Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser break down Justin Fields’ step forward at quarterback and talk about which defensive players sat out. Then Mark Potash gives out his game balls.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and. Stitcher.

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The risk of playing short-handed was too great for the White Sox, who put third baseman Yoan Moncada on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, with a left hamstring strain.

“We just can’t play short all week for the situation,” said manager Tony La Russa, who originally thought that Moncada could return within a few days after injuring his leg Thursday at Baltimore.

In a corresponding move, infielder Leury Garcia was activated from the 10-day IL, despite playing only one game on a rehab assignment for Triple-A Charlotte.

Garcia, who recovered from a lower back strain, provides more infield versatility, especially at shortstop while Tim Anderson recovers from a left hand injury.

This marks the latest setback for Moncada, who is batting .197 with a .581 OPS in 80 games.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal, who went 2-for-4 on Friday while catching and playing first in his first rehab game for Charlotte, is expected to rejoin the Sox next week, La Russa said.

Grandal is recovering from a left knee strain and is eligible to return Wednesday.

Bummer’s battle

Left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer, who hasn’t pitched since June 7 because of a left lat strain, threw 18 pitches in his second simulated game and believes he could embark on a rehab assignment as soon as Tuesday.

“Very impressive,” La Russa said. “We knew what we were missing, but that was just a reminder.”

The long layoff has curbed Bummer’s rush to return.

“So as good as I can feel right now, I understand that you need a revamp time,” Bummer said. “Because whenever we come back, it’s not going to be something where you say, ‘Hey, you need two days off.’ Whenever I get back, I need to be ready to go.

“So to make sure I can throw on one day’s rest or no days’ rest, those are things that when we’re making a final push that I’ve got to be ready to do. Charlotte is kind of the answer and test for that.”

This and that

Gavin Sheets hit a three-run homer in the first inning, but Davis Martin walked three and threw two wild pitches during a five-run second against the Diamondbacks. Catcher Carlos Perez was charged with interference during the rally but collected his first major-league hit in the second.

o Pitcher Lance Lynn was put on the bereavement list but is expected to return to take his next scheduled start against the Royals, La Russa said.

o Charlotte put Jake Burger on the seven-day IL because of a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist.

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CLEVELAND– Breaking down the highs and lows of the Bears’ last preseason game– a 21-20 win — before the Sept. 11 season opener:

Undefeated

Thanks in part to cornerback Greg Stroman breaking up a two-point conversion pass with two-and-a-half minutes to play, the Bears finished the preseason undefeated for the first time since they went 4-0 in 1994. Though the 1994 Bears won a playoff game, preseason performance is typically not a prelude to greatness. Last year’s Super Bowl contestants went 1-5 in 2021 exhibitions.

“It’s showing progression,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “We’ve talked about it and said it, but now you’re starting to see it.”

Dante: inferno?

Receiver Dante Pettis made his claim for a 53-man roster spot, catching three passes for 37 yards and one touchdown. He also returned two punts for 17 yards.

“The more you can do, coaches love that,” he said.

Pettis’ opportunity has come at the expense of fellow vet Tajae Sharpe, who hasn’t practiced since a standout opener against the Chiefs.

Doink

Bears kicker Cairo Santos, who had made all four preseason field goal attempts entering Saturday’s game, had a chance to ice the game and didn’t. With eight minutes left and the Bears up seven, he lined up for a 48-yard field goal — and hit the left upright.

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In case anybody forgot what the Fire are, they reminded people during Saturday’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal.

After losing 4-1 to East-leading Philadelphia and 2-0 to reigning MLS champion New York City FC, the Fire laid another egg against the second-place team in the conference, even though Montreal played a man down for the entire second half. Over 270 minutes against the East’s best, the Fire were outscored 8-1 and showed they’re nowhere near the league’s upper echelon.

Actually, they’re drifting further and further away from a playoff spot after Saturday’s loss in front of an announced crowd of 13,907.

