Chicago Sports

BOSTON — Yoan Moncada will join the lineup Monday and make his season debut when the White Sox open a home stand against the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field, manager Tony La Russa said Sunday.

Moncada, who suffered a strained right oblique before the final spring training game, has played six games for Triple-A Charlotte on his rehab assignment. La Russa already knew Sunday that the switch-hitting third baseman would be batting second, with center fielder Luis Robert fourth.

“Moncada is swinging the bat well and he adds a lot to the lineup at that spot,” La Russa said.

Moncada was 7-for-22 with two home runs.

“We are excited to get him back, period. But add the exclamation mark with the way [Charlotte manager] Wes [Helms] is talking about how he’s working, great frame of mind and really getting the bat out. He’s ready now to help us.”

Right-handed reliever Joe Kelly is likely to join the team as well. Kelly, signed to a two-year, $17 million free agent deal in March, delayed his start to the season because of a nerve issue.

Kelly will give the bullpen a needed boost.

“Kelly, we are going to embrace him with open arms,” La Russa said.

Left-hander Aaron Bummer is dealing with a knee issue, La Russa said on his pregame radio show. And closer Liam Hendriks has pitched in six of the last eight days and was probably unavailable Sunday.

“This guy, he’s got a serious strength of competing and ‘let’s go get them,’ ” La Russa said of Hendriks. “He wants to pitch today.

“We told Liam don’t even put your spikes on. He said, ‘I have them on,’ ”

But Kendall Graveman, who had 10 saves with the Mariners last season and one with the Sox this year, will be the likely closer if needed. Or perhaps Matt Foster, La Russa said.

Vaughn not close to return

Outfielder Andrew Vaughn is eligible to come off the IL Thursday, but he probably wouldn’t be recovered from the bone bruise in his right hand by then. And when he is ready, he’ll need to do a rehab assignment.

“I don’t know how he can avoid that,” La Russa said. “There’s no way to get simulation at the big-league level. Unless you fly pitchers in to throw to them. And even then, it’s simulated. My guess is he’s going to take some at-bats. I don’t think it will be many because it hasn’t been that long.”

“It’s been good progress, still day to day. Able to take some easy swings off the tee now but there is still a good bit of pain in there,” Vaughn said. “It’s a bone bruise that has to feel its way out. I’ve heard once it’s done it will be a quick.”

Vaughn has used a tracking machine and stood in during pitchers bullpens to try and maintain his timing.

Hendriks jamming

Hendriks has converted each of his last nine save chances, and is 9-for-10 this season. He has saves in each of the Sox wins in their five-game wining streak with batters going 0-for-15 against him. Nine of his last 10 appearances have been scoreless, and eight of his last 10 have been hitless.

Anderson rests

La Russa told shortstop Tim Anderson he would have Sunday’s game off before Saturday’s game.

“Look, he’s playing at a high level, he’s hot so he’s on the bases all the time,” La Russa said. “So we were talking with the morning game, sometimes you just don’t play some guys. Tim is just resting. He feels good, he’s playing at a very high level.”

Wacha scratched

Red Sox scheduled starter Michael Wacha landed on the 15-day list with left intercostal irritation, retroactive to May 5. Former Sox right-hander Tyler Danish was recalled from Triple-A Worcester.

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Before executives and fans start touting the ”next great Cubs team,” there’s the simple business of executing fundamentals properly and throwing strikes.

Or reading ”The Dodger Way to Play Baseball,” the title of a book written in 1954 that then-Brooklyn executives distributed to minor-league players to assist their development in becoming sound major-leaguers.

If facing three-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw wasn’t ominous enough, the Cubs compounded their problems by getting swept by the Dodgers 7-0 and 6-2 in a day/night doubleheader Saturday at Wrigley Field.

”It’s really tough to watch, to be honest with you,” said catcher Willson Contreras, who waved his arms after hitting a home run in the second game to try to encourage his teammates. ”I know we’re trying our best to win some games, but things aren’t working our way. And the only thing we can control is the way we go about our business.”

