Chicago Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks add a key piece to their defense this week

The Chicago Blackhawks’ are attempting to boost their defense bysigning free agent defenseman Jack Johnson to their lineup on a one-year contract worth $950,000.

The team itself is looking to more of a heavy veteran presence training the young group of core players that are good prospects on the team, but initially giving them a chance to learn in a more broader term of play, providing them ample amount of a chance to excel in a manner that relates to the game.

The guidance brought by the veterans at this point will thrive the game for the rookies and sophomores to say the least, because of the nature and award winning championship attributes most veteran players bring to the table.

For the most part, this stabilizes the defense system at most for the team and brings up the credibility of the defensive game the Blackhawks’ are trying to run with in general, not to mention the leadership quality that these players have with them.

How the Defensive unit will shape up at the beginning of the season.

To be more specific, the defense system was the strongest attribute to this team entering the offseason and general manager Kyle Davidson has found a method to solidify his stance on the defensive structure to the team’s need.

From the aspect of working on the frontline of the lineup, however, it is doubtful that any move will be made in that part or acquisition to say. Until the trade deadline of course, due to the reason that more offensive players will be available at that time with a whole new cap space scenario to look at.

Will the Defensive unit lineup take charge of the team’s needs in general?

This team will have it’s ups and downs and for the most part in one’s opinion it is looking promising for the team to build on the future from the past in an incredibly nifty way.

Given the recent history of the Blackhawks’, it is safe to say that the future will be introduced by the past and that the torch will be passed, by none other than player’s such as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Who will remain Chicago Blackhawks in one’s opinion, until the end of their respective championship careers.

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The Chicago Blackhawks add a key piece to their defense this week

The Chicago Blackhawks’ are attempting to boost their defense bysigning free agent defenseman Jack Johnson to their lineup on a one-year contract worth $950,000.

The team itself is looking to more of a heavy veteran presence training the young group of core players that are good prospects on the team, but initially giving them a chance to learn in a more broader term of play, providing them ample amount of a chance to excel in a manner that relates to the game.

The guidance brought by the veterans at this point will thrive the game for the rookies and sophomores to say the least, because of the nature and award winning championship attributes most veteran players bring to the table.

For the most part, this stabilizes the defense system at most for the team and brings up the credibility of the defensive game the Blackhawks’ are trying to run with in general, not to mention the leadership quality that these players have with them.

How the Defensive unit will shape up at the beginning of the season.

To be more specific, the defense system was the strongest attribute to this team entering the offseason and general manager Kyle Davidson has found a method to solidify his stance on the defensive structure to the team’s need.

From the aspect of working on the frontline of the lineup, however, it is doubtful that any move will be made in that part or acquisition to say. Until the trade deadline of course, due to the reason that more offensive players will be available at that time with a whole new cap space scenario to look at.

Will the Defensive unit lineup take charge of the team’s needs in general?

This team will have it’s ups and downs and for the most part in one’s opinion it is looking promising for the team to build on the future from the past in an incredibly nifty way.

Given the recent history of the Blackhawks’, it is safe to say that the future will be introduced by the past and that the torch will be passed, by none other than player’s such as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Who will remain Chicago Blackhawks in one’s opinion, until the end of their respective championship careers.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

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Fire president Ishwara Glassman Chrein understands the need to keep Soldier Field busy to generate needed revenue for important programs. Events such as Bears games and major concerts bring in big money for the city and can help fund municipal initiatives.

Meanwhile, she said the Fire have spent a lot of time talking to the city and Soldier Field management about the grass and other issues such as scheduling, financials and general fan-experience issues. Due to the expected field conditions caused by Soldier Field’s hectic schedule, Sunday’s game against New York City FC switched to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.

“I’d like to see greater cooperation based on the fact that this is our home and we play 17 games there,” Glassman Chrein told the Sun-Times. “It can only be sustainable when we can have dates where players can play safely on the field 17 times a year, hopefully plus playoffs.”