With seven games left in the season, the Fire are six points from a playoff spot and have to go on the road twice in the next week. Whether they’ll have Xherdan Shaqiri and captain Rafael Czichos for those games at New England and Columbus is unclear. Shaqiri left in the 30th minute with a quad issue, while Czichos landed awkwardly in the 88th and immediately grabbed his left knee.

More time without Shaqiri and Czichos is the last thing the already-thin Fire need.

Due to the season-ending hamstring injury suffered by Gaston Gimenez and Mauricio Pineda missing the match with a left foot problem, the Fire (8-13-6, 30 points) moved Jairo Torres into a deeper role in the central midfield. A young designated player, Torres had made little impact as a winger since joining in May from Mexican club Atlas.

With Torres filling in for Gimenez, the Fire restored winger Brian Gutierrez to the starting lineup. Jhon Duran also replaced Kacper Przybylko at striker.

Those changes – not to mention a recently re-sodded playing surface – did little to help the Fire against Montreal, which extended its unbeaten streak to eight.

After controlling play early, CF Montreal took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when Isma?l Kon? was given time outside the 18-yard-box and sent a right-footed shot past Fire goalie Gabriel Slonina. Montreal cashed in again five minutes later when Romell Quioto’s free kick beat Slonina after a handball was called on the Fire’s Carlos Teran.

An already-difficult night got worse when Shaqiri was replaced by Fabian Herbers. The Fire did get a lifeline three minutes into first-half stoppage time when Kon? was sent off after picking up his second yellow card, but were unable to avoid their second straight shutout.

NOTES: In what is likely his last game in Chicago, Montreal’s Djordje Mihailovic was subbed off in the 67th minute. A former Fire homegrown player who was traded to Montreal before the 2021 season, Mihailovic has blossomed since leaving Chicago and will be heading to Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in January.

* Defender Miguel Navarro was suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards and was replaced in the starting lineup by Jonathan Bornstein.

* First-round pick Kendall Burks replaced Czichos and made his MLS debut.

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MILWAUKEE – The way the Cubs reacted to Justin Steele’s back tightness Saturday, and their plan for him moving forward, is part of an approach to get him and Keegan Thompson through what is shaping up to be the longest season of their professional careers.

“He feels fine,” Cubs manager David Ross said of Steele Saturday. “I think it really was just some low back tightness, whatever that was from. We’ll get through Toronto, we’ve got an off day after Toronto. We’ll probably reassess the rotation, just try to line things up where everyone gets the proper amount of rest. But he’s fine.”

That off day next Thursday will be the Cubs’ first break after a stretch of 20 games in 19 days. The Cubs will likely use it to skip Steele’s next start.

The need to monitor Steele and Thompson’s workloads late this season has long been on the team’s radar.

Steele has thrown 199 innings, about 20 more innings than he’s pitched in any pro season. Thompson, at 104 1/3 innings, is approaching his 2018 high mark of 129 2/3 .

Two weeks ago, before either pitcher’s back tightened up – Thompson landed on the 15-day injured list last weekend – Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy spoke with the Sun-Times about the merits of weighing a range of information rather than setting a specific pitch limit.

“As an organization, I think we do a fantastic job of communicating between departments,” Hottovy said, “Talking to the training staff, talking to the strength staff, talking to the [research and development] team about what they’re seeing pith data-wise, and we’re just taking all of it in and trying to make our best decisions based off all the information. Also taking into consideration what the player feels, how he feels, how he feels like he’s recovering.”

So, when Steele felt his back tighten up on his last warm-up pitch before the sixth inning Saturday, they took a cautious approach.

Steele has been dominant the last couple months, posting a 1.46 ERA since the beginning of July. And on Friday, he tried to keep pitching in the sixth inning. He threw five pitches to Hunter Renfroe, inducing a long flyout to open the frame.

“I adjusted the way I was throwing a little bit, just to throw strikes,” Steele said after the game. “But the coaches and [athletic trainers] could tell something was going on.”

Ross and assistant athletic trainer Nick Frangella came out to check on Steele.

