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Chicago Tribune
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: As summer heats up, Chicago's sports teams buckle down — and the NASCAR course just buckles
It was a hot start to summer in Chicago for our legacy sports teams. Up was down, down was up and our downtown streets buckled just in time for the Chicago Street Race. The first half of the Chicago Cubs season was like a good book you couldn't put down. Amazing comebacks, plenty of runs and the daily Pete Crow-Armstrong Show. Wrigley Field was packed, and for the first time since the Theo Epstein rebuild, there was reason to believe in the team's future. Whether the second half can match the start depends largely on whether Epstein's replacement as president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, can fill some rotation holes and shore up the bench. Hoyer fixed a shaky bullpen early in the season with low-key, underrated moves and now faces another obstacle. When Marquee Sports Network analyst Cliff Floyd pulled out a tiny red flag recently to signal the Cubs had starting pitching concerns, it signaled two things: The Cubs do have starting pitching concerns, and Floyd has a guaranteed contract. Through the fog of a team-owned network that often serves as a marketing tool for all things Cubs, Floyd's flag stood out. It's obvious to everyone that Hoyer needs to do something. But when Marquee joins in, you know it's serious. The return of Shota Imanaga on Thursday in St. Louis after seven weeks rehabbing a hamstring injury was a shot in the arm for the Cubs, who were 12-12 in June entering Saturday's game against the Houston Astros, slowing to a light jog after sprinting for the first two months. But it doesn't bail out the rest of the rotation, which is in a state of flux with Ben Brown back at Triple-A Iowa. Only Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon are assured of keeping their spots behind Imanaga, and Taillon has allowed an MLB-worst 2.08 home runs per nine innings. Rookie Cade Horton was roughed up Friday night in Houston, bluntly saying, 'I got my ass kicked.' Saturday night's starter, Colin Rea, allowed seven runs on 11 hits against the Seattle Mariners last week, serving up four home runs. True, the wind was blowing out at Wrigley, but it has blown in plenty of times for Rea, whom left-handed hitters are salivating over with a .952 OPS against the right-hander. If someone told you in March the White Sox would have a better rotation than the Cubs at the midway point, you would've laughed or cried, depending on your anxiety level. Justin Steele's season-ending elbow surgery and Imanaga's hamstring injury obviously have factored into the Cubs' rotation problems, but they were supposed to have starting depth. Instead, their starters ranked 23rd entering Saturday with a 4.31 ERA. Sox starters, meanwhile, were 18th at 4.20. Thanks in no small part to the offense, Cubs starters were a combined 30-21, while Sox starters, with no run support to speak of, were a combined 13-30. Would you swap rotations if you were a Cubs fan? The Sox likely will deal starter Adrian Houser before the trade deadline, in case Hoyer hasn't heard lately from his Winnetka Starbucks buddy, Sox general manager Chris Getz. Houser has a 1.90 ERA in seven starts for the Sox after throwing seven shutout innings in Saturday's 1-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He's affordable and shouldn't cost the Cubs more than a prospect. Lonzo Ball is out, and this time it's for good. The Cleveland Cavaliers accepted the challenge of trying to get Ball healthy enough to play in the NBA, acquiring him from the Chicago Bulls for Isaac Okoro, a disappointing top-five pick in the 2020 draft. When healthy, Ball can be a premier player. He was that player for only 35 games in the 2021-22 season before the knee injury that would sideline him for 2½ seasons. He came back with a new knee in 2024-25, only to be limited to 35 games by a wrist injury and other ailments. What if Ball had remained healthy? Would the Bulls have been competitive enough to be an annual playoff team the last four years? Probably not, but it doesn't matter anyway. Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas, who reportedly is getting a contract extension for reasons that never will be publicly explained, wouldn't have made the necessary trade-deadline decisions even if Ball had been healthy on a winning team. Hopefully Ball can overcome his injuries and become the player many thought he'd be and not the Bulls version of former Cubs pitcher Mark Prior. Luis Robert Jr. has a 0.0 WAR, which seems almost impossible for a player with his talent. Getz said Monday it's still possible Robert could remain with the Sox after the trade deadline, which would be a shocking twist for a player who has been on trade-rumor watch for more than a year. 