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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
81 down, 81 to go: What to watch for in the 2nd half of the season for Cubs and White Sox
The Cubs (48-33) and White Sox (25-66) have officially passed the halfway point of the season. Here's a guide for the next 81 games for both teams, including key series and a list of each ballpark's theme nights. Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong is on pace to finish in the Cubs record book. The 23-year-old sat at a 4.4 WAR through Wednesday. If he keeps this pace and doesn't miss any games — he has sat only once all season — he would finish with an 8.0 WAR. That would place him in the top 10 among all-time Cubs position players. Crow-Armstrong boasted a .272/.308/.560 slash line with 61 RBIs, 21 home runs and 24 stolen bases heading into Thursday. He is on pace for 42 home runs and 48 stolen bases, a clip similar to Shohei Ohtani's 54-59 in 2024 when he won NL MVP. Ohtani is the current NL MVP favorite again with a .291/.391/.626 slash line, 51 RBIs, 27 home runs and 11 stolen bases entering Thursday. Barring a regression — or a late-season surge from someone else — these two should be neck and neck. And as the temperatures heat up, the home runs will continue to fly at both Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. The Cubs have become a legitimate contender with their offensive and defensive balance. The bats of Seiya Suzuki and Kyle Tucker, combined with the outfield heroics of Crow-Armstrong, could get them into October. A flaw that could hold the Cubs from those 2016-like dreams is their starting pitching, or lack thereof. Justin Steele suffered a season-ending injury, while Shota Imanaga — who started Thursday in St. Louis — missed a chunk of time. Without its two best pitchers, the rotation has been lackluster. Since the Imanaga injury on May 4, Cubs starting pitchers — with multiple outings from Ben Brown, Cade Horton and Colin Rea — had posted a 4.46 ERA entering Thursday, a bottom-five mark. Imanaga's return resulted in Brown being optioned back to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also could look at an upgrade at third base, replacing rookie Matt Shaw. He was called up from Iowa on May 19 with hopes of improved hitting, but that hasn't been the case. In the last 15 games before Thursday, Shaw had a .104/.189/.125 slash line with five hits and 11 strikeouts. At White Sox (July 25-27) The Cubs have made easy work of the South Siders recently. Winners of a franchise-record eight straight City Series games, they will head into Rate Field looking to push the streak to 11. Crow-Armstrong has dirtied up the White Sox in six of those games, batting .458 with eight RBIs and a homer. The Cubs outscored the White Sox 26-8 in the first series at Wrigley Field. Vs. Milwaukee Brewers (Aug. 18-21) With a makeup game from a June 18 rainout included, these will be the last five games between the NL Central teams. The Cubs hold a three-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central and are 3-2 against them this season. Vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Sept. 26-28) These will be the final games of the regular season for the Cubs. Will they play on in October? Chicago White Sox The MLB trade deadline is July 31 — and the White Sox are expected to be in sell mode, with the likelihood of a Luis Robert Jr. move increasing. Robert has failed to reach his former All-Star form, slashing .185/.270/.313 this season compared with his .264/.315/.542 splits in 2023. When asked about his hitting woes, he said he is 'open to the suggestions.' Robert is making $15 million in 2025 and has $20 million club options over the next two seasons with a $2 million buyout. The center fielder's name has been tossed around in trade talks since the offseason. The Sox traded ace Garret Crochet in December, netting three prospects from the Boston Red Sox, including the improving Chase Meidroth. Robert could bring in more young talent to Rate Field. