Chicago Sports

The Chicago Bears start Week Two tied for first place in the division

Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers is one the Chicago Bears should feel good about. The team fought a slow start and awful weather conditions to upset a 49ers team many national analysts are predicting will be a playoff team. The Bears proved to skeptics (Including myself) that this team can find ways to win games. Here are a few overreactions from the Bears’ victory Sunday.

Justin Fields looks looked like the best QB of the 2021 class

Fields outplayed Lance in the matchup Sunday. In the first half, Bears fans might have had doubts about the second-year quarterback from Ohio State. Fields passer rating was just 2.8 at halftime. Fields threw an ugly interception in the first quarter. It wasn’t the only poor decision he’d make on the day.

But in the second half, he willed the Bears to finish the game in a way I’ve only seen a Bears quarterback do via highlight tapes of Jim McMahon. Fields has no quit in him. His first touchdown of the season indicates that this guy is “the guy” for the Bears.

Lance’s mistakes cost the 49ers a chance to finish against the Bears. He wasn’t the only quarterback of the 2021 class who couldn’t get the job done Sunday. Mac Jones, Trevor Lawrence, and Davis Mills all failed to lead their teams to a win. Mills looked the best of the three, but a crucial fumble cost the Houston Texans a win. Their passing yard totals will show more yards than Fields or Lance, but they weren’t passing in a hurricane.

Khalil Herbert should be the Chicago Bears featured running back

Soldier Field should have been a showcase for expert run design for the Chicago Bears because of the heavy rain and slip-and-slide conditions.

But David Montgomery struggled in the running game. (Though he was prominent in the Bears’ passing attack.) Montgomery finished the game with 26 yards rushing on 17 carries. That’s a lame 1.5 yards per rush. He had the worst yards per rush average of any player (Bears or 49ers) on the field.

Khalil Herbert provided a boost when he was in the Bears’ backfield. He finished with nine carries for 45 yards and a game-icing touchdown. His five yards per rush average beat out Montgomery by 3.5 yards per rush. Herbert’s performance should signal to the Bears coaching staff that he needs more carries. The Bears should have eclipsed 100 yards of rushing in this game, and Montgomery wasted his attempts.

The Chicago Bears will be a wild card contender late in the season

I had the Bears upsetting the 49ers in my early predictions write-up in May. The Bears were able to outlast an inexperienced Lance and the 49ers in a sloppy opening season game. Let’s not sugarcoat it; the Bears were awful in the first half. The offense was a liability. The defense gave up a lot of chunk plays that against more savvy offensive units would have put the Bears in a hole they couldn’t have gotten out of.

But credit has to go to the Bears’ defense for making plays to keep the 49ers from scoring. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s “Peanut Punch” kept the 49ers from likely scoring a touchdown on the 49ers’ opening drive. Rookie defensive end Dominique Robinson’s sack plays (the second sack was split between Robinson and linebacker Roquan Smith) kept the 49ers from kicking a field goal in the first half and kept them out of the endzone in the second half.

So yes, the Chicago Bears could have been blown out in this game easily. But more importantly, they weren’t, and the team showed us that they’re not going to fold over easily. The Bears might have won with the benefit of the rain storm, but it’s much better than losing in it. And I don’t think the 2021 Bears under Nagy go 1-0 here.

The Bears look well on their way to beating the 6.5 win over/under total. An already easy schedule got a  whole lot easier Sunday night. The Bears’ week eight opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, received a significant blow in their loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their quarterback, Dak Prescott, needs thumb surgery and will be out for a while. That could be another win for the Bears and another preseason wild card contender that will be down for the count.

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The Chicago Fire snapped out of a drought with a win over Inter Miami CF in what appears to be just a slight ray of playoffs hope.

And just like that, the Chicago Fire got back to winning ways.

The Major League Soccer side kept their slim playoff hopes alive on Saturday night as they got the better of Inter Miami 3-1 to put an end to their four match scoreless drought.

Prior to the game, the Fire (9-13-8, 35 points) last scored through Chris Mueller in the 49th minute of a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia on August 13. However, 18-year-old Jhon Durán ended a dearth that reached 439 minutes in the 40th minute when he headed home a deflected cross.

The better team for most of the contest, Chicago took a commanding lead thanks to goals either side of the half, two from Durán and the other from Xherdan Shaqiri. It wasn’t pretty at some point as both sides made bad passes and misplaced touches, but Chicago did just enough to forestall incursions from the visitors, and that is all that matters for the hosts.