Baserunning mistakes by Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner in the first game enabled Kershaw to coast through seven innings.

The frustration swelled in the second game, as six pitchers limited the Dodgers to one hit through 82/3 innings. But four walks by Daniel Norris and Keegan Thompson in the second set up a three-run double by Mookie Betts, who added a two-run homer in the ninth as the Cubs’ losing streak reached four games.

”You give a good team like that nine walks, that’s going to be tough to win those type of games,” said manager David Ross, who also lamented the Cubs going hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

In the first game, Suzuki worked Kershaw for a walk in the first but was picked off to end the inning. Until this season, Suzuki, 27, had spent his entire career in Japan and had stolen 25 bases (in 41 attempts) for Hiroshima of the Japan Central League.

But Kershaw (4-0) caught Suzuki wandering too far off first with Patrick Wisdom at the plate.

Suzuki had watched videotape of Kershaw’s move but said: ”When you see it in person, it’s different.”

With two outs in the second, Hoerner legged out an infield hit and assumed the errant throw from shortstop Trea Turner had struck a camera in the photographer’s well, Ross said.

Hoerner assumed he would be awarded second base and started to trot in that direction. But first baseman Freddie Freeman retrieved the ball and threw to second, where second baseman Gavin Lux tagged Hoerner to end the inning.

Despite long-awaited blue skies, a gust blowing from the northeast presented challenges for the Cubs’ outfielders in Game 1. Cody Bellinger’s deep drive to left grazed off Wisdom’s glove at the warning track for a double, and Austin Barnes followed with a two-run single.

Freeman legged out a double in the first, and Michael Hermosillo’s throw from center field bounced away, enabling Betts to score.

Betts started the first game with an eight-pitch walk from left-hander Drew Smyly (1-3), who hadn’t pitched since April 28 and showed plenty of rust during a 38-pitch first.

Smyly said his routine was thrown out of whack while he spent time on the bereavement list, but he admitted: ”I just didn’t get the job done.”

Wisdom left after six innings in Game 2 with a bruised left ankle. X-rays were negative.

Betts’ homer in the ninth snapped closer David Robertson’s scoreless streak at 11 innings. Robertson had allowed one hit all season before Betts’ shot.

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ATLANTA — The Fire lost their third consecutive MLS game and their winless streak reached six with a 4-1 defeat Saturday against Atlanta United.

Ronaldo Cisneros had a hat trick for United (4-4-2). He opened the scoring in the third minute, but the Fire (2-4-4) answered seven minutes later when Chinonso Offor scored his first goal of the season.

Cisneros scored in the 27th and 36th minutes, and Brooks Lennon tallied the final goal in second-half stoppage time.

“I thought the immediate reaction was really good, tying the game up like that,” Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “But after that, we were just a step slow to everything. We were late to everything, including the first goal. We weren’t shifted over, and that hurt us.”

The Fire faced former teammate Bobby Shuttleworth, who saved two of the three shots he faced. Gabriel Slonina saved three of seven shots. United outshot the Fire 12-7 overall.

Two Chicago-area players played their first minutes with the Fire. Schaumburg native Chris Mueller came in for midfielder Brian Gutierrez at halftime after joining the team Thursday.

“We just wanted to make sure we get him some minutes because he’s been playing but he hasn’t had a 90-minute game in a while,” Hendrickson said. “So we wanted to be careful and bring him in slowly. I thought he did well tonight. That was a bright spot.”

Also, Homegrown forward Victor Bezerra made his MLS debut, coming on for Offor in the second half.

United lost defender Miles Robinson to an injured left leg. Robinson, who was removed on a stretcher, collapsed with the non-contact injury in the 16th minute. It could cost him a roster spot for the World Cup after he started 10 of 14 qualifiers for the U.S.

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Bears general manager Ryan Poles was practical with his first two picks of the NFL draft — Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon and Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker. But while Gordon and Brisker come with dependability, Miami of Ohio defensive end Dominique Robinson comes with the most intrigue.

