Chicago Sports

The White Sox claimed right-handed pitcher Parker Markel off waivers from the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

Markel pitched a total of three innings in three relief appearances for the A’s this season, allowing one hit, five walks and no earned runs. He made his major league debut in 2019 with the Seattle Mariners.

Markel, 31, was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in 17 relief appearances with Class AAA Las Vegas this season.

He has a career 6.84 ERA and 1.960 WHiP in 25 innings pitched over three major-league seasons with the Mariners, Pirates and A’s, He has 27 career strikeouts.

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St. Francis’ TJ McMillen has been around football as long as he can remember.

Longer than that actually.

“Right around when I was born, my dad played in the Arena Bowl in Las Vegas,” said McMillen, whose father Bob played and coached in the Arena Football League and entered its Hall of Fame in 2013.

“It’s really cool,” McMillen said. “He’s taught me so much from a coaching perspective, being at the top. The people that he’s introduced me to, a lot of people dream they could meet.”

McMillen is getting some good connections on his own now. The state’s No. 14 prospect in the class of 2023 has 32 Division I offers — 14 from Power Five schools — and is heading to Illinois after committing on May 21.

The 6-3, 270-pound center’s connection to the Illini dates back to the tenure of previous coach Lovie Smith. “I’ve been talking to them since my freshman year,” McMillen said.

That didn’t change when Illinois moved on from Smith and hired Bret Bielema.

“The one thing I liked is how straight up they were about what they expected me to do if I went there,” McMillen said.

Another thing he likes is Bielema’s track record of getting his centers drafted by the NFL. “He says he saw all the intangibles in me he saw in them,” McMillen said.

Being part of a program on the rise also is attractive. The Illini were 5-7 in Bielema’s first season, but two of those wins were over Top 20 teams (Penn State and Minnesota).

“You could tell how much better Illinois was getting” as the season went on, McMillen said.

Committing this soon wasn’t something McMillen expected to do. He originally planned to spend the summer making college visits with an eye to deciding in July, August or even early in his senior season.

But Illinois checked all the boxes, so he saw no reason to wait. Now McMillen, who also plays baseball at St. Francis, can be a kid the next few months.

“I’m really excited I can say that in my high school career, I finally have a normal summer,” he said. “Hanging out with my friends, (preparing for) football and baseball.”

Two-sport star

Kaleb Brown’s future clearly is on the football field.

The outgoing St. Rita senior is a consensus top-80 player nationally and the No. 2 player in the state, headed off to play receiver at Ohio State.

But the 5-10, 195-pound speedster hasn’t walked away from track. At last weekend’s Class 2A state finals in Charleston, Brown won his fourth career state medal. He anchored the Mustangs’ fifth-place 400-meter relay team, which also featured 200 state champ EJ Nwagwu.

Why continue in a second sport? “Just to get a different grind and stay in shape really,” Brown said. “Mold my body into the best version it could be. It was definitely important to do this.”

He believes he’s a better football player for having continued with his second sport, something that’s not going to end.

“Track and football, they work hand in hand,” Brown said. “When I go to college, I definitely plan to do some track workouts.”

On the move

Another football and track star also is heading to a different school in the fall.

Tony Phillips has swept the Class 1A 100 and 200 titles in each of his first two seasons, and he’s one of the rising football prospects in the class of 2024.

After his most recent track titles last weekend, Phillips announced on social media that he’s leaving Bishop McNamara. He later confirmed that he’s heading across town to Kankakee, joining two of the state’s premier programs.

The Kays were the Class 5A football runners-up last fall and won the Class 2A boys track championship last weekend.

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Drew Brees is officially done at NBC Sports after one year.

NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a phone interview with The Associated Press that Brees will not be a part of the network’s NFL and Notre Dame coverage this year. The New York Post reported last month that the former quarterback would not be coming back as a studio or game analyst.

Following that report, Brees took to social media and said he had not decided his future.

