Repeated bullpen implosions are more likely to make a supervisor’s hair flip gray, so keep in mind to check once more on David Ross and Pedro Grifol on the end of the season.
The managers of the Chicago Cubs and White Sox can’t seem to find a way to get on a protracted scorching streak with their bullpens performing so poorly over the first two months. The porous Cubs bullpen ranked twenty sixth throughout the majors with a 4.61 ERA entering into Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds, whereas the White Sox bullpen sat twenty ninth with an abysmal 5.28 ERA going into their sport in Detroit — which they misplaced in 10 innings after blowing a ninth-inning lead.
Neither crew has had a reliable nearer, though the Sox are anticipated to convey once more Liam Hendriks on Monday after he rehabbed with the crew following a stint at Triple-A Charlotte.
Each Monday all via the season, Tribune baseball writers will current an exchange on what occurred — and what’s ahead for the Cubs and Sox.
Cubs apologize for bobblehead error
As bobblehead mishaps go, it’s exhausting to excessive having the fallacious uniform amount to your iconic Corridor of Fame outfielder.
However on the very least that gives the Cubs one factor to shoot for.
A bobblehead promotion Saturday went awry, and it was an unforced error by the Cubs’ enterprise facet.
The Billy Williams bobblehead giveaway had the Cubs good sporting No. 1 as an alternative of No. 26, a amount most educated Cubs followers know properly. After anyone tweeted the error Saturday night, it opened the floodgates to loads mocking of the group on-line.
It’s exhausting to think about no one throughout the group observed the error sooner than the bobbleheads have been delivered to Wrigley Discipline for dispersal. Nevertheless it occurred. It moreover obtained right here at an inopportune time, with the crew in a protracted hunch that began in late April and has continued all via Could.
The Cubs launched a press launch afterward saying they made “a regrettable error by distributing Corridor of Famer Billy Williams bobbleheads to followers with the inaccurate quantity.”
“This could have by no means occurred, and we all know many followers shall be upset,” the assertion acknowledged. “We’re within the course of of getting new bobbleheads produced so followers can have a possibility to change the merchandise. Followers who bought tickets to (Saturday’s) sport shall be contacted once we obtain the brand new bobbleheads. Because of manufacturing and delivery occasions, it is extremely doubtless we can have this stuff out there subsequent season.”
Wait till subsequent yr?
Seems like a plan.
Andrew Benintendi cleared for takeoff
Andrew Benintendi lined a double to correct topic in opposition to Logan Allen throughout the seventh inning Tuesday at Progressive Discipline. It was an essential hit all through a three-run White Sox rally in a 4-2 win in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians.
Benintendi extended his hitting streak to 10 in that sport. Nevertheless it was three totally different at-bats, all outs, that he moreover thought-about as constructive journeys to the plates.
“To get outcomes is at all times good, however when you’re solely caught on outcomes you’re not at all times going to be pleased,” Benintendi instructed the Tribune on Wednesday in Cleveland. “(Tuesday) I flew out 3 times, which is a optimistic for me as a result of I’m making an attempt to hit the ball within the air a bit extra and get it off the bottom. It’s a step in the suitable course.”
Benintendi is slashing .271/.332/.354 in 51 video video games all through his first season with the Sox.
“We haven’t even seen the (Benintendi) that I do know is there,” Grifol acknowledged last week. “That is what he does. He hangs in there, he battles. He’s in an amazing spot and quickly he takes off and has three weeks, 4 weeks the place you presumably can’t get him out.
“We haven’t seen that half but. We haven’t seen him but drive balls within the seats, which he’ll do. However that is what he does. He’s an amazing competitor, massive hits, will get on base and rapidly he takes off, does some particular issues.”
Whereas he doesn’t have a homer, his 14 doubles have been tied for sixth throughout the American League by Saturday.
The hitting streak ended Wednesday, nonetheless Benintendi is slashing .314/.390/.471 (16-for-51) in his last 15 video video games with on the very least one hit in 12 of those video video games.
“If I wasn’t swinging it effectively, I might be fouling off pitches and swinging via pitches,” Benintendi acknowledged. “Simply making an attempt to maintain it easy and never do an excessive amount of and utilizing the entire subject, particularly the pull facet, which I haven’t used the previous two years that a lot (36% pull share this season in contrast with 30.5% final 12 months in keeping with fangraphs.com). Utilizing the entire subject and taking my hits once I can get them.”
Week ahead: Cubs
The Cubs famously stole Joe Maddon from the Tampa Bay Rays after the 2014 season and went on to World Sequence glory two years later. The Rays Manner labored properly in Chicago, with Maddon’s distinctive style credited as one in every of many best parts throughout the custom change.