A former dual-threat quarterback who played wide receiver for two years at Miami before switching to defensive end in 2020, the 6-5, 253-pound Robinson has unique pass-rushing potential. It’s up to the Bears coaching staff to bring it out of him.

“It’s pretty neat when you think about it,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “When you look at these defensive linemen who can turn the corner, it’s always about pointing at the quarterback — your hips, your knees, your toes. You have to be flexible to be able to do that.

“The great ones have always had that. He has that. How far that can go, I don’t know. But he does have some of the attributes that you need to have.”

Robinson is getting his first introduction to the NFL at this week’s rookie mini-camp. He just has more to learn than many of the others. He’s played defensive end for one full season. He said he feels like a defensive end.

“I do. This is something I’ve been molded into over these last three years and I’m looking to be great at this position,” he said.

Robinson said teammates planted the seed for the change from wide receiver to defense when they saw him taking a picture with Akron defensive end Jamal Davis, a former high school teammate of Robinson’s in Canton, Ohio who was drafted by the Chargers in 2019. A glance at Ohio State All-America edge rusher Chase Young did the rest.

“So that was in the back of my head and I’m going through the 2019 season at wide receiver — it wasn’t going my way,” Robinson said. “I love watching college football, so I’m watching Chase Young just run around people, so I’m like, ‘Man, if I can’t do that, there’s something wrong with me.’ That’s what kind of pushed me to that.”

Ja’Tyre Carter’s inspiration

Rookie guard Ja’Tyre Carter, a seventh-round draft pick from Southern, has special inspiration in his quest for a roster spot — his late brother Orthello, who was killed in a car accident when Ja’Tyre was in high school.

“He’s just in my heart everywhere I go,” Carter said. “He’s right there. He’s got a special place.”

He said Orthello, who died less than a week before graduating high school, was the biggest influence on his football career and a good role model.

“He was a quiet guy. He was cool with everybody,” Ja’Tyre said. “He stayed out of the way. He was never in trouble. He was a good kid. It was just unfortunate that had to happen.”

Asked what he learned from his brother, Ja’Tyre said, “Just being a great person, man.”

Mr. Outside — for now

Gordon has potential as an outside or slot corner, but defensive coordinator Alan Williams said Gordon will start on the outside.

“We’re just going to let him dow what he does and see how he shapes out … and ten we’ll see how much he can do and how much we can push him,” Williams said. “As of right now, he’ll be an outside corner.”

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NEW YORK — Country star Mickey Gilley, whose namesake Texas honky-tonk inspired the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy” and a nationwide wave of Western-themed nightspots, has died. He was 86.

Gilley died Saturday in Branson, Missouri, where he helped run the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre. He had been performing as recently as last month, but was in failing health over the past week.

“He passed peacefully with his family and close friends by his side,” according a statement from Mickey Gilley Associates.

Gilley — cousin of rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis — opened Gilley’s, “the world’s largest honky tonk,” in Pasadena, Texas, in the early 1970s. By mid-decade, he was a successful club owner and had enjoyed his first commercial success with “Room Full of Roses.” He began turning out country hits regularly, including “Window Up Above,” “She’s Pulling Me Back Again” and the honky-tonk anthem “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.”

Overall, he had 39 Top 10 country hits and 17 No. 1 songs. He received six Academy of Country Music Awards, and also worked on occasion as an actor, with appearances on “Murder She Wrote,” “The Fall Guy,” “Fantasy Island” and “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

“If I had one wish in life, I would wish for more time,” Gilley told The Associated Press in March 2001 as he celebrated his 65th birthday. Not that he’d do anything differently, the singer said.

“I am doing exactly what I want to do. I play golf, fly my airplane and perform at my theater in Branson, Missouri,” he said. “I love doing my show for the people.”

Meanwhile, the giant nightspot’s attractions, including its famed mechanical bull, led to the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy,” starring John Travolta and Debra Winger and regarded by many as a countrified version of Travolta’s 1977 disco smash, “Saturday Night Fever.” The film inspired by Gilley’s club was based on an Esquire article by Aaron Latham about the relationship between two regulars at the club.