Bevacqua said conversations with Brees have centered around him wanting to spend more time with family.

“The unbelievable busyness of an NFL career and then really not taking a break at all and launching right in with us with both Notre Dame football and the NFL, it was certainly an around-the-clock assignment,” Bevacqua said. “This was definitely a lifestyle choice for him, which is totally understandable.”

Brees signed a multi-year contract with NBC in 2020, before he completed a 20-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints as the record holder in passing yards and touchdowns. He was an analyst for Notre Dame games with Mike Tirico and was in the studio most Sundays for “Football Night in America.” Brees and Tirico called the wild card round game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals where Brees noticeably struggled.

Many thought Brees would be the heir apparent to Cris Collinsworth as the analyst on “Sunday Night Football,” but Collinsworth will remain in that role as Tirico moves into the play-by-play spot following Al Michaels’ move to Amazon Prime Video for “Thursday Night Football.”

“It was a new role and everyone has a learning curve. I think he did an unbelievable job with Notre Dame and improved every week,” Bevacqua said. “He was always unbelievably prepared, curious about how things were handled and the work that went into it.”

Even though Brees remains under contract to NBC, Bevacqua said they wouldn’t stand in the way if another opportunity came along for Brees. Fox has an opening for an analyst on its No. 2 NFL team, but it is likely Brees will spend the season at home.

When it comes to who will call Notre Dame games and fill Brees’ NFL studio spot, Bevacqua said they are closing in on a final decision.

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We’re almost a year from the 2023 NFL draft, and 285 games lie ahead that will determine the draft order. Anything can happen. We won’t know what the top 10 will look like until the end of Week 18 this season, and even then, things can change with pre-draft trades up or down the board.

Even so, we projected how the draft order might play out in those first 10 picks using our ESPN Football Power Index, which gives each team’s expected draft slot. An analytics writer pulls back the curtain on the numbers to explain why each team is projected to have an early selection, while our NFL Nation reporters dive in on how each of the teams can outperform these expectations and avoid a disappointing season.

Which teams are destined for a top draft pick? Where might the Jaguars — who have held the No. 1 pick in each of the past two years — land? And which teams could surprise in 2022? Let’s take a closer look at teams currently headed toward another early Round 1 selection.

Chance at No. 1 pick: 13.6%
Chance at top 10: 68.4%

Why they are here: You can see the upside with the Jets. They have Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore at receiver. Ahmad Gardner and D.J. Reed are set to lock down the cornerback spots. Carl Lawson is back at edge rusher. And most importantly, they have a potential star in second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. But none of that — most importantly Wilson — is guaranteed to pay off. ESPN’s FPI is betting that most of it likely won’t. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: Between free agency and the draft, the Jets added playmaking potential on both sides of the ball, most notably with Wilson, Gardner, Reed, running back Breece Hall and safety Jordan Whitehead. Improved team speed should allow them to create game-changing plays, which were in short supply in 2021. The Jets ranked 31st in takeaways and 20th in explosive plays on offense (runs of 10-plus yards or passes of 20-plus yards). — Rich Cimini

Chance at No. 1 pick: 13.7%
Chance at top 10: 67.9%

2 Related

Why they are here: The Bears are like the Jets but with less talent surrounding their quarterback. And like the Jets’ Wilson, Justin Fields also needs to take a major step forward in his second season after a disappointing rookie campaign. Additionally, Chicago has a new coaching staff, which adds a bit more uncertainty to its forecast. But in this case, that’s a good thing. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: The Bears have more than $20 million in remaining cap space and could use those resources to bring in a veteran offensive lineman (perhaps someone to play right guard) or another wide receiver. Chicago’s offense should put Fields in a better position to succeed by playing to his strengths, but growth from the quarterback won’t necessarily come unless what’s around him improves. If the Bears can add a couple of players before the start of the season, it will be money well spent as they continue to build for the future. — Courtney Cronin

