The Beeronaut

Poor defensive support cost Keegan Thompson a shot at pitching deeper Sunday, but the Cubs’ starter absorbed his share of the blame for a four-inning stint.

“The whole day I really didn’t have command of my pitches,” said Thompson, who departed after 86 pitches. “I wasn’t really hitting spots much. Usually if I’m hitting my spots, those two-strike pitches are put-away pitches instead of the weak contact and infield hits. The fourth just caught up with me.”

Thompson threw 37 pitches in the fourth, thanks to a ball that was lost in the sun and wind by rookie second baseman Christopher Morel that was eventually dropped by first baseman Alfonso Rivas.

Franchy Cordero was credited with a hit that tied the game at 1, and Thompson later walked Jarren Duran with the bases loaded and two out.

Wrigley all right with Ross

Social media didn’t exist in 1996 when Giants left-hander Allen Watson said Wrigley Field was a “joke” and they should “burn it down” after he allowed five home runs he suggested were wind-aided.

But Red Sox rookie Josh Winckowski created an internet brushfire late Saturday night when he described Wrigley as “a little underwhelming” and “stock standard” to beat writers.

Cubs manager David Ross, who won World Series titles as a catcher at Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley, was amused by Winckowski’s comments.

“My experience in both parks is very amazing,” said Ross, who compared the festive atmosphere and scenario in Saturday’s game to what he witnessed at Fenway Park in 2008 and 2013-14.

Ross, however, wouldn’t be goaded by a reporter into suggesting the Cubs trade for Winckowski so he could get a larger sampling of Wrigley.

“He’s a pretty good pitcher, so you talk to [general manager] Jed Hoyer about trades,” Ross said. “I stay out of it.

“I don’t know his [Winckowski’s] experiences, but I appreciate this place a lot. I’ve got a lot of history here, and this is one of the best I’ve been around.”

Medical madness in Milwaukee

First baseman Frank Schwindel and second baseman Nick Madrigal will take live batting practice against left-hander Daniel Norris before Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee and that could determine who is ready to start a minor-league rehab assignment.

“I’ll treat [pregame] Monday as if it were a normal day game,” said Schwindel, who said his back feels fine. Madrigal (left groin strain) has run the bases recently with no signs of discomfort. Norris (left finger sprain) isn’t eligible to be activated from the 15-day injured list until Friday.

Marcus Stroman allowed five runs on seven hits in 2? innings against Columbus in a rehab start for Triple-A Iowa. Stroman, who hasn’t pitched for the Cubs in a month due to right shoulder inflammation, thought he might need one start before returning, but the team will assess his status this week.

As expected, pitcher Alec Mills was placed on the 15-day IL with a low back strain suffered Saturday. Reliever Michael Rucker was recalled from Iowa.

Left-hander Drew Smyly (right oblique strain) will pitch Monday for Class-A South Bend on a rehab assignment.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Lucas Giolito gave the White Sox six innings of one-run ball Sunday, precisely what they needed on a day their top two relievers and only left-hander were unavailable.

Giolito pitched six innings of one-run, three-hit ball, recording strikeouts for his first seven outs, then relying on contact to finish a 102-pitch outing. His changeup was on point in his second straight strong start.

“This is probably the best my changeup has been in a really long while,” said Giolito, who got 12 swings and misses.

“I know when I execute pitches there is a good chance I’ll get swings and misses and weak contact. For me, it’s about singular pitch focus, this batter and this pitch.”

Giolito’s ERA soared from 2.53 to 5.60 in five starts from May 31 to June 22.

“We’ve been grinding, getting it right [mechanically] and I feel like myself from the end of my last start through this one,” he said.

Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly and lefty Tanner Banks pitched in the first two games of the series in relief.

Top prospect streak at 40

Shortstop Colson Montgomery, the Sox’ first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2021 draft, has reached base safely in 40 straight games, including all nine since being promoted from Low-A Kannapolis to Advanced-A Winston-Salem on June 24.

The 6-4 Montgomery, 20, extended the remarkable streak with a double in his first at-bat for the Dash Sunday. He was hitting .330/.430/.498 with six homers, 13 doubles, 31 RBI, 38 runs scored and 31 walks in 52 games going into the game.

“He looks like a guy who’s been at this for a while,” Sox assistant general manager and director of player development Chris Getz said.

“On both sides of the ball he’s very under control.”

