CINCINNATI – As Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom’s three-run homer dropped in the right-center field seats at Great American Ball Park, it extended a streak the club hadn’t witnessed in years.

Including the Cubs’ 7-4 win against the Reds on Monday, Wisdom has homered in four straight games.

The last Cub to do so was Anthony Rizzo in 2015.

That year the Cubs’ rebuild surged ahead of schedule. A lot would have to fall the Cubs’ way for that to happen again. But a flexible approach to team building partially explains president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer’s unwillingness to put a date on the next time the Cubs will be a division contender.

As for where the Cubs are in their team-building cycle now, Hoyer is just as hesitant to make any promises.

“Evaluating where we are, evaluating our division and where we are playoff-wise,” Hoyer said of how the Cubs will decide whether to sell at the trade deadline. “And now, obviously, you’re taking a look into the next few years as well. There are certain pieces that are, quote unquote, rentals that may not be back. But there are certain pieces you get asked about that are part of your future.”

Last season, an 11-game losing streak before the trade deadline made up Hoyer’s mind for him. As Cubs fans won’t soon forget, their team traded away one-third of its opening day roster, including championship core members Rizzo, Javy B?ez and Kris Bryant.

Back in 2015, those three pushed up the Cubs’ championship timeline.

“You hear about all the guys that are potentially coming,” Cubs manager David Ross said of joining the organization as a player in 2015. “But you know, from a veteran player standpoint, I think the message is, we’ll see when they get here. … I think that that holds true.”

The Cubs were seven games over .500 (47-40) in the first half of that 2015 season, before going on a 50-25 run in the second half. They made a surprise trip to the National League Championship Series, signaling to the front office that it was time to go all in on a championship.

“I don’t think anybody would sit there and early in the season and see that type of team from what we had,” Ross recalled, “but a few holes filled in, and good things happen, guys get confidence.”

Maybe those kinds of timeline-altering players are on the Cubs’ roster now. Utility player Christopher Morel and pitcher Brandon Hughes made a splash in their major-league debuts last week. Maybe they’re in the minors, waiting for their turn, like right-hander Caleb Kilian, who’s expected to debut this season. Maybe the Cubs have yet to acquire them.

In the meantime, this team is starting to round into shape, still navigating a slew of injuries. But the rotation is finally whole, with Wade Miley (left elbow soreness) and Marcus Stroman (COVID-19) returning from the IL in the past couple weeks.

“It’s great,” Miley said. “It’s a little bit different than most rotations in the game, right? Not to say other guys aren’t pitchers, but we’re more reliant on location, and we’re more reliant on pitching in a sense – we can’t just go out there and blow doors off and think we can get away with it.”

The Cubs (17-24), one-fourth of the way through the season, sat tied for third place with the Pirates in the National League Central standings after thewin Monday.

“A lot of good progress has been made,” Ross said, pointing to the work shortstop Nico Hoerner, Wisdom and outfielder Ian Happ put in during the offseason, in particular. “I thought we’ve gotten much better on the bases than when we started. I still think there’s some areas where we can grow.”

On Monday, Happ went 2-for-3 with a game-winning three-run home run.

Are the Cubs improving quickly enough to usher in a championship-caliber season ahead of schedule?

Wisdom’s fourth straight home run game could very well be one of only a few 2015-like moments for the Cubs this year. But as Ross said, “narratives can change really fast.”

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It has been a mere seven years since Chris Sale struck out 274 batters, breaking Ed Walsh’s White Sox record of 269 that had stood since 1908.

Sale’s record might be outside Dylan Cease’s reach. Sale pitched 208? innings in 2015. Cease’s top total was 165? last season, and he’s on a pace for just more than 170 in 2022.

Per nine innings, however, Cease is on a pace to shatter his own Sox record. With 226 strikeouts last season, he averaged 12.28 per nine innings, besting Lucas Giolito’s 12.07 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and Sale’s 11.82 in 2015.

