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Alzolay allowed two runs over a career-high six innings and earned his first quality start of his career in the Cubs’ 9-3 win over the Braves

ATLANTA — The Cubs have given starter Adbert Alzolay a chance to grow at the major-league level, and after a rocky season debut, Alzolay has started to come into his own. He entered Thursday’s game in an attempt to play stopper and end the Cubs’ five-game losing streak.

While that would be a lot to ask of many young starters, Alzolay looked up for the task against a Braves team that averaged eight runs per game over the first three games of the series.

The Cubs’ right-hander continued to show his steady development in Thursday’s 9-3 win and is beginning to look like the starter the Cubs always envisioned him being.

“I think his stuff, I’ll put it up there with anybody in baseball,” said Matt Duffy, who was 2-for-4 on Thursday. “Just the way it moves. I faced him in live BP right before the season started and was thoroughly impressed with the pure stuff.”

Alzolay got into very little trouble against Atlanta and was aggressive in the strike zone with his sinker, slider and four-seam fastball. Braves hitters didn’t look very comfortable against Alzolay over his career-high six innings of work.

“I think he’s just getting a little more consistent with what he wants to do the hitters and the trust that he has in his stuff,” manager David Ross said. “I’m really seeing the same pitcher, I think there’s just a little bit more leeway from my end and the ability to watch and continue to build confidence in him that he has and I have and our group has letting him go a little bit deeper today.

“He continues to build that confidence and has established himself as one of our really good starters.”

The six innings of work was a major accomplishment for Alzolay. He struck out six batters and walked just one, throwing a career-high 94 pitches in the process. It was the first quality start of his career.

“When you can command and control a pitch on both sides of the plate, it will open so many doors for you,” Alzolay said. “Because you have the hitter just now looking at one spot, but you got the hitter wondering, ‘Oh, this guy can go to the other side of the plate with the same pitch. They start thinking at the plate. So for me, it’s just keep getting better at commanding the pitch and just keep attacking the hitters.”

The Cubs needed an outing like this from one of their starters. With with the exception of Trevor Williams on Tuesday, no other starter had a quality outing in Atlanta.

Cubs starting pitchers allowed 16 earned runs against the hot-hitting Braves during the four-game series. All but four of those runs came in starts by right-handers Zach Davies and Kyle Hendricks, who have left a lot to be desired in April.

Davies and Hendricks were supposed to be the two consistent pieces of the rotation, but so far this season, they’ve been not only bad but two of the worst starters in baseball, allowing a combined 39 earned runs.

The lack of quality starts takes a toll after a while, and Cubs’ relievers have been warming up far too often in the fourth and fifth innings. The rotation will have to start going longer before the struggles begin to leak into the bullpen.

“I mean, it was huge for me that I was able to throw my first quality start in the big leagues today,” Alzolay said. “As a team, I feel like we needed it. We haven’t been as good as everyone was expecting as starting pitchers, but tonight, I felt it was good as a team and for the starters that I went out and gave the team six innings.”

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If Justin Fields was nervous, he didn’t show it. If the Ohio State quarterback was using each team passing on him during Thursday night’s draft as motivation for his rookie season, he didn’t let on.

But it was clear, as he sat in the living room at his parents’ home in Kennesaw, Ga., that Fields was surprised he lasted long enough for the Bears to trade up and draft him.

“I mean I’ve gone through situations where I haven’t been chosen — and I think the world has seen the outcome of that,” he said. “But my goal now is not to worry about those teams. Those teams have nothing to do with me. My goal is to, you know, if we play that team, to beat them. So I’m not worried about the draft. The draft is over for me. For me personally, I’m ready to get to work.”

Bears general manager Ryan Pace paid dearly to find out the result. To get from No. 20 to No. 11, he sent the Giants his first-round picks both this year and next, plus a fourth-round pick in 2022 and a fifth-rounder in 2021.

In doing so, Pace bet his career on the 6-2, 227-pounder’s strong right arm. He knows better than most that a shock trade is no guarantee of success — Mitch Trubisky, the last quarterback for whom Pace traded up to draft, simply wasn’t good enough to last more than four years as the team’s next quarterback hope.

Now Fields holds that title. He’s the latest in a line of players since Sid Luckman — including Andy Dalton, whom the Bears gave a one-year, $10 million deal in March — that have, with rare exception, disappointed Bears fans.

Fields said he’s built to handle the pressure.

“Just the way I carry myself, just the way I care about the game, the grit I have, the determination I have to be great,” said Fields, who performed in front of Bears coach Matt Nagy at his pro day this month and befriended him during Zoom interviews. “I think nobody kind of has the story that I have.