Chance at No. 1 pick: 11.4%
Chance at top 10: 64.1%

Why they are here: The roster remains barren on defense, and while quarterback Davis Mills exceeded low expectations as a rookie, it’s fair to classify Houston’s short-term situation at quarterback as weak. Plus, the Texans face a fairly difficult schedule. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: Houston’s defense already took a step forward last season under then-defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, and he could be the reason the Texans now outperform expectations this season. The Texans promoted Smith to head coach, and the team used the No. 3 overall pick on cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. It’s no secret Smith preaches the importance of takeaways in the defensive backs room, and adding a potential star at cornerback could help immensely. — Sarah Barshop

Chance at No. 1 pick: 9.3%
Chance at top 10: 60.0%

Why they are here: Our FPI is a little more bullish on Trevor Lawrence‘s future than that of Wilson, Fields, Mills or Trey Lance (San Francisco). But 2021 was a disappointment for Jacksonville’s quarterback, and the model believes Lawrence will be a below-average signal-caller again this season. And even after a free-agent spending spree, the rest of the roster is missing high-end stars. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: Just having a normal, functioning coaching staff could make a significant difference. It’s hard to know exactly how much the dysfunction around coach Urban Meyer impacted the team, but it certainly wasn’t good for Lawrence. Adding playmakers Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram should increase the output of an offense that averaged just 13.8 points per game last season. And the defense added three starters in free agency and two more in the draft, highlighted by No. 1 pick Travon Walker. Only two starters remain from the 2020 defense that finished last in the league. — Michael DiRocco

Chance at No. 1 pick: 8.6%
Chance at top 10: 56.6%

o McShay’s way-too-early mock draft >>
o Miller and Reid preview top prospects >>
o See more NFL draft coverage >>

Why they are here: After two years without a start, ESPN’s FPI assumes quarterback Marcus Mariota is going to be a drag on the Atlanta offense. That’s fair. But there’s also not much to drag down. Tight end Kyle Pitts is the only real established star on that side of the ball. There’s more to like on defense with cornerback A.J. Terrell and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett leading the way, but having what our FPI expects will be the worst offense in football is too much to overcome. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: The Falcons have one of the most questionable quarterback situations in the league, with veteran Mariota or rookie Desmond Ridder set to start. But if rookies Drake London (wide receiver) and Tyler Allgeier (running back) play well, it could open things up for second-year coach Arthur Smith’s playcalling and allow him to innovate more on offense. Add in the potential for a stronger pass rush — again, the Falcons will need rookie edge rushers Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone to at least play up to expectations — and Atlanta could have the chance to overacheive. — Michael Rothstein

Chance at No. 1 pick: 6.5%
Chance at top 10: 53.5%

Why they are here: Our FPI model considers the T.J. Watt-led Steelers defense to be the fifth best in the league, but a good defense can take you only so far. The game swings on offense, and none of the options at quarterback — Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph — are likely to be a high performer in 2022. ESPN’s FPI considers the first two to be the better choices and roughly equivalent in the short term. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: Coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t do losing seasons. In 15 seasons as the Steelers’ head coach, Tomlin has never had one. Remember when Ben Roethlisberger went down for the year, and he started Rudolph and Devlin Hodges under center? Yeah, he didn’t lose then, either. It won’t be a pretty season in Pittsburgh by any means, but don’t count a Tomlin-led squad out — especially when he has the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and an up-and-coming star in running back Najee Harris on his roster. — Brooke Pryor

Chance at No. 1 pick: 5.5%
Chance at top 10: 48.0%

Why they are here: There’s some sparsely scattered talent on the roster — namely Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore on offense, and Brian Burns and Jeremy Chinn on defense — but not enough to make up for the fact that neither Sam Darnold nor Matt Corral offer much short-term hope. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: Quarterback aside, the Panthers significantly strengthened their roster in free agency and the draft. They boosted their coaching staff by more than doubling the NFL experience with an overhaul that includes adding two former head coaches in offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and secondary coach Steve Wilks. If McCaffrey — who has missed 23 of the team’s past 33 games — can stay healthy, and the rebuilt offensive line can provide protection, Carolina can’t help but be better regardless of whether it’s Darnold, rookie Corral or somebody else playing quarterback. — David Newton