'We've never been out there making phone calls about Luis Robert,' Getz said. 'It's teams calling us and we have conversations. And (we've stuck) to the plan that we've been working (on) so far in which, if we feel like we can help the long-term health of the organization, so be it. 'We like having Luis Robert and I enjoy having him in the lineup on a nightly basis.' Three days later, Robert was out with hamstring tightness. The wait goes on … and on. Anton Frondell, the No. 3 pick in the NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, could provide the organization with a much-needed personality boost, along with what he can do on the ice. His draft-day story of starting out as a 5-year-old wearing pink figure skates showed his sense of humor. Frondell compared himself to Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov, another 6-foot-3, 215-pound forward who can score goals and doesn't get pushed around. When the Hawks asked him whether he'd prefer to be a center or winger, Frondell replied, 'Whatever Connor (Bedard) doesn't play, I'll play.' Look for the Hawks marketing machine to put these two on billboards soon. It's what they do best. Our pick to click in next week's Chicago Street Race is Katherine Legge, the eighth woman in modern history to compete in NASCAR and the first since Danica Patrick in 2018 to race in the Cup Series. In its third year, Chicago's NASCAR race could use a nice storyline like a woman outdueling a field of men — and less rain. Buckling pavement on the pop-up course from the recent heat wave provided a realistic, Chicago-style driving obstacle. But crews quickly repaired the pavement, which of course never would happen to a normal Chicago street.
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Add this name to list of why these Red Sox have proven to be an average team: Alex Cora
As the Sox traveled back home for this weekend's series against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park, the fault for the frustrating inconsistency lies in many places — from a front office still pulling purse strings so tightly, to an injury list far too crowded for comfort. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But while it may not be quantifiable statistically, there's more than a full share of blame for the manager: Cora, too, has been pretty average this season. Advertisement This has not been his finest hour. He just can't seem to find the pulse of this team. Amid the challenge of serious injuries to lineup mainstays like Alex Bregman, Tristan Casas, and Masataka Yoshida, as well as the shocking trade of the team's best hitter in Devers, it's no surprise these Red Sox Advertisement You can start with the team's MLB-worst 69 errors going into Wednesday's game, move from there to an inability to win close games (league-worst 9-19 record in one-run games), and round the corner to its ongoing problem closing out leads (tied for second in the majors with 15 blown leads in the seventh inning or later). Part of that blame has to fall on the manager and coaches whose job it is to teach better fundamentals, and whose responsibility is to avoid putting players — particularly prized rookies like Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer — in unfamiliar situations that invite miscues. Related : The on-field product has often been ugly, and backroom machinations have been uglier, particularly in the case of Devers. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has deservedly taken the heat for the Once thought as a clubhouse strength, the relationship between Red Sox manager Alex Cora (right) and the team's best hitter, Rafael Devers, deteriorated through the season until Devers was shockingly dealt to the Giants. Winslow Townson/Getty The range of responsibility for baseball managers is vast. And while it's easiest to see the daily tasks like writing out lineups, making in-game decisions, and deploying the bullpen, so much more goes on behind the scenes. With their offices plopped directly inside a clubhouse, they set the tone from there, establishing lines of communication that are vital to a team's success. For Cora, this has long been one of his strengths, built on the résumé of his playing days, his bilingual abilities, and a general openness of personality that vibes well with the current generation of players. But this season that part of Cora's arsenal seems amiss, with no more glaring example than the explosive trade that sent a onetime franchise cornerstone to San Francisco. Advertisement By the time Devers was jettisoned, Cora toed the company line on the communication breakdown that began with the pursuit of Bregman and ended with the injury to Casas. 'The Alex [Bregman] situation happened right at the end [of the offseason],' Cora said on WEEI, two days after the trade. 