Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Kate Briand spotted the turkey at the top May 5 “strolling down the main entrance to Ravinia in Highland Park (maybe s/he’s a music fan)!”

WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. To make submissions, email [email protected] or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).

DALE’S MAILBAG

“First morel mushroom hunt for River Kubinski, 4-week-old grandson.” Sue Kubinski

A: Beside the greatness of the Ottawa grandmother taking her grandson on his first more hunt, two things I noted: the morel is a good one and River seems quite content. Here’s hoping for a Fish of the Week from River in 12 years. Sue had one of the Sheds of the Week earlier this year.

BIG NUMBER

1-, 2- or 3-: Weight fly rod recommended by Dave and Emily Whitlock for bluegill, in flyfisherman.com

LAST WORD

“Burdened with carrying eggs somewhat longer (couple weeks) than usual, female walleyes dumped their eggs quickly as water temps raced through the `preferred’ spawning temps of 38 to 42 degrees leaving lots of males still working the shallows looking for love!”

Kurt Justice, of Kurt’s Island Sport Shop in Minocqua, Wis., on the impact of the late spring on Wisconsin’s fishing opener

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERING

Tuesday, May17: Capt. Chris Taurisano, “Fishing the Fox Chain—Lures & Locations,” Arlington Anglers, Poplar Creek Banquets, Hoffman Estates, 6:30 p.m., arlingtonanglers.com

Thursday, May 19: Tony Boshold, “Fishing Southeast Wisconsin,” Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., fishtalesfishingclub.com

HUNTER SAFETY

May 21-22: Bartlett, (847) 608-3163

June 2 and 4: Newark, [email protected]

DUCKS UNLIMITED

May 25: Palos Park dinner, Palos Golf Club, (708) 557-1300

PADDLING

May 22: Des Plaines River Canoe & Kayak Marathon May 22, online registration deadline is today, May 14; day-of registration, $40 cash.

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

Next Saturday, May 21: National Safe Boating Week Kick-Off (safety classes, vessel safety checks, family activities, demonstrations), Belmont Yacht Club, free, 9 a.m.-noon, https://fb.me/e/1T4NvNOUt

Next Saturday, May 21: Calumet Harbor Chicago Flotilla hosts vessel safety check station, Hammond Marina, starting at 9 a.m., USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 35-11 “Calumet Harbor Chicago” | Facebook

Tuesday, May 17: Boat America, Safeboat Team, [email protected]

Wednesday, May 18: Paddlers Guide to Safety, Chicago, Don Leonard, [email protected] . . . Boat America, Des Plaines, Virginia Haase, [email protected]

WINGSHOOTING CLINICS

June 4-5: Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, (815) 423-5326, click here for more

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Loss. Loss. Win. Loss.

Predicting the Bears’ game-by-game results when the schedule comes out is a joyful rite of the NFL offseason — especially when the Bulls and Blackhawks are out of the playoffs and there are still 130 games left in the baseball season.

Loss. Win. Loss. Loss.

It’s joyful but not always accurate. On average, more than four teams that finished with losing records the previous season make the playoffs, including some of those three- and four-win teams you have pegged as a Bears victory.

Loss. Win. Loss. Win.

And just as Bears fans have games against the Lions, Texans, Jets, Giants and Falcons as victories for the Bears, fans of the Lions, Texans, Jets, Giants and Falcons have the game against the Bears pegged as a victory for their team.

Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss.

And not just the fans. The last time the Bears made a coaching change, when Matt Nagy was hired to replace John Fox in 2018, the Bears were coming off a 5-11 season. When the schedule was released, ESPN.com had its NFL beat writers make game-by-game predictions for the team they cover. They compositely had the Bears going 0-16. The Bears went 12-4 and won the NFC North. In 2019, the ESPN.com reporters had the Bears going 11-5. They went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

Win.

Under first-year general manager Ryan Poles, the Bears are in the midst of a significant teardown/rebuild that portends a difficult season. Gone are several players who would have been key contributors to a playoff/Super Bowl contender: linebacker Khalil Mack, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, receiver Allen Robinson, guard James Daniels, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, defensive lineman Bilal Nichols, safety Tashaun Gipson and tight end Jimmy Graham.

Replacing them are rookies and heretofore supporting players: rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon, rookie safety Jaquan Brisker, center Lucas Patrick, rookie receiver Velus Jones, defensive tackle Justin Jones, receiver Byron Pringle, defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad and linebacker Nick Morrow.