With 67 strikeouts in 43? innings so far in 2022, Cease is one-upping himself with 13.81 per nine innings to top the majors.

Strikeouts aside, Cease has been brilliant — and perhaps even better than his 4-1 record and 3.09 ERA. Fangraphs lists him in a sixth-place tie with a 1.4 pitching WAR, and a calculation of normal results on balls in play against him lead to a 2.23 expected ERA.

Statcast data at baseballsavant.mlb.com indicate Cease’s opponents’ batting average of .209 and slugging percentage of .325 are higher than the expected .182 and .314.

That’s in contrast to the major-league trends. The major-league batting average of .236 is lower than the .253 expected batting average and the .380 slugging percentage is much lower than the .435 expected slugging percentage. The combination might suggest the ball isn’t carrying as far, whether because of weather, winds, a deadened ball, ballpark humidors or early-season chance.

If Cease stays at 13.81 strikeouts per nine innings, it would rank third in history behind Shane Bieber’s 14.20 in 2020 and Gerrit Cole’s 13.82 in 2019.

There have been 30 pitcher seasons of ERA title qualifiers striking out 12 or more batters per nine innings. Only six were before 2000, all in the 1990s.

Kerry Wood’s Cubs record of 12.6 in 1998 is in that group, along with Pedro Martinez at 13.2 in 1999 and Randy Johnson four times (12.3 in 1995 and 1997 and 12.1 in 1998 and 1999).

Two pitchers, both White Sox, are on track to join the list this season: Cease and Giolito, who is at 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 31? innings.

By contrast, total strikeout leaders are spread through baseball history. Since the two-league era began in 1901, there have been 38 seasons of 300 or more strikeouts, from Rube Waddell’s 302 in 1903 to Cole’s 326 and Justin Verlander’s 300 in 2019.

Nolan Ryan is No. 1 at 383 in 1973, and the 1970s have the most 300-strikeout seasons with 11.

Cease and other modern pitchers are short on innings to build such lofty totals. The fewest innings in a 300-strikeout season were Cole’s 212,, in 2019. In 2021, only four pitchers threw 200-plus innings and only Zack Wheeler (213,,) exceeded Cole’s 2019 total.

Cease’s pace toward 170 innings would require 15.88 strikeouts per nine innings to reach 300 — two more strikeouts per game than his major-league-leading pace.

For his era, Cease is carrying a normal workload. Sox fans can be happy he’s bringing far better than normal results.

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CINCINNATI — Wade Miley’s son had a special request on Monday, with the family visiting Cincinnati for the Cubs’ four-game series against the veteran lefty’s former team. Jeb wanted Graeter’s Ice Cream for lunch.

“When we lived here, it’d be probably three or four days a week, nine o’clock at night, my wife or Jeb would be like, ‘Hey, let’s go to Graeter’s,'” Miley recalled. “And we’d take off.”

So, on Monday, they had ice cream for lunch.

Miley isn’t scheduled to pitch in the four-game series, but on Tuesday, Cincinnati plans to present him with the Reds Most Outstanding Pitcher award for 2021, voted on by the local BBWAA chapter. The Cubs claimed Miley off waivers from the Reds this winter, as Cincinnati plunged into a rebuild.

The Cubs (16-24) and Reds (12-28) entered play Monday as two of the bottom three teams in the division, along with the Pirates (16-24).

“I think [Reds general manager] Nick Krall knows what he’s doing,” Miley said. “I think he’s got a plan, and I wish them nothing but the best.”

The Reds roster looks much different than it did at the end of last season, but Miley still knows a few players on the other side of the field. He sprinted out of the dugout during afternoon batting practice to greet Mike Moustakas. And Joey Votto notably remained on the team through the offseason upheaval.

“During the COVID season, you spent a lot of time with your teammates because we were in a bubble,” Miley said. “So, we were hanging out together and didn’t have a choice. … So we got really close. We found ways to have fun and enjoy those times.”