Miami did attempt to reduce the deficit via a consolatory goal from designated player, Gonzalo Higuaín, but the result was sealed late on following a counter attacking goal from Durán.

The Chicago Fire needs something in the mold of a miracle to make the postseason, but there is a chance the Colombian striker could pull a few more rabbits out of the hat.

They are likely not to make the playoffs when all is said and done, but they might make things a bit fun down the stretch as they get the occasional win, and should their defense come alive again for the rest of the season, like the showing against Miami, they might just have a little left in the tank for the post-season.

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The Chicago Bears start Week Two tied for first place in the division

Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers is one the Chicago Bears should feel good about. The team fought a slow start and awful weather conditions to upset a 49ers team many national analysts are predicting will be a playoff team. The Bears proved to skeptics (Including myself) that this team can find ways to win games. Here are a few overreactions from the Bears’ victory Sunday.

Justin Fields looks looked like the best QB of the 2021 class

Fields outplayed Lance in the matchup Sunday. In the first half, Bears fans might have had doubts about the second-year quarterback from Ohio State. Fields passer rating was just 2.8 at halftime. Fields threw an ugly interception in the first quarter. It wasn’t the only poor decision he’d make on the day.

But in the second half, he willed the Bears to finish the game in a way I’ve only seen a Bears quarterback do via highlight tapes of Jim McMahon. Fields has no quit in him. His first touchdown of the season indicates that this guy is “the guy” for the Bears.

Lance’s mistakes cost the 49ers a chance to finish against the Bears. He wasn’t the only quarterback of the 2021 class who couldn’t get the job done Sunday. Mac Jones, Trevor Lawrence, and Davis Mills all failed to lead their teams to a win. Mills looked the best of the three, but a crucial fumble cost the Houston Texans a win. Their passing yard totals will show more yards than Fields or Lance, but they weren’t passing in a hurricane.

Khalil Herbert should be the Chicago Bears featured running back

Soldier Field should have been a showcase for expert run design for the Chicago Bears because of the heavy rain and slip-and-slide conditions.

But David Montgomery struggled in the running game. (Though he was prominent in the Bears’ passing attack.) Montgomery finished the game with 26 yards rushing on 17 carries. That’s a lame 1.5 yards per rush. He had the worst yards per rush average of any player (Bears or 49ers) on the field.

Khalil Herbert provided a boost when he was in the Bears’ backfield. He finished with nine carries for 45 yards and a game-icing touchdown. His five yards per rush average beat out Montgomery by 3.5 yards per rush. Herbert’s performance should signal to the Bears coaching staff that he needs more carries. The Bears should have eclipsed 100 yards of rushing in this game, and Montgomery wasted his attempts.

The Chicago Bears will be a wild card contender late in the season

I had the Bears upsetting the 49ers in my early predictions write-up in May. The Bears were able to outlast an inexperienced Lance and the 49ers in a sloppy opening season game. Let’s not sugarcoat it; the Bears were awful in the first half. The offense was a liability. The defense gave up a lot of chunk plays that against more savvy offensive units would have put the Bears in a hole they couldn’t have gotten out of.

But credit has to go to the Bears’ defense for making plays to keep the 49ers from scoring. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s “Peanut Punch” kept the 49ers from likely scoring a touchdown on the 49ers’ opening drive. Rookie defensive end Dominique Robinson’s sack plays (the second sack was split between Robinson and linebacker Roquan Smith) kept the 49ers from kicking a field goal in the first half and kept them out of the endzone in the second half.

So yes, the Chicago Bears could have been blown out in this game easily. But more importantly, they weren’t, and the team showed us that they’re not going to fold over easily. The Bears might have won with the benefit of the rain storm, but it’s much better than losing in it. And I don’t think the 2021 Bears under Nagy go 1-0 here.

The Bears look well on their way to beating the 6.5 win over/under total. An already easy schedule got a  whole lot easier Sunday night. The Bears’ week eight opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, received a significant blow in their loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their quarterback, Dak Prescott, needs thumb surgery and will be out for a while. That could be another win for the Bears and another preseason wild card contender that will be down for the count.

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The Chicago Fire snapped out of a drought with a win over Inter Miami CF in what appears to be just a slight ray of playoffs hope.

And just like that, the Chicago Fire got back to winning ways.