The Bears, in fact, have only three players on their 90-man roster who have been to the Pro Bowl: defensive end Robert Quinn (three times), safety Eddie Jackson (twice) and guard Cody Whitehair (once).

At the same point of the rebuild under former GM Ryan Pace in 2015, the Bears had 12 players with a combined 25 Pro Bowl berths. (All but three of them — Jay Cutler, Alshon Jeffery and Kyle Long would be gone by 2016 — but you can argue that’s still a point in Poles’ favor because he has cleaned house more quickly than Pace did.)

In their first year with Poles and coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears sure seem destined for a losing season. They’re installing new schemes on offense and defense, with new personnel throughout. There are just too many unknowns. And even in a smooth transition, it’s likely there will be a learning curve.

There’s one X-factor that might be a game-changer: Second-year quarterback Justin Fields gives the offense a chance for exponential growth, which would give the Bears a chance to be a surprise team.

It doesn’t appear likely now, with a modest-at-best receiving corps and an unproven offensive line on which only Whitehair has started more than two seasons in the NFL. But the quarterback can make all the difference. And if Fields clicks with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, some of today’s losses could be tomorrow’s wins.

That said, a reasonable positive scenario is for the Bears and Fields to be better at the end of the season than at the beginning. At this point, the 2022 schedule sets up well for that. The Bears play the Lions (home), Falcons (road) and Jets (road) in Weeks 10-12, and four of their last five games are at home — against the Packers (Week 13), Eagles (Week 15), Bills (Week 16) and Vikings (Week 18), with the only road game during that stretch coming against the Lions (Week 17).

And if that scenario plays out, the Bears have a chance to give fans what they’re looking for from the 2022 season: a strong finish, with the arrow pointing up heading into 2023. 

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LAS VEGAS — Losing to Syracuse deflated Pitt quarterback Niko Peramos, who had dreamt of national-championship glory his senior season. Instead, the Panthers would play Illinois in the Alamo Bowl.

Niko got invited to the Heisman Trophy festivities in New York, and some believed he’d go No. 1 in the NFL Draft with millions awaiting him in professional football.

His persistent whining about that defeat to the Orange, though, irritated his brother Stavros.

“Adelphós mou, listen . . . do you think maybe you’re being a little hard on yourself? Quit beating yourself up.”

Enter the despicable Hairdo, who wants Niko to fix the Alamo Bowl, and Big George, the Peramos patriarch with underworld ties, and the debut novel of Chris Andrews blasts off.

Its title, “Adelphós Mou,” (My Brother), is a nod to his rich Greek heritage.

Andrews, the South Point’s 66-year-old sportsbook director, has penned two popular nonfiction books about his lively career setting sports odds and taking wagers.

The novel, which will be published next month, is raw and savage, incorporating metaphor, symbolism and surprise. He began writing it after an enlightening maiden voyage to Crete in 1998.

An Andrews friend reviewed “Adelphós” and told him, “You write with such emotion.” “That’s what I’m looking for,” he says, “to make you feel something.”

It digs into his roots in Pittsburgh and Greece, with visits to Iceland, London and Las Vegas. Andrews has toyed with its visual possibilities.

Too much depth for a movie, he concludes. Can’t be told in two hours. Four or five, maybe six episodes. “Maybe a Netflix mini-series.”

HITTING A NERVE

The framed lithograph, five feet wide and three feet high, dominates the living room of his Las Vegas home and says everything about Andrews.

Anthony Quinn’s arms are wide, Greek fisherman’s cap in left hand, daffodil in right, head askew. He’s moments away, maybe, from breaking into a Sirtaki, his fabulous dance that concludes “Zorba the Greek.”

“Triumph” is a self-portrait by Quinn, the creative genius and native of Chihuahua, Mexico, who played Zorba in Michael Cacoyannis’ 1964 production filmed entirely on Crete.

Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel “Zorba the Greek,” published in 1946 as “Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas,” highlights a peasant showing uptight writer Basil how to celebrate life unabashedly.

He made clear for Basil, wrote Kazantzakis, “the meaning of art, love, beauty, purity, passion.”

Andrews says every Greek considers the late Quinn — a perfect Big George, he daydreams — an honorary countryman.