When Montgomery was out two weeks with a bruised thumb, he declined an opportunity to shake off rust and go to Arizona for live at-bats before returning to Kannapolis.

“Lo and behond he gets back in the lineup and he’s more productive than before,” Getz said.

Engel about ready

Adam Engel ran full tilt on the bases, perhaps the last box he needed to check before being activated from the injured list with a strained right hamstring.

“I’m really, really close,” Engel said. “Feels a lot better, lot stronger, getting really confident in it.”

Eloy Jimenez is also close to returning from his rehab assignment, perhaps this week.

Yasmani Grandal also ran the bases, but not as much or as hard as Engel. Grandal running “is a good sign,” La Russa said, “but I don’t think we’re close yet [to a minor league rehab assignment].”

This and that

Former Sox Yermin Mercedes was called up before the game and appeared as a catcher in the ninth inning, catching Austin Wynns, who started the game at catcher but mopped up in the ninth inning.

Mercedes doubled against Vince Velasquez, who gave up three runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings before getting pulled.

*The Sox scored 13 runs without a homer and have three homers in the last 12 games.

*The Sox are batting .272/.321/.397 on the road compared to .233/.296/.355 at home.

“I guarantee you those numbers will be reversed at home from here to the end,” La Russa said. “We’re going to be a very good club at home.”

*The Sox are 7-1 all-time at Oracle Park.

*The Giants’ 40-37 record marks a 10-game difference from 2021 when they were 50-27 en route to a franchise-record 107 wins.

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After getting buzzed by a 95 mph pitch, Patrick Wisdom took a moment to regain his composure before smacking a 450-foot game-tying home run off Matt Strahm in the eighth inning.

“Love homers,” manager David Ross said. “Homers are nice, especially when you’re down one. I love them.”

Unfortunately for the Cubs, their ability to manufacture runs without an abundance of power during a four-game winnings streak fell short Sunday in a 4-2 loss to the Red Sox in 11 innings.

A two-out throwing error by reliever Rowan Wick soiled an exceptional performance by the bullpen, which worked with no margin for error.

As the Cubs open a three-game series Monday against another perennial playoff contender – the Brewers – they hope the return of Seiya Suzuki can provide at least a power presence that has been inconsistent since he was sidelined due because of a left ring finger sprain May 26.

“To have him back is going to be huge for us,” said Wisdom, who leads the Cubs with 17 homers. “Another power bat, another threat, another arsenal for us to throw out there.

“I’m excited to have him back. That’s awesome. We’re excited.”

Suzuki was to be examined Sunday with the expectation he would be activated from the 10-day injured list Monday. Ross said the plan is to ease Suzuki back into the lineup, but his mere presence would lengthen a lineup that has played without first baseman Frank Schwindel for two weeks.

The possibility of trading impending free agent Willson Contreras would further stress an offense that has attempted more stolen bases in the last two games to generate more scoring.

“When we do get (Suzuki’s) legs underneath him best we can, there will be some maneuvering of the lineup at certain times,” Ross said. “But it will be nice to get him back.”

Suzuki, 27, who hit 25 home runs or more in each of his last six seasons with Hiroshima in the Japan Central League, hit four home runs in his first nine games with the Cubs.

But Ross believes Suzuki “got out of rhythm a bit, which every hitter does.”

Suzuki might have regained much of his timing back, based on his 4-for-9, two-homer performance in three games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa.

“He’s trying to find that consistency, whether it’s the leg kick, his front side was something he seemed to be playing with pretty consistently,” Ross said.”

The Cubs’ other home run in this three-game series was a game-tying home run Friday by rookie Christopher Morel.

“I think it’s game-to-game for that stuff,” Ross said. “But the ability to hit and run, move the runners over, steal a bag has been big for us at times.”

After connecting on a Strahm pitch, Wisdom took six steps before dropping his bat and starting his home run trot.

“A pitch up and in is never fun, whether it’s intentional or not.” Wisdom said of the previous pitch leading to his homer. “That one felt good.”

Suzuki’s return, however, could result in a demotion for either Narciso Crook, who got his first major league hit Thursday, or Nelson Velasquez, who stole a base and scored an insurance run Saturday.

“When you make those moves, you understand the goal is to get here and stay,” Ross said. “But getting that experience and going back and getting ready, you know you’re on the radar and know your number will be called when you’re needed so things happen as we’ve seen throughout this year in every realm.”