The Major League Soccer side kept their slim playoff hopes alive on Saturday night as they got the better of Inter Miami 3-1 to put an end to their four match scoreless drought.

Prior to the game, the Fire (9-13-8, 35 points) last scored through Chris Mueller in the 49th minute of a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia on August 13. However, 18-year-old Jhon Durán ended a dearth that reached 439 minutes in the 40th minute when he headed home a deflected cross.

The better team for most of the contest, Chicago took a commanding lead thanks to goals either side of the half, two from Durán and the other from Xherdan Shaqiri. It wasn’t pretty at some point as both sides made bad passes and misplaced touches, but Chicago did just enough to forestall incursions from the visitors, and that is all that matters for the hosts.

Miami did attempt to reduce the deficit via a consolatory goal from designated player, Gonzalo Higuaín, but the result was sealed late on following a counter attacking goal from Durán.

The Chicago Fire needs something in the mold of a miracle to make the postseason, but there is a chance the Colombian striker could pull a few more rabbits out of the hat.

They are likely not to make the playoffs when all is said and done, but they might make things a bit fun down the stretch as they get the occasional win, and should their defense come alive again for the rest of the season, like the showing against Miami, they might just have a little left in the tank for the post-season.

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Is there a better learning tool than trying to get a hit against pitchers such as Chris Bassitt and Jacob deGrom? Or trying to retire Francisco Lindor or Pete Alonso in a late-inning situation?

For many of the Cubs’ youngsters, the final 3 1/2 weeks of the season represent their final chance to improve their stock in front of their evaluators for 2023.

”I think the game is the ultimate teacher, right?” manager DavidRoss said before rookie right-hander Hayden Wesneski allowed a tiebreaking home run to Thairo Estrada in the seventh inning and a two-run shot to Wilmer Flores in the eighth in a 4-2 loss Sunday to the Giants.

Since the middle of May, the Cubs have taken a look at some of their younger players, such as utility man Christopher Morel and outfielder Nelson Velazquez, as well as relievers Manuel Rodriguez and Jeremiah Estrada, to see how much they learn and adjust to help their development.

”The list goes pretty deep,” Ross said before preparing for a three-game series against the Mets and their formidable cast of players starting Monday. ”Information is out as the league adjusts, and it’s our job and their job to adjust back. It’s just that process of experiencing that.

”Christopher stands out the most of what we’ve asked him to do, playing different positions and trying to soak up as much experience and let us look at a lot of different areas for him. He’s done a really nice job of working consistently and trying to have a big-league career.

”I think all of them learn on a daily basis, and I think the successes are so much fun to see. The failures are great learning moments for everyone.”

Morel, 23, made the jump from Double-A Tennessee to the Cubs on May 17 but cooled considerably after an impressive start. He struck out 29 times in 71 at-bats in August, but he was batting .280 with an .890 OPS against relievers and had a weighted runs created plus of 107 (100 is considered average) entering the game Sunday.

The defensive metrics haven’t been kind to Morel in center field and third base, but the Cubs haven’t given up on developing him as a super-utility player.

Morel took over at shortstop, his natural position, in the sixth inning Sunday for Nico Hoerner, who said he relished the opportunity to play short for the final three weeks of 2019 after Javy Baez suffered a hairline fracture of his left thumb.

”It changed everything for me,” Hoerner said. ”Opportunity-wise, having those three weeks gave me a chance to be part of the team. In 2020, who knows? I might have been at the alternate site the entire year. It was incredibly fortunate on my end. Out of my control, but it ended up working out very well and was a special time in my life.”

Rodriguez, 25, had a 6.11 ERA in 20 games in 2021 but didn’t pitch again for the Cubs until Aug. 26 because of a strained right elbow. Opponents’ OPS against Rodriguez has dipped from .816 to .665 and their exit velocity from 86.1 mph to 78.5 mph, according to Fangraphs.

Rodriguez’s pitch selection has been peculiar at times, but the experience will be invaluable.

”You have to live and learn,” veteran left-hander Drew Smyly said. ”You’re going to fail because everyone fails in this game. So I think it’s important to find and build confidence and learn from mistakes and not get down because you have a bad game. Because we’re all going to, especially when you’re young.”

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A 17-year-old boy was critically wounded in a shooting Sunday night in Gresham — the fourth minor wounded by gunfire in less than six hours on the South Side.