Chance at No. 1 pick: 4.1%
Chance at top 10: 42.0%

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Why they are here: ESPN’s FPI is bullish on the Lions, which is why they only sneak onto this list after picking at No. 2 this year. Jared Goff isn’t great, but on average, the model believes he’ll be better than most of the first- or second-year quarterbacks. That buoys Detroit in the rankings and projections relative to many of the other teams on this list. But this is all about the potential to be decent offensively; our FPI projects Detroit to have the league’s second-worst defense. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: The Lions’ coaching staff will have more experience. At times, it felt as though head coach Dan Campbell was still learning how to handle certain in-game situations during the 2021 season, which included him taking over playcalling responsibilities from former offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in Week 10. But now Detroit has a new offensive coordinator in Ben Johnson, and it added better offensive players around Goff, such as wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. — Eric Woodyard

Chance at No. 1 pick: 3.4%
Chance at top 10: 42.2%

Why they are here: The projections are down on Drew Lock — he’s sandwiched between Sam Darnold and Malik Willis in the model’s quarterback rankings — and that’s a tough starting place and a huge downgrade from Russell Wilson, to state the obvious. Seattle has a strong skill position group, though, which is worth something. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: Despite how it might have looked when they traded Wilson and cut Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks aren’t in a full-fledged rebuild. They still have a competitive roster outside of what is one of the NFL’s iffiest quarterback rooms. It’s not unreasonable to think a revamped defense — with its new scheme and some younger, faster players — could carry enough of the load for Seattle to get to seven wins with below-average quarterback play from either Lock or Geno Smith. — Brady Henderson

Chance at No. 1 pick: 2.8%
Chance at top 10: 37.7%

Why they are here: Daniel Jones has been disappointing for a sixth-overall pick, but he has upside under center. There’s potential in the offensive line and wide receiver groups, and with a new offensive-minded head coach, the Giants should improve from their 30th-ranked offensive efficiency last season. But still, ESPN’s FPI believes this is a team that will be below average (23rd on offense, 27th on defense) on both sides of the ball. — Walder

How they outperform this projection: The Giants’ offense under Brian Daboll could surely outperform expectations. It’s not as if they don’t have any talent, with Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney among the offensive stars. Plus, the Giants have invested in a pair of top-10 tackles. It’s not outrageous to think Jones can take a significant step forward under Daboll in this offense, and that the Giants can win despite their struggles in recent seasons. — Jordan Raanan

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The Chicago White Sox are once again playing a big series against a premier team in the MLB. After facing the New York Yankees twice last month, the White Sox are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, another team that’s having a dominant season.

Everything was clicking for the White Sox on Tuesday night. It started with the team honoring Steve Stone for 40 years in the booth, and only got better from there.

The final score was 4-0 but that doesn’t tell the story of the decisive win. Moreover, the White Sox won another game (their third win in a row) with their bread and butter.

Kopech’s strong start

Michael Kopech continues to pitch well in a great season. This time, he stepped up again despite facing a potent lineup. The Dodgers average a league-best 5.37 runs per game, they scored zero against Kopech. Similarly, the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, two of the best batting orders, struggled against him.

When you have a fastball as Kopech has, it’s easy to see why he can and does dominate on the mound. However, this pitch has been in the works for years. It took time for Kopech to not only refine and properly locate the pitch but to use it without blowing out his arm. The pitch is thrown in the high 90s which is still faster than the rest of the starters in the game but is still toned down for the 26-year-old pitcher. 67 of his 98 pitches were fastballs and the Dodgers simply couldn’t get to the ball throughout the game.

