The Chicago White Sox head to New York with some momentum after sweeping the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The last two video games had been gained in very totally different walk-off fashions. Saturday’s successful run scored on a wild pitch. Sunday’s recreation ended on a Jake Burger grand slam.
Behind Marcus Stroman’s eleventh high quality begin and three house runs, the Cubs took management rapidly in Sunday’s 7-1 win towards the San Diego Padres.
This week will likely be a type of uncommon cases when each groups are out of city to begin the week, with the Cubs nonetheless out west. The Sox return house for a weekend sequence towards the Miami Marlins.
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.
White Sox have choices at 2B
When Elvis Andrus returned from the injured checklist Friday, it gave the Sox a full complement of infielders for the primary time shortly.
It additionally introduced up the query of how the Sox would deal with enjoying time at second base.
The crew re-signed Andrus within the spring, transferring him from shortstop to second. With extra enjoying time not too long ago resulting from Andrus’ harm, Romy Gonzalez has produced offensively whereas displaying robust protection.
“That’s good, that’s baseball,” Andrus stated Saturday. “I instructed him, ‘Don’t really feel dangerous, man. I did the identical factor once I was youthful.’ I need all my teammates, even when we play the identical place, to do the most effective. At the tip, it’s all about successful.
“Now me and him are going to share playing time. If it’s for the best of the team, that’s what it’s all about. But very happy for all he’s been doing. He’s been working really hard for this opportunity and he’s taking advantage.”
Gonzalez has a .282 common (11-for-39) with three doubles, one triple, three homers and 10 RBIs in his final 14 video games.
“Crazy talent, really powerful,” Andrus stated.
Andrus is trying to get going on the plate, hitting .194 with one homer and 13 RBIs in 41 video games.
Gonzalez began at second Friday and Andrus was there Saturday. They had been each within the infield Sunday with Gonzalez at second and Andrus at third as Yoán Moncada received a day of relaxation.
“We’re here to do one thing (and) that’s win baseball games,” supervisor Pedro Grifol stated Saturday. “So there’s at all times competitors. Even with guys which might be on a regular basis gamers, there’s at all times competitors.
“There comes a time when somebody’s coming up and you have to continue to perform. In this case, I spoke to Elvis (on Friday) and I told him the same thing he told you: Romy is playing well, he’s back now and we’ll mix and match and put the best team on the field.”
Alzolay-Leiter changing into an efficient tandem for Cubs
It hasn’t mattered a lot this yr that left-handed hitters know what pitch to anticipate from Cubs right-hander Mark Leiter Jr.
When Leiter makes use of his splitter towards lefties, it’s practically unhittable. Left-handed hitters are 5-for-37 with 23 strikeouts versus his splitter this season. Leiter struck out the aspect within the ninth to earn the save in Friday’s 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. He received lefties Juan Soto and Jake Cronenworth to whiff at his splitter to finish their at-bats.
“I’m not really worried about what they’re trying to do,” Leiter stated. “I’m just trying to execute from my standpoint and one pitch at a time really.”
Leiter and Adbert Alzolay have given supervisor David Ross some stability within the again finish of a bullpen that has looked for consistency by means of the primary two months.
Leiter, 32, credit the high-leverage alternatives he obtained within the second half of 2022, together with six save alternatives, with making ready him for his present utilization. He acknowledged that moments just like the ninth inning are “definitely different” than pitching in different conditions. But he has rapidly grow to be one among Ross’ go-to arms with a lead within the late innings.
“It’s a team game and we’re all called upon in different situations, in different types of games, and you’ve got to be able to win all kinds of games,” Leiter stated. “Just do your job.
“The more you can control it and just say I’m going out there and my name is called and I’m pitching, it doesn’t matter the score, it doesn’t matter the ending. Your job is to go get outs.”
Number of the week: 2
Sunday’s win accomplished the Sox’s second sweep of the season. The different got here towards the Kansas City Royals on May 19-21. The Sox are 15-11 towards American League Central groups this season however gained’t see one other one till July 21 in Minnesota.
Week forward: Cubs
Justin Steele’s transfer to the 15-day injured checklist Saturday units up right-hander Hayden Wesneski to begin Tuesday towards the Los Angeles Angels whereas Steele is sidelined with a left forearm pressure that may trigger him to overlook his subsequent two begins. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy anticipates Steele will throw two bullpens earlier than coming off the IL, which the Cubs don’t anticipate to be an prolonged keep.
Wesneski is positioned to fit in on Steele’s begin day after he served in lengthy reduction when Steele exited Wednesday’s begin towards the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It’s not easy when no matter what it looks like of having to come in the game and get hot quick and do all that on the mound — you don’t get to do your routine, you don’t get to do the things that make you really good,” Hottovy stated Saturday. “So one, having the ability to deal with that within the second generally exhibits a younger man that you simply don’t must do all of the issues that you must do.
