Chicago Sports

Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly is still hopeful that he could return from the injured list before the All-Star break.

“I think I’m ahead of schedule, honestly,” he told the Sun-Times on Tuesday. “But they’re trying to tame me. I’m like, ‘Let’s go, I’m ready.'”

That’s part of the job for any club’s medical team, to make sure enthusiastic players don’t rush back and re-injure themselves, especially for injuries like Smyly’s right oblique strain.He went on the IL two weeks ago.

Tuesday was Smyly’s fourth day of throwing, and he stretched out to 100 feet. He also started cardio work.

Next, Smyly’s throwing program will build out to 120-150 feet on flat ground, he said. He’ll go through tests in the weight room before eventually throwing off a mound.

“It feels really good,” he said. “All the activity we’re doing doesn’t really make it too sore. Everything’s been really positive.”

As much as the Cubs could use another starter, pushing Smyly’s recovery timeline isn’t worth the risk of a setback. Smyly, Marcus Stroman (right shoulder inflammation) and Wade Miley (left shoulder strain) are all on the 15-day IL, leaving the rotation shorthanded.

Stroman, who is eligible to come off the IL as soon as next week, seems to be the Cubs’ safest bet to return first. Miley was evaluated on Monday and prescribed rest and recovery for now.

Cubs manager David Ross declined before the game to reveal the team’s probable starter for Wednesday. But when asked specifically about the Cubs’ top pitching prospect Caleb Kilian this week, Ross didn’t rule out the possibility of him starting.

The Cubs optioned Kilian to Triple-A after his major-league debut a week and a half ago, and pitchers generally have to remain in the minor leagues for 15 days after being optioned. If the optioned player is replacing a player who is going on the IL, however, he can be recalled early.

“He’s not eligible to come back yet from a roster-move standpoint,” Ross said Monday, “but that also doesn’t mean that he won’t pitch.”

Sky honored

A group of Chicago Sky players carried the WNBA Championship trophy to the Wrigley Field mound before throwing out a pair of ceremonial first pitches Thursday. Sky coach James Wade and forward Azur? Stevens did the honors.

The Cubs recognized the Sky’s 2021 championship season with a video presentation before the game. Sky players including Stevens, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, Emma Meesseman, Li Yueru and Julie Allemand hung out on the field during batting practice.

The Sky’s championship run last season was the first in franchise history.

Bote back on assignment

Cubs infielder David Bote returned to Triple-A Iowa and could re-start his rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, the team announced.

The Cubs pulled Bote, who is on the 60-day IL after undergoing left shoulder surgery in the offseason, from his rehab assignment last week for what they called bouts of dizziness. Those have subsided.

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Chicago Bears’ offensive line did not impress reporters at Tuesday’s practice

The offensive line for the Chicago Bears already had negative headlines coming into mandatory minicamp this week. Reports from today’s practice weren’t reassuring. The unit was ranked 31st by PFF this week. If today was any indication of where the Bears’ offensive line will be in 2022, they might drop that one more spot.

The Bears’ offensive coaches kept Larry Borom and Braxton Jones with the first team. This is big news because Teven Jenkins was still getting reps with the second team, as he did during last week’s OTA. It appeared like the slimmed-down Jenkins struggled Tuesday with his assignment.

Not a great report on Jenkins, but good for Carson Taylor. Being beaten by an undrafted rookie is a bad look. Jenkins looks like he has a lot to work on before he’ll be ready to start with the Bears. The second-year tackle needs to be picking the bones off of undrafted rookies during minicamp. Jenkins battled through injury to play late last season, but he has the talent to be a starter in the NFL.

More changes on the offensive line will be coming for Chicago Bears

Speaking of injuries, Dakota Dozier went down at practice. The whole tweet is sad (and if you look at the next tweet in @BradBiggs thread, it’s even sadder.) as the Bears will need more help with depth at guard if he’s seriously injured. The second-team offensive line appeared to get bullied by the green defensive line. The current setup isn’t permanent.

Sooner would certainly be better. And better, if sooner came before training camp begins.

Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.

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Matt Eberflus has avoiding being heavy-handed about the defense he will be rebuilding as head coach of the Bears. It’ll have his stamp on it, but he has all but handed over the day-to-day reins to defensive coordinator Alan Williams.

Eberflus turned to another former coach this week to help point that defense in the right direction and he couldn’t have picked a much better one — former Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who was a guest at veteran mini-camp Tuesday and will speak to the team Wednesday.