In addition, the secondary pitches have made Kopech elite, a possible ace in any other rotation. Kopech has effectively mixed in his slider and curveball to keep batters guessing and further strengthen his best pitch. The strong start for the White Sox was a reminder of the strength of the team, the starting pitching and it’s the position that continues to carry a team that has otherwise struggled.

White Sox bats wake up in sixth

The game was a pitching duel. Despite Kopech’s brilliance, the Dodgers kept the game scoreless with Mitch White stepping up for five innings. Finally, White was taken out of the game and the White Sox took advantage.

The White Sox lineup has struggled this season, scoring only 3.65 runs per game. However, when the lineup needs to step up, it can. In the sixth inning, they finally got on base, setting up a two-out, two-on situation for AJ Pollock. With a pitch missing its location, Pollock made the Dodgers pay, hitting an outside pitch to the opposite field for a two-run double. Then the floodgates opened, at least enough for this roster.

Jake Burger wrapped a pitch down the middle of the plate to score Pollock. Two batters later, Reese McGuire was served a David Price offering that he hit to the leftfield gap, giving the White Sox their fourth run in the frame. The game itself didn’t look promising for the offense, after all, they only scored in one inning. However, the four-run frame continued to display something the fans have known all season, that the lineup can at any point wake up and pile on the runs.

White Sox bullpen seals victory

Following Kopech’s start, the White Sox only needed to find nine outs, with the entire bullpen to use. Reynaldo Lopez forced a double play, and Aaron Bummer got the strikeout to finish the seventh inning. Kendall Graveman pitched a scoreless eighth inning and only needed 13 pitches to do so. Finally, Liam Hendriks pitched the ninth inning to give the White Sox the 4-0 win.

The bullpen wasn’t anything special. However, it was a reminder of what the team looks like when things are clicking. The starting pitching sets up a strong game, the lineup drives in just enough runs, and the bullpen closes out the game. In a way, it feels like an effortless and clean win, something the White Sox will hope to have more of as the season progresses.

Why does this win against the Dodgers matter?

The White Sox are still trailing the Minnesota Twins by four games in the division. The Twins are the team they are chasing and will be chasing until the team surpasses them (if they can). However, this win was once again proved to the team and its fans what they are capable of.

The Dodgers are another team that is a measurement of success in the MLB this season. The White Sox entered this season with aspirations of competing for the World Series and in the process have to beat the best teams. They’ve beaten the best teams in the league and have gone toe to toe with them, a promising sign for a great roster. The White Sox still play two more games against the Dodgers in this series but early on, the team has a lot to look forward to.

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

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Let’s face it, the White Sox have been a tough watch.

For ownership, upper management, broadcasters and fans, a team slogging along below .500 for the first two months of a season that was supposed to be better than this hasn’t been easy on the eyes.

General manager Rick Hahn has seen the same things.

“I throw stuff,” Hahn said Tuesday before the Sox opened a three-game series against the Dodgers with a 4-0 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field. “I’ve been walking a lot. I leave the house when I’m not with the team. “[During home games] I walk in the tunnels a lot.”

Hahn probably threw stuff when Reese McGuire (looking) and Josh Harrison (swinging) struck out with the bases loaded to end the fifth inning against Mitch White (five innings, two hits allowed) making the Sox 4-for-39 with 14 strikeouts with the bases loaded.

Fans watching at home may have done the same. Some among the crowd of 25,625 booed. Seeing Michael Kopech pitch a masterful six innings of one-hit, scoreless ball with eight strikeouts and one walk made the offensive futility particularly frustrating.

But that’s the way it’s been this season. Too much of that and not enough of what the Sox did in the sixth against relievers Phil Bickford and David Price — a four-run burst featuring former Dodger AJ Pollock’s pinch two-run double on Price’s first pitch that broke a scoreless tie. Pollock’s double was followed by red-hot Jake Burger’s RBI double and an RBI single by McGuire.

Everyone was happy.