“So just everything inside of me, just wanting to be a great quarterback, wanting to be a franchise quarterback. And just me dreaming for this moment my whole life. So I just think all of those intangibles, my work ethic. And all that together will, of course, be different for me.”

Fields stayed home to play at Georgia, appearing in 12 games as a freshman while backing up Jake Fromm. He received a waiver to transfer to Ohio State and play immediately, though, on the basis that a Bulldogs athlete had been overheard using a slur about him while cheering at a football game.

He starred immediately at Ohio State, throwing 40 touchdowns and three interceptions in his sophomore year. He was named second-team All-America and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

In eight games this year, he threw 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, repeating as the Big Ten’s best offensive player. He left school having lost two games ever as the starter — both in the playoffs.

Earlier this week, NFL Network reported that teams were made aware that Fields has been managing epilepsy throughout his career. His family members diagnosed with epilepsy grew out of it.

All five projected first-round passers were gone before the night’s midway point, but not in the order that most experts presumed. The Jaguars took Clemson star Trevor Lawrence first overall, as expected, followed by the Jets selecting BYU’s Zach Wilson.

The 49ers, who traded three first-round picks in March to secure the No. 3 spot, sent the first shock through the Cleveland crowd when they took North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. He played just one Football Championship Subdivision game in 15 months and was never offered an FBS scholarship to play quarterback.

When the Giants were on the clock at No. 11, the Bears pounced. They got Giants general manager Dave Gettleman to trade back for the first time in his career, which spanned six drafts and 55 picks. During the offseason, Gettleman said he’d only move back for value — “I’m not getting fleeced,” he said — and the Bears provided just that.

For all the Bears gave up, Pace at least got to keep his second- and third-round picks this season, allowing him to attempt to fill a starting lineup with holes remaining from a cap-strapped free agency period.

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Jeff Badu is 28 years old, a licensed CPA and a millionaire.

The latter he achieved by age 25, despite zero financial literacy education growing up.

Had he learned about money at a younger age, he feels it wouldn’t have taken him as long.

So now the millennial, a resident of Uptown and founder and CEO of Badu Enterprises, LLC, a multinational firm with a successful real estate arm — which began with the purchase of one unit in 2017 and now owns 118 units — wants to help youth like him achieve the same.

His year-old Badu Foundation is accepting inner city applicants ages 6-18 for four-week financial literacy programs that are accompanied by a $500 college scholarship.

“My family has always been entrepreneurs, math folks. We just have a love for business,” said Badu, who attended the Chicago Public Schools’ McCutcheon Elementary and Uplift Community High School, where he matriculated in 2010 with an honors GPA of 4.23.

The Ghanaian immigrant, whose parents emigrated to Chicago with their three children when he was eight years old, went on to obtain both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2014 and 2015.

“Long story short, when I was younger, I unfortunately surrounded myself with the wrong crowd, which ultimately could have gotten me into some really big trouble,” Badu said.

“I didn’t have someone to teach me about money and finances and prepare me to live the best abundant life possible. With all of the violence going on in Chicago with our youth, I guarantee you that if they had more financial education and empowerment, they would be able to stay out of trouble. They just want to sustain themselves and get out of poverty.”

Provided

His father is a real estate developer in Ghana, his mother, a nurse. He’s the only boy and middle child, with two sisters. Growing up in Uptown, it was at age 16, as he was headed down the wrong path, that his parents took him for a visit to their native country.

That visit, and the poverty he witnessed, proved life changing. He came back determined not to throw away his opportunities, and more importantly, to be able to help someday.

“To be honest, it was God. That trip really opened my eyes and allowed me to see the light and to see my purpose in life,” the soft-spoken young man said.

“I saw people struggling. I wanted to be part of the solution, not the problem. I wanted to find resources to help people get out of that scarcity and live abundantly. It was a deep moment for me. From that moment on, I worked 10 times harder and got myself educated.”

In high school, he’d been on the soccer team, in band and After School Matters programs.

In college, he was vice president of the school’s National Association of Black Accountants chapter and spent the summer of his junior and senior years interning at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, which hired him upon graduation.

Provided

But Badu would only stay one year. He’d started his tax preparation business at age 18, and by the time he left PwC, he had built a client base of 100, from family and friends.

Badu Tax Services, LLC, was launched September 2016; Badu Investments, LLC, in April 2017, and the 501c3 foundation in April 2020. In a pandemic, its inaugural program only drew three students. The foundation has set a goal of serving 30 students this year.

Badu and his team teach the youth the value of saving, budgeting, investing and starting college savings accounts that are launched with the $500 scholarship from the foundation.