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and San Diego Padres have been mentioned as landing spots. Teams may see the potential of the 27-year-old, while others may see him as too expensive with his current production. Some promising talent is being developed at Triple-A Charlotte for the Sox. The newest major-league addition is catcher Kyle Teel. He is the No. 2 prospect in the Sox system and No. 26 overall in MLB. With the Knights, he slashed .295/.394/.492 with 30 RBIs and eight home runs before his promotion. He got his first major-league hit in his first game for the Sox and is consistently looking to get on base like he did with the Knights. A few prospects are still a step away from that phone call, Colson Montgomery — the No. 22 pick in the 2021 draft — being one of them. The infielder is struggling to find his swing in Charlotte, posting a .188/.271/.351 slash line this season. He has played both shortstop and third base. Add some consistency to his swing and his phone might ring. Vs. Cubs (July 25-27) The first City Series saw the Cubs bear down on the Sox at Wrigley Field. The best fight the Sox showed was from third baseman Miguel Vargas after Brad Keller slung a 95 mph four-seam into his left arm. Vargas was irate and both benches were warned. One positive for the Sox was Meidroth's performance. He batted .500 with an RBI and his first home run against the Cubs. Vs. Detroit Tigers (Aug. 11-13) A highlight of the Sox season so far was their June series split at Comerica Park against the AL-leading Tigers. The first win saw Michael A. Taylor hit a three-run homer and pitcher Shane Smith bring a three-hitter into the sixth inning. The second finished with a Tim Elko walk-off single, securing a 3-2 win in extras. Vs. San Diego Padres (Sept. 19-21) The Padres will fly into Central time for the final home series for the Sox. The Sox are on pace to lose 110 games and own the second-worst 81-game start (26-55) in franchise history. Where will they stand after this series?
Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Cubs are in a funk with 3rd straight loss — 8-7 to the Cardinals — and their 5th in the last 6 games
ST. LOUIS — Pete Crow-Armstrong bluntly described his remedy to flush a tough game. 'Go to sleep and wake up.' Crow-Armstrong has helped the Chicago Cubs win a lot of games this year — and will continue to, as his valuable all-around performance already puts him in conversations for National League MVP. Two moments in the Cubs' 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday at Busch Stadium featured rare blemishes for the 23-year-old: His gaffe forgetting the number of outs cost a run and he later opted to bunt with runners on the corners in a one-run game. Crow-Armstrong's actions parallel a difficult stretch for the Cubs. 'I didn't do a good job of playing baseball today,' Crow-Armstrong said. ' … I gave two outs so can't really do much about that.' The defeat cut the Cubs' division lead to 2 1/2 games over the Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers as they ride a three-game losing streak and losses in five of their last six games. The Cubs (46-33) became the last team in the majors to record at least two losing streaks of three or more games. 'It's remarkable that it's near the end of June for this kind of conversation to start, but obviously what's ahead of us is what matters,' Nico Hoerner told the Tribune of the team's struggles following the loss. 'But I think that speaks to the quality of this group, and that's what I expect from us moving forward.' The Cubs' recent problems are broader and more concerning than their budding star experiencing a bad game. Right-hander Jameson Taillon got tagged for eight runs, including three home runs for 21 on the season to match last year's total in 75 fewer innings. Taillon has allowed 13 earned runs between his last two starts, the second-most in a two-game span during his career since 2017 with Pittsburgh (17 earned runs). The offense gave Taillon and the bullpen enough support with a level of run scoring that has typically translated to wins. Hoerner's first home run of the season, a two-run shot that just cleared the left-field wall, cut the Cardinals' lead to one in the sixth. The Cubs were 25-3 when scoring at least seven runs in a game before Tuesday. However, the pitching staff has given up 20 home runs in their last six games, tied with the Baltimore Orioles for their most in a six-game span this year and matched the Cubs' record with the 1956 team. Sign up for our Cubs Insider newsletter'I felt like the game was pretty easy for me there for like six weeks or whatever and then now it's really hard again,' Taillon said. 