'We communicated when we had to, when we were very close. And then after that, you saw what happened. I mean, you always try to think ahead and, 'OK, if this happens again, how can we handle it better?' But at the same time, it wasn't a given that Alex Bregman was coming here. There were a lot of rumors, you know? And I got to spring training very early to talk to Raffy about what was going on and what might happen, and obviously it looks like that communication wasn't good enough for his camp.' Related : You think? By the time Devers got to San Fran, his Maybe better times are coming, with the imminent return of Yoshida, an expected post-All-Star break return of Bregman, the ongoing brilliance of Garret Crochet and the resurgence of Trevor Story. Maybe that allows Cora to write out a more consistent lineup card, which leads to better communication and cleaner play. Maybe he won't get ejected from consecutive games like he did in California, unsuccessfully arguing over poor baserunning decisions by his own players. Advertisement He certainly has management's support. 'Ultimately Alex is someone who puts the Red Sox organization first,' Breslow said on the conference call defending the Devers trade, 'and he is behind this and supporting it. And I say this with full confidence, that I couldn't imagine a better manager who could handle the player reaction, the clubhouse reaction, and the staff reaction to this type of trade.' Halfway through an average season, it's harder than ever to see it. Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers Called ‘Biggest Loser of This Past Offseason'
Dodgers Called 'Biggest Loser of This Past Offseason' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Boasting a 38-25, first-place record in the NL West, it would be hard to imagine the Los Angeles Dodgers as being losers. But while they have been great, they have been far from lucky. Advertisement Double-digit pitching injuries have plagued their pitching staff this season. When discussing their extensive misfortunes, sports writer Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report went as far as to claim 'The Dodgers Have Become the Biggest Loser of This Past Offseason.' The 2024-2025 offseason was a busy one for Los Angeles, and one filled with blockbusters. The Dodgers acquired Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Hyeseong Kim, and re-signed Teoscar Hernandez, among many other moves. But while most have gone well for Los Angeles, Miller argues the offseason did not. 'Blake Snell's five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers was the first of many 'How do they keep getting away with this?' moments of the offseason, but he lasted nine innings before landing on the IL with no return yet in sight,' he wrote after noting the success of Enrique Hernandez, Teoscar Hernandez and Kim. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott (66) and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Dodger Parkhurst-Imagn Images 'Tanner Scott (four years, $72 million) has been a nightmare with an MLB-worst five blown saves and a 4.55 ERA. His usual problem of walking batters left and right hasn't even been the issue in the slightest, either, with just four free passes issued in 27.2 innings pitched. Rather, he went from an 11.6 K/9 and 6.7 H/9 from 2020-24 to marks of 10.1 and 8.8, respectively, this season. Advertisement 'Michael Conforto's one-year, $17 million deal has gone so poorly that it's astounding they are still giving him the majority of starts in left field.' Miller also touched on Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates, and Roki Sasaki, all of whom performed poorly before falling injured. Indeed, Miller is right about the woes the Dodgers are facing and the money they spent on said woes. However, the season is still in the early innings, and the Dodgers are still in first place. There is still plenty of time for the Dodgers to become, not just World Series winners (again), but offseason winners as well, should at least some of their many investments begin to flourish. In fairness to Miller, he did title his article as 'Bold MLB Takes 60 Games into 2025 Season,' indicating that his assessment might be a little stretched. But as for his description of the Dodgers' situation thus far, it would be hard to argue his point. Related: Former MLB Manager Makes Baseless Accusation on Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Jesus Luzardo Allows an MLB Record 20 Earned Runs in Less Than Six Innings