“In ‘Guns of Navarone,’ Quinn played a Greek, too,” says Andrews, who has visited his native land four times. Those journeys provided “Adelphós” with invaluable depth and context.

“[They] helped a lot, in understanding the culture, and a lot of little things are in there. I definitely hit a nerve with how they are, especially Manoli, the Greek banker. I think I nailed him pretty good.”

He nailed all of it. Anyone who doesn’t thirst for a raki — the half-shots of pomace brandy that Cretans often sip but rarely get drunk on — upon finishing the tome doesn’t have a heartbeat.

Daughter Jacque has been a vital manuscript editor/proofreader. Andrews requested an uncompromising appraisal from an author-friend, who suggested making it leaner and meaner.

Andrews trimmed its 160,000 words to 120,000, employing grittier lingo. Other specialists vetted it. A lawyer pal told Andrews, ‘‘Yeah, that’s the way jurisprudence would work.’’

He emailed a courtesy manuscript to me last fall. The unflinching dialogue drips with authenticity. Known these people all my life, says Andrews, in Pittsburgh’s many-cultured nooks and valleys.

“I think it’s real and reflects the tone of the characters. On an emotional level, my heart and soul is in this book. I can still read it and get tears in my eyes in certain parts”

NOBODY’S PERFECT

Andrews and I are fond of many gritty black-and-white movies of the 1950s, give or take a decade, that air on TCM. I’d text him when Zorba was just starting. 

“Already on,” he’d write back.

If his final days are near, wife Pam knows to have a TV, tuned to TCM, at his bedside.

He first watched ‘‘Zorba,’’ the movie, when he was 17 and first read the book at 30 or 31. Near Heraklion on Crete, the largest of approximately 300 Greek isles, the international airport is named after Kazantzakis, who died in 1957 at 74.

Among Andrews’ four packed bookcases, Kazantzakis titles dominate the special shelf, including “Zorba,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel,” “Captain Michalis” and “Saint Francis.”

The one prized by Greeks, he says, is “Freedom and Death,” about the Cretan battle for independence from the Turks 100 years ago.

Odysseus, who hatched the Trojan Horse idea, is another hero.

“Flawed, really flawed,” Andrews said. “The perfect Greek. A warrior. A brilliant [bleeping] con man. Not a guy you would ever trust. That’s our people. In Zorba, Basil finally says, ‘I’m tired of saying, Is this a good guy or a bad guy?’

“Well, everybody’s got both in them. That’s Zorba. And nobody in my book comes out of it seen as perfect. Nobody.”

Andrews has long felt like a Renaissance man, keen to cook and travel. He isn’t just a guy, he says, “making numbers and taking bets.” He has at least one more nonfiction project and another piece of fiction on his agenda.

His first stab at a novel?

Triumph. 

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The Blackhawks’ poor luck in the draft lottery Tuesday — officially sending their 2022 first-round pick to the Blue Jackets but guaranteeing they’ll keep their 2023 first-round pick — foreshadows a 2022-23 season filled with many more losses.

General manager Kyle Davidson now has good reason to design next season’s team to be as bad as possible, maximizing the Hawks’ draft position so they can land an elite prospect to help propel their rebuild.

It remains to be seen exactly how aggressive Davidson will be this offseason with dismantling the roster, and the decisions that stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane make regarding their no-trade clauses will affect what he has to work with. But it seems nearly certain the Hawks will be one of the NHL’s worst teams next season.

In fact, it shouldn’t be surprising, considering how open Davidson was during his introductory news conference, that this rebuild could take three to five years or longer.

But the Hawks’ core players seemingly — and forgivably — don’t seem to be listening to that. One by one during their late-season interviews, they argued similar rhetoric about the rebuild potentially taking much less time than anticipated.

“We might lose more games than we win, but that’s obviously never the goal,” winger Alex DeBrincat said. “If we come out hot or doing well, there’s no point to rebuild after that, right?”

Said Kane: “There are parts of our team [strong enough] that we can come back next year and can surprise some people and win a lot of hockey games. I really, truly believe that.”

Added Toews: “That’s an opinion that Kaner and myself definitely share and we deserve to express. Like we’ve seen with other teams, things can turn around pretty quickly. If a lot of different guys are given the right environment and right opportunity and keep taking steps forward, things can turn around pretty fast. It’s a fine line these days in the league.”

Only center Tyler Johnson — who may well stick around for a while, given the two overpriced years remaining on his contract — seemed hesitant in his response.

