The Cubs witnessed the type of celebration they haven’t enjoyed since 2020 when the Philadelphia Phillies clinched a division title Monday, part of the Cubs losing their final road series of the season.
They end a disappointing season with three games this weekend against the Cincinnati Reds needing to avoid being swept to finish with a winning record.
The Sox completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday with a 7-0 victory. It was just their second three-game series sweep this season. In the process, they avoided becoming the team with the most losses in a season during MLB’s modern era. They are tied with the expansion 1962 New York Mets, who went 40-120. The Sox are 39-120 with three games remaining against the Tigers in Detroit.
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 Cubs Insider and White Sox Insider newsletters.
White Sox starter Garrett Crochet gets a final test Friday
The Sox originally scheduled Garrett Crochet to start Thursday’s series finale against the Angels. They instead gave him an extra day of rest, lining him up for the series opener against the Detroit Tigers on Friday at Comerica Park.
“With Detroit where they’re at, I think it’s going to make for good baseball,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “They’re going to be competing for a playoff spot. We want to throw our best guy up against this team that’s fighting for a playoff spot.
“These are our rivals. It’s going to be a big series for them, and we want to do our best to make it good for baseball and make it a competitive series and fight and try to spoil the party.”
It will be the final start of the season for the left-hander, completing his first year making the move from the bullpen to the rotation.
Crochet is 6-12 with a 3.68 ERA. He has 203 strikeouts, which ranked fifth in the American League entering Thursday. Crochet, who earned All-Star honors this season, was looking forward to Friday.
“At the end of the day, that’s the biggest part, is that it’s a division opponent,” Crochet said Thursday. “We want to beat those guys. I haven’t faced them since opening day. I like to think I’m a different pitcher from then.
“I was rewatching my film from then the other day, and seeing myself throw, even though it was five months ago, I feel when I’m watching the video I look a little bit younger and a little bit less experienced than what I feel right now. I’m excited.”
The Sox have limited Crochet’s innings after the All-Star break to monitor his workload. Asked if Crochet would be pushed beyond his recent limits, which has hovered around four innings, Sizemore joked, “You talk to (general manager) Chris (Getz) about that one.”
“I’ll take it, but I think that they’re not going to extend it, I would imagine,” Sizemore said. “If it were up to me, yeah, sure, I would extend it, let him go 120 pitches.”
RHP Enoli Paredes embracing new opportunity with Cubs
Enoli Paredes wasn’t expecting to need to relocate during the final week of the season.
Fortunately, it requires a only short drive from Milwaukee to Chicago to temporarily move his stuff after the Cubs claimed the 28-year-old right-hander off waivers from the Brewers this week. He joined the team in Philadelphia and was added to the active roster Tuesday.
“It got me by surprise, but that’s the business,” Paredes said. “You have to be ready for things you cannot control.”
The Brewers designated Paredes for assignment after he allowed four runs, 13 hits and 10 walks while striking out 14 in 20 2/3 innings (1.74 ERA) this season. He spent most of his time in the majors from late May to late June and had a 1.73 ERA in 23 appearances at Triple A.
Paredes relies on a four-seam fastball, slider and sinker combination, with the first two pitches generating all of his strikeouts. Although he doesn’t possess elite velocity — he averages 93.9 mph on his fastball — the Cubs added another controllable reliever to get a look at during the final games. Paredes struck out two of the three batters he faced in his Cubs debut Tuesday against the Phillies.
When things are going well on the mound, he attributes his confidence level playing an important role in his success.
“Because when you have confidence, all your pitches are going to be working,” Paredes said. “I think that was the most important thing, the confidence to attack the strike zone.”
Number of the week: 39
The Cubs finished their road schedule with a 39-42 record, their most road wins in a season since they won 44 in 2018, which coincides with their last playoff appearance in a non-COVID-shortened season.
Tracking the White Sox’s record-setting losses
Record: 39-120
The Sox matched the record for most losses in the modern era (post-1900) with Sunday’s 4-2 defeat to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, pulling even with the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120 in their first season.