“Obviously, we didn’t want to push that,” Ross said after the game.

Steele’s pitch count was also already up to 88 pitches.

Controlling Steele and Thompson’s workload likely won’t mean shutting them down before the season ends. There’s value to having two developing pitchers, who could be integral members of the Cubs’ rotation for years to come, experience finishing a season.

That also doesn’t mean they’ll be throwing six innings every start down the stretch.

Thompson threw a bullpen on Saturday. His timeline to return from the IL is still unclear, but Hottovy said they plan to have him back making starts by the end of the year.

“It’s more about, how can we maximize what we want to do with him the rest of the year, but also on the front end, make sure he gets the recovery that we feel like he needs,” Hottovy said Saturday. “And we’re going to be able to read a lot of that in the bullpens that he’s going to be throwing.”

Hottovy describes Thompson’s bullpen Saturday as “a good step in the right direction.” But while Thompson’s pitches looked sharp, his execution wasn’t quite up to his normal standard, which Hottovy took as a sign of persisting fatigue.

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MILWAUKEE – Cubs lefty Wade Miley threw a 28-pitch bullpen on Saturday, taking a step forward after a slow recovery from his last rehab start.

“Hopefully smooth sailing from here on out,” he said.

Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, too, was pleased with Miley’s bullpen.

“Executed pitches great, and stuff looked great,” Hottovy told the Sun-Times. “The question we keep asking is, how’s the recovery going to be?”

Miley said he hasn’t been dealing with soreness but rather a catch in his shoulder on his follow-through. But his MRIs look “pretty good” for a 35-year-old who has thrown as much as he has.

After Miley left his June 10 start in New York with shoulder pain, imaging showed a subscapularis tear. But the pain was at the back of his shoulder.

“Then, after the subscap completely healed, I still had the same pain,” he said. “So, that’s where things get confusing.”

Over the course of four rehab outings, Miley had built up to 75 pitches in his last start with Triple-A Iowa. But recovery has been an issue after his last two rehab starts.

Miley said he didn’t flag the issue two weeks ago because he hoped it would go away. When it cropped up again, it was clear he’d need more time to bounce back.

“We don’t feel like we pushed it too much,” Hottovy said. “It was a normal progression, and it probably just that day wasn’t as free and loose as he’s felt.”

The Cubs will have to gauge Miley’s recovery in the coming days before determining his next steps. But Miley guessed that if all goes smoothly he’ll probably throw another couple of bullpens before heading back out on a rehab assignment.

“I want to start tomorrow, but I don’t think they’re going to let me,” he quipped.

Miley has only started four games for the Cubs this season, after the club claimed him off waivers from the Reds and picked up his contract option for 2022. Injuries have plagued him for much of the year, including spring training.

“It feels like I’ve been playing catchup since spring training,” Miley said. “I never had a spring training. And I think next year I’ll be fine. Next year will be a normal spring training, normal offseason, I think everything will be fine.”

Miley was frank about what’s on the line for him with less than six weeks left in the season.

“I ain’t got no choice, I can’t shut it down,” he said. “If I want to keep playing baseball beyond this year, I have to prove to people that I’m not broke. And I don’t feel like I’m broke by any means.”

Wisdom to IL

The Cubs put corner infielder Patrick Wisdom on the 10-day IL with a sprained left ring finger, backdating the move to Friday. In a corresponding move, they recalled infielder Alfonso Rivas from Triple-A Iowa.

Wisdom originally hurt the finger sliding into home plate a week ago. He took a couple days off but returned to the lineup for the last three games of a five-game series against the Cardinals this week.

“It’s coming back slowly,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “It just makes a lot of sense with where he’s at just to IL him, give him a little breather and expect him back on the back-end of his 10 days.”

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CLEVELAND — It wasn’t quite a dress rehearsal with four key starters out, but the Bears’ defense likely will go into the regular season feeling pretty good about itself.