'You just expect that to happen at some point in the season, and it's about punching back and finding a way to fix it and correct it as fast as possible. So, I'm aware, obviously, that the last two haven't been very good, and it needs to be better.' Taillon couldn't hold onto a three-run lead after the Cubs put up five runs in the top of the third inning on Kyle Tucker's two-run single and Seiya Suzuki's three-run home run against St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame and delivered the decisive runs in the fourth. A Nolan Gorman solo home run and Maysn Winn's two-run double off Taillon gave the Cardinals a 7-5 lead. Then Crow-Armstrong lost track of the outs. Thinking he had ended the inning by catching Alec Burleson's fly ball at the center field wall, it instead turned into a two-base sacrifice fly. Winn was beginning to round third base by the time Crow-Armstrong realized his error and fired the ball back to the infield. Taillon chalked up the miscue as a 'freak thing' by one of best defenders in baseball and wryly noted, 'I'm not too concerned with the eighth run I gave up, I'm concerned with all eight.' 'He takes a lot of pride in his defense, takes a lot of pride in being a great teammate so I'm not too worried about it. I was just more mad at myself for giving up the homers and giving up a lot of hard contact.' Added Hoerner: 'Pete's obviously had an incredible season, but like all of us has had plenty of frustrating moments this year already, and we all handle those things in different ways, but his response has always been onto the next thing and playing the game hard and playing to win. 'If he was a guy that didn't respect the game and didn't play hard and wasn't locked in when he got to the field, then there'd probably be a different conversation. But I think people here really trust him and love having him out there.' Crow-Armstrong had a chance to deliver a big hit in the seventh inning when he stepped to the plate with one out and runners on the corners. Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero got ahead on the Cubs' cleanup hitter using a first-pitch elevated fastball and followed with a slider down and away, though in the zone. Crow-Armstrong attempted to push bunt the pitch for a base hit. Instead, the ball meekly made it halfway to the mound and Romero fielded it cleanly and fired to first base for the easy out. Although Suzuki advanced to second on the play, the seventh became a wasted opportunity — something that happened too often on a night the Cubs went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position with eight left on base despite 13 hits. Dansby Swanson fouled out to right field when Burleson made a nifty catch into the netting to leave Tucker and Suzuki on base, among the four he stranded in scoring position with two outs. 'It's against the left-handed pitcher, and he wants the ball in play, that's what he's thinking,' manager Craig Counsell said of Crow-Armstrong. 'Get the ball in play, and he just made a poor bunt.' The Cubs know they can't let their underwhelming play over the past week spiral into a season-altering funk. Players expressed confidence after Tuesday's loss that they can weather this challenging stretch and turn things around, citing how well they have played most of the year and the inevitable ups and downs within a 162-game season. 'We've got a lot of faith in these guys,' Swanson said, 'and it's just a matter of when, not if.'
20-06-2025
- Sport
Crow-Armstrong hits his 20th homer but the Brewers outslug the Cubs, 8-7
CHICAGO -- Isaac Collins hit a three-run homer, rookie Caleb Durbin added a two-run drive and the Milwaukee Brewers held off the Chicago Cubs 8-7 on Thursday. Rhys Hoskins lofted a solo shot, and Christian Yelich, Jackson Chuorio and Joey Ortiz had two hits apiece to help the Brewers close within 5 1/2 games of first-place Chicago in the NL Central. Pete Crow-Armstrong lined his 20th home run, and Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ also went deep for the Cubs before a season-high crowd of 41,078 on a breezy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Chicago nearly came back from a five-run deficit, but Trevor Megill worked around a walk in the ninth for his 16th save. Freddy Peralta (7-4) allowed three runs and two hits in five innings for the win. Jameson Taillon (7-4) was tagged for five runs and eight hits in four innings after winning his five previous starts. Crow-Armstrong's line shot to right field in the first gave Chicago a 2-1 lead. Hoskins' solo drive and Durbin's two-run homer put Milwaukee ahead 4-2 in the second. The Brewers upped it to 5-2 in the third before Swanson's 14th homer cut it to 5-3 in the fourth. Collins connected on his second homer in two games in the fifth, extending Milwaukee's lead to 8-3. Happ's two-run drive in the seventh made it 8-5. The Cubs closed to 8-7 in the eighth, scoring on Carson Kelly's RBI groundout and Nico Hoerner's infield single against reliever Abner Uribe. Megill walked Happ to start the ninth, but struck out Kyle Tucker. Seiya Suzuki then bounced into a game-ending double play. Crow-Armstrong became the first player to reach 20 homers and 20 stolen bases this season. Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second career start Friday at Minnesota agaianst RHP Joe Ryan (7-2, 2.93). The Cubs hadn't announced a scheduled starter for Friday afternoon against Seattle. RHP George Kirby (1-3, 5.96 ERA) pitches for the Mariners. ___
Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Wrigley Field deserves another All-Star Game, and the Chicago Cubs should get ready to host in 2027
Now that the City Council has done its part to get an All-Star Game at Wrigley Field, approving a measure to provide city and state funding to help subsidize the Chicago Cubs' plan to install security bollards around the ballpark, the ball is in the hands of Major League Baseball. Or perhaps we should say MLB has had the ball in its hands all along and has yet to drop it. But now MLB has no excuse not to award the Cubs the 2027 All-Star Game, since the security measure was the last issue to be resolved. The Cubs finally got help from the politicians, and an official announcement should come soon. Team spokesperson Jennifer Martinez said MLB has not made a decision, but the Cubs remain hopeful the game finally will return to Wrigley after a 37-year absence. So kudos to the Cubs for their long and winding pursuit to secure their first game since 1990 after failing to get something done through the last two mayors, Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot. You have to give the Rickettses credit for persistence. When asked at a news conference if the Cubs would get their big event, Mayor Brandon Johnson replied: 'I certainly hope so. I do. Look, I think at some point Jesus the Christ is going to return and claim my soul for eternity. Just have to wait until that great gettin' up in the morning, won't we?' I'm not sure what Johnson's soul has to do with getting Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge to Wrigley to aim for the rooftops, but whatever. Hopefully he can pick Pete Crow-Armstrong out of a lineup, but who knows? Wrigley is baseball's mecca, and it deserves to get its moment in the spotlight. George Will, in an article for the 1990 All-Star program, once wrote that 'a baseball park, like Wrigley Field, is a place to play… (and has an) intimacy that makes fans participants in, rather than mere spectators at, an event.' That was evident again Thursday in the Cubs' 8-7 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers when a fan climbed the netting behind the plate to pull down Sal Frelick's bat after Frelick lost control and sent it flying. His adventure resulted in him getting the bat, bringing cheers, being escorted out by security, bringing boos, and then returning to his seat, bringing a loud ovation and high-fiving from fellow fans. It was the sort of Wrigley Field moment that makes it a unicorn among major-league ballparks. Frelick found the fan after the game and gave him a bat, bringing closure on a wild day that included another Crow-Armstrong home run, a Cubs comeback that fell short and an inspiring pregame performance of the Black anthem and the national anthem by the Leo High School choir. The All-Star Game would be a big get for the Cubs, even though it really isn't as popular as the Home Run Derby, the real crown jewel of All-Star weekend. 'I never really watched the game, I watched the Derby,' Crow Armstrong said the other day. 'I feel like I watched one All-Star Game that I can remember, when Mike Trout got the car for winning MVP.' Crow-Armstrong clarified he didn't mean to downplay the marquee game but was simply pointing to his memories growing up in Southern California. 