Weekend ahead: Cubs
- Friday: vs. Reds, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: vs. Reds, 1:20 p.m., Marquee
- Sunday: vs. Reds, 2:20 p.m., Marquee
For any fans hoping to watch Kyle Hendricks pitch in a Cubs uniform for possibly the last time, the veteran right-hander is lined up to start Saturday at Wrigley Field on the penultimate day of the season. The Cubs announced their probable starters against the Reds with Jameson Taillon taking the ball Friday and Hendricks on Saturday. Sunday’s starter for the finale is listed as TBD. Rookie left-hander Shota Imanaga would be lined up to make his 30th start, but manager Craig Counsell said they haven’t decided what direction they will go Sunday and want to see how the next couple of days play out.
Left-hander Justin Steele in theory could have started Sunday on normal rest, but the book closed on his season with Tuesday’s start against the Phillies. Steele allowed two runs and four hits in four innings. And most importantly, he ends the year healthy, getting in two starts after landing on the injured list in early September with left elbow tendinitis.
“The at-bats and the pitches still matter,” Steele said after the win. “There’s a lot of stuff still on the table and whatnot so it felt good to get out there and compete. I felt really good.”
Steele finishes with a 3.07 ERA and 131 ERA+ in 134 2/3 innings over 24 starts.
“Obviously, the injuries, the time spent on the IL stings a little bit,” Steele said. “The main thing I’ve learned is that I’m capable coming back pretty quickly from them and still going out there and throwing competitive innings even as the season’s winding down. Still going out there competing, showing them healthy. For me, it just proves a lot to myself going into offseason.”
Weekend ahead: White Sox
- Friday: at Tigers, 5:40 p.m. (NBCSCH)
- Saturday: at Tigers, 12:10 p.m. (NBCSCH)
- Sunday: at Tigers, 2:10 p.m. (NBCSCH)
Luis Robert Jr. said there was “no way” to describe the 2024 season.
“You guys have seen the results,” Robert said through an interpreter. “The record is there and that is what it is.”
Robert has had a down year, hitting .227 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs in 99 games entering Friday. He has 140 strikeouts.
“I’ve been more concerned about swinging at pitches in the strike zone and not chasing, instead of being ready for the pitcher’s mistakes,” Robert said. “That’s why when the pitcher has been making mistakes, I haven’t been able to do damage to those pitches. I’ve been more concerned about not swinging at pitches out of the strike zone.”
Robert’s season was impacted by injury. He was out from April 6-June 4 with a right hip flexor strain. He held himself accountable for the lost season.
“I see myself as one of the faces of this team,” Robert said. “When the faces of this team aren’t producing or struggling, you have a season like this. Again, that’s on us, that’s on me.”
What we’re reading this morning
- Column: White Sox defy the odds — and their fans — with a stunning sweep to delay a date with infamy
- As the offseason nears, Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger remains undecided on his future with a player option
- White Sox fans denied the chance to witness history with blowout win Thursday over the Angels
- ‘He had a really good year’: Cubs call up prospect Kevin Alcántara for MLB debut against Phillies
- White Sox sweep away the record book — for now — holding at 120 losses with a 7-0 win in the home finale
- Silver lining for White Sox fans? History, say fans of other losing sports teams: ‘Once you’ve been down so long, what’s a little lower?’
- How many more losses do the White Sox need to break the modern-day record?
- Another hot 2nd half shows the consistency — and big bat — Seiya Suzuki can provide the Cubs offense
- Column: With White Sox fans rooting against them, the players have to do it for themselves
- Jed Hoyer knows the Cubs have work to do for perennial playoff appearances: ‘That’s the goal’
- Column: White Sox fans ‘don’t deserve’ to endure this historically bad season — but they should be used to it by now
- White Sox are not alone in their losing. Disappointment is a common theme throughout Chicago’s sports history.
- Column: Comedy or tragedy? How will we remember the Chicago White Sox’s worst season ever?
- ‘The whole thing is too bad’: 1962 Mets pitcher Jay Hook feels the White Sox’s pain as they near loss record
- The magic number is 120, but Chicago White Sox fans will tell you it’s just a number
Quotable
“There certainly were some difficult decisions that we’ve had to make throughout the year, and those decisions, perhaps, did not help the 2024 season and they were more focused on the future of the organization. My hope is that we are not faced with those types of decisions too often in the future.” — Sox GM Chris Getz