“So we basically teach them the importance of applying for scholarships, provide them with resources to find and apply for scholarships, and then give them the first $500. Our students will be able to reapply every year, and each program they complete will garner another $500. When they enroll in college, all those funds will go toward tuition,” Badu said.

“I want to help our youth think differently. We only allow students residing in low-income communities in Chicago to apply. I wish I knew some of these things much younger, because I could have gotten more of a head start in life.”

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Public health officials in Cook County are serving up COVID-19 vaccines to bar and restaurant workers as the suburbs follow in lockstep with Chicago’s latest round of eased coronavirus restrictions.

Mondays in May will be designated “restaurant days” at the county’s six suburban mass vaccination sites, Cook County Board Presidents Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday.

Anyone can sign up for an appointment or walk up to the six sites in Tinley Park, Matteson, River Grove, South Holland, Des Plaines or Forest Park. But officials want to vaccinate as many of the “essential heroes” in the hospitality industry as possible with indoor capacity expanding to the lesser of 50% or 100 people per room.

“Restaurant staff people worked tirelessly, even as they were asked to pivot to new roles to meet new demands, even as hours were cut, doors were closed, and their own life livelihoods were in jeopardy,” Preckwinkle said. “Now we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and people are returning toward cafes and restaurants for a sense of normal normalcy and camaraderie that we all have craved.”

An estimated 20% of restaurants statewide won’t survive the pandemic, according to Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia, shuttering about 5,000 businesses and leaving more than 100,000 out of work.

“We were the first industry to be shut down, and probably will be one of the last industries to truly reopen and recover. Vaccinations are absolutely crucial to help drive our COVID numbers back down and get our guests back in restaurants,” Toia said.

The restaurant shot push comes as public health officials face their latest challenge in the pandemic with demand for vaccine slowing across Illinois.

“Most individuals who absolutely knew ahead that they wanted the shot have had the chance to get one,” Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha said. “Now we have to change hearts and minds to encourage individuals who have not yet made the decision to get vaccinated.”

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Almost a third of all Illinois residents are fully vaccinated, and about half have gotten at least one dose, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which reported 107,689 more shots went into arms statewide on Wednesday.

But the state is now averaging just 97,434 shots administered per day over the past week — the first time that rate has fallen below 100,000 in a month, and a 27% decrease compared to the all-time high of almost 133,000 the state reported two and a half weeks ago.

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“This will be an uphill climb, but we are committed to doing everything we can to get people vaccinated and remove barriers to access,” Rocha said.

As part of that effort, city officials announced the Chicago State University mass vaccination site is now offering the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson vaccine in its drive-thru facility, no appointments required. Pfizer shots are also available.

Still, “we’re not out of this yet,” Preckwinkle warned.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times file

The state reported 3,394 new cases of the disease Thursday, the most logged in a single day in about two weeks. They were diagnosed among 89,057 tests, raising Illinois average positivity rate to 3.5%. That figure is still down about 20% overall since April 12.

Officials also reported the disease killed 28 more residents, including a Cook County man in his 30s.

More than 1.3 million people have tested positive statewide over the last 13 months, and 21,927 of them have died.

For help finding a vaccination appointment in Chicago, visit zocdoc.com or call (312) 746-4835.

For suburban Cook County sites, visit vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or call (833) 308-1988.

To find providers elsewhere, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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The Blackhawks’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers on Thursday was a game for disgruntled players thriving in new situations.

Vinnie Hinostroza, the ex-Panthers forward enjoying a brilliant April in Chicago, scored for the Hawks in his first matchup against his now-former team.

But Sam Bennett, the ex-Flames forward tearing it up just as much for the Panthers in recent weeks, struck late in OT to deal the Hawks another defeat.

“It was a step forward,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We had more than enough [chances] to score in overtime, so that leaves a sour taste not to get the two points. But speaking of the overall performance, [I’m] much happier with how we came out tonight and competed than the last game.”

The Hawks have lost four of their last five games with just six left in the regular season, and nearly suffered a third straight regulation setback Thursday. Alex DeBrincat provided some late drama, however, finding open space back-door and roofing a feed from Patrick Kane to tie the game with 17.6 seconds left.

After a long stretch of uninterrupted overtime hockey, most of which the Hawks spent in possession, Bennett — who now boasts 11 points in his first eight games with the Panthers — roared down the left wing and beat Kevin Lankinen over his shoulder.

Hinostroza, who temporarily gave the Hawks a 2-1 second-period lead after burying a feed from his so-called “Bash Bro” Brandon Hagel, reveled little in the proposed revenge-game narrative.