The Sox are in their thick of their contention window and are coming off a second straight year in the postseason but haven’t looked like a team that will be a threat in the playoffs — if they make it. They needed to beat the Dodgers (35-19 through Monday) to get within a game of .500.

“Those closest to me will attest that, yes, my patience has been tested,” Hahn said. “But that makes me no different from any White Sox fan or ardent follower of this club. We’ve all been tested over the last few months here.”

Hahn is also optimistic, knowing Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly will heal from injuries and bolster the roster before long and trusting, from conversations and meetings with staff, that underperforming healthy players like Yasmani Grandal and Yoan Moncada et al will get “out of their ruts.”

“The reasons for optimism are legitimate and make me feel better,” he said, enough “to give it a little longer, perhaps, before my patience runs out.

“All of us — whether it’s Jerry [Reinsdorf], Kenny [Williams], myself, the coaches, any White Sox fan — we’ve all had our patience tested. But the fundamentals of who this team is remain. We’re fortunate that baseball is a long season, and over the course of a long season, things tend to play out the way the talent permits. And we feel good about this talent.”

Which includes Kopech, who was on top of his game again after giving up five runs over three innings in his start in Toronto. Kopech had his third one-hit performance of his last four outings, the other two against the Yankees.

Kopech knocked his ERA down to 1.94. The only hit was delivered by Will Smith with two outs in the fourth.

Even with three games against the Dodgers this week, the Sox have the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the majors, with an opponents .473 winning percentage.

Hahn cited the Sox’ 11-8 record against the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox, and they were in a good position to beat a very good Dodgers team after taking two straight from the Rays.

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BALTIMORE – Pushing back the left field wall didn’t do much to temper the slug fest hosted by Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday.

The Cubs lost 9-3 to the Orioles in a game that featured seven home runs.

Cubs rookie Christopher Morel sent the first pitch of the game over the fence for his first career leadoff homer. Almost immediately, things went downhill for the Cubs.

Cubs right-hander Keegan Thompson, in his second start as an official member of the rotation – he’d made three spot starts earlier in the year – gave up seven runs in three innings.

“My off-speed stuff was just spinning and staying arm-side,” Thompson said after his first loss of the season. “Looking at older pictures and a couple pictures from tonight, it looked like my stride was a little shorter, maybe, tonight than normal. So, my arm might have been dragging a little bit behind. I’ll look into that a little more tonight and tomorrow.”

The Orioles matched Morel’s leadoff homer and surpassed it with home runs on back-to-back pitches to kick off the bottom half of the first inning.

The next inning, Thompson hit two batters in a row before giving up a three-run home run to Jorge Mateo.

Thompson kept the ball in the yard for the third inning. But the Orioles found other ways to score. Anthony Santander, leading off the inning, hit a ground ball single through the left side of the infield to beat the shift. Then, Austin Hays hit a double up the left-field line.

Cubs left fielder Ian Happ fished the ball out of foul territory, and the relay in from shortstop Nico Horner took an on-target long hop to beat the runner, but the ball glanced off catcher Willson Contreras’ mitt as he tried to put down the tag.

Hays scored on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Mountcastle soon after to give the Orioles a 7-1 lead by the time Thompson walked off the mound. Cubs right-hander Alec Mills, just activated off the 60-day IL (right quadriceps strain) made his season debut as he replaced Thompson.

“It was nice to get back out there,” said Mills, who allowed two runs in five innings to finish the game. “Obviously the situation was not the best, you don’t ever want to come in early after a starter, but that’s why I’m here.”

The home run derby wasn’t over.

In the fifth inning, Contreras launched a first-pitch homer over the left field wall. It was his 10th home run of the season, making this his sixth season with double-digit homers. He only fell short of that mark in the shortened 2020 season.

While Contreras’ home run cleared the recently deepened left-field wall with ease, Hays took the prize for the most imposing long ball of the night. His fifth-inning solo homer landed in the second deck. At 464 feet, according to Statcast, it was the longest home run by an Oriole this season.