“I thank John Travolta every night before bed for keeping my career alive,” Gilley told the AP in 2002. “It’s impossible to tell you how grateful I am for my involvement with ‘Urban Cowboy.’ That film had a huge impact on my career, and still does.”

The soundtrack included such hits as Johnny Lee’s “Lookin’ for Love,” Boz Scaggs’ “Look What You’ve Done for Me” and Gilley’s “Stand by Me.” The movie turned the Pasadena club into an overnight tourist draw and popularized pearl snap shirts, longneck beers, the steel guitar and mechanical bulls across the country.

But the club shut down in 1989 after Gilley and his business partner Sherwood Cryer feuded over how to run the place. A fire destroyed it soon after.

An upscale version of the old Gilley’s nightclub opened in Dallas in 2003. In recent years, Gilley moved to Branson.

He was married three times, most recently to Cindy Loeb Gilley. He had four children, three with his first wife, Geraldine Garrett, and one with his second, Vivian McDonald.

A Natchez, Mississippi, native, Gilley grew up poor, learning boogie-woogie piano in Ferriday, Louisiana, alongside Lewis and fellow cousin Jimmy Swaggart, the future evangelist. Like Lewis, he would sneak into the windows of Louisiana clubs to listen to rhythm and blues. He moved to Houston to work construction but played the local club scene at night and recorded and toured for years before catching on in the ’70s.

Gilley had suffered health problems in recent years. He underwent brain surgery in August 2008 after specialists diagnosed hydrocephalus, a condition characterized by an increase in fluid in the cranium. Gilley had been suffering from short-term memory loss, and credited the surgery with halting the onset of dementia.

He underwent more surgery in 2009 after he fell off a step, forcing him to cancel scheduled performances in Branson. In 2018, he sustained a fractured ankle and fractured right shoulder in an automobile accident.

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BOSTON — Jose Abreu doubled in free runner AJ Pollock from second in the 10th inning Saturday and scored on Luis Robert’s single, giving the White Sox a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox for their fifth straight victory.

The Sox, whose offense had been lifeless for eight innings, tied it against Hansel Robles in the ninth when Jake Burger led off with a walk, advanced to third on Adam Engel’s double down the third base line and scored on Leury Garcia’s sacrifice fly to right.

Reynaldo Lopez (4-0) stranded runners at second and third in the ninth after allowing a double to Christian Vazquez. Lopez, who worked two scoreless innings, struck out Bobby Dalbec looking with the infield pulled in, then got Trevor Story on an inning-ending pop-up to force extra innings.

Center fielder Luis Robert cut off Vazquez’ double in the gap, possibly preventing Jackie Bradley Jr. from scoring from first.

Dylan Cease pitched five innings of one-run ball, striking out eight and allowing four hits.

Liam Hendriks pitched the 10th. He has nine saves, including consecutive saves in each of the Sox wins during their streak. The Sox scored their runs in the 10th against Matt Barnes.

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Left-hander Wade Miley provides much-welcomed experience and an ability to work at a brisk pace that pleases Cubs manager David Ross.

But Miley, 35, threw only 41 pitches in four scoreless innings in his first rehab start Thursday at Triple-A Iowa. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session before the Cubs’ game Sunday against the Dodgers that will determine the next step in his recovery from a sore left elbow that has delayed his debut with the team.

”We’ll see how I feel and go from there before we jump to any conclusions,” Miley said Saturday.

Miley perhaps was too efficient in his rehab start. He threw 15 pitches in the bullpen after his stint and stressed the biggest challenge for him was getting up and down after each inning.

The Cubs have another day off Thursday, so it might behoove them to give Miley another rehab start before he joins the rotation during a stretch of 14 consecutive games without a scheduled day off that begins Friday.

When Miley is ready, Ross can’t wait to insert him into the rotation.

”He’s a guy who knows how to compete,” Ross said of Miley, who is 97-92 in an 11-year career. ”He’s been a part of winning, a part of a lot of winning. He just knows how to navigate a lineup.”