About 7:45 p.m., the boy was in the 8400 block of South Parnell Avenue when he was shot in the abdomen and leg, Chicago police said.

He was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said.

Another boy, 14, was wounded in a drive-by shooting around 7:10 p.m. in the 2500 block of West 70th Street, police said. He was hit in the side and buttocks and was taken to Comer in good condition.

A 14-year-old girl was wounded around 4:50 p.m. in a shooting at a home in Gresham, police said. She was shot in the face and taken to Comer in critical condition.

A man with a concealed carry license shot a 13-year-old boy who broke into his car in Bronzeville around 2:35 p.m. The boy was struck in the leg and taken to Comer in an unknown condition, police said.

The spate of violence came just two days after a Chicago Public Schools student was killed in a shooting Friday afternoon near Kenwood Academy High School in Hyde Park. Authorities identified the victim as 17-year-old Kanye Perkins, who lived in the neighborhood where he was slain, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

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Nico Hoerner was a National League Gold Glove finalist at second base in 2020, and he has played similar exceptional defense this season at shortstop.

But with the Cubs having the financial resources to acquire a top-notch free-agent shortstop this winter, the possibility of Hoerner returning to second base hasn’t publicly been ruled out.

Manager David Ross apologized for using the analogy of buying a new car when you don’t need to, but he elaborated on Hoerner’s athleticism and unselfishness.

”We’ve got a really good shortstop here,” Ross said Sunday. ”If something works out where they identify a middle infielder that is of value that they feel fits very well, everybody is on board with that, including myself and Nico.

”Those are good problems to have. We’ll let the front office kind of pick and choose on that.”

Among the top soon-to-be-free-agent shortstops the Cubs could pursue are Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Carlos Correa (if he opts out of his contract with the Twins).

But Hoerner seized the starting shortstop job from the start of spring training and entered play Sunday batting .287 with an 86.8% contact rate and was a plus-12 in defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs.

The elimination of shifts starting next season will put a premium on range, and Hoerner has played exceptionally well when positioned on the right side of second base.

Madrigal raises winter stakes

After suffering his latest groin injury, second baseman Nick Madrigal declared this winter will represent ”the biggest offseason I’ve had the last couple of years.”

”I’m going to be doing some major changes,” Madrigal said, two days after suffering a mildly strained right groin while running to first base Friday. ”Obviously, my body is out of whack right now. All these injuries popping up. I’ve been talking to some people that are going to help.”

Madrigal spoke last week with Blaine Kinsley, the Cubs’ strength-and-conditioning coach, and he plans to make changes in several areas, including nutrition and strength. Madrigal was batting .283 in 27 games after returning from a strained left groin that sidelined him for nearly two months.

Madrigal, who is on the 10-day injured list, wants to return this season but said he won’t know whether he can until early next week.

”Anytime I’m out there with the guys, I feel like I’ve got things to prove and want to prove,” Madrigal said. ”But I know there’s another side about being smart.”

This and that

Right-hander Albert Alzolay, making his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Iowa, struck out four but allowed a home run in 2? innings in an 11-9 loss at Jacksonville. Alzolay has spent the entire season on the IL because of a strained right shoulder.

o Infielder Matt Mervis hit his 11th home run for Iowa and his 32nd of the season.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Tony La Russa walked through the visitors clubhouse in Oakland, shaking hands with players. It was the first time around them since he was abruptly told by doctors not to manage the White Sox in a game Aug. 30 against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“I had [a heart] issue in spring training, so when they had some information they needed to address, and make it serious enough to where [they said] ‘get out of uniform, you can’t watch the game,’ ” La Russa said Sunday. “So I watched the game at home.”

Since then, the Sox have enjoyed their best stretch of the season, losing that night after bench coach Miguel Cairo took over managerial duties but winning nine of the next 11. La Russa, who reportedly had a pacemaker inserted for his heart, was cleared by doctors to attend Dave Stewart’s uniform retirement ceremony in Oakland and fly to Chicago with the team Sunday night, but not to resume managing.

“Health is nothing to mess with,” said La Russa, who turns 78 in October.

“They fixed it, now it’s a question of regaining strength. So don’t mess with health.

“I’ve had my issue fixed, I’m mending.”

If and when La Russa returns to managing “will depend on the experts,” he said.

“Reading the situation, they ask me how I feel because I do a little more and how do you respond to a little more affects it, so, I think it’s uncertain,” he said. “In the meantime the club will be fun to watch and stay in contention.”