Those issues take on more urgency because the Fire are at the end of the first three-year period of the 11-year lease they signed to play at Soldier Field. Glassman Chrein said “she wouldn’t be doing her job” on behalf of the franchise and its fans if she wasn’t looking at different options, adding the Fire are monitoring the Bears’ stadium situation and that the soccer franchise will “make the right decision for our club at the right time.”

That said, Glassman Chrein said there’s “not much debate” the team will be back at Soldier Field next year.

“I would broadly say that in the long run, all of these options need to be considered,” Glassman Chrein said.

Of course, questions about the playing surface were raised when the Fire moved back to Soldier Field. As long as the Fire and Bears call the stadium home and it maintains a natural-grass surface, concerns about the grass’ fitness for soccer during football season will linger.

In a statement, Soldier Field management said it “works with all tenants to comply with existing regulations” and that a “long-planned full resodding of the field is scheduled for early September using a new Bermuda grass system requested by the Bears” will be completed by their Sept. 11 home opener against the 49ers.

While the state of the field irked the Bears when they played the Chiefs in a preseason game, the surface has been a persistent autumn problem for soccer. From a marketing standpoint, football markings remind anybody tuning in that the Fire are living in somebody else’s home.

“I think it makes it harder to build an identity as a soccer team when we’re playing on a field that clearly doesn’t look like it was built for us,” said Glassman Chrein, who was not with the Fire when they moved back to the city. “There’s no doubt that that makes it difficult.”

More importantly, divots and blemishes not only ruin the game by creating unpredictable passes but put player safety in jeopardy, which were driving forces for MLS and the Fire to shift Sunday’s match.

The Fire are trying to make the best of the circumstances. Instead of waiting to see how the field would respond, the front-office brass and the league made the choice early to give fans as much warning as possible. The team is bringing back its “Pub To Pitch” program to ferry supporters to Bridgeview.

But, obviously, the state of affairs isn’t optimal.

“It’s a really difficult situation,” Glassman Chrein said. “We really want our players to be safe. We want it to very much look like a top-notch facility for soccer, but the reality is that Soldier Field is a very busy building.”

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If you are reading this quiz, you know who the Beatles are, right? But did you know that 57 years ago today, the Beatles played in Chicago? On Aug. 20, 1965, the Beatles played the old Comiskey Park. The fans went wild when the band, “wearing khaki army-like jackets, [raced] onto their stage atop second base,” a reporter shared.

The Beatles performed at 3 and 8 p.m. The first concert was seen by 25,000, and the second drew 37,000. Tickets for the shows went for $2.50, $4.50 and $5.50. A promotion run by the soft drink 7UP also offered purchasers the chance to win a pair of tickets, with 2,000 available.

According to beatlesbible.com, the Beatles’ set list featured 12 songs: the short version of “Twist And Shout,” followed by “She’s A Woman,” “I Feel Fine,” “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Ticket To Ride,” “Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Baby’s In Black,” “Act Naturally,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Help!” and “I’m Down.”

Do you want to know a secret? Today’s quiz uses the works of John, Paul, George and Ringo, and I’m sure you’ll get through it even though it is a long and winding road.

1. “When I was younger, so much younger than today. I never needed anybody’s help in any way,” sang the Beatles in “Help.” Since 2000, who is the youngest pitcher to appear in a game for Chicago?

a. Mark Buehrle

b. Mark Prior

c. Jon Garland

d. Carlos Zambrano

2. In May 1966, the Beatles released a single with “Paperback Writer” on one side and “Rain” on the other. The Cubs’ first night game was set to be played Aug. 8, 1988. But when the rain came, they had to run and hide their heads. As a result, the first night game actually took place Aug. 9. This is a two-parter: Who was the opponent for the rained-out game, and who was the opponent for the game that was played?

a. Cardinals

b. Phillies

c. Mets

d. Brewers

3. “You say yes, I say no. You say stop, and I say go, go, go. Oh, no. You say goodbye, and I say hello,” were the Beatles’ lyrics in “Hello, Goodbye.” As the Cubs say hello to some new players, fans are saying goodbye to Jason Heyward. He has played seven years for the Cubs, one for the Cardinals and five for the Braves, for whom he hit 84 homers. Combined, did Heyward hit:

a. More homers with the Cubs and Cards as he did for the Braves?

b. Fewer homers with the Cubs and Cards as he did for the Braves?

c. The same number of homers with the Cubs and Cards as he did for the Braves?