By contrast, Orioles third baseman Ram?n Ur?as used the unique new dimensions of the field to his advantage. In the sixth inning, he dropped a solo home run into the corner of the Orioles bullpen, which juts out into left center field. Happ crashed into the perpendicular wall as Ur?as scored the Orioles’ ninth run.

While home runs were responsible for most of the scoring, they didn’t account for every run. Morel, on Tuesday extending his franchise-record on base streak to start a career to 21 games, also hit a sixth-inning RBI triple.

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Tim Anderson took live batting practice Tuesday, another step in his recovery from a groin strain suffered against the Cubs nine days ago. The next big step is a minor league rahab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte next week.

“Tim had a good weekend in Tampa, in terms of his healing and progression toward rehabilitation,” general manager Rick Hahn said of Anderson, who traveled with the team on the road trip against the Rays and Blue Jays.

The original projection for Anderson’s time away was three weeks, and that remains in place.

As for the Sox’ other key pieces working back from injuries, Eloy Jimenez started in left field on his rehab assignment at Charlotte Tuesday, going 1-for-2 with a single.

“It’s a matter of getting his legs completely under him and getting his timing at the plate and rhythm back,” Hahn said. “I don’t have an exact time to project his return, but it’s getting closer, knock on wood.”

Lance Lynn (knee) is slated for 70-pitches Wednesday in what could be his last start before making his Sox debut.

“If that goes smoothly, we’ll then have a conversation about next steps for him, which could well include being activated in Chicago,” Hahn said.

Hahn said right-handers Joe Kelly (hamstring) and Vince Velasquez (groin) ideally will be activated at the end of the month.

Hahn on La Russa

An hour or so after Joe manager Maddon was surprisingly fired by the Angels, Hahn was asked to evaluate the job La Russa has done this year.

“Look there’s been challenges across the board here for everyone,” Hahn said. “We’ve responded to some pretty well and we’ve muddled our way through some others. That’s not just on Tony. That’s the front office. That’s me. That’s the coaches and the players themselves. We are in this as an organization and none of us as an organization are satisfied with where we are at right now. … We feel good about what the next several months hold for us potentially.”

Sanchez, Sosa wait in the wings

It’s too early to consider middle infielders Yolbert Sanchez and Lenyn Sosa, the Double-A Southern League Player of the Month, as an answer to the second base problem, where Josh Harrison (.181/.265/.276) and Leury Garcia (.189/.199/.265) are producing. But they could be brought up before the season is over, Hahn said.

“Obviously we’re not at the position yet to say they’re a clear upgrade and that they’re ready to help but they both certainly belong in the conversation,” Hahn said.

Sanchez was promoted from Double-A Birmingham to Triple-A Charlotte after 14 games.

“They’ve always been on the map, they put themselves on a timetable that they should be considered for ’22,” Hahn said.

Too close for comfort

Twenty-three of the Sox’ first 25 wins were by four runs or less, including nine by one run, seven by two, five by three and two by four.

The Sox have won two games by five or more, by 10-1 against the Tigers on April 10 and 5-0 against the Yankees on May 22. In 2021, 32 of the Sox’ 93 wins were by five or more runs.

This and that

Steve Stone, celebrating his 40th year as a broadcaster, threw out the first pitch.

*Sixteen members of the Amateur City Elite (ACE) class of 2022 were congratulated during a pregame ceremony.

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Former Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks let it fly — again — about the quarterbacks he got stuck with in Chicago.

In his first press conference since signing with the Buccaneers last month, Hicks basked in the joy of joining Tom Brady while pointing out that his former teammates were nowhere near that level.

“Something I’ve thought of often is that when I came into the league, I had Drew Brees and Tom Brady as my first two quarterbacks,” Hicks said Tuesday. “Then I went to Chicago. It wasn’t Drew Brees and Tom Brady. We’ll just say that, right?

“I feel spoiled [now] to have somebody on the other side of the ball that can deliver all the time, and he’s proven it over the years.”

