In past seasons, Ian Happ may not have executed the diving and sliding plays he made Thursday with the same conviction.

“Just over the course of the year, as you get more and more of those, you get more comfortable with the read off the bat,” he said, “where you know you can give yourself a chance, and you’re making decisions based on game situation, based on, ‘OK, I can go after this ball and dive or slide, I know I can come up the last second, I know I can keep it in front of me and it’s not going to turn into a double.'”

It’s been clear from the way Happ has moved in left field this season, and even some of his defensive numbers, that he has been more comfortable defensively. But on Thursday, after Happ made two standout plays in the Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the Reds at Wrigley Field, manager David Ross took it a step further.

“I haven’t looked at the rest of the league, but it feels like he’s played some of the best defensive left field in the league for me,” Ross said. “Hopefully he’s starting to get into that gold-glove conversation.”

Happ is outspoken about his mistrust of most defensive stats, but in this case, several support Ross’ point.

Happ, who came up as a utility player but has consistently played left field this season, entered Thursday with a career-best 10 defensive runs saved in the outfield, according to FanGraphs. He ranked No.1 among qualified left-fielders in ultimate zone rating (7.1) – but No. 4 in UZR/150, behind Christian Yelich, Andrew Benintendi and Steven Kwan. He was also in the Top 3 in outs above average (1), behind Kwan and David Peralta.

How to best quantify defensive prowess is a fraught subject. But scoring high in defensive metrics helps a player’s Gold Glove case; 25 percent of the selection process goes to the sabermetrics community. Votes from managers and coaches account for the other 75 percent.

“It’d be really cool,” Happ said. “We still have a lot of baseball left, and you come to work every day and do your job, and then you look at that stuff at the end of the year. But honestly, that’s one of those honors that I thought about a lot as a kid – when I was playing shortstop, not as much as a left fielder. But it’d be really cool.”

Either way, days like Thursday are a reminder of the growth Happ’s shown in the field this season.

“A lot of character plays too, for him,” Ross said. “Just continues to stay in compete mode. The way he’s playing the game right now, there’s a lot of leadership qualities and how he’s setting the example day in and day out, an everyday player.”

The third inning began with Reds designated hitter Nick Senzel pulling a short line drive directly at Happ. Those are some of the hardest to read, and Happ froze momentarily to make sure the ball didn’t have enough carry to get behind him. Then, when he got the right angle to see its trajectory, he charged hard, diving in and rolling to secure the first out of the inning.

Later in the frame, with two outs, TJ Friedl hit a line drive into the left-field gap. Happ wanted to get his “eyes under it,” as he put it. Reaching down for a shoestring catch or diving horizontally would jostle his sightline. So, he slid to his left to make the inning-ending grab.

Starter Adrian Sampson, when asked about the plays Happ made behind him Thursday, quipped: “Just today? Nah, he’s been doing it all year.”

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Bears tackle Braxton Jones stopped to think in front of his locker this week. While he tried to come up with the best pass-rusher he faced at small-college Southern Utah last year, someone offered to pull up the FBS school’s 2021 schedule on their phone.

He settled on defensive lineman Travez Moore, who played for Arizona State when the Sun Devils hosted SUU in a 41-14 season-opening win.

“He was really quick and shifty,” the Bears’ rookie tackle said.

Moore, an LSU transfer who is in his fifth season this year, has 2 1/2 career sacks in college.

He’s no Nick Bosa.

Jones will find that out in the Bears’ season opener Sunday when he lines up across from the two-time Pro Bowl defensive and 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

How he fares will be a reflection of new general manager Ryan Poles, play-caller Luke Getsy and the Bears’ player development capabilities.

And, of course, Jones himself.

Jones is the first Bears rookie left tackle to start in Week 1 in 30 years. His development has been steeper, and quicker, than even Poles expected when he drafted him in the fifth round. If Poles is right and Jones can be a long-term answer at one of the most important positions in the sport, the Bears’ rebuilding timeline will fast-forward.

“We thought he definitely had starter potential and he could develop,” Poles said last week. “I’ve been blown away by how fast he has developed ….

“And, then, now that next phase is Week 1 — he’s going to see a ‘big dog.’ And I told him, too, there’s going to be ups and downs and I think part of being a really good player is the short memory. How can you overcome some of those bad plays?”

Sunday won’t be perfect.

“I hope none of y’all expect him to win every rep vs. Nick Bosa in a game,” quarterback Justin Fields said. “I mean, he knows not going to win every rep. At the end of the day you just gotta move on and focus on the next play.

“So we’re gonna try to help him out as much as possible. But yeah, just being real, knowing that he’s not going to win every play. That’s everyone in the league. Everyone gets ‘got’ on one play, but you’ve just got to come back the next play and execute.”

Jones knows that.