'I was usually playing baseball when the All-Star Game was going on,' he said. Crow-Armstrong, 23, is certain to be playing baseball when this year's All Star Game is going on next month in Atlanta, most likely as the starting center fielder for the National League. He has a huge early lead in voting and figures to be a fixture at the game for years to come if he maintains his current status as the player you can't stop watching. So look for him at Wrigley in '27 — if the Cubs get their game. What else can we expect from a 21st century special event played in an early-20th century ballpark? Expensive tickets, of course, and a scalper's paradise. At the 1990 game, one fan lamented to the Tribune's Bill Jauss that he paid $100 for a bleacher ticket. That's a small fraction of what fans can expect to pay for a bleacher ticket in '27. Photos: Chicago Cubs lose to the Milwaukee Brewers 8-7 at Wrigley FieldThere also will be more media than ever, thanks to the globalization of the game and the influx of Japanese reporters covering stars from their country. Wrigley Field's press box was full Thursday for the Cubs-Brewers game, and it's only June. Planning an All-Star Game will necessitate some outside-the-box thinking from the Cubs and MLB to figure out where everyone will fit. Maybe an auxiliary box on the roof of Murphy's Bleachers? Count me in. The rooftops no doubt will be jammed, and the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood will be packed to the gills. Wrigleyville was still a relatively insular neighborhood in '90, with a few bars and Yum-Yum Donuts within walking distance of the park. It's now closer to River North in its food and dining options, not to mention having a boutique hotel across the street. And just a guess, but Bill Murray likely will be involved in any festivities, as he was in 1990 when he served as emcee of the Home Run Derby, introducing the players. It wouldn't be a real Cubs event without Murray. I'm old enough to have been part of the Tribune's coverage of the 1990 game at Wrigley, which was so long ago that CBS, the network televising it, went with a rerun of the program 'Rescue 911' when it went into a rain delay in the seventh inning. The delay lasted more than an hour, and CBS had more than enough reporters to fill time but apparently thought fans would lose interest. The game itself was a dud — a 2-0 American League win with no fireworks. The National League mustered only two hits — a first-inning single by Will Clark and a ninth-inning single by Lenny Dykstra. There was a lot of dead time and time spent waiting on the rain to fall. Most of the fans at Wrigley had to find methods of entertainment, which included chanting 'Steroids, Steroids' at Oakland A's slugger José Canseco. 'The people were chanting steroids and flexing,' Canseco said afterward. 'I thought it was funny.' It was a different era, one that we can be nostalgic about again after so many years have passed with baseball still intact. An All-Star Game would be a chance to celebrate the ballpark and the city — and the fans who make it a special place.
San Francisco Chronicle
19-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Crow-Armstrong hits his 20th homer but the Brewers outslug the Cubs, 8-7
CHICAGO (AP) — Isaac Collins hit a three-run homer, rookie Caleb Durbin added a two-run drive and the Milwaukee Brewers held off the Chicago Cubs 8-7 on Thursday. Rhys Hoskins lofted a solo shot, and Christian Yelich, Jackson Chuorio and Joey Ortiz had two hits apiece to help the Brewers close within 5 1/2 games of first-place Chicago in the NL Central. Pete Crow-Armstrong lined his 20th home run, and Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ also went deep for the Cubs before a season-high crowd of 41,078 on a breezy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Chicago nearly came back from a five-run deficit, but Trevor Megill worked around a walk in the ninth for his 16th save. Freddy Peralta (7-4) allowed three runs and two hits in five innings for the win. Jameson Taillon (7-4) was tagged for five runs and eight hits in four innings after winning his five previous starts. Crow-Armstrong's line shot to right field in the first gave Chicago a 2-1 lead. Hoskins' solo drive and Durbin's two-run homer put Milwaukee ahead 4-2 in the second. The Brewers upped it to 5-2 in the third before Swanson's 14th homer cut it to 5-3 in the fourth. Collins connected on his second homer in two games in the fifth, extending Milwaukee's lead to 8-3. Happ's two-run drive in the seventh made it 8-5. The Cubs closed to 8-7 in the eighth, scoring on Carson Kelly's RBI groundout and Nico Hoerner's infield single against reliever Abner Uribe. Megill walked Happ to start the ninth, but struck out Kyle Tucker. Seiya Suzuki then bounced into a game-ending double play. Key stat Crow-Armstrong became the first player to reach 20 homers and 20 stolen bases this season. Up next Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second career start Friday at Minnesota agaianst RHP Joe Ryan (7-2, 2.93). ___