“And we’ve talked about him as a starter before, having this routine: How can we pare things down? So it’s refreshing for him to have the outing he did in short notice, not quite having the same ramp-up, warmup that he’s had and just see him be aggressive against arguably one of the best offenses in baseball and trust your stuff.”
- Monday: at Padres, 8:10 p.m., Marquee
- Tuesday: at Angels, 8:38 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: at Angels, 8:38 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: at Angels, 8:38 p.m., Marquee
- Friday: at Giants, 9:15 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at Giants, 6:35 p.m., Fox-32
- Sunday: at Giants, 3:05 p.m., Marquee
Week forward: White Sox
Saturday was one for the file books, because the Sox beat the Tigers 2-1 in 10 innings with all three runs coming by way of wild pitches.
According to Elias, it was the primary major-league recreation since at the very least 1920 wherein the entire runs (minimal three) scored on a wild pitch or handed ball.
“You think about (Saturday’s) game, all three runs were scored via the wild pitch, but there was a lot of other little things that helped us win,” Grifol stated Sunday. “They had the five-man infield (with Yasmani Grandal up within the tenth and Moncada on third). Normally we like (operating on) contact. We didn’t go contact. There was a floor ball to the infield, Moncada stayed at third base, saved (scoring on) the wild pitch in play.
“I had told (third-base coach) Eddie (Rodríguez) to tell Moncada to read the high hopper, and he read that ground ball perfectly. He stayed right there, which allowed us to be able to score on that wild pitch.”
The Sox know they’ll want to search out extra methods of scoring this week once they go to the New York Yankees.
More energy, like the kind displayed on Burger’s game-ending grand slam Sunday, will likely be wanted towards the Yankees, who’re second within the AL with 95 homers. Aaron Judge, who leads the AL with 19 house runs, was out of the lineup Sunday towards the Los Angeles Dodgers after banging his proper huge toe whereas making a spectacular catch Saturday.
The Sox are tied for tenth within the AL with 61 homers.
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: at Yankees, 6:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Wednesday: at Yankees, 6:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: at Yankees, 6:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Friday: vs. Marlins, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Saturday: vs. Marlins, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Sunday: vs. Marlins, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
What we’re studying this morning
This week in Chicago baseball
June 5, 1935: White Sox rookie John Whitehead loses to St. Louis 2-0.
It was his first loss after successful his first eight begins, an AL file for the beginning of a profession. The righty went on to amass a 49-54 file in his seven-year MLB profession.
June 5, 1989: White Sox draft Frank Thomas with the No. 7 decide.
The 21-year-old Columbus, Ga., native was a three-time All-Southeastern Conference choice at Auburn and led the convention in 1989 with 19 homers, 83 RBIs and a .575 on-base share.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound junior stated the toughest a part of his profession so far was telling Auburn soccer coach Pat Dye he was quitting after his freshman yr. Thomas initially went to varsity on a soccer scholarship and performed alongside Bo Jackson as a good finish in 1986.
Thomas needed to begin out at Double A just like the Sox’s 1988 first-round decide, Robin Ventura. Why?
“Because I have enough experience,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I was hoping Chicago got me. They’re not doing well at first base and they’re not doing well as a team. I’m excited about that.”
He was drafted proper after the Cardinals chosen Paul Coleman and proper earlier than the Cubs took Earl Cunningham, neither of whom ever appeared within the huge leagues. Also taken earlier than Thomas was Jeff Jackson of Simeon, who by no means performed within the majors for the Phillies.
Thomas, a 2-time MVP, turned the tenth Sox participant to have his quantity retired. He led the AL in on-base share 4 instances and completed within the prime 4 in 4 different seasons. Thomas hit .300 or higher with at the very least 20 homers, 100 RBIs, 100 walks and 100 runs in seven consecutive seasons.
June 5, 2013: White Sox and Mariners play the primary recreation in MLB historical past wherein every crew scores 5 or extra runs after it was scoreless by means of the ninth.
Alejandro De Aza and Alex Rios every had an RBI single within the sixteenth, and the Sox gained 7-5.
“We’re all too exhausted probably right now to really relish it,” stated Gordon Beckham, who collected 4 hits after the eighth, together with a single that began the two-run sixteenth.
June 7, 1906: Cubs rating 11 runs within the first off New York Giants aces Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity and go on to a 19-0 victory.
June 7, 1946: Cubs pitcher Claude Passeau wins his personal recreation with a two-run, game-ending homer within the ninth towards the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Quotable
“The Angels were top stuff, clapping for him. We were as well. The fans were unbelievable, the entrance was special. It was just a special time.” — Grifol on the reception for Liam Hendriks throughout his return Monday at Guaranteed Rate Field
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Source: www.bostonherald.com