Marinelli’s credentials as one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL over the last two decades are well-established — with the Buccaneers (1996-2005), the Bears (2009-12) and the Cowboys (2013-19). He and Eberflus overlapped as Cowboys position coaches from 2013-17. As was evident with the Bears, there might not be an NFL position coach whose players swear by him more than Marinelli’s players have had a Yoda-like reverence for him.

“I spent five years with him in Dallas and I cannot say enough good things about Rod Marinelli,” Eberflus said. “What he taught me with the player-coach relationship –to be able to show the player that you care through action. And to prepare the player to play his best on Sunday.

“And then you’re able to challenge them and push them past the point they can’t take themselves, and that’s what I learned from Rod. Everybody who talks about him just loves him to death. I know when he was [with the Bears] he pushed the guys past the point they couldn’t take themselves and that’s what I learned from him. He’s a diamond in the rough, Rod Marinelli.”

Hold that line

Rookie left tackle Braxton Jones remained with the first team in Tuesday’s practice, next to left guard Cody Whitehair, center Lucas Patrick, right guard Sam Mustipher and right tackle Larry Borom.

Teven Jenkins, the 2021 second-round draft pick expected to start at either tackle position, remained with the second team. But Eberflus said the offensive line in general remains a fluid situation.

“We’re going to finish camp with this alignment,” Eberflus said, “and then we’ll decided, ‘We like this alignment, that alignment or [we] don’t like either one — let’s go with a new one.”

Asked if Jenkins or Borom could move to right guard, Eberflus said, “All combinations are open. We’re just trying to find the best five.”

Dozier injured

Guard Dakota Dozier left the field on a cart after suffering an injury late in practice at Tuesday’s mini camp. Per his offseason policy, Eberflus did not comment on the extent of the injury.

Hype machine

The Bears’ wide receiver room statistically is the least accomplished group in the NFL. But the leader of that group, third-year wideout Darnell Mooney, gave a ringing endorsement of rookie Velus Jones, the speedster from Tennessee who was drafted in the third round (71st overall).

“I love the room,” Mooney said. “There are a lot of guys that are going to bring some good things to the table. Velus, man –when he gets the ball, y’all are going to see. He can fly. He can be a playmaker for sure for us.”

Gordon out

Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon, the Bears’ first-round draft pick, did not participate in Tuesday’s practice –though he was in attendance and working on an exercise bike. Eberflus did not appear concerned about the undisclosed injury.

“He’s doing great, “Eberflus said. “He’s doing awesome.”

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DETROIT — Closer Liam Hendriks is the latest White Sox to land on the injured list. The American League reliever of the year the last two seasons went on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain.

Hendriks, 33, has 16 saves and a 2.81 ERA in 25 appearances this season. He is tied for the American League lead in saves after leading the AL in 2021 with 38.

Hendriks has made 10 straight scoreless outings, but he has not pitched since Friday’s game against the Rangers and only once since last Tuesday. Manager Tony La Russa on Monday said Hendriks was dealing with arm “stiffness.”

Joe Kelly, who has recovered from left hamstring strain, was reinstated from the IL. Kelly, who agreed to terms on a two-year, $17 million contract in March, has appeared in only seven games, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and six walks over 5 2/3 innings.

The Sox also recalled Davis Martin from Charlotte and optioned lefty Bennett Sousa to Charlotte.Martin, 25, is 0-2 with a 4.11 ERA in three games (two starts).

Sousa, 27, is 3-0 with an 8.41 and one save in 25 relief appearances. He earned the victory in the Sox’ 9-5 win over the Tigers Monday.

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DETROIT — Closer Liam Hendriks is the latest White Sox to land on the injured list. The American League reliever of the year the last two seasons went on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain.

Hendriks, 33, has 16 saves and a 2.81 ERA in 25 appearances this season. He is tied for the American League lead in saves after leading the AL in 2021 with 38.

Hendriks has made 10 straight scoreless outings, but he has not pitched since Friday’s game against the Rangers and only once since last Tuesday. Manager Tony La Russa on Monday said Hendriks was dealing with arm “stiffness.”

Joe Kelly, who has recovered from left hamstring strain, was reinstated from the IL. Kelly, who agreed to terms on a two-year, $17 million contract in March, has appeared in only seven games, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and six walks over 5 2/3 innings.

The Sox also recalled Davis Martin from Charlotte and optioned lefty Bennett Sousa to Charlotte.Martin, 25, is 0-2 with a 4.11 ERA in three games (two starts).