Phillies' Jesus Luzardo Allows an MLB Record 20 Earned Runs in Less Than Six Innings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Phillies had split the series against the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the series finale. On the mound for the Phillies was Jesus Luzardo, coming off a career-worst outing against the Milwaukee Brewers. For the second consecutive start, things unraveled for Luzardo. Advertisement In Luzardo's 13th start of his Phillies tenure, he went just 2.1 innings, allowing eight earned runs on nine hits and two walks. Paul Casella of posted on Twitter/X that Luzardo's last two starts were the first time in MLB history that a starter allowed 20 or more earned runs in less than six innings pitched across two starts. This statistic shows just how poorly Luzardo has pitched as of late. In just two starts, Luzardo has given up 20 earned runs. His numbers across the two starts are staggeringly terrible. He allowed 21 hits, five walks, and 20 earned runs across 5.2 innings. In just those two starts, Luzardo's ERA is 34.62. Not only did those two terrible starts set unfortunate MLB history, but it also cemented two losses for the Phillies. But another major implication from those two atrocious outings is that Luzardo is firmly out of the Cy Young race now. Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) reacts after being removed from the game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Ross-Imagn Images Through the first 11 starts of the year, Luzardo was incredible. He had a 2.15 ERA, a 5-0 record, 77 strikeouts, and just 16 earned runs allowed. Since then, He's more than doubled his ERA and his earned run totals on the year. Advertisement Following his disastrous starts against the Blue Jays and Brewers, Luzardo has an ERA of 4.46. It had climbed from 2.15 to 3.58 after his 12 earned run outing, and it ballooned even higher following his terrible outing against the Blue Jays. After the first two months of the season, the Phillies' pitching staff looked like the best in baseball. But, with Luzardo's back-to-back outings culminating in an MLB-worst 20 earned runs over less than six innings, the Phillies have some questions that need to be answered. Related: Phillies' Mick Abel Shares Encouraging Comments After Second Career Start Related: Phillies' Rob Thomson Praises Mick Abel Amid Latest Start This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Trade Proposal Would Send Sandy Alcantara to Cubs for Two Prospects
Trade Proposal Would Send Sandy Alcantara to Cubs for Two Prospects originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the injuries to his rotation at the top of his mind, Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer has narrowed his focus to trading for starters. There are many options on the market, but in the ever-grinding rumor mill, Marlins' former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara stands out from the crowd. Truth be told, Alcantara rumors have been swirling endlessly since the offseason. Advertisement The 2022 Cy Young award winner is pitching to a shocking 7.89 ERA this season, giving up an MLB-worst 50 earned runs this season. Normally, clubs would look the other way from trade candidates with these numbers, but when you're talking about a guy who threw to a 2.28 ERA in the workhorse load of 228.2 innings just a few years ago, it makes you wonder what a change of scenery can do. For now, any club willing to take the risk for a potential ace will need to view Alcantara as both a change of scenery and a buy-low trade candidate. But what is the wager for such a gamble? In a trade pitch from ClutchPoints, MLB analyst Bailey Bassett proposes sending Alcantara to the Cubs for Jefferson Rojas (Cubs' no. 5 prospect) and Jonathon Long (Cubs' no. 12 prospect). 'Alcantara has been horrible this season, but that could bode well for the Cubs,' Bassett wrote. 'Now is the perfect time to buy low on the pitcher who still has the potential to return to form as one of the best hurlers in baseball. Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at loanDepot Navarro-Imagn Images 'While it isn't a guarantee that Alcantara will return to form, he'd be a worthwhile gamble for the Cubs because Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon are all pitching well, so Alcantara would be more of a luxury.' Advertisement Rojas, who is the no. 75 prospect on MLB pipeline, would be the headliner heading to Miami. A package like this would be more than fair for a pitcher who is coming off Tommy John surgery, is pitching poorly this season, and had also pitched poorly before being injured. However, as the selling team tries to get the most for their Cy Young winner, the Marlins will do their best to pretend that nothing happened after 2022. So, even though it's a fair price, the Marlins will probably hold out for better, even if it means betting that Alcantara will recover at least some of his form, thus raising his value. In summing up his assessment of the trade from the Marlins' point of view, Bassett accurately writes this: 'Alcantara's trade value is at an all-time low. Although the Marlins have undergone a massive rebuild, which has seen them trade almost everybody of note from their roster over the last couple of years, they should hold off on trading their current ace.' Related: Chicago Cubs Get Bad News on Paul Skenes Trade After Latest Rumors This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
