammoth pictures off Philadelphia A’s pitchers Carl Scheib, one off Bob Savage and the game-winner off Lou Brissie within the high of the eleventh.
July 20, 1933: Babe Herman hit three dwelling runs, together with a grand slam for the Cubs
Those swats helped the Cubs to a 10-1 rout of the Phillies at Wrigley Field.
July 22, 1986: Cubs hearth ball lady Marla Collins after she poses for Playboy
The Cubs mentioned they didn’t “authorize, condone or approve” Collins showing in Playboy. Harry Caray posed with Collins in one of many pictures.
Mike Royko, the late Tribune columnist, wrote then of Collins’ dismissal: “Of course it’s hypocritical. But hypocrisy is the very backbone of our sexual moral standards. Many of our most outstanding bluenoses are secret lechers.”
“Would I (pose) all over again? Yeah, sure, yes I would,” Collins advised the Tribune in 1999. “I have no regrets. At that time I thought it was very exciting. It did cause a lot of commotion at the end, but all in all …”
Caray was one in all Collins’ largest supporters.
“Harry was a nice guy,” mentioned Collins, who attended the wake and funeral of the Hall of Fame broadcaster. “It was a fun job being the ball girl, even though I knew (it) wasn’t forever.”
July 23, 2009: Mark Buehrle throws an ideal sport for the White Sox
When shortstop Alexei Ramirez threw to first baseman Josh Fields to retire Jason Bartlett for the ultimate out in a 5-0 win over the Rays, Buehrle accomplished the most recent achievement in his storied profession: the 18th excellent sport in major-league historical past.
“I never thought I’d throw a no-hitter, never thought I’d throw a perfect game, and I never thought I’d hit a home run,” Buehrle mentioned. “Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen.”
He grew to become simply the sixth pitcher in big-league historical past to throw at the very least two no-hitters that included an ideal sport. He pitched a no-hitter in opposition to Texas in 2007, and he hit a house run at Milwaukee the earlier month.
Buehrle’s achievement marked the seventeenth no-hitter in Sox historical past and solely the second excellent sport after Charles Robertson’s gem at Detroit on April 30, 1922. And he joined Frank Smith (1905, 1908) as the one Sox pitchers to throw two no-hitters.
The feat earned a congratulatory name from the First Fan, President Barack Obama.
“(Obama) said he was taking a little bit of credit because he wore the White Sox jacket at the All-Star Game, and I told him how surprised I was that he actually did it,” Buehrle mentioned. “He said congratulations, and it’s an honor. (He said) a lot of people are going to remember this forever.”
Dewayne Wise offered the fielding spotlight, robbing Gabe Kapler of a house run for the primary out within the ninth inning. Wise, inserted in middle subject for defensive functions, sprinted to left-center subject in a determined effort to catch Kapler’s drive.
He leaped above the fence to make the catch and momentarily misplaced management of the ball earlier than grabbing it for the primary out and falling to the bottom.
“It was a special moment for Buehrle and Wise,” Kapler mentioned. “They earned it.”
Quotable
“Honestly, it’s just baseball. That’s why it’s such a great game. You never know what’s going to happen on any given day. Anything unique can happen. They got us in the first game and we came back strong those next two.” — Dylan Cease on taking 2 of three from the Atlanta Braves
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Source: www.bostonherald.com