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Almost 70 years before last week’s landing of the world premiere musical “It Came From Outer Space” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the groundbreaking 1953 Universal International movie of the same name had audiences screaming and cringing from behind their 3-D glasses as meteorites, space debris and aliens seemingly hurtled directly at them.

You don’t need much familiarity with Universal’s first 3-D movie or its special effects to appreciate the 85-minute musical commissioned by Chicago Shakes from Joe Kinosian (music and lyrics) and Kellen Blair (book and lyrics). Inspired by that cult classic film (which was based on a story by Ray Bradbury, who also wrote an early version of the screenplay), “It Came From Outer Space” the musical is sheer silliness.

Both an homage and parody of the movie, the musical follows an alien invasion in the Area 51-ish desert town of Sand Rock. It falls to outsider John Putnam (Christopher Kale Jones) and local schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Jaye Ladymore) to save the townsfolk from their own ignorance and the predators from afar.

Directed by Laura Braza, the production looks and sounds great. There are no 3-D glasses, but the opening scene (among others) offers planetarium-grade astral effects that’ll have you ooh-ing, aah-ing and perhaps even ducking as stars and flying saucers blast off from the stage. That’s thanks to star turns by lighting designer Heather Sparling and video/projection designers Rasean Davonte Johnson and Michael Salvatore Commendatore.

But all the meticulously outsized, whiz-bang lights and projections can’t erase the fact that there are never any real stakes in “It Came From Outer Space.” In amping up the inherent campiness of a movie where you can literally see the wires keeping the UFOs aloft, Kinosian and Kellen have created the musical version of cotton candy: initially delightful, ultimately forgettable.

That problem is highlighted in the final scenes, when Kinosian and Kellen turn the comedy down in order to deliver a simplistic, dumbed-down moral about finding common ground with your enemies, even if all you can agree on is the weather. Bradbury’s original has a similar message, but it carries more depth and nuance on the page than it does on the Chicago Shakespeare Theater stage.

Director Braza’s vocally, comedically gifted ensemble makes the most of things. Played by a four-person live band conducted by Kevin Reeks and perched above the stage, the innocuously pleasant score soars as John and Ellen fight aliens and fall in love. As in the movie, it doesn’t take long before aliens are inhabiting the bodies of the local earthlings.

To be clear: These are not aliens who explode from someone’s gut like a burst grapefruit or who blow entire cities to bits. Except for that astronomical lighting/projection design, the special effects here are decidedly, unapologetically low-tech. But for Ladymore and Jones, the cast is double- and triple-cast as townspeople and aliens. We know when they’re aliens because they shamble like zombies and talk like they’ve used Google Translate to learn English. When not inhabiting humans, the aliens manifest as tentacled shadow puppets. (The gifted artists of Chicago’s Manuel Cinema consulted on the whimsical puppetry).

Throughout, choreographer Dell Howlett uses the dance vocabulary of the movie’s Golden Age of Hollywood era, subverting the moves every so often. John and Ellen’s “Brand New Start” romantic duo, for example,evokes classic Fred and Ginger, except Fred is no longer leading by the final pose.

Kinosian’s score is rich in musical soliloquizing, not so rich in memorable music. It sounds as good as it does thanks to the cast’s collective pipes and that crackerjack live band.In the trio “I Can’t Figure Out Men,” Ladymore, Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (In drag as Coral, a hausfrau with an impressive bouffant) and Ann Delaney (as the alien Thalgorian-X) soft-shoe away their frustrations about trying to understand the titular gender. Ladymore belts to the spheres with “Your Place,” wherein she questions why she’s suddenly devoting her life to being the supportive girlfriend to some astronomer she just met. And in “Science Only Knows,” Jones goes all-in with both the belt and the emoting as he praises his own intellectual superiority.

The cast’s prowess aside, “It Came From Outer Space” feels more like a series of really good comic sketches than a solid, cohesive whole.

The movie wasn’t necessarily camp back in 1953, but it is now. And Kinosian and Kellen haven’t figured out a way to honor the camp without allowing its ridiculousness to overtake any kind of story its audiences can actually invest in. If they can find that balance, “It Came From Outer Space” could be out of this world.

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Poor defensive support cost Keegan Thompson a shot at pitching deeper Sunday, but the Cubs’ starter absorbed his share of the blame for a four-inning stint.