Contreras out of lineup

Cubs manager David Ross said he was confident that catcher Willson Contreras will avoid the injured list after leaving Saturday’s game with a right hamstring strain. He was out of the starting lineup Monday and his status remained day-to-day.

“We’ll see how he is, get out, move around a little bit,” Ross said Monday afternoon. “We’ll give him a couple of days to rest up.”

Hoerner approaching return

Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner is “close” to returning from the 10-day IL (right ankle sprain), Ross said. Hoerner fielded ground balls and took batting practice before the game Monday.

“Hopefully in a few days, we’ll see,” Ross said

In other injury news…

Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal is progressing toward a rehab stint, but Ross did not give a timeline for when it will begin, saying that the Cubs will continue to monitor him. Time in Triple-A could also help Madrigal get in a groove at the plate after starting the season with an uncharacteristically low .203 batting average.

Cubs outfielder Clint Frazier (appendicitis) is five games into his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa, hitting .176 in 17 at-bats. Ross said didn’t have a sense for how many games Frazier will need before returning.

Cubs left-hander Sean Newcomb (left ankle sprain) is scheduled to start a Triple-A rehab stint Tuesday.

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Give White Sox manager Tony La Russa credit for not ordering someone on his pitching staff to stick one in Josh Donaldson’s ribs.

After everything that went down Saturday, with Donaldson taunting Anderson by calling him “Jackie”, Anderson taking offense and a bench-clearning fracas resulting because of it, everyone wondered what the Sox response would be.

Donaldson, after all, had mixed it up with the Sox before.

And so a message pitch from veteran Johnny Cueto in Game 1 of the doubleheader Sunday wouldn’t have surprised anyone.

But there is no good sense in that, no need to put a runner on base who could become a winning run, no need for anyone to risk injury from a pitch or another melee that might have followed.

And La Russa, as 78-year-old old school as they come, gave his team a chance to react instead in the best way possible — on the field.

“You know what, it’s the way we’re going about it,” La Russa said after the Sox won Game 1. “You want to score. Because that’s how you [respond].We went after that game. Guys went after it.”

The Sox then completed a sweep of the team with the best record in baseball in what easily was the best day of their season and probably their best day since Anderson homered against the Yankees in the Field of Dreams game last Aug. 12.

Anderson homered in his final at-bat Sunday night, a three-run shot to the opposite field, which looked a lot like his walk-off homer against the Yankees in the Iowa cornfields. He did not talk to reporters before Game 1, during which he rested, and he declined to talk after Game 2.

Fans were talking at him, though, with boos and calling him Jackie. Anderson’s bat did his talking, and it silenced a Yankees crowd that saw Anderson put his finger to his lips as he rounded third and touched home plate.

“When somebody disrespects him, he should get upset,” La Russa said. “I know I would.”

Meanwhile, the Sox came together at a time when they almost desperately needed to. A World Series contender going into this season in the middle of their championship window, their first month and a half has featured lackluster defense (not unexpected) and bottom of the major leagues hitting (unexpected). But with 78 hits on a 5-3 road trip (nearly 10 hits a game) that started in Kansas City, there are hints of rounding back to form. Next step: Hitting with runners in scoring position.

“We’re working on that,” La Russa said.

Emotionally, there’s no work to be done. Donaldson did that for them, putting a charge into the Sox clubhouse.

What’s more, the sweep of the Yankees was fueled by starting pitching that was and will be the Sox backbone. Cueto was unscored on for the second second time in as many six-inning outings and Kopech (1.29) looked dominant again in his first go-around as a major league. Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease, also in the rotation, could very well be in the Cy Young award chase and Lance Lynn, a regular in the same class, is coming soon. Dallas Keuchel and Vince Velasquez might be getting squeezed out of a group that leaves no room.