Sousa, 27, is 3-0 with an 8.41 and one save in 25 relief appearances. He earned the victory in the Sox’ 9-5 win over the Tigers Monday.

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New Bears general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus have run into their first big problem: Defensive end Robert Quinn, their most accomplished and highest-paid player, no-showed for mandatory minicamp Tuesday.

Eberflus didn’t make it a big issue, but he also didn’t brush it aside.

“We hoped he would be here,” he said. “He’s not. Ryan and his staff are gonna work through that.”

When asked whether the absence was excused, Eberflus said flatly, “No, it’s mandatory minicamp.”

Quinn did not report for voluntary Organized Team Activities over the past few months, but everyone seemed reasonably fine with that. At 32 years old and 11 seasons into his career, he said in April he was confident his own offseason workout program would be best, saying, “This is not my first rodeo.”

Eberflus responded in May by acknowledging Quinn’s r?sum?, but adding he wished he’d opted in for OTAs.

He has been enigmatic throughout his career, so it’s not immediately clear why Quinn would skip minicamp. He has been rumored in trade talks since January, but Poles has indicated he is part of the team’s plan for this season.

Quinn set the franchise record with 18.5 sacks last season and earned his third Pro Bowl selection.

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DETROIT — Closer Liam Hendriks was the latest White Sox to land on the injured list Tuesday. The American League reliever of the year the last two seasons went on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain.

Hendriks, 33, has 16 saves and a 2.81 ERA in 25 appearances this season. Hendriks is tied for the American League lead in saves after leading the AL in 2021 with 38. Hendriks has made 10 straight scoreless outings.

JoeKelly, who has recovered from left hamstring strain, was reinstated from the IL. Kelly, who agreed to terms on a two-year, $17 million contract in March, has appeared in only seven games, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and six walks over 5 2/3 innings.

The Sox also recalled Davis Martin from Charlotte and optioned lefty Bennett Sousa to Charlotte.Martin, 25, is 0-2 with a 4.11 ERA in three games (two starts).

Sousa, 27, is 3-0 with an 8.41 and one save in 25 relief appearances. He earned the victory in the Sox’ 9-5 win over the Tigers Monday.

The Sox

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A Chicago firefighter who was wounded in a mass shooting in West Pullman after a birthday party last year has died.

Timothy Eiland, 33, a father of five, was pronounced dead Monday at South Suburban Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Fire officials confirmed Eiland’s passing, saying “this senseless act has changed the fabric of Tim Eiland’s family, our department and our city.”

Eiland was walking with his sister Elishama Wright joking and laughing after a surprise birthday party on Sept. 11 when gunfire broke out. As people started to scramble, Wright found him “on the ground with blood squirting from his face,” she told the Chicago Sun-Times at the time.

She ducked back into the building in the 300 block of East Kensington Avenue until the shooting stopped, then rushed outside to see about her brother and daughter, who were two of six people shot in the attack.

Eiland was shot in the face and initially taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

Also killed was Schenia Smith, 42, a mother from Dolton, who was shot in an arm and armpit.

Wright’s 15-year-old daughter, Divine O’Neal, was wounded in an arm. Three men were also wounded.

In September, Wright described her brother as “an awesome fireman, an awesome husband, an awesome friend” and was known for his sense of humor. His father was a firefighter, too.

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Free-agent signing Justin Jones says he fits right at home with the Chicago Bears defense early this offseason

In March, the Chicago Bears agreed to terms to sign defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi to a three-year deal worth $40.5 million. Or so they thought. The Bears unfortunately could not sign Ogunjobi because of a failed physical, which led new general manager Ryan Poles to pursue other options for the defensive line.

Enter Justin Jones.

The former Los Angeles Charger signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Bears to fill a vacancy on the defensive line in new head coach Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 scheme.

Jones will primarily play the three-technique position and said that he feels at home in the new scheme. He mentioned that his role includes being disruptive and making plays, which will be important at the line of scrimmage, especially with stopping the run game of opposing offenses.

With veteran Akiem Hicks no longer in the fold, Jones will need to step up and provide a boost in penetration to the defense. So far, he appears to be fitting in just well.

“It’s amazing,” Jones said via the Bear Report. “I love the room I’m in right now. As for the scheme, it’s just that penetrating three-technique, get off the ball and really just effort. That’s kind of the staple of my game, I feel like. Really just flying around, making tackles and making plays, and being disruptive is kind of my game. I feel like I fit in, I feel like I’m at home in this scheme. Guys I’m around are also helping me along as well, obviously learning the plays and making sure that we’re all on the same page at all times on every down. That’s kind of where we’re at right now.”