“I’ve seen teams rebuild, [and] I’ve seen it go both ways,” Johnson said. “Either it’s quick and they get back on track pretty quick, or there’s teams that can’t quite find it. Kyle’s a very smart guy, so I think he understands what he needs to do, and we have a lot of good pieces here. It’s going to be interesting, the route that everyone goes.”

It’s impossible to fault any of these players for wanting to see the Hawks succeed, wanting to aid that process or wanting a reason to stay motivated. Players never play to lose, nor would management want them to. Even the Coyotes this past season, for example, tried their best most every night (and indeed won 25 games) despite being a team designed to tank.

Kane, Toews and defenseman Seth Jones nonetheless pulled out the examples of the Kings, Rangers and Ducks to try to justify their belief in accelerated rebuilds.

“You look at L.A., they had some young guys that came in and maybe exceeded some of maybe their front-office expectations,” Kane said. “All of a sudden, they’re in a spot where they can sign guys like [Phillip] Danault and trade for [Viktor] Arvidsson and they’re a better team. [It’s the] same thing with the Rangers, right? . . . You need those young guys to take next steps, but it could be done quicker than maybe some people think.”

Noted Jones: “Anaheim was pretty good this year, as well. I don’t think they realized how good they could be.”

The Rangers example is the most persuasive, given they publicly declared a rebuild in February 2018, only to finish above .500 in 2019-20 and second in their division with 110 points this season. But their near-immediate resurgence was fueled by a confluence of factors — their signing of Artemi Panarin, draft-lottery luck to win the No. 2 pick in 2019, Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox becoming rookie sensations and Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider evolving into stars — that probably won’t be replicated in Chicago.

The Kings’ rebuild, which started after the 2017-18 season, still entailed three painfully poor seasons before this season’s improvement, and even now they’re just a bubble team. The Ducks’ rebuild does look promising, but they’re four years in and it’s hardly over; they fell apart in the second half this season.

And for every Rangers or Kings, there’s an example like the Sabres (11 straight playoff misses) or the Devils (nine in 10 years). Both seem perpetually stuck rebuilding.

Davidson, in his exit meetings with Hawks players, pushed back against their desire to rush things with the necessary doses of realism and patience-preaching.

“It’s not that we don’t want to win as soon as possible,” he said. “It’s just sometimes that, when you look at the bigger picture, you realize it might

take a little longer than they may hope, perhaps.

“We’re looking at it [as about] building sustained success rather than getting somewhere as quickly as possible and then topping out before we really reach that level we want to get to. . . . [So] if it takes a bit longer than the players wish, not everything can align perfectly with their perspectives and ours. But we’re going to do this right.”

The exit-interview meetings were “likely the first of many conversations” Davidson will have with Kane and Toews. He hopes to gather their feedback on the current situation, get them on the same page about the rebuilding plan and determine if there’s a fit for them in that plan.

“Having them around is something we’re never going to shy away from,” he said, making sure to clarify, “because they can show this next wave of players how it’s done, and you never know — maybe they could be part of when we’re back having success.”

Despite their optimism, that moment when they’re back having success is almost assuredly not going to be soon.

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As a quizmaster, I draw my inspiration for our weekly get-togethers from varied sources. I was thinking about crafting something interesting for you this past Saturday as I watched the Cubs lose two to the Dodgers (on their way to being swept) and the Sox paired with the Sox at Fenway, scoring two in extra innings for their second consecutive win over Boston (on their way to a sweep).

Later that day, the Kentucky Derby, which is often referred to as “the most exciting two minutes in sports” took place and I wish I had placed a $2 bet on Rich Strike. It was then that I realized that deuces were running wild and voila . . . we’ve got a quiz theme.

With that in mind, we’re off to the races. Let’s get to the quiz.