“It’s just one play at a time for me — looking at the play, diagnosing it and doing everything I can on that one play,” he said. “And then that play is over? ‘OK, let’s go.'”

How well he can forget the previous play will be a reflection of offensive line coach Chris Morgan’s techniques. The Bears have praised Morgan’s teaching abilities, even citing him as a reason they believe they can get more out of former first-round pick Alex Leatherwood than the Raiders ever could.

Morgan has educated Jones about Bosa without making the matchup intimidating.

“I don’t think you make a big deal,” Morgan said. “But you study and learn about the player inside and out. You just prepare.”

Guard Cody Whitehair, who made his own rookie debut lined up against the great Vince Wilfork, said being at home should help settle Jones’ nerves.

“There’s going to be some rookie-year jitters out there,” he said. “I think the biggest thing is staying calm.”

The fifth-round pick spent all offseason matched up against Robert Quinn, who set the franchise’s sacks record last year with 18 1/2 sacks.

Still, they’re different kinds of pass rushers. No one in the world gets lower when he turns the corner than Quinn does.

“In my mind, they can be two different players,” Jones said. “But they can also do the same thing. It does help. Just confidence, right?”

His new play-caller can help build that confidence. How much help Jones gets — from tight ends and running backs, and from screens and counters –will show just how creative Getsy can be in his first-ever NFL game as a play-caller.

“It’s a great challenge for him,” Getsy said. “Any time you play someone of the caliber as Mr. Bosa presents for you, you’ve got to have a plan. Regardless of who your right or left tackle are, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got a plan. Because he’s someone that can change the game, and you’ve gotta do your best to make sure that you minimize that as much as you can. “

Getsy’s Packers never could. Bosa has four sacks in four career games against Green Bay– with three coming in two playoff contests.

“He’s the real deal,” Getsy said.

Maybe Jones is, too.

Sunday, the Bears will start to find out.

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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is dealing with an injury ahead of Week 1 vs. the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears could catch a break in Week 1 as San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is dealing with an injury already.

Pro Football Networks, Aaron Wilson reports one source characterized Kittle’s status as being fluid but emphasized the groin injury is “not good,” adding that it would be optimal for him to rest and rehab for a week or two:

One source characterized Kittle’s status as being fluid but emphasized the groin injury is “not good,” adding that it would be optimal for him to rest and rehab for a week or two.

Another source called it a Grade 2 strain that has limited Kittle’s top-end speed. One of the top tight ends in the game and well known for his toughness, Kittle wouldn’t shock anyone if he opted to play through the injury. Nonetheless, his chances of playing nearly the entire season are considered much more likely if he sits out the season opener and doesn’t further aggravate the injury.

Kittle has been battling the injury since Monday and didn’t practice Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

“I’m not sure,” Shanahan said Wednesday when asked about Kittle’s status. “I was hoping he would be good today. He did it a little bit on Monday and not feeling good today, so we’ll have to see day by day.

Nonetheless, George Kittle’s chances of playing nearly the entire season are considered much more likely if he sits out the season opener and doesn’t further aggravate the injury. Kittle is a three-time Pro Bowl tight end and is considered amongst the best in the league.

If George Kittle were to miss Sunday’s season opener, first-year-starter Trey Lance will be without his number one weapon. This would be a massive break for the Bears who have had their own injury woes and a golden opportunity to get a win.

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The Sun-Times’ experts predict the Bears’ 2022 record:

Rick Morrissey: 5-12

If you’ve paid any attention to social media and Bears’ fans hopes for the season, you know that lots of people are picking seven, eight or nine victories. This is based on something, though I’m not sure what. They’ve embraced the idea of a rebuild but still think there’s going to be success in 2022? It doesn’t work that way.

Rick Telander: 6-11

I still find it amusing that coach Lovie Smith got fired in 2012 after going 10-6.That was when the Bears claimed it was all about the playoffs. Playoffs?What playoffs? Big chuckle.

Patrick Finley: 6-11

Seven teams had six or fewer wins last season: the Jets, Texans, Jaguars, Giants, Lions, Panthers — and Bears. Of that group, only the Texans are spending less than the Bears on active players this year.

Laurence Holmes: 6-11

Head coach Matt Eberflus deserves credit for raising the competency floor of this franchise. He seems to be an organized, sensible football coach. Whether that will be enough to overcome a clear talent deficiency this season remains to be seen. Strangely enough, the consensus over/under win total for the Bears 5.5. Therefore I’m staking ground as an optimist.

Jason Lieser: 5-12

That’s how it looks on paper. A few things must happen for them to exceed expectations: Justin Fields catapults into the top 10 at his position, their pass defense turns it around from last season and several opponents turn out to be worse than everyone thought. Otherwise, this is the start of a rebuild, and that’s usuallyrough.

