The Cubs are playing the type of winning baseball that creates at least a glimmer of hope for the postseason.
After opening their three-city trip going 5-1 following a sweep in Pittsburgh, the Cubs get a chance to end it on a high note with three games against the Washington Nationals beginning Friday.
The White Sox are approaching the franchise record for most losses, which is 106 by the 1970 club. They are two away from tying the mark after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.
The Sox are 3-15 under interim manager Grady Sizemore, with 11 of the losses by three runs or fewer.
Every Friday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Cubs and White Sox. Want more? Sign up for our newsletters.
Inconsistencies remain for Kyle Hendricks
There are still moments when Kyle Hendricks flashes the kind of stuff that has kept him in the majors for 11 seasons.
But Wednesday’s implosion in Pittsburgh served as a reminder as to the uncertainty of what the Cubs might get from Hendricks on any given start day. Hendricks couldn’t finish the second against the Pirates, pulled with two outs in the bases loaded after they put up six runs, including five in the inning. Although the Cubs miraculously pulled out a 14-10 comeback win to complete the sweep, those type of starts in which he doesn’t give his team a great chance isn’t going to cut it if they are going to make a serious run up the National League wild-card standings and catch the Atlanta Braves for the final playoff spot.
“It was just one of those days, to be honest,” Hendricks said. “It felt so much better than my last start. So just one of those days where it’s baseball, you know? It happens. Stuck with it, pitch to pitch, did what I could, but just baseball at the end of the day. So proud of these guys.”
Since throwing seven shutout innings on July 12 in St. Louis, Hendricks owns a 6.68 ERA in seven starts. The Cubs don’t have a ton of options to replace Hendricks in the rotation. Hayden Wesneski (forearm strain) threw live batting practice this week, but manager Craig Counsell said when he does return it won’t be as a starter. Left-hander Jordan Wicks is nearing a return. He is slated to make another rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Friday. At that point, the Cubs likely will make a decision on whether to activate him and determine how they want to use him.
“In the second inning, you’re trying to get your starter into the game because it’s going to be really tough on your bullpen,” Counsell said of Hendricks’ outing. “So, we pieced it together.”
Yoán Moncada begins rehab stint with Triple-A Charlotte
Yoán Moncada’s road to recovery took him to Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, where he began a rehab assignment with the White Sox Triple-A affiliate.
Moncada went 1-for-3 while serving as the designated hitter against Nashville that evening. He flied out to center in the first inning, struck out swinging in the third and drove in a run with a double in the fifth — later scoring on a groundout.
Sizemore said Thursday that he hadn’t heard any reports on Moncada in the aftermath of the game.
Moncada last played for the Sox on April 9, when he suffered a left adductor strain. The injury occurred in the second inning of the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field when he fell in pain before reaching first base.
“Ultimately it’s going to come down to him staying healthy,” Sizemore said Tuesday. “He’s going to have to build up and ramp up to play in nine innings in the field. I don’t know how long it’s going to take him. It’s going to be a little bit of us trying to give him a platform and kind of a guideline, kind of like a timetable, but he’s also going to have to tell us and give us feedback on how he feels and where he’s at percentage-wise and all that stuff.
“Hopefully we see him and hopefully he can stay healthy enough to get back up here before the season ends.”
Number of the week: 59
The Sox have used a franchise-record 59 players (31 pitchers and 28 position players) this season entering Thursday, breaking the previous mark of 56 set in 2023.
Tracking the White Sox’s record-setting losses
Record: 31-104
The Sox have the worst record through 135 games in franchise history. The previous mark of 43-92 occurred in 1932.
They’re on pace for 124 losses, which would eclipse the modern record of 120 set by the expansion New York Mets in 1962.
The Sox need to go 12-15 in their final 27 games to avoid tying the Mets’ mark.
The Sox joined the 2003 Tigers and ’62 Mets as the only teams in MLB history to lose 100 games or more before September.
Week ahead: Cubs
- Friday: at Nationals, 5:45 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at Nationals, 3:05 p.m., Marquee
- Sunday: at Nationals, 12:35 p.m., Marquee
- Monday: vs. Pirates, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
- Tuesday: vs. Pirates, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: vs. Pirates, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: off
If the Cubs are going to make an unexpected run to the playoffs over the next month, they won’t be getting a potentially key reinforcement back on the pitching staff.
Although rookie right-hander Ben Brown remains at the team’s complex in Arizona, he hasn’t started pitching-related activities and is not likely to return this season, Counsell said Wednesday. It’s an unfortunate ending to a promising season for Brown, 24, who wowed with seven no-hit innings in a May start at Milwaukee and showed versatility as both a starter and reliever.
However, a benign area of concern in his neck landed him on the injured list in June, and continuing symptoms eventually resulted is Brown being moved to the 60-day IL. In 15 games (eight starts), Brown posted a 3.58 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 19 walks in 55 1/3 innings.
Week ahead: White Sox
- Friday: vs. Mets, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Saturday: vs. Mets, 6:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Sunday: vs. Mets, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Monday: at Orioles, 2:05 p.m., NBCSCH
- Tuesday: at Orioles, 5:35 p.m., NBCSCH
- Wednesday: at Orioles, 5:35 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: off
Eloy Jiménez had two hits in his second game with the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 3 at Cleveland. He had three more the next night against the Guardians.
Jiménez is making his mark since the Sox traded him to the Orioles for minor-league pitcher Trey McGough on July 30.
The Sox will catch up with their former designated hitter Monday at Camden Yards.
Jiménez is slashing .295/.306/.361 with six RBIs in 20 games with the Orioles. He had a .240/.297/.345 slash line with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 65 games this season with the Sox.
What we’re reading this morning
- Column: A tough baseball month is ahead in Chicago as Cubs tease and White Sox wheeze
- Column: Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz is trying to keep his head when everyone else is losing theirs
- White Sox swept again, suffer 104th loss — 2 shy of the franchise record — and fall to 4-33 in the 2nd half
- Cubs score 11 unanswered runs in final 3 innings to stun Pirates: ‘That was freaking unbelievable’
- ‘I don’t think anyone around here is a weatherman’: White Sox starter Garrett Crochet takes suspended game in stride
- Column: Will Pete Crow-Armstrong ever move to the top of the lineup? 6 questions for the Chicago Cubs.
- How are White Sox prospects doing? Progress reports on Colson Montgomery, Hagen Smith and local product Noah Schultz.
- Retired Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood sells Winnetka mansion for $8.5M, making it that suburb’s highest-priced sale this year
- 106, 119 and 120: 3 numbers the White Sox would like to avoid after reaching 100 losses
- Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’ jersey sells at auction for over $24 million
Quotable
“We know we’ve got a lot of season left, and we’ve just got to control what we can control, and we’re doing a great job of that right now.” — Hendricks on the Cubs’ great stretch