1. Last season (that’s 2021, for those of you reading this in the future), who led the White Sox with the most games with exactly two hits?

a. Jose Abreu  b. Tim Anderson

c. Yoan Moncada d. Leury Garcia

2. Which of these players had the most career two home-run games for a Chicago team?

a. Paul Konerko b. Billy Williams

c. Ernie Banks d. Frank Thomas

3. We are always talking about no-hitters and one-hitters, but rarely does the topic of two-hitters cross our mind. That changes now. Since 1950, which Chicago pitcher has tossed the most complete-game two-hitters?

a. Early Wynn  b. Fergie Jenkins

c. Ken Holtzman  d. Billy Pierce

4. Here are three Chicago pitchers. Which of them hit two homers in a game (there may be more than one)?

a. Fergie Jenkins        b. Gary Peters

c. Mark Buehrle         d. Dixie Howell

5. Nico Hoerner wears No. 2 for the Cubs. In 2019, the Cubs had three (!) players wear No. 2. Which of the following did not?

a. Nico Hoerner b. Carlos Gonzalez

c. Tommy La Stella d. Mark Zagunis

6. Since 1901, who is the Chicago leader in career two-baggers (you know, doubles)?

a. Paul Konerko b. Frank Thomas

c. Ryne Sandberg d. Mark Grace

7. Only one Chicago player has had two seasons with 22 homers, who is he?

a. Jose Abreu           b. Moises Alou

c. Harold Baines        d. Javy Baez

8. Two-strike hitting is an art. Who was the Chicago premier artist in 2021 (meaning who had the highest batting average with two strikes)?

a. Nick Madrigal b. Luis Robert 

c. Frank Schwindel d. Tim Anderson

9. Two-out hitting is such an important skill, particularly with runners in scoring position. In 2021, who led Chicago in RBI with two outs and RISP?

a. Patrick Wisdom       b. Luis Robert

c. Frank Schwindel      d. Jose Abreu

ANSWERS

1. Abreu had 31 games, Anderson was next with 30 games.

2. Konerko and Williams each had 28 but Banks had 38. Sammy Sosa had 59, but I don’t count his.

3. Pierce tossed seven, Wynn had six, while Jenkins and Holtzman had four each. It won’t surprise you that the most since 1950 were thrown by Nolan Ryan, who had 18.

4. Jenkins was one of five Cubs pitchers with a two-homer game and Howell was the only White Sox pitcher to ever do it. Keeping with our theme, Howell hit his pair in the second game of a doubleheader on June 16, 1957. He was the second pitcher used and he was the winner, evening up his record at . . . you guessed it, 2-2.

5. La Stella wore it from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, he was wearing No. 9 for the Angels.

6. Thomas had 447 doubles, but Chicago’s leader is Grace with 456. Count me among those of you who were surprised.

7. In 1985 and 1996, Baines hit 22 dingers for the Sox.

8. Robert hit .286, going 34-for-119, to lead Chicago.

9. Jose, can you see him driving in those runs? Abreu had 33 RBI to lead Chicago. He was sixth in MLB.

Have a great week and double down on the good things. Send me questions for and about the quiz: [email protected]. 

Check out Bill Chuck’s new book, ‘‘In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair,’’ a love letter to the game of baseball from sports columnist Bob Ryan and our favorite baseball historian and statistician. 

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Tim Anderson didn’t like getting shoved off third base by Josh Donaldson on a late pickoff attempt in the first inning Friday night.

Anderson retaliated by pushing Donaldson, but tempers cooled as umpire Chris Guccione stepped between the two players as benches and bullpens emptied.

Unfortunately for the Sox, that’s as close as they got to matching the power of the Yankees, who relied on home runs by Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo and Josh Donaldson to coast to a 10-4 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Yankees have hit eight homers in the first two games of this four-game series, further fueling their dominance as they have won nine of their last 10 games against the Sox dating to June 15, 2019.

“We got torched,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “It was almost always missed our location. You would see the catcher setting up the pitcher in a different place, and missing. That’s what a hitter is supposed to do. They punish it, and they did.”

The Yankees scored five times in the first two innings against Velasquez, who allowed three home runs but managed to last five innings – one night after the bullpen threw five innings in a 15-7 loss.

The Anderson-Donaldson squabble occurred after Gavin Sheets struck out for the second out. Catcher Jose Trevino threw to third to try to nail a diving Anderson, who was upset that Donaldson tagged him aggressively on the right side. 

Sheets hit a two-run homer off Gerrit Cole, who struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings.

Anxious Andrew

Andrew Vaughn was activated after completing a two-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, but the Sox’s slugger won’t return to the lineup until likely Saturday when the Yankees start left-hander Jordan Montgomery.

Vaughn hit two home runs Thursday night but admitted he was concerned until he received a cortisone shot Monday and the swelling subsided and helped his range of motion in his right hand.