4. “Yesterday” is the most covered song in the history of pop music. You know the lyrics so well: “Yesterday. All my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they’re here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday.” This brings me to the question: Which Chicago pitcher has the most losses after a win by their team?

a. Dylan Cease

b. Michael Kopech

c. Kyle Hendricks

d. Drew Smyly

5. John Lennon sang and played the harmonica on “I’m a Loser.” “What have I done to deserve such a fate? I realize I have left it too late,” were his lyrics. From 2011 to 2020, which Chicago pitcher recorded the most losses?

a. Jon Lester

b. Kyle Hendricks

c. John Danks

d. Jose Quintana

6. Ringo was the lead singer on “With A Little Help From My Friends.” He sang, “Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends. Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends.” Starters who go at least five innings but no more than seven need help from their friends in the bullpen. Since 1995, what Chicago starter has won the most games when not going more than seven innings?

a. Mark Buehrle

b. Jon Garland

c. Jon Lester

d. Carlos Zambrano

7. OK, you deserve an easy one: From 1983 to 1999, you might have thought that Darryl “Strawberry Fields Forever” — or Strawberry bats forever — but that was the length of his career. Strawberry played for four teams in that stretch. The Mets, Yankees and Dodgers are three. Which was the fourth?

a. Cubs

b. White Sox

c. Giants

d. A’s

8. Who is the only Beatle to throw out a first pitch in Chicago?

a. John Lennon

b. Paul McCartney

c. Pete Best

d. Richard Starkey

e. George Harrison

f. Ringo Starr

9. In 1969, John took the lead in writing and singing “Don’t Let Me Down.” Here’s a question about a guy who definitely didn’t let the White Sox down. In Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, Paul Konerko hit a grand slam to give the Sox a 6-4 lead in the seventh, but the Astros tied it in the ninth. Which Sox player didn’t let the team down by hitting Chicago’s only walk-off homer in postseason history? Need a hint? He hadn’t homered in 129 games in the regular season.

Feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] because:

If there’s anything that you want

If there’s anything I can do

Just call on me, and I’ll send it along

With love, from me to you.

Just remember friends, all you need is glove.

ANSWERS

1. Carlos Zambrano was 20 years and 80 days old pitching for the Cubs in 2001. Jon Garland was 20 years and 281 days pitching for the Sox in 2000. The two Marks were 21.

2. On 8/8/88, the game was to be against the Phillies. On 8/9, the Cubs met the Mets. The Cubs won 6-4.

3. With the Cardinals, Jason Heyward had 13 homers; with the Cubs, he hit 62. My math says that 75 is fewer than 84.

4. At the time of this writing, Michael Kopech had five losses after the White Sox won, the most of any of these guys.

5. John Danks had 60 losses, and what did he do to deserve such a fate, you ask? To start with, he had a 4.79 ERA and a 1.396 WHIP.

6. From 2000 to 2011, Mark Buehrle was Chicago’s Ringo, winning 89 games, thanks to his friends in the pen.

7. In 1994, Darryl toured the outfield in Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and it became Strawberry Fields.

8. During the White Sox’ 2005 championship season, Pete Best, the Beatles’ first drummer, became the only Beatle to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.

9. With one down in the bottom of the ninth and Brad Lidge on the mound for the Astros, Scott Podsednik homered to right-center to win Game 2 of the World Series.

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Chicago White Sox add veteran Elvis Andrus to their infield amid injuries

After injuries to both Tim Anderson (torn ligament in hand) and Leury Garcia (lower back strain,) the White Sox added some much needed depth to their infield.  The 33 year old Venezuelan-American is a 13 year veteran, 2 time all-star, with a career batting average of .270 and 87 home runs.