Mark Potash: 6-11

A defense that should be in the middle of the pack or better in Eberflus’ first season will keep the Bears in a lot of games with this schedule. With presumed offensive growth under Luke Getsy, the Bears are more likely to win eight or nine games than three or four.

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Roquan Smith and the re-buillt Bears’ defense are going into the season opener against the 49ers Sunday with supreme confidence. Asked to pick a player who will surprise people this season, Smith couldn’t pick one.

“Honestly, I think all 11 are going to surprise everyone,” Smith said, “with how we’re going to run to the ball and hit anything that moves.”

That sets the stage for an immediate challenge against the 49ers at Soldier Field. In particular, the Bears will be tested by one unknown factor in 49ers first-year starting quarterback Trey Lance and one well-known weapon in do-it-all wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Lance sat behind Jimmy Garoppolo for all but two games as a rookie last season, including the 49ers’ 33-22 victory over the Bears at Soldier Field in Week 8. But Samuel was a star in that game. The 6-0, 215-pound Samuel — a second-round pick from South Carolina in 2019 –caught six passes for 171 yards.

It was an early glimpse of Samuel’s versatility that would earn him a three-year, $71.6 million contract ($58.1 million guaranteed). Samuel burned the Bears with a 50-yard catch downfield in the final seconds of the first half that set up a field goal. In the second half, he took a screen pass in the backfield and raced through the Bears’ defense for an 83-yard play that set up a touchdown.

“Amazing player,” Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. “He does it all. It’ll be a tough challenge. He’s good with the ball in his hands, whether he’s catching a pass or they’re handing it off to him.

“He’s great getting on an edge. Some people — maybe the casual fan — would go, ‘He’s just a perimeter player.’ But they run him up the middle also. He breaks tackles. It’s going to be an extremely tough challenge for us.”

Though Samuel is an elusive player, Williams said aggressiveness and physicality are part of the plan to limit his production.

“With our defense, we’re getting seven-plus [players] to the football,” Williams said. “We’re swarming to the ball, making sure we’re gap sound. We have to make sure our eyes are in the right place. You’ll see all this eye candy going all over the place — you have to make sure you’re looking at what you’re supposed to look at and not get distracted by all the things going in different directions. We have to to tackle. Football is a physical game. We have to hit.”

Smith added an even more practical point — the key to stopping Samuel is to not let him get started. In Samuel’s top four games last season, he averaged 168.8 receiving yards and 21.1 yards per catch. In his bottom four games, he averaged 25 receiving yards and 13.5 yards per catch.

“It’s going to start with stopping the run,” Smith said. “When you’re stopping the run, you can make a team one-dimensional –that’s going to obviously open things up for a lot more things and put us in a lot better position.”

Lance, on the other hand, is a bigger x-factor. He started two games last season — with a 58.4 passer rating against the Cardinals in Week 5; and a 116.0 rating against the Texans in Week 17.

The one threat between the two games was Lance’s running ability — 16 rushes for 89 yards against the Cardinals; and eight rushes for 31 yards against the Texans.

“You have to project how they’re going to use [him],” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “We have an idea of what the offense looks like, but how they’re going to use him, no one really knows. You’re going to use your rules and have your calls and make sure you’re sound [in] what you’re doing.”

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No. 1 Mount Carmel at No. 20 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Preseason top-ranked Mount Carmel (2-0) has been as dominant as advertised behind a defense that has allowed only three points — on a 51-yard field goal by St. Rita’s Conor Talty — in two games and an offense well-stocked with playmakers. Some difference makers include quarterback Blainey Dowling, who threw for 318 yards and five TDs in Week 1; running back Darrion Dupree; and FBS recruits Asher Tomaszewski (Kansas State) and Danny Novickas (Ohio) on defense. Notre Dame (2-0), coming off a big rivalry win over St. Patrick, is sparked by the Ricciardi twins, quarterback Vincenzo and running back Francesco.

No. 2 Loyola at No. 13 St. Rita, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Like Mount Carmel, Loyola (2-0) hasn’t really been tested yet. The Ramblers offense is runningsmoothly behindquarterback Jake Stearney, a Colgate recruit, and a deep, talented receiving corps. Brooks Bahr, a 6-6 Michigan recruit who’s among the nation’s top linemen, leads the defense. St. Rita (1-1), in coach Todd Kuska’sfinal season, is playing its third straight CCL/ESCC Blue opponent. After a rough opening loss to Mount Carmel, the Mustangs rebounded to down Brother Rice last week. Junior back Ethan Middleton, who has a Penn State offer, runs behind a big, talented line.