As of now, Miley’s status won’t dictate what happens with fellow left-hander Justin Steele, who hasn’t pitched past the third inning in any of his last three starts.

Steele’s next start was pushed back to Monday in San Diego to stretch the rotation. Assuming right-hander Kyle Hendricks starts Tuesday, the Cubs still will need a starter for the series finale Wednesday.

It won’t be right-hander Alec Mills, who is expected to throw off a mound soon after suffering an injury to his right quadriceps while recovering from a strained lower back that has sidelined him since the end of spring training.

Wired for sound

As a former ESPN analyst, Ross said he doesn’t mind if one of his players is asked to wear a microphone to talk to the broadcast team while playing in a regular-season game.

”As long as it’s not a distraction, I think you would give it to somebody you feel can handle that,” said Ross, who forgot that he was wired during the 2016 World Series until he fell and landed on the microphone pack attached to his back.

Ross said he thinks having selected players wired to talk with announcers is ”good for the game. And I’m sure the fans love it.”

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is scheduled to wear a mic for ESPN’s ”Sunday Night Baseball” game against the Cubs.

Simmons’ assignment

Shortstop Andrelton Simmons went 1-for-3 but didn’t have any fielding chances in his first game on a rehab assignment for Iowa.

Simmons, who hasn’t played this season because of inflammation in his right shoulder, is scheduled to handle designated-hitter duties Sunday and take Monday off before his injury is assessed as he progresses in his recovery.

Settling a score

The Cubs’ 7-0 loss to the Dodgers in the first game of their doubleheader Saturday ended their streak of scoring in a major-league-high 70 consecutive games, their longest streak since scoring in 71 games in a row from May 11 to July 31, 2019.

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Alan Williams is here to run the show. He’s not going to be a defensive coordinator in name only, merely an understudy to defensive-minded Bears coach Matt Eberflus.

There’s much overlap and alignment in their defensive philosophies — Eberflus wouldn’t have hired him otherwise — but they’ve been clear about their roles. Eberflus is a CEO-style coach rather than a micromanager, and Williams is thrilled to have the autonomy.

”He’s kind of stayed away so I can put my stamp on it,” Williams said.”I commend him for that. Every meeting or every practice, he’s not looking over my shoulder, so I gotta go, ‘Oh, am I doing things right?’ He’s said, ‘Alan, you take it, you run with it, you build it, you do it, put your stamp on it.’ He’s been A-plus in every way about that.”

It won’t be Eberflus’ defensive scheme anyway. It’ll be a blend of the ideas he and Williams bounced back and forth when Eberflus was the Colts’ defensive coordinator and Williams was his defensive backs coach. And those ideas were launched by their collective mentors, such as Tony Dungy, Rod Marinelli, Leslie Frazier and Nick Saban.

Williams, 52, is entering his 21st NFL season as a position coach or higher and spent two seasons as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator before linking up with Eberflus. So there’s no doubt he brought plenty to the table as Eberflus built the Colts’ defense into a powerhouse.

Everything about the Eberflus-Williams dynamic seems different than what the Bears endured under former coach Matt Nagy. And, in that context, ”different” always means ”better.”

Eberflus made his intentions clear the day the Bears introduced him: He wanted to hire coordinators capable of running things on their own. He said outright he wouldn’t be calling defensive plays. So if the Bears’ defense flourishes, don’t forget to give Williams his credit.

That structure sounded reasonable when Eberflus announced it, but it was unconvincing. Would someone who waited three decades for a head-coaching opportunity really stay hands-off once he finally had his own team to run? It’s early, but Williams said Eberflus has kept his word.

”I don’t know if many people could do that — have a defensive background and let someone [else] go and put their stamp on it,” Williams said. ”So far, he’s done that. I can’t say how much I appreciate that.

”He is an extremely disciplined guy. When he says he’s gonna do something, he can will himself to do whatever that is. So he’s allowing me to do it. I do think it’s genuine.”