Even without linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive end Robert Quinn, safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Jaylon Johnson — their four most-proven defensive players –the Bears shut down the Browns’ struggling offense in the preseason finale Saturday night at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bears also were without rookie safety Jaquan Brisker, a likely starter who has not played since injuring his thumb in the preseason opener against the Chiefs.

A makeshift lineup forced two three-and-outs and a missed 58-yard field goal attempt on the Browns first two offensive possessions. Even when more reserves played after that, the Bears still held the Browns to two field goals and 4.4 yards per play (37 plays, 162 yards) in the first half.

Playmakers included defensive tackle Justin Jones, cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Kindle Vildor and cornerback Greg Stroman, whose interception stopped a drive in the second quarter. Rookie defensive end Dominique Robinson, though, suffered a leg injury in the second quarter and did not return.

The Browns’ offense, in re-start mode with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback after Baker Mayfield was traded and Deshaun Watson was suspended, might not be the best litmus test. But all things considered, the defense looks like it will be a solid foundation in Matt Eberflus’ first season as head coach.

After Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs 72 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown on the first drive of the preseason, the Bears’ first-team defense did not allow another touchdown in the preseason, forcing five punts and the missed field goal. And that’s with Smith not playing one snap.

Smith was a surprise scratch after Eberflus said he expected Smith to play a week after returning from a 24-day hold-in. But with the regular-season opener still two weeks away, Smith is expected to be ready for the 49ers on Sept. 11.

The defense was in control from the start against the Browns. Jones stopped running back D’Ernest Johnson for a one-yard loss on second down on the opening drive and reserve cornerback Lamar Jackson stopped tight end David Njoku short of the first down marker after a 10-yard gain on third down to force a punt on fourth-and-one.

The Bears forced the Browns to punt on their second drive when Brissett’s deep pass was too long for wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, who was well defended by Stroman.

The Bears finally allowed a first down on the Browns’ third possession, but the Browns needed a fourth-and-two conversion to get it, with Brissett throwing a four-yard pass to Njoku. But on third-and-two from the Bears’ 40-yard one, Brissett threw incomplete to fullback Johnny Stanton, with linebacker Joe Thomas covering.

As more reserves filtered in, the defense allowed more yards but still made plays. On a second-and-one play early in the second quarter, Vildor stopped Johnson for a three-yard loss on a backfield pass play. On third-and-four, Gordon broke up Brissett’s pass for Njoku to force a punt. A penalty flag flew after Gordon applauded his nifty play. But what looked like a taunting penalty instead was actually an offensive pass interference call on Njoku, and the Browns punted.

In three drives with the most first-team players on the field, the Bears allowed 68 yards on 19 plays — 3.6 yards per play.

The Bears figure to get a tougher test in the season opener against the 49ers. But with Smith, Quinn, Johnson and Jackson in the lineup, they expect to be better equipped to handle that chore.

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Joey Pope, Glenbard West’s top running back, was on the sideline Saturday afternoon, still recovering from an appendectomy three weeks ago.

But not to worry for Hilltoppers, who still had junior Julius Ellens to run behind their big, experienced offensive line.

Ellens scored four touchdowns as No. 7 Glenbard West built a big early lead and hung on for dear life to pull out a 33-31 win over No. 12 Marist in Chicago.

Ellens ran 22 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and caught three passes for 108 yards and two more TDs. Marcello Diomede, who will be a preferred walk-on at Notre Dame, booted a pair of field goals for the Hilltoppers.

Ellens’ fourth score, a 70-yard catch and run from Korey Tai with 1:35 left in the second quarter, was the last TD for Glenbard West, which led 21-0 less than 4 1/2 minutes into the game.

“I had to step up and be the next RB1,” Ellens said. “I had a great offensive line to follow behind and it worked out.”

Though Ellens is in his third varsity season and is the only freshman to make the varsity in coach Chad Hetlet’s 16 years, the 5-9, 170-pounder has been under the radar. His only Division I offer is from Eastern Illinois.

But even when Pope returns, plenty of eyes likely will remain on Ellens.