“It’s a bone bruise,” said Vaughn, who was hit by a pitch on April 29. “I’m going to feel it for a while. It’s going to be sore, but I just got to play through it.”

Vaughn took the roster spot of pitcher Lucas Giolito, who was placed on the COVID list.

Match game

La Russa said the roles for Kendall Graveman and Matt Foster didn’t match once the Yankees took the lead for good against Joe Kelly in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 15-7 loss.

“And it doesn’t mean you disrespect the guys who pitch,” La Russa said. “It just means they have to elevate themselves in that role, like what Foster has done.”

Once Kelly pitched, La Russa said he didn’t intend to use Graveman “unless we had to,” planning to employ closer Liam Hendriks for the ninth had the game remained tied.

That would have left Foster available if the game went into extra innings, but La Russa is mindful of the long season and not taxing his bullpen.

“You use up the bullpen, and you got no chance late in the game which is where most games are decided,” said La Russa, alluding to the Sox’s current stretch of 12 games in 11 days.”

Foster allowed a homer to Donaldson in the ninth Friday.

Grandal’s grind

Yasmani Grandal is in a 1-for-11 rut with five strikeouts, but La Russa said he gave his switch-hitter a rest Friday after catching in Thursday’s heat.

“I actually think if you look at the contact he’s making over the last bunch of games, you can see his bat is coming,” La Russa said.

Grandal struck out four times in Monday’s 12-9 loss to the Guardians but has struck out only once in his last eight plate appearances. 

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The White Sox initially gave right-hander Lucas Giolito an extra day of rest so he could open a five-game series Monday night against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, where he’s 5-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 10 career starts.

But the Sox will have to wait longer, and there’s a possibility Giolito could miss the series after he was put on the COVID-19 injured list after a positive test Friday.

Manager Tony La Russa said Giolito had mild symptoms Wednesday, the same day the Sox’ series finale with the Guardians was postponed at Guaranteed Rate Field because manager Terry Francona and six members of the Guardians’ coaching staff had positive COVID tests.

La Russa emphasized the Sox have been diligent in following COVID-19 protocols.

“Since you’re 100% careful, you can’t go to 101,” said La Russa, who was aware that Francona remains sidelined and will miss the Guardians’ series at Minnesota. “I think we’re going to be OK, but just a good heads-up, a reminder you’ve got to be careful.

“If you’re careful, hopefully things work out.”

Juggling the rotation has been a constant theme for the Sox since the start of the -season.

Lance Lynn hasn’t pitched because of surgery on his right knee. Giolito missed two starts in April because of an abdominal strain suffered in the season opener in Detroit, where he pitched four scoreless innings and struck out six, including Javy Baez twice. Jimmy Lambert made a spot start April 14 and started the second game of a doubleheader in Cleveland after consecutive days of rainouts.

The Sox are scheduled to play a doubleheader Tuesday in Kansas City that was part of the revamped 162-game schedule after MLB and the players’ union reached a collective-bargaining agreement March 10.

Johnny Cueto was a strong candidate to start one of those games. But with Giolito sidelined, La Russa acknowledged that Cueto is a candidate to start Monday. Cueto, 36, pitched 51⁄3 innings of three-hit ball for Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday and would stay on normal rest if he starts Monday. Cueto must be added to the Sox’ roster by Sunday or he can opt out of his contract, according to a deal he signed in early April.

“I think Cueto’s a candidate just because we’ve got the five games and not irrespective of Lucas,” La Russa said. “We’re definitely looking at him.”

Cueto lacks velocity, but he makes up for it with crafty pitching, and he has been known to vary his tempo at extreme rates to keep batters off-balance. Cueto is 135-97 with a 3.45 ERA in 15 seasons with the Reds, Royals and Giants.

La Russa hopes Giolito can return at the back end of the Royals series. Giolito, who has limited opponents to a .221 batting average and has a 2.70 ERA in five starts, must produce two negative COVID tests at least 24 hours apart or sit 10 days before he can return. La Russa said Giolito’s symptoms were “nothing that knocked him on his butt.”

Giolito had symptoms similar to a cold in spring training but produced a negative test.

“We’ve got a doubleheader to cover, so hopefully one of those five, he can pitch,’’ La Russa said. ‘‘He’ll be OK.’’

The positive test occurred at an inopportune time for Giolito, who limited the Guardians to one run while throwing a season-high seven innings in a 4-1 victory Tuesday.

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