Andrus was recently released by the Oakland Athletics, which left the White Sox with a clear opportunity to give him a shot.  With recent call ups Lenyn Sosa and Romy Gonzalez simply not working out, the decision to sign a veteran like Andrus was a fairly easy one. As a corresponding move, Sosa has been optioned back down to triple AAA Charlotte.

Elvis Andrus contract is set for the remainder of the season

It is a difficult task to replace a player like Tim Anderson by bringing up young prospects who are not close to being ready.  In addition, scouring the free agents list in the middle of August for a replacement shortstop is also rarely successful.

Nonetheless, the White Sox managed to land on Elvis Andrus, who plays solid defense and hits for a good average throughout his long career.  It should certainly help the team a lot more than prospects who simply were not ready.  A veteran like Andrus who’s been there and has sustained a fairly long career is a much better bet.

On the 2022 season, in 106 games with the A’s, Andrus has been batting .237, .301, .373, with an OPS of .673.  His glove is also reliable, he holds a .977 fielding percentage on the season with 114 putouts and 262 assists.  Andrus is likely to see steady playing time with the injuries to Anderson and Garcia still prominent.

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LAS VEGAS — Fresh out of Colorado State, after a Vegas spring break with college pals had sealed his future, Jay Kornegay settled into his first sportsbook gig.

He wrote tickets at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe in the fall of 1987, an ancient era since Kornegay hand-wrote those sports tickets for patrons.

As the industry experiences staffing challenges, according to Kornegay and confirmed by competitors, that anecdote might help lure prospects.

“Everybody knew, it took a little time,” Kornegay said inside the Westgate SuperBook, where he presides as vice president of race and sports.

“The worst were future bets, writing out TO WIN SUPER BOWL . . . BRONCOS . . . 10-1. ‘How much, sir? Thirty dollars? Okay. $30.’

”Customer pauses. Can I make that for $40?

“Well . . . I’ll have to write you another ticket.”

Kornegay sighed.

“A process. The dark ages of sports betting. The technology today is so much improved compared to 35 years ago.”

Tellers today tap computer screens that spit out tickets in milliseconds.

Kornegay calls this the worst hiring environment he has ever witnessed.

“We’re very, very short-handed. I saw a tweet the other day saying there were 5,500 jobs available, nationwide, in the sports-betting market right now. Wow.”

Golden Nugget sportsbook director Tony Miller concurs about the difficulty filling vacancies. Circa Sports operations manager Jeff Benson says he often needs part-timers, but his full-time roster is filled.

South Point director Chris Andrews, who oversees the rare 24-hour book, worries about his schedules. This week, however, he seemed close to hiring a few people.

“We should be in decent shape for football. Probably not quite where we’d want it to be, but we’ll make do. If everybody works out, I’ll be OK. But they don’t always work out.

“If some of us have to work some overtimes, things like that, we’ll make it work.”

THE FRONT LINE

In 2004, two days after a five-minute interview secured the job, Dave Sharapan began writing tickets at the Golden Nugget. They trained him for maybe 15 minutes. His first shift was a Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight.

Management turned the book into a dance floor, he said, with live music. He tried concentrating. The thumping music made writing parlays a chore, but he relished the scene.

Johnny Avello first wrote tickets at the Las Vegas Hilton (now Westgate), rising at Bally’s and Wynn Las Vegas. Today, he oversees DraftKings sportsbook operations in Illinois and 14 other states.

In his teller-hiring experience, he says ambition and attitude are key.

“People who are teachable, someone who will be a solid employee. An experienced person can be set in his ways, doing it the way he wants. You must find someone who fits.”

INQUIRE WITHIN

Not so long ago, writing tickets broke people into the business.

“Then you’re in administration, then you’re a risk manager,” Kornegay said, “then you go beyond that. In today’s world, we can stick you wherever we think you have the ability to learn.

“We have several people who started right into risk. In the old days, it would take you four or five years to get that position. Things have changed.”

It does help to have sports knowledge and mathematical aptitude.

“They have to have something on the ball,” Andrews said. “Those who don’t have experience have to at least look trainable. It is a bit specialized; we do handle millions of dollars.