So things aren’t as dim for the Sox (21-20), who didn’t expect to be chasing the Twins in the AL Central but are, as they were a few days ago. That’s what being smart and unemotional on the issue of responding to Donaldson — and taking a series from the Yankees — will do.

Channel the emotional energy in the right way, as Anderson did by going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer Sunday night.

“That speaks huge to Tim’s character and what we’re trying to be in this clubhouse,” Kopech said. “And that’s a family.”

RED SOX AT WHITE SOX

Tuesday: Nick Pivetta (2-4, 4.22 ERA) vs. Dylan Cease (4-1, 3.09), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Wednesday: Rich Hill (1-1, 3.90) vs. Lucas Giolito (2-1, 2.84), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Thursday: Michael Wacha (3-0, 1.76) vs. TBD, NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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For six years, we have known her as the ultimate matriarch Rebecca Pearson on NBC’s hit series “This Is Us.” But with the show concluding on Tuesday, actress and singer Mandy Moore is getting back on the road for the first time in over a decade to share pieces of her new album.

“The last time I toured was 2007, and it really was the first time I had toured in a good chunk of time as well. I have these long lulls between going on the road, so it feels like an entirely new world that I have to re-learn,” Moore explained in a phone conversation ahead of a stop at the Vic Theatre on July 11.

This time around though, she’ll have the support of her husband, Taylor Goldsmith of the indie-folk band Dawes, who knows all too well the ins and outs of being on the road. He and his bandmate/brother Griffin will be part of Moore’s touring musician ensemble, and they also will be accompanied by Moore’s infant son Gus for what she is anticipating will be the “ultimate family road trip.”

“The fact that we could line this up touring-wise where [Taylor and Griffin] could come out with us during their time off, I know it’s never going to work out to do it again,” she said. “So I’m definitely soaking it all in.”

In a previous life, Moore may have been a teen queen known for her bubblegum pop hits like “Candy” and starring in high school dramas like “A Walk to Remember,” but there is a noticeable maturity and true relatability displayed on the new album, “In Real Life” (out now on Verve Forecast). It’s apparent not just in the refined sounds covering the gamut of folk music, synth pop and singer-songwriter territory (helped by collaborators including the members of Dawes as well as the indie pop band Lucius), but also in the material itself.

“So much of this record was influenced by this impending idea of parenthood and knowing this next chapter was upon us and what it was going to mean and how it was going to unfold. And really knowing how life was going to look different and even reflecting back on my own childhood and my [relationship with] my parents,” shared Moore, who welcomed Gus in February 2021.”I’m way more intentional with my time and my boundaries now being a parent. I tended to suffer from being a people-pleaser earlier in my life, but it’s crazy how that switches on when you have someone else to be responsible for. There was no way that this life-changing event wouldn’t influence the music I write and how I write.”

In the sweetly revealing music video for the “In Real Life” title track, Moore shares some moments of her home life with self-recorded snippets of her waking up, caring for her son and being in the studio. The video also features cameos from a slew of her friends who submitted their own “day in the life” cellphone footage, like Hilary Duff, Amanda Kloots and of course her “This Is Us” castmates including Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley and Jon Huertas.

Moore would be remiss to not see the parallels of how the award-winning series, which showcases the small and big moments of one family across the span of decades, shaped her and her latest record. Her character Rebecca (for which Moore was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her uncanny ability to play the pivotal role across a range of ages) also once had hopes of being a singer, and the show gives hints of her dream deferred in various flashbacks and montages.

“I had the good fortune of playing the ultimate mother for the past six years, who I kind of already had on a pedestal before [being a mom] became a part of my own life,” she shared. “It makes me want to go back and redo the earlier seasons now that I know what it’s like on a very surface level of what it is to be a parent. … The difference is now I don’t have to fake it on camera anymore.”

With the success of the series, Moore has opened herself up to a whole new audience of fans who have found her music through a back route — and the star is looking forward to the transition from sound stage to real stage.