“The whole day I really didn’t have command of my pitches,” said Thompson, who departed after 86 pitches. “I wasn’t really hitting spots much. Usually if I’m hitting my spots, those two-strike pitches are put-away pitches instead of the weak contact and infield hits. The fourth just caught up with me.”

Thompson threw 37 pitches in the fourth, thanks to a ball that was lost in the sun and wind by rookie second baseman Christopher Morel that was eventually dropped by first baseman Alfonso Rivas.

Franchy Cordero was credited with a hit that tied the game at 1, and Thompson later walked Jarren Duran with the bases loaded and two out.

Wrigley all right with Ross

Social media wasn’t existent in 1996 when Giants left-hander Alan Watson suggested Wrigley Field was a “joke” and they should “burn it down” after he allowed five home runs he suggested were wind-aided.

But Red Sox rookie Josh Winchowski created an internet brushfire late Saturday night when he described Wrigley as “a little underwhelming” and “stock standard” to beat writers.

Cubs manager David Ross, who won World Series titles as a catcher atBoston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley, was amused by Winchowski’s comments.

“My experience in both parks is very amazing,” said Ross, who compared the festive atmosphere and scenario at Saturday’s game to what he witnessed at Fenway Park in 2008 and 2013-14.

Ross, however, wouldn’t be goaded by a reporter into suggesting the Cubs trade for Winchowski so he could get a larger sampling of Wrigley.

“He’s a pretty good pitcher, so you talk to (general manager) Jed Hoyer about trades,” Ross said. “I stay out of it.

“I don’t know his (Winchowski’s) experiences, but I appreciate this place a lot. I’ve got a lot of history here, and this is one of the best I’ve been around.”

Medical madness in Milwaukee

First baseman Frank Schwindel and second baseman Nick Madrigal will take live batting practice against left-hander Daniel Norris prior to Tuesday’s game at Milwaukee that could determine who is ready to start a minor league rehab assignment.

“I’ll treat (pre-game) Monday as if it were a normal day game,” said Schwindel, who said his back feels fine.

Madrigal (left groin strain) has run the bases recently with no signs of discomfort. Norris (left finger sprain) isn’t eligible to be activated from the 15-day injured list until Friday.

Marcus Stroman allowed five runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings against Columbus in a rehab start for Triple-A Iowa. Stroman, who hasn’t pitched for the Cubs in a month due to right shoulder inflammation, thought he might need one start before returning but the team will assess his status this week.

As expected, pitcher Alec Mills was placed on the 15-day IL because of low back strain suffered Saturday. Reliever Michael Rucker was recalled from Iowa.

Left-hander Drew Smyly (right oblique strain) will pitch Monday for Class-A South Bend on a rehab assignment.

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Brian Urlacher wasn’t happy when Lovie Smith got fired

Not all Bears players in the locker room then, including Brian Urlacher, were happy when head coach Lovie Smith was canned following the 2012 season. Smith was fired by one of the worst Bears general managers of all time, Phil Emery, after just one season with Smith. Emery replaced Smith with Canadian Football League head coach Marc Trestman.

Brian Urlacher fired away on Smith’s firing during a “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast. The Hall of Fame linebacker didn’t have many nice things to say about Emery. Especially on his handling of the Bears head coaching situation. Here’s the transcription of Urlacher’s comments via Logan Mullen of Audacy:

“I didn’t like the way they handled it,” Urlacher said during an appearance on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast. “They fired our GM the year before, and honestly how the f–k do you fire Lovie after you go 10-6? You fire Lovie after we go 10-6, we didn’t make the playoffs. Minnesota decides to beat Green Bay on the last game of the year and they hadn’t beaten Green Bay in like five years.

“They beat Green Bay, knocked us out of the playoffs, and then they fired Lovie and I was like, ‘What the f–k are y’all doing?’ And then they didn’t win 10 games like the next seven years. After Lovie left, they had a hard time winning games.

“It’s just like, why fire the guy? And I know why they fired him, because the new GM was a weirdo and he didn’t like winning, so he fired Lovie … It’s frustrating because obviously I love that franchise, so it’s frustrating to see the direction it went after they fired Lovie.”

Serious shade by Brian Urlacher but Smith needed to go

I don’t blame Brian Urlacher for wanting to stay with Smith. Smith took the Bears to the Super Bowl and was a game away from going again in 2011. And the Bears have been pretty awful other than 2018 since Smith parted with the Bears.