Hicks was with the Bears from 2016 through ’21 before the team let him walk in free agency. During his six seasons, the Bears started 10 quarterbacks. Mitch Trubisky, who has an 87.0 career passer rating, started 50 games in that span.

With that instability and incompetence at quarterback, it’s no surprise the Bears scored the fifth-fewest points in the NFL and had the 12th-worst record during Hicks’ tenure despite being the No. 5 defense in the league over that time.

Hicks enjoyed one winning season with the Bears, who went 6-11 last season and headed into a major rebuild under new general manager Ryan Poles.

Hicks said Tuesday returning was not a consideration, but did not elaborate on whether that was his choice, the team’s or a mutual. He was attracted to the Bucs because of “the chance to win” and play with a quarterback of Brady’s caliber.

“It was definitely a draw,” he said. “It benefits a defense tohave a quarterbackthat can control the clock, the ball and the field position. And that’s what we have here.”

Hicks also fired a shot at the Bears’ quarterback moves two years ago when asked about the team shunning Colin Kaepernick. He replied by pointing out the ill-fated signing of Mike Glennon.

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1983 Chicago White Sox went from under .500 in mid-June to divisional winner

The 1983 Chicago White Sox had a rough start after two months of baseball. The team was 25-27 through 52 games, matching this year’s White Sox record as of Tuesday afternoon. The team would rebound in late June, going on several winning streaks of 5 or more wins in a row. By the end of the season, the White Sox managed to win 99-games. The 1983 White Sox manager, Tony La Russa.

The team didn’t always win with ease during that streak. “They’re winning ugly,” Texas manager Doug Rader said of the White Sox. As of early June in 2022, the White Sox season has started ugly like the season 39-years ago. And a lot of the games the club has won have been nailbiters. The White Sox have built some early leads, only to see the bullpen bring the game to disaster.

White Sox have faced adversity this year

The White Sox had high expectations headed into the 2022 campaign. After winning the division in 2021, White Sox fans were hoping the team could take the next step and make a run to the World Series. Since March, the White Sox have been plagued with injuries.

Powerful bats like Eloy Jiménez, Tim Anderson, and Luis Robert, have been rehabbing. Needed arms like Joe Kelly, Lucas Giolito, and Lance Lynn, have been often absent on the mound. These injuries have caused the White Sox to look out of sync this season, and the losses have mounted in the early part of the schedule.

The Team should get healthier

Fortunately, the White Sox should get Lynn, Jiménez, Anderson, and Kelly back within a month a so. If the Sox are going to contend for a playoff spot, they will need these players back. The White Sox need to preserve what they can until the All-Star break, and then make their move. The team is currently 5-games behind the Minnesota Twins.

Hopefully, the White Sox can catch a break, and the Twins can start losing some games this week so the White Sox can stop losing ground. The Twins play fierce competition with series versus the New York Yankees (39-15) and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (31-23). The White Sox don’t have it easy with their series beginning Tuesday. They will face the Los Angeles Dodgers (35-19) at home.

How far can this year’s Chicago White Sox go?

Even if the White Sox manage to get swept by the Dodgers—and let’s hope they don’t—the team would still be on pace with the 1983 team. That year, the White Sox would lose four in a row, going 25-31, before the team started to get on their winning ways.

The team then finished strong and made the ALCS before running out of gas against the Baltimore Orioles. It was the White Sox’s first postseason appearance since the 1959 World Series. This year’s team has yet to show it has the fire to get to the playoffs. When the elite arms and bats return, we’ll see if the White Sox have the ability to turn their season around. They have the talent to win enough games.

The White Sox will have to do this with good starting pitching and hot bats. The offense has always had the potential to put runs on the board, there’s no reason for the team’s run differential to be this bad. A long baseball season evens most things out, and I’d assume runs will come in bunches for the White Sox.

If they can create a little magic, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the 2022 White Sox go further into October than the 1983 club.

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

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