The Bears secondary looks good on paper, with rookie second rounders Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker flanking Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson. However, Jones providing a strong pass rush with edge rushers Robert Quinn and Trevis Gibson will make the secondary feast on potential interceptions. It will also help the offense out with a shorter field.

While the focus is on Fields, Chicago’s defense will need to step up as well.

Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.

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The Chicago White Sox lost two of the three games over the weekend. The team needed a lift and got the opposite, losing to a sub.500 Texas Rangers team. However, the losses aren’t what stood out per se. Instead, the White Sox once again looked like a team that was checked out or running on fumes.

The loss in extras on Sunday only put the fans out of their misery, the misery of an awful weekend. The White Sox are now 27-31. They trail the Minnesota Twins by six games for the divisional lead and the Cleveland Guardians, who to their credit have overachieved this year, by three games.

Moreover, the weekend went from bad to worse. Starting with the starting pitcher who has been the team’s best this year.

Kopech goes down to injury

Michael Kopech has been the pleasant surprise of the season. A pitcher the fans have anticipated for years is finally making an impact at a major league level. Kopech has found his fastball, making it arguably the best pitch in baseball this season, and has effectively mixed in his other pitches, allowing him to carry an otherwise struggling White Sox team. Unfortunately, the issues that have prevented him from impacting the team, once again, got him.

In the first inning, Kopech felt discomfort in his right knee and left the game. After the game, reports varied about the severity of the injury, with the pitcher feeling a pop in his knee. While Kopech could return for his next start, any injury involving the knee of a pitcher can’t be taken lightly. After all, those types of issues, especially worsened could be career-altering.

The best that fans could hope is that Kopech was cautiously removed from the game. The 26-year-old starter than can and will return for his next start. However, in an already brutal weekend, this just made matter worse. One of the few things that were going right for the White Sox was their pitching, particularly starting pitching and now, it could be without its found gem.

La Russa’s incompetence

The weekend was a spillover from Thursday’s loss and the aftermath of it all. Since being hired, there have been questions about whether manager Tony La Russa was right for the team. Could La Russa, lead this team to a World Series, something this roster is capable of reaching. Now, the question isn’t about whether he should be the manager at the end of the season, but rather if he should be the manager by the end of the week.

La Russa has always been an old-school, play it by the feel of the game type of manager. The idea of feeling out the game in an otherwise analytical world has been questioned, even last year. However, the White Sox kept winning, despite the manager behind the bench. A manager doesn’t have much effect on the team’s success but the few things that can be controlled should be done right. Against the Dodgers, fans saw what might have been the worst decision of La Russa’s tenure with the team.

With two strikes, La Russa called for an intentional walk to put two runners on base, a move that sent shockwaves throughout the baseball universe. Naturally, the next batter hit a three-run home run, essentially putting a dagger into the game, and possibly the season. The decision was bad enough but the response only made matters worse. Good managers (and star players) own up to their mistakes and most importantly take the heat in the postgame when the team losses. La Russa instead did this.

The sad part is that these postgame pressers are nothing new. It only irritates the fans more when they see La Russa push aside blame, throw other players and coaches under the bus, point to the media or stats, or even people who didn’t manage the game as long as him as scapegoats, act aloof to something that happened in the game, and lastly double down on mistakes that everyone (including himself) know he did. The weekend just saw the frustration boil over as the home crowd turned on the skipper.

Should the White Sox fire La Russa?

Generally, followers of the game of baseball shouldn’t be advocates of firing managers. There wasn’t a rejoice over Joe Girardi’s firing or Joe Maddon’s firing, both of which happened this week.

It’s hard to become a manager and remain one, especially in the cutthroat environment that is the MLB. However, fans are understandably frustrated at a manager who seems to only hurt his team. This was supposed to be a fun year for the White Sox. A year where the team not only looked like the best in the division but one of the best in baseball, shaping up to become one of the World Series rosters. Instead, the team looked checked out, drained, and at times, treading water just to play .500 ball.

It honestly should anger the ownership, especially when the fans at your park have little satisfaction from the team, starting with the manager. If I were general manager Rick Hahn (and I’m not) I would just let Ethan Katz or one of the bench coaches clean up the mess. There’s only that much worse they can do to a team than La Russa has already done to this one.

Make sure to check out our WHITE SOX forum for the latest on the team.

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