It fits Eberflus’ overall vibe of making the big picture his top priority. He expects to be coaching the Bears for the next decade and thinks the most sustainable approach is for him to be looped in on every facet of the team. It would be hard to do that if he basically was serving as their defensive coordinator.

It’s tiresome to rehash the many stumbles of the Nagy area, but the contrast is helpful when examining how Eberflus intends to run the Bears.

Nagy often struggled for answers as his defense tumbled the last few seasons, ultimately deteriorating to the point that it couldn’t keep his floundering offense afloat anymore. But that made sense, given that it wasn’t actually his defense. Vic Fangio, Chuck Pagano and Sean Desai were on their own.

Similarly, it was tough to discern exactly what Mark Helfrich’s and Bill Lazor’s jobs were — other than when play-calling was thrust into Lazor’s hands in a panic in 2020 and last season — because Nagy had total control.

”I do believe that to be the head football coach and be efficient at that, you are exactly the head football coach,” Eberflus explained. ”So I can be involved in all aspects of the game.”

He’ll be a valuable resource to Williams, but he’ll give him creative freedom to make this defense his own. And that’s the best arrangement for everyone involved.

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As a fifth-round draft pick from FCS Southern Utah, Bears rookie tackle Braxton Jones knows he has a lot to learn to adjust to the NFL. But he also knows there’s a job to win.

“Obviously as a rookie you can’t come in like you’ve already got the job done. You’ve got a lot of stuff to learn,” said Jones, a three-year starter in college who was the 168th overall pick of the draft. “But in the course of playing, you’re trying to take someone’s job. Everyone’s out there to take someone’s job.

“So I try to approach the playbook like a rookie and try to figure it out. Then on the field, when it comes to finishing and playing hard, you’re approaching that like you’re trying to take someone’s job.”

At this point, Jones is a contender. Almost any new offensive lineman is, actually. New Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ rebuild has been a pretty clear repudiation of the roster he inherited, but particularly on the offensive line.

Guard James Daniels — arguably the Bears’ best lineman and seemingly a long-term keeper at 24, was let go in free agency and signed an affordable three-year, $26.5 million contract with the Steelers. Poles signed Packers center Lucas Patrick at the opening bell of free agency to replace Sam Mustipher.

Tackles Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom would have been foundation pieces under former general manager Ryan Pace — Jenkins was a second-round draft pick (39th overall). Borom was a fifth-round pick who acquitted himself well in eight starts at right tackle as a rookie. But with tepid-at-best endorsements of both players from Poles, Jenkins and Borom will be competing for the starting jobs they had at the end of the Pace regime.

When the Bears held their first mini-camp last month,their starting offensive line was comprised of Borom at right tackle, veteran Cody Whitehair at right guard, Patrick at center, Mustipher at right guard and Jenkins at right tackle.

Whitehair, a six-year starter who made the Pro Bowl at center in 2018, and Patrick appear entrenched. But all bets are off after that. Free agent Dakota Dozier will compete with Mustipher at right guard. And a lot could depend on just how quickly rookies develop.

Jones and sixth-round pick Zachary Thomas bear watching. Jones is playing left tackle at rookie mini-camp. Thomas, a tackle at San Diego State, is playing right guard. The Bears also drafted center Doug Kramer from Illinois in the sixth round and tackle Ja’Tyre Carter from Southern — a college tackle playing guard with the Bears –in the seventh round.

It might be a long shot for any rookie lineman to win a starting job, but let’s see how things shake out. Jenkins is a second-round draft pick. Borom has experience. But nowhere is it better to be a Poles guy than a Pace guy than on the offensive line. That’s Poles’ college position, an area of expertise for him in player personnel with the Chiefs. And the first-time GM has specific ideas of what kind of linemen he wants — “lighter and quicker” for starters. All the new linemen were acquired with that in mind.

That gives anyone a chance.

“When I was drafted where I was, I watched the rest of the draft and how [the Bears] drafted as well,” Jones said. “It looks like we’re just trying to compete everywhere. They have o-linemen here and the situation is good here. But last year, giving up a bunch of sacks [58, most in the NFL] we’re just trying to be great. I think the biggest thing is we’re trying to get a bunch of guys to compete against each other, and to have fun while we’re doing it.”