“You can’t tell someone, ‘Yeah, come on in, take a bet and move the numbers.’ It isn’t that way. I wish it . . . well, glad it isn’t — they wouldn’t need me.”

Kornegay pinpoints eight vacancies, in administration and risk supervision, and five or six open teller, or ticket-writer, positions at the SuperBook.

He knows many businesses, from restaurants to retail outlets, are hunting for the same entry-level candidates.

“It’s very competitive,” Kornegay said, “so we’ve added a few incentives to attract some of these people. But it really hasn’t panned out so far.”

The irony of that spring ’87 venture? Kornegay was the only one who had picked any sunny Mexican coast for an adventure. His seven buddies were unanimous — Vegas.

And he was the one who landed the career direction. Now a grizzled veteran, he hopes to find candidates, just like his former self, seeking such a vocational rudder.

“We’ll have all hands on deck,” he said. “It isn’t our first rodeo. We’ll get people out there.”

Kornegay laughed.

“You might see me writing tickets!”

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The contract Colin Blackwell signed with the Blackhawks in July — two years at $1.2 million annually — made no ripples in the NHL’s summer news cycle.

For Blackwell, however, that payday was the payoff for more than a ”little bit of perseverance.”

At 29, Blackwell finally is locked into a fully one-way contract for the first time. It’s with the team nearest his adopted hometown of Milwaukee, where he lives in the offseasons with his fianc?e. And it came almost a decade after the most difficult period of his life, during which he not only figured but accepted his hockey career was over.

”It meant the world,” he said. ”I’ve obviously been working really hard for a long time. And it’s something players always strive for, no matter the obstacles that get in their way.”

Blackwell, a native of Massachusetts, was drafted by the Sharks in the seventh round in 2011 and followed that up with a promising freshman season at Harvard.

During his 2012-13 sophomore year, however, two concussions suffered months apart left him stuck with symptoms of post-concussion syndrome and eventually kept him away from the rink for two full years.

He was forced to withdraw from college for the 2013-14 school year and, upon returning in 2014-15, was thinking more about acquiring his Harvard degree and finding a job than lacing up skates again.

”My focus in the beginning was trying to get back to playing hockey,” Blackwell said. ”But as time went on, I became more focused on getting back to being myself, to being a normal human being and to what I used to be when I first stepped on campus. I was trying to get rid of the headaches and vertigo and different feelings that stuff can bring on.

”Hockey was very much an afterthought. I definitely already had it in my head that I’d already played my last game.After a certain point, it wasn’t even a matter of, ‘Will I ever be playing again?’ It was, ‘Will I ever be back healthy again?’ ”

While majoring in government and minoring in psychology, Blackwell considered careers in fields ranging from finance to real estate to the FBI.

But shaking his hockey roots proved difficult. He often tells a story of a political-science professor at Harvard asking him after one particular lecture whether he considered himself left wing or right wing — a question to which he responded, ”I’ve always been a natural center.”

”You don’t get to this level without hockey consuming your life, so it was always on my mind, and I thought somebody was asking about it,” he said, laughing at the memory. ”My family wasn’t too proud of me when I told [them] that story.”

Eventually, in the winter of 2015, Blackwell felt himself getting over a hump in his concussion recovery and began reconsidering whether hockey might be possible.

After building back his conditioning and taking contact in practice without any issues, he made an unlikely return to Harvard’s lineup in late February, finishing with six points in 11 games. Granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility for 2015-16, he notched another 19 points in 28 games, disappointing himself in terms of his production but reassuring himself in terms of staying healthy for a whole season.

”I was grateful for that last year to get my feet wet, to get back into it,” he said. ”I knew it was just the way it was. I wasn’t going to be a top prospect, [not] the way maybe I was a couple of years before. But I believed in myself, and I just needed a chance. So I just tried to look at the game from a different perspective.”

That new perspective has lifted him from stop to stop in the pro game during the past six years.

He taught himself how to play a grinding fourth-line style in 2016-17 with the Sharks’ affiliate in the American Hockey League. That led to a bigger opportunity in 2017-18 with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, where he erupted for 45 points in 61 games.