“I don’t look at it as my old team,” he said. “It’s just another team in the NHL. I’ve been here a month, this is my team. This is where I want to be. I want to help this team win.”

The fact the Hawks dressed not only Hinostroza but also two other recent ex-Panthers in Riley Stillman and Brett Connolly could’ve been more of an advantage had the two teams not already seen each other six times this season — and if Joel Quenneville wasn’t coaching the other side.

Fellow newcomer Adam Gaudette did make an impact, scoring his first goal as a Hawk in the first period.

Hardman won’t forget debut

Mike Hardman’s NHL debut Tuesday was even more special than expected because his mom, dad and two grandparents were in attendance in a United Center suite.

“I didn’t really know if they were going to be able to come because of all the COVID stuff, but they were able to make it out,” Hardman said Wednesday. “All four of them have been there every step of the way for me, so it was really important for them to be able to see my first game. It was a night I’ll never forget.”

Hardman impressed in limited playing time, which Colliton later regretted wasn’t higher, and stayed in the lineup for his second game Thursday.

“He was physical, he made some plays, he skated well,” Colliton said. “Very good debut for him, so that was positive.”

No AHL playoffs

The AHL announced Thursday it won’t hold league playoffs this season, which means the Rockford IceHogs’ season will end May 15.

With a 9-15-1 record, the Hawks affiliate wasn’t exactly deserving of a playoff berth anyway. This year has been more about prospect development than winning. Dylan McLaughlin and Cody Franson, two players on AHL-only contracts, share the team scoring lead with 17 points each; Evan Barratt is the top-scoring Hawks prospect with 12 points.

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Everyone gets nervous when Bears general manager Ryan Pace takes a big swing in the draft, and rightfully so. But this one is different.

Pace gave up a lot, including the Bears’ first-round pick next year, but he’s also getting a lot in Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. This is much different than when he bet the franchise’s future on Mitch Trubisky four years ago.

Fields fits every part of the criteria to be the Bears’ long-term answer at quarterback in a way Trubisky never did. There’s far more certainty and far less projection after he dominated college football the last two seasons.

Fields piled up 5,373 yards 22 games and threw 63 touchdown passes versus nine interceptions while leading Ohio State to the playoffs twice. He went throw for throw with No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence and had him on the ropes with two minutes left in 2019, then thumped him in the playoffs last season.

“I definitely think it will translate well, especially with the fan base,” Fields said. “I know that Bears fans are very passionate about football, and of course so is Ohio State, so it’s really kind of [the same] in terms of seriousness.”

That carries much more weight than Trubisky going 8-5 and losing in the Sun Bowl during his lone season as a starter at North Carolina. There’s a world of difference between their credentials.

So while the Bears settled for fourth choice among quarterbacks, opting for Fields over Alabama’s Mac Jones, the price they paid to move from No. 20 to No. 11 is justifiable for Fields. If he plays for the Bears as he did for Ohio State, no one’s going to worry about Pace selling off a first- and fourth-rounder in 2022 and a fifth-round pick this year to jump nine spots and make sure he got Fields before anyone else wised up and did the same.

It was a gutsy choice by Pace not only because he once again depleted the Bears’ future stock of draft picks but because there’s no guarantee he’ll get to stay long enough to see how this turns out.

Or maybe Fields buys him more time.

It’s difficult to decipher whether Pace made the selfless move by picking a player who might not contribute much this season, when Pace’s job is on the line, or extended his stay because Fields brings long-term hope.

Fields can save Pace’s job simply by not being a disaster, even if the season goes sideways for the Bears with Andy Dalton. If the Bears veer off the road early, Fields will get a chance to get his growing pains out of the way this season with an eye on breaking out in 2022.

As far as trying to win now, which seemed to be the Bears’ priority until this trade, the more prudent move probably would’ve been to draft an offensive tackle who could start right away. While that would’ve helped long term as well, there’s nothing exciting about it.

But Fields? He’s electric. And the Bears are rarely electric.

Fields has all the firepower they’ve lacked at quarterback since, well, maybe forever, plus incredible running ability. He was initially thought to be second only to Lawrence among quarterbacks in this draft, and the nitpicking that dropped him behind Zach Wilson and Trey Lance never made sense.

“There’s a lot of criticism coming from outside voices that didn’t really matter,” Fields said. “So I just did my best to cut all that out and really just get to work.”

All the Bears have to do — and this is the scary part — is not ruin him. Don’t fall in love with Fields’ phenomenal skillset this week, then spend the next four years trying to change him into something else. He can change everything for the Bears — if they let him.

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The Chicago Bears made a big trade up and drafted former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The post 2021 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears Select Justin Fields with the 11th Overall Pick first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More