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There was only one winner Friday at Wrigley Field: the inclement weather.

That’s the word — ”inclement” — the Cubs used to announce that their series opener against the Dodgers had been postponed, with a doubleheader now set for Saturday.

It instantly raised three vitally important questions:

One, when was the last time anyone used ”clement” in a sentence, 1852?

Two, why does it seem as though nobody remembers pitcher Matt Clement’s big 2003 season? Dude won 14 games, tossed a gem in his final regular-season start to help the Cubs clinch a division title, then pitched 7 2/3 innings to beat the Marlins for a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series. All these years later, you would think Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano were the only starters on that roster.

And three, help! OK, that’s not a question. But let’s just say it’s hard enough to find relevant things to write about the current Cubs — a rebuilding, next-to-last-place, talent-stripped team — even when they do play.

An empty, quiet Wrigley is a metaphor for where the Cubs are at, which couldn’t be more different from where the Dodgers are at.

Since the clubs squared off in the NLCS in back-to-back seasons — the Cubs winning in 2016, the Dodgers in 2017 — the Cubs have been in a steady decline that turned into an all-out capitulation. In 2018, the offense ”broke,” according to then-president Theo Epstein, and the division title was stolen by the Brewers. In 2019, manager Joe Maddon was a lame duck, bad free-agent signings and poor pitching development had blown up in the Cubs’ faces, an ”October begins in March” rallying cry packed zero punch and, in the end, Epstein surmised the stars of the team were too comfortable and not leaders. In 2020, a pandemic-shortened season, nobody hit and star contracts became elephants in the room. In 2021, the writing was on the wall until some heartbreaking trades ended the whole charade.

But the Dodgers? All they’ve done is win and continue striving for world domination. It will shock all of baseball if they fail to make the playoffs for the 10th year in a row, a streak that already dwarfs what the Cubs managed in their modern heyday. The Dodgers have won only one World Series title during that stretch — it came in 2020 — but there have been five appearances in the NLCS and three in the Fall Classic (including a seven-game Series loss to the fraudulent Astros in 2017).

The Dodgers have set the bar so high, it took a franchise-record 107 victories by the Giants last season to top them by a game in the NL West, which this season appears to be the best division in baseball. The Dodgers — clearly better than they were when the Cubs were reaching their own zenith — are the powerhouse organization in the sport.

Manager Dave Roberts signed an extension in the spring that should keep him around through 2025, a 10th season in a giant, demanding market. Maddon never had a chance to go beyond five in a comparable market with deep-pocketed ownership, brimming revenue streams and a dream fan base.

One club brings up blue-chip prospects — Will Smith, Dustin May, Gavin Lux, Brusdar Graterol — to go with homegrown superstars such as Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler and mega-free agents Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman; the other lets its big-league roster die on the vine. One is relentless; the other makes empty claims about being competitive as it rebuilds. One is state-of-the-art; the other is, perhaps, in a state of denial.

When did the Dodgers and Cubs diverge? When did it start? There’s time on a rainy day to try to imagine it.

Was it Game 1 in 2017, which the Cubs lost after blowing the two-run lead Albert Almora Jr. had given them with a home run against the great Kershaw?

Was it Game 2, when Maddon turned to John Lackey out of the bullpen for a second consecutive day? Justin Turner’s two-out, two-strike, walk-off home run in the ninth inning lives on.

Was it Kris Bryant admitting during that series that the Cubs — with a curse-busting title to defend — were tired?

After making the last out of the fifth and final game at Wrigley, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras looked at the Dodgers in the field and clapped as he made his way back to the dugout. It was a gesture of impressive respect. The Cubs would be back. Two outstanding teams would wage October battle again.

But it hasn’t happened. The Cubs haven’t won a playoff game since that series. When these Dodgers who’ve been around awhile look down their noses this weekend, they won’t even recognize the opponent they see.

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