That led to his first two-way NHL contract with the Predators, where he remained a prolific AHL playmaker and evolved into an NHL depth option, making 33 appearances across two seasons. That led to a contract with the Rangers, with whom he established himself as a full-time NHL forward in the COVID-shortened 2021 season, tallying 22 points in 47 games.

That led to his selection by the Kraken in the expansion draft and, later, his inclusion in the headline-generating trade of Mark Giordano to the Maple Leafs. And a second consecutive solid NHL campaign — 20 points in 58 games in 2021-22 — led him to Chicago.

”Versatility gave me my opportunity,” Blackwell said. ”[I can be] whatever the staff needs, whether it’s left wing, right wing or center. . . . I’ve played a checking role; I’ve played a defensive role; I’ve played a more offensive role; I’ve had some power-play and penalty-kill time. Over the years, I’ve been [not only] a Swiss Army knife but a chameleon, as well, blending into different players and trying to read off them. It’s just the way I play the game.”

That versatility will be valuable with the Hawks as new coach Luke Richardson tries to piece together a competitive forward lineup. Blackwell logically slots in as the third-line center in the initial depth chart, but he probably will spend time in all sorts of roles before April rolls around.

His defensive and forechecking metrics have been impressive. Per 60 even-strength minutes on the Kraken last season, he allowed only 23.5 scoring chances (per Natural Stat Trick), best among team forwards, and averaged 5.7 forecheck pressures and 3.9 forechecking puck retrievals (per All Three Zones), both well above the league average.

He has won a solid 50% of 326 career faceoffs, too. And despite his relatively small 5-9, 190-pound frame, he dished out 91 hits last season.

”I don’t really compete against other people,” he said. ”I compete against myself to get better every day.”

This offseason has involved training to improve his skills when in possession, focusing on gathering pucks smoothly off the boards, protecting the puck once on his stick and making cutbacks toward the middle to create time and space.

But it also has included the launch of his own apparel brand, ”CB43,” which demonstrates better just how far his career has come since his days researching how to join the FBI.

”I wouldn’t say I necessarily took [hockey] for granted when I was younger, but until you have something taken away from you, sometimes you don’t realize the privilege we have,” Blackwell said. ”It reminds you how much you do truly love it.”

Offseason update

The Hawks signed 23-year-old forward Cole Guttman, who captained the University of Denver to the 2022 NCAA championship, to a two-year contract Thursday. Originally a Lightning draft pick, Guttman had 45 points in 41 games last season for Denver and likely will play at Rockford of the AHL this season.

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Like many talented youngsters, Christopher Morel tried to make a strong, long throw from shortstop that had no chance of nailing Willy Adames.

Adames’ hit scored the tying run and moved him into scoring position because of Morel’s errant throw.

But as part of the Cubs’ rebuilding process, manager David Ross is looking to see which players overcome their mistakes with an eye on the future.

Morel wasted little time Friday, as he pulled a two-run homer down the left-field line that enabled the Cubs to seize a wacky 8-7 victory over the Brewers.

“There’s a saying, ‘One pitch could change everything,’ ” Morel said. “So God gave me the opportunity, and I was able to take that pitch and make a big hit.”

The Cubs (51-67) showed their composure and resiliency against a Brewers team (63-55) trying to secure no worse than a National League wild-card berth.

That’s why Morel’s homer provided more encouragement for the future as the Cubs extended their winning streak to four games.

“I think he turns the page quickly,” Ross said. “I think he wants to be great and perfect, like they all do. I think he’s got this kid-type energy when he plays, it’s on to the next thing.

“It’s really good. He’s got that adrenaline that ‘I can make every play,’ and I think it takes experience to learn the ones you want to make. Even in the outfield, the smart throws, the ones you want to take the risk.

“But he turns the page very quickly. He’s engaged in every pitch. You watch his body language. He’s never down on himself. He smacks the glove and is right back at it. He does carry with that within, which is impressive for a young guy.”

