Monday’s result: Padres 9, Sox 8

Tony’s not telling

Lucas Giolito pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Padres and Lance Lynn got up five times and threw 70 pitches in a B game against the Dodgers in Glendale, Ariz.

Both are candidates to be the Opening Day starter April 8 in Detroit. Manager Tony La Russa said he knows who it is but he wasn’t ready to announce it.

“If I answered it ‘undecided’ that would be dishonest,’ ” La Russa said. “So you are better off not answering it.

“You guys have had so much news happening in camp. When things get a little slowed down and you need something, we’ll give it to you.”

Mixed bag for Lucas

Giolito struck out five, walked three and gave up three hits. He has nine strikeouts and four walks in 6 2/3 spring innings covering two starts. He retired the first seven batters, then walked two to load the bases in the third, escaping by getting Manny Machado to hit into a double play.

“Just a little lapse in focus for a few batters in a row but getting reps like that in a bigger situation in a spring training game is good preparation for the regular season,” Giolito said.

With his pitch count at 66, Giolito was lifted with two outs in the fourth. He and Lynn will have one more start in Arizona.

Jimenez goes deep

Eloy Jimenez, who homered to left against Joe Musgrove, is 8-for-19 (.421) with three doubles and seven RBI this spring. Nick Ciuffo, a non-roster invitee who has 48 games of major league experience with the Rays and Orioles and has been getting plenty of looks during camp, caught Giolito and doubled down the first base line, his second double

On deck

Off day Tuesday. Dylan Cease is slated for four innings against the Rangers Wednesday.

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NEW YORK – DeMar DeRozan wasn’t going to pull punches.

Not after this latest loss.

One game after a huge win in Cleveland over the weekend that had the Bulls strutting into the Big Apple? Bam! A left hook that few saw coming from a Knicks team that was supposed to be making summer vacation plans.

Even with DeRozan’s 37 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, the Bulls (43-32) ended up earning a season split with Tom Thibodeau’s club in the wake of Monday’s 109-104 loss.

With Toronto getting the win over Boston, the Raptors have the same record as the Bulls, but lost the season series and the tie-breaker. Cleveland was now a game back for that play-in spot and the No. 7 seed.

In other words, this Bulls team still can’t figure out how to get out of its own way.

“Cleveland was a big game for us, we had an opportunity [Monday] to keep that going, but now we dropped this one,” DeRozan said. “It sucks, it’s frustrating, but we’ve got to let it be frustrating and then take it out on Washington. That’s all we can do. We can’t dwell on it too much. We’ve got to get this feeling off of us.”

Easier said than done, especially with how the night set up for the Bulls at Madison Square Garden.

It was pretty easy to see how the Bulls built an 11-point lead right out of the gate in that first quarter, shooting 4-for-6 from three-point range while the Knicks couldn’t throw it in the Hudson River if they were standing on Pier 46.

The 1-for-8 was evidence of that, as New York also started the game allowing the visiting team to shoot 63.2% from the field.

As efficient as that Bulls offense looked in those first 12 minutes, it was just as easy to see how that lead was lost a quarter later.

Six turnovers, 0-for-6 from three, and the Bulls watched a big lead slip to a three-point deficit at the half.

“That’s on us,” DeRozan said. “Once we got down, back to fighting that uphill battle. We’ve got to play hard no matter how we’re playing offensively.”

New York took a 81-75 lead into the fourth quarter, and that’s when DeRozan really started to do what he does best this season – take over the game.

Whether it was the mid-range or drawing fouls, DeRozan scored nine points in less than six minutes, bringing the Bulls to within four.

Not that Thibodeau didn’t expect it.

“I think it’s more the value of the shot,” Thibodeau said of DeRozan’s stellar season. “What people sometimes overlook is what he brings to the team. His ability to get into the restricted [area], his ability to get to the free throw line, and his ability to create value shots.

“In many ways he reminds me of [former Bull Jimmy] Butler. Butler wasn’t a great three-point shooter but you could always have great offense because of his passing ability, we know the value of free throws, we know the value of [scoring in] restricted [area], and they can create those shots. Then you look at DeMar and he’s always been a high-assist guy as well.”

As good as DeRozan was, the play of the game came with 23.2 seconds left, after DeRozan had cut it to a one-point game. A driving Immanuel Quickley found a wide-open Alec Burks in the corner for a three that ended up being the dagger.

“I got to do a better job,” DeRozan added. “All of us, but it starts with myself, Zach [LaVine], Vooch [Nikola Vucevic], AC [Alex Caruso] … we just have too many lapses where we get out of sync and that dictates our offense and our defense.”

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In a vacuum, the Blackhawks’ 6-5 loss to the Sabres on Monday was their worst