La Russa said “don’t mess with health” but he often says “don’t mess with the baseball gods,” and if the Sox lose Sunday after winning four in a row, he said he wouldn’t go on the plane with the team after seeing them play in person and being in the clubhouse briefly.

La Russa seemed to be kidding but he is serious about trends and jinxes.

“Didn’t I just tell you if we lose I won’t be on the plane?” he said. “You think I’m kidding? I have a car rented, I’m going to drive back slowly.”

While fans have overwhelmingly pushed for the Sox to carry on with Cairo at the helm, La Russa wants to get back in uniform. But “it all depends,” he said.

“I’m here today, fly back with them and off [day] tomorrow. I don’t plan to be in uniform until they say it’s time to be in uniform,” he said. “I don’t know if they [doctors] want me at the park or not. The most important thing for me is you don’t want to be a distraction. I don’t want to be a distraction. That’s why it’s best to let it run its course, and in the meantime they’re concentrating on the game they’re playing.

“If I think I’m being a distraction upstairs like today watching them then I won’t watch them. It’s so simple, it’s ridiculous. It’s not complicated.”

La Russa has watched every game and says he calls Cairo at least twice a day and stays in contact with pitching coach Ethan Katz.

“They’re united, they pick each other up. But exciting games, those two comeback games [Wednesday in Seattle and Saturday in Oakland]. They key is they’re having the fun of contending, so it’s from here to the end now. It’s been fun to watch.”

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Johnny Cueto gave up seven runs over 4 2/3 innings in an unusually poor outing, and the White Sox offense was quieted in a 10-3 trouncing from the Athletics Sunday. The result halted the Sox’ winning streak at four games and prevented a four-game series sweep against the American League’s worst team.

The A’s (51-90) had lost five straight and nine of 10.

The Sox head home feeling satisfied with a 5-2 road trip that began with a series win over the playoff-bound Mariners. The trip included two games of 20-plus hits, a comeback from four runs down against the Mariners and a five-run outburst in the ninth inning Friday that erased a 3-0 A’s lead.

“We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, keep our heads up and play with a lot of energy,” Cueto said.

“It was outstanding, awesome to see the guys battling every day, coming back from being down,” said acting manager Miguel Cairo, who has guided the Sox to a 9-4 record in manager Tony La Russa’s absence. “We did everything the right right way.”

Not much went right Sunday, though, especially in a six-run A’s fifth. Vimael Machin doubled in two runs and Ramon Laureano got second life after third baseman Leury Garcia dropped a foul pop near the dugout and ended an 0-fo-18 skid with a two-run homer. Cuteo didn’t finish the inning, and alllowed eight hits and five earned runs.

Seth Brown dropped an RBI double in front of center fielder Adam Engel in the first after Engel broke late and a pop fly fell between shortstop Elvis Andrus, Garcia and left fielder AJ Pollock, plays Cairo attributed to what he called the toughest sun field in the majors.

In any event, it was the first time in 11 starts on the road Cueto failed to get a quality start, and his ERA climbed from 2.87 to 3.09.

“He was battling,” Cairo said. “A few pitches were flat and he had just one bad inning. That was the game.”

Eloy Jimenez had a double and single to account for two of the Sox’ four hits a day after the Sox had 20 hits and three days after they piled up 21. Jimenez is 13-for-25 with three homers, two doubles and nine RBI in his last six games.

Anderson seeing specialist Tuesday

Tim Anderson is seeing a hand specialist Tuesday, awaiting the go-ahead to begin catching and swinging a bat. Recovering from surgery on the middle finger of his left hand, Anderson has been limited to throwing and conditioning and hopes to be available for the last week or so of the season.

No Moncada, Robert, Harrison

Third baseman Yoan Moncada was given a day off and center fielder Luis Robert missed his fifth straight game with a sore left wrist and hand.

“[Moncada] played five [games] on the road after coming back from the hamstring injury,” Cairo said. “A precaution. Make sure he gets today and [Monday off day] so he’ll be there Tuesday.”

Jose Harrison was slated to play third base but was a late scratch due to flu-like symptoms and was replaced by Garcia.

Robert hit in the cages again but Engel started in center.

“For Tuesday, for sure, if everything goes well [Sunday], Tuesday [at home against Colorado] I think he’s going to be in the lineup,” Cairo said.

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