Morel has made 40 of his 72 starts in center field. But with the Cubs in a stretch of 20 games in 19 days without a scheduled day off through Aug. 31 (including five against the first-place Cardinals and five more against the Brewers), Ross elected to give Nico Hoerner a rest and start Morel at short for only the third time.

Morel started his professional career as a shortstop but has played third, second and center as team officials assess where the team is best served. The emergence of Hoerner as an exceptional defender and a productive hitter who makes contact frequently also has necessitated Morel moving to other positions.

“I’m just trying to keep it simple,” Morel said of returning to short. “Just try to catch the ball and make an accurate throw to first.”

Morel entered the game in a 1-for-15 slump, but he hit a single with one out in the second and scored on a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki.

But “he got a lot of confidence with that home run,” Ross said.

And so did the Cubs, who overcame three deficits and a short outing from Keegan Thompson, who tied his career high with three homers allowed in only 3? innings.

“We’re going to find out what we’re made of,” said Nick Madrigal, who continued his rebirth with three hits. “As of late, we’re playing great baseball. We have some good teams coming up, but I’d run this team out there with anyone right now. We’re playing good baseball and hope to keep it going.”

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CLEVELAND — A day after giving up 21 runs and 25 hits to the Astros, the White Sox struck out 14 times against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie Friday night.

Posting monster numbers as such is a scary-bad way to win a pennant race.

McKenzie gave up a pair of runs in the first inning of the first game of an important series between the AL Central leading Guardians and third-place Sox. Then he went on a strikeout rampage, racking up a career high 14 with no walks in seven innings.

After McKenzie’s final pitch, the young Guardians (64-55) sent 10 pesky hitters to the plate in a four-run seventh, the Sox unraveled in a 5-2 loss, dropping them 3 1/2 games behind in the chase for first. Sox reliever Reynaldo Lopez gave up a double to Luke Maile, a tying triple to Steven Kwan and a go-ahead single to Amed Rosario, and lefty Jake Diekman walked two batters on 3-2 counts before giving up a two-run single to Andres Gimenez.

The Sox, who lost their third in a row, should have got to McKenzie when they had him staggered early. But they failed to tack on after scoring two in the first, an inning that ended with Yasmani Grandal rapping into a double play with runners on the corners. The game started with AJ Pollock’s single on the first pitch, Eloy Jimenez’s double, Jose Abreu’s infield RBI single and Yoan Moncada’s lined RBI single.

After that, McKenzie (9-9, 3.11 ERA) racked up the strikeouts, matching his career high 12th by fanning Abreu and Moncada in the sixth, capping a roll of five strikeouts in six batters. He finished the seventh and his night striking out Elvis Andrus and Josh Harrison.

The Sox had a prime chance in the fifth when Josh Harrison led off with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Seby Zavala, AJ Pollock and Andrew Vaughn struck out in order, for the eighth, ninth and 10th strikeouts by McKenzie.

Lance Lynn was very good for the Sox, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. It came on a home run by Jose Ramirez in the sixth. Lynn, lowering his ERA to 3.06 over his last six starts, struck out six.

Sox hitters struck out 17 times.

Blood and guts

Vaughn was hit in the face by a pitch from Cleveland reliever Trevor Stephan in the eighth inning. The pitch caromed off Vaughn’s shoulder and bloodied Vaughn’s lip, but Vaughn took his base at first. Gavin Sheets took Vaughn’s position in right field.

Jimenez exits during at-bat

Jimenez, batting after Vaughn, left the game after the first pitch, appearing to be in some pain after a swing and a miss.

Jimenez has managed intermittent discomfort in his hamstring area after having surgery to repair a tear in April.

Robert still out

Center fielder Luis Robert missed his seventh straight start with a sore left wrist. La Russa said Robert could be inserted after taking full batting practice, but Robert didn’t look completely comfortable swinging, taking his hand off the bat on some swings.

Robert wants to play, but there is a concern the soreness causes him to alter his swing which could create problems with it when he gets back to full strength.

La Russa again downplayed playing with a short bench, which could have been avoided had Robert gone on the 10-day injured list.

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