However Cubs administration soured on Maddon after the core of the rebuild failed to find out itself over the prolonged haul. After a brief stint with the Anaheim Angels, Maddon has been out of baseball since last yr.
Maddon’s different with the Rays, Kevin Money, is now thought-about the gold regular of major-league managers, persistently profitable with low-salaried teams. In his ninth season with Tampa Bay, Money has a larger file than Maddon, whereas every made 4 postseason journeys with the Rays and obtained two Supervisor of the Yr awards.
This yr’s Rays rank twenty eighth in major-league payrolls at $74.5 million nonetheless have in all probability probably the most dominant crew throughout the sport at 39-16, a .709 profitable share. They arrive at Wrigley Discipline on Monday for a three-game sequence, the highest of a Cubs homestand that started with loads promise.
After a time off Thursday, the Cubs begin a 10-game West Coast journey with a four-game sequence in San Diego. By the point they return dwelling, it might presumably be the start of “Promote-off Watch 2.0.”
- Monday: vs. Rays, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
- Tuesday: vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: vs. Rays, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: Off
- Friday: at Padres, 8:40 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at Padres, 9:10 p.m., Marquee, FS1
- Sunday: at Padres, 4:30 p.m., Marquee
Week ahead: White Sox
The Sox spent most of Could throughout the division, collaborating in 20 video video games in opposition to American League Central foes.
They’ve merely three division video video games in June: Friday-Sunday in opposition to the Detroit Tigers at Assured Price Discipline.
The Sox are 12-11 in opposition to the AL Central this season after wrapping up a stretch of 13 consecutive division video video games with Sunday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Tigers. The Sox went 8-5 via the stretch.
The upcoming video video games in opposition to the Tigers are the Sox’s last in opposition to an AL Central opponent by the All-Star break. They obtained’t see one different division crew until July 21-23 in Minnesota.
Outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez returned to the lineup Sunday after missing time following an appendectomy in early Could, and second baseman Elvis Andrus might presumably be once more for the sequence in opposition to the Tigers.
Grifol acknowledged Andrus “felt good” after going 1-for-3 with a run Saturday in his first rehab sport with Triple-A Charlotte. He’s working his method once more from a strained left oblique.
“All the pieces I obtained from him and the trainers checked out good,” Grifol acknowledged. “We’ll see how this factor goes. I don’t get too caught up in rehabs except one thing occurs, however we’re checking packing containers now, simply ensuring the whole lot is feeling good. And thus far so good.”
- Monday: vs. Angels, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, FS1
- Tuesday: vs. Angels, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Wednesday: vs. Angels, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: Off
- Friday: vs. Tigers, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Saturday: vs. Tigers, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Sunday: vs. Tigers, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
What we’re learning this morning
This week in Chicago baseball
Could 29, 2013: Cubs’ Dioner Navarro has the first three-homer sport of his career.
He linked from both sides of the plate at Wrigley Discipline to information the Cubs to a 9-3 win over the White Sox. Navarro drove in a career-high six runs and scored 4 events.
Could 30, 1922: Cubs and Cardinals make a commerce between the morning and afternoon video video games of a Memorial Day doubleheader.
Outfielder Max Flack was despatched to the Cardinals dugout for outfielder Cliff Heathcote. They carried out one sport for each crew.
Could 31, 1970: Sox’s Luis Aparicio and Walt Williams each collect 5 hits in a 22-13 rout of Purple Sox.
Williams moreover scored 5 events. The teams collected 40 hits, one in want of the AL file set in 1950.
June 3, 2003: Cubs’ Sammy Sosa ejected for using a corked bat.
Sosa was ejected throughout the first inning after his bat shattered on a groundout to second base and objects of cork have been found among the many many shards. Plate umpire Tim McClelland conferred collectively together with his crew, then ejected Sosa for using a corked bat. Sosa apologized “from the underside of my coronary heart” after the game.
He acknowledged possession of the bat, explaining that he typically used it for batting comply with and residential run exhibitions to entertain his followers. He acknowledged it had been inadvertently blended in collectively together with his frequent bats.
“I simply picked the mistaken bat,” he acknowledged. “I apologize to my workforce, to my followers. I apologize to the commissioner of baseball.”
McClelland acknowledged he observed a half-dollar-sized piece of cork throughout the bat, about halfway down the barrel.
Sosa was later suspended eight video video games for the incident.
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Originally posted 2023-05-29 11:18:08.