Smith, however, needed to be fired. The Bears needed a fresh start with a new coach who could bring energy back to the locker room and fire the team-up. Smith and the Bears had missed out on five of the last six playoff appearances following the 2006 season. The Bears needed to make the playoffs that season.

While the Bears were a divisional rival’s game outcome away from the playoffs in 2012, it shouldn’t have been left up to chance in the first place. The Bears started out the season 7-1 before losing five of their next six games. (Smith would lose a lot more at his next NFL head coaching job in Tampa Bay.)

That season the Bears were swept by the Green Bay Packers. That’s one major reason why he needed to go. Smith said when he was hired that his goal was to “beat Green Bay“. His failure to win one game against the Packers that season cost the Bears a playoff spot.

Brian Urlacher was right about Emery

Emery was a special kind of stupid general manager. The kind that could only hide how terrible he was at his job for three seasons before being asked to leave. Emery tanked the Bears after Smith by putting in charge a head coach whose previous job in the NFL was half-a-decade earlier as a consultant for the New Orleans Saints.

Firing Smith wasn’t the issue. It was Emery bringing the Bears an inexperienced Trestman who didn’t know how to get the termites out of Hallas Hall that let the team rot. It was a waste of the end of Brian Urlacher’s career.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Giants and a 4-2 road trip Sunday.

It being the Fourth of July Monday, there’s no better time for a team that considers itself postseason material to get hot.

The Sox are 38-39 and in need of a hot streak. And they are finally showing signs of maybe, just maybe, having the wherewithal to go on one.

But nothing is promised.”You’ve seen us get back to or close to .500 and we’ll go four back under,” said Lance Lynn, whose six scoreless innings against the Giants Friday set the tone for the sweep. “We have to fight to get back to .500 and when we get there don’t let up. It can’t be ‘push to get there’ and when we get there, ‘OK.’ Can’t take a deep breath and see what’s going on. There’s no more deep breaths. We have to keep going and keep pushing till the end of the year.”

There would be no better time than now to keep pushing on, with the Twins in town for three games. The Twins lead the Sox, the team that was supposed to be leading the Twins by now, by 4 1/2 games. Between now and the All-Star break in two weeks, the Sox have 15 games in 14 days against AL Central teams.

It’s an important stretch.

“Big time,” said outfielder Engel said, who will bolster the White Sox’ outfield depth when he comes off the injured list any day now.

“Division games are big. When this team is playing good baseball it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we have a good chance to win. We just have to keep playing good ball.”

Lucas Giolito picked up where Lynn and Dylan Cease (five innings, one run) left off in this series, pitching six innings of one run ball in the Sox’ 13-4 victory Sunday. Giolito struck out seven in the first three innings, then pitched to contact in the last three. He gave up three hits and walked three in his second straight good start after four or five bad ones, an encouraging sign for the Sox.

With Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly and Tanner Banks, the only lefty in the bullpen all unavailable after pitching in consecutive days, Giolito’s six innings and the Sox’ six runs on a Giants bullpen day were exactly what manager Tony La Russa needed. He gets closer Liam Hendriks back off the injured list Monday, just in time for the Twins.

A win Monday puts the Sox at .500 for the first time. The Sox haven’t been a .500 team since June 21. Then they lost four in a row.

“Can’t get over it till you get there,” La Russa said. “We get Liam back tomorrow, the club is more complete than it’s been. Get some wins. This one today and two weeks in the Central. That will be fun, headto head. The Twins have won a couple games late, they’re for real and Cleveland is for real. It’s exactly what you need, man. You need to play against tough competition, that’s how you get better.”

The Twins lead the season series, 3-0, after sweeping a three-game set at Target Field in April.

“Sweep this series today and go into that one on a streak,” AJ Pollock said. “It’s not bad to have urgency. We’re playing pretty average.

“We’ve had some moments, we have a good team. You just have to piece everything together. It’s a whole group effort. You have a game where you flash and then you lose the next one. It’s not like basketball where one guy gets hot and carries a team. You need to have a lot of things happen.”

Luis Robert singled in two runs in the third to get the Sox offense going, Gavin Sheets drove in three runs with his third double in two days in the fifth. In a five-run fifth, Seby Zavala doubled in two runs and Andrew Vaughn singled home a pair. The Sox had 17 hits, three by Zavala and Leury Garcia.

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