“For me, it’s all about connecting with people one on one, especially since we haven’t been able to do that these past two years,” she said, noting each show might have some covers but will be heavy on her original material, including 2020’s “Silver Landings.” That’s an album she never got to properly promote due to COVID; in fact, Moore gave the final in-audience performance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” in March 2020 before the great shutdown.

“That’s what I’m most looking forward to, being able to see people and feel their energy and be able to share these parts of my life from the past, the earlier records, stuff from ‘This Is Us’ and these last two albums,” shared Moore. “It’ll be a fun mini-version of ‘This Is My Life.’ “

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The crowd was on its feet for the final at-bat at Wrigley Field on Monday. That’s a familiar sight on a May afternoon on the North Side, but this time a championship was on the line, admission and parking were free and there wasn’t a millionaire on the diamond.

Lane starting pitcher Josh Katz retired Brooks outfielder Kendall Larry on his 114th pitch of the game, securing a 2-1 win in the Chicago Public League title game.

Katz found out on Wednesday that he’d be starting the game. So he had a few days to wrap his head around it and prepare.

But actually walking onto the field was a breathtaking moment for the junior.

“I saw the bleachers and kind of that smell of walking into Wrigley Field,” Katz said. “It was incredible.”

The final moments were special. Brooks and Lane both brought big crowds.

The Eagles scored once in the seventh to cut into Lane’s lead and had runners on first and second with one out.

Katz had thrown more than 100 pitches and appeared to be on the ropes. He walked two in the inning, but Lane coach Sean Freeman stuck with his ace.

“I’m not gonna lie, I thought that might be the end [after walking CJ Mendez],” Katz said. “I had about five pitches left maybe. Not many.”

Katz, who is 6-0 after the win and entered the game with a 0.62 ERA this season, got Brooks catcher Marco Luna to fly out to left and then leadoff hitter Kendall Larry grounded to third for the final out.

“I wanted this more than anyone for Lane and for everyone,” Katz said. “Coming here as a kid and watching the pros pitch on the mound it just felt incredible to come out and throw strikes and win the CPS championship.”

Katz allowed five hits, struck out eight, and walked two. Second baseman Nick Lagges was the offensive hero for Lane (23-11). He scored the eventual winning run in the fourth inning. It was a fortunate accident. He managed to score from second base on a grounder to second.

“I thought the ball had made it to the outfield but I was still running so I kept my head down and just ran home and made him make the play,” Lagges said.”

Lagges thought he was being waved around but Lane coach Sean Freeman said that wasn’t the case.

“That was a little miscommunication but it worked out,” Freeman said. “Sometimes that’s baseball. We put the pressure on. [Lagges] was going hard and made them make a bad throw.”

Junior Jack Tzur had two hits and one RBI for Lane and senior Carter Dow walked twice and scored a run.

Senior Ryan Little started for Brooks (16-12), which beat Simeon in extra innings in the semifinals. Little pitched four innings and allowed three hits and two runs.

Katz didn’t allow a hit to any of the first six batters in the Eagles’ lineup. But the bottom of the order did some damage. Junior Amir Faulkner had two hits and one RBI and Mendez, a sophomore, had two hits and a walk.

“CPS and the Cubs put on a top-notch event,” Brooks coach Tony Beale said. “This was a great high school baseball. I know the kids are disappointed but they have nothing to be ashamed of. I’m so proud of this and they will remember this day their entire lives.”

Jed Hoyer, the Cubs president, watched a few innings from the stands behind the third-base dugout.

CPS Sports Director David Rosengard expects to rotate the game between Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate. The last time the game was at Wrigley was in 2017. Monday’s crowd was significantly bigger than the typical crowd in Joliet for the Illinois High School Association’s state title game.

“The Cubs were wonderful about running it like a Cubs game,” Rosengard said. “We’re trying to do wow moments for kids and this was a wow moment.”

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