“I feel like I’ll be more of a hybrid now that I’ve showed my running back skills,” he said. “Receiver’s still my No. 1 spot but I’d definitely like to be a hybrid-type player.”

“He’s a freak,” Wisconsin-bound offensive tackle Chris Terek said of Ellens. “In my opinion, the best running back in the state wasn’t playing for us today. And he came in and did exactly what Joe would have done.”

Ellens and Pope won’t be the only offensive options going forward. Tai showed he’s capable of burning opponents intent on stacking the box to stop the run. The returning quarterback completed 6 of 12 passes for 158 yards and the two scores to Ellens.

The Hilltoppers, who also return their entire offensive line intact, may be leaning on the offense to put up points while a young defense gets its bearings.

“I’m most proud of how we bent but didn’t break defensively,” Hetlet said. “I’ve really got two dudes back from last year and nobody with significant time. There’s a bunch of juniors out there defensively.”

Marist senior Dermot Smyth, making his first career start at quarterback after being a starting receiver last season, had a rough start. His interception and lost fumble on the RedHawks’ first two possessions led to short fields and touchdowns for Glenbard West.

But Smyth and Marist rallied. He finished 18 of 29 for 243 yards and a 58-yard touchdown to Mike Donegan. Miami (Ohio) recruit Ryan Sims and Donegan combined for seven catches for 161 yards, and junior back Marc Coy ran 21 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns.

Coy’s five-yard TD run on Marist’s first possession of the second half — which covered 80 yards in 15 plays and took 8:32 off the click — cut the deficit to 33-31. Marist drove to the Glenbard West five-yard line in the fourth quarter, but missed a 45-yard field goal after losing ground via penalties and a sack.

The RedHawks missed another 45-yard field-goal try on the next-to-last play of the game and Glenbard West could finally exhale.

“That was a heavyweight battle in week one,” Hetlet said. “You’re looking at two teams that could be really special.”

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CLEVELAND — If the Bears’ offense is going to do anything this season, quarterback Justin Fields must rise above his imperfect circumstances.

For the first time this preseason, he showed he’s good enough to do that.

The Bears were looking for some signal from Fields that he’s ready for the season, which opens in two weeks, and he sent it with three touchdown drives before halftime against the Browns on Saturday in the preseason finale.

It got off to a rocky start, and concerns about the offensive line persisted throughout the first half, but Fields delivered nonetheless and exited at halftime after completing 14 of 16 passes for 156 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers for a 146.9 passer rating.

It was by far his most extensive and impressive work of the preseason.

Pretty much everything that everyone frets about for the Bears flared up on Fields’ second possession, but he pushed through it to lead an 80-yard drive that he stamped with a touchdown on a sharp 22-yard throw to tight end Ryan Griffin.

The pressure was constant, Griffin negated a 24-yard run by David Montgomery with a holding penalty and Fields took a hard shot while sliding at the end of a nine-yard scramble. But Fields made all the right plays to keep the offense moving.

Big gains are nice, and he had several, but it was equally important that Fields was sharp on the more modest, basic plays that essential to a functioning offense.

On a first-and-20 near midfield, he hit Dante Pettis on a quick pass for 14 yards that got the drive back on track. Two plays later, with pressure coming from his left against tackle Braxton Jones and guard Cody Whitehair, Fields held his footing in the pocket and hit Griffin in the end zone as two defenders arrived late.

Even amid the offensive line’s struggles, the overall scheme looked functional. That’s a step forward from where the Bears left off last season under Matt Nagy.

Receivers and running backs often had plenty of space to maneuver on short passes, and tight end Cole Kmet was so open on Fields’ third touchdown pass that he almost came to a complete stop as he watched the ball sailing to him in the end zone.

A big part of that play working so well was Fields drawing the defense in by rolling to his right, then sending the ball over their heads to Kmet. That’s an advantage offensive coordinator Luke Getsy intends to make frequent use of this season.

The Bears got the ball back with 1:20 until halftime, and coach Matt Eberflus sent backup Trevor Siemian in for Fields. The Bears went to halftime up 21-6.

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