No. 7 Batavia at Wheaton North, 7 p.m. Friday

After cruising past Phillips in its opener, Batavia (1-1) fell behind 31-0 en route to an eventual 31-16 loss to No. 3 Lincoln-Way East. Now it’s on to DuKane Conference play, where the Bulldogs will try to bounce back behind linebackers Tyler Jansey (Wisconsin) and Jack Sadowsky (Iowa State). Quarterback Ryan Boe (326 yards) and receiver Charlie Whelpley have been an effective combo. Defending Class 7A champ Wheaton North (2-0) lost a lot to graduation, but has allowed just seven points this season behind a defense led by linebacker Ross Dansdill (Holy Cross).

No. 11 Marist at No. 19 Nazareth, 7 p.m. Friday

Marist (1-1) bounced back from a 33-31 opening loss to Glenbard West by rolling past Richards in Week 2. The RedHawks have three FCS recruits: defensive lineman Jamel Howard (Wisconsin), defensive back John Nestor (Iowa) and receiver Ryan Sims (Miami, Ohio). Nazareth (1-1) already has a shutout win over Kankakee in a Week 1 matchup of Class 5A powers. The Roadrunners have a number of two-way standouts, including Justin Taylor (Wisconsin), William Beargie (Princeton) and Zach Hayes.

Kenwood at Taft, 7:30 p.m. Friday

The Public League revamped its scheduling this fall for the top tier of teams, aiming to get them better games in the regular season to prepare for the IHSA playoffs. This crossover is a product of that effort. Kenwood (1-1) has as much top-shelf talent as any team in the state north of East St. Louis, but is working to eliminate mistakes. Among those to watch: defensive backs Kahlil Tate (Iowa) and Kiwaun Davis (Western Michigan), edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot, linebacker K’VionThunderbird and running back Davonte Johnson. Taft (0-2), whose two losses have been by a total of six points, is led by two-way lineman Grzegorz Krupa.

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The Cubs held the Reds scoreless through six innings, and they still lost 4-3 Thursday.

Cubs reliever Rowan Wick entered the eighth inning with two outs and runners on first and third. He immediately worked ahead in the count against Jake Fraley with two quick strikes. But four of the next five pitches he threw were out of the zone, and Fraley fouled off the one over the plate. Wick walked Fraley to load the bases.

Then, Wick walked Spencer Steer in five pitches, pushing the tying run across the plate.

Wick went on a month-long streak of 11 scoreless outings from mid-July to mid-August. But since Aug. 16, he’s allowed seven earned runs in 7 2/3 innings.

In the bottom half of the eighth inning, Seiya Suzuki delivered the go-ahead run, lining a homer into the first row of the left-field bleachers to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning. He’s been on a hot streak. Entering Thursday, Suzuki was hitting .343 with a .929 OPS in his last 19 games.

His heroics, however, didn’t give the Cubs the lead for long. Reliever Mark Leiter Jr. took the mound in the ninth inning. He issued a leadoff walk to Senzel, a game-tying RBI triple to Alejo Lopez and a go-ahead RBI single to Jonathan India.

Hoerner gets offense started

The Cubs had yet to record a hit against Reds starter Luis Cesa when Nico Hoerner led off the fifth inning. He hit a line drive to the center-field wall, just glancing off the end of Friedl’s glove.

Hoerner flew around the bases, sliding head first into third base with his tongue out. PJ Higgins, the Cubs’ next batter, drove Hoerner in with a sacrifice fly to center.

Hoerner also hit a double seventh inning, going 2-for-4 on the day.

Injury update

The Cubs announced the results of Willson Contreras’ MRI Wednesday were consistent with his sprained ankle diagnosis.

“We wanted to make sure we’re not doing anything that was going to cause any further harm and making sure there’s no real problem in there,” manager David Ross said. “So, all good news. He was excited. We were excited. Making sure he’s healthy and just getting all the way back where the ankle feels strong enough that he can go out and compete without thinking about it.”

Contreras, who the Cubs put on the 10-day IL this week, will continue to rest his ankle, but he was already moving around more freely Thursday than he was a week ago. He played catch with lefty Justin Steele (low back strain) before the game.

Cubs right-hander Keegan Thompson is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Friday.

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Manager Tony La Russa hopes to be back with the White Sox next week, according to a report by the New York Post.

La Russa “is going to be OK” after undergoing extensive medical tests, the Post reported, quoting friends of the Sox skipper.

There has been no official update from the White Sox.

As the Sox head to Oakland for a four-game series, a team spokesman said La Russa is still going through testing as prescribed by his personal doctors. La Russa, who managed the A’s from 1986-95, would like to attend former A’s ace Dave Stewart’s jersey retirement Sunday, but he needs clearance from his doctors to travel from Phoenix. The A’s set up the Stewart event for when La Russa and the Sox are in town.

In La Russa’s absence, with Miguel Cairo taking over as acting manager, veteran players have “really taken the charge as far as what we need to accomplish as a team, as far as being supportive to our staff,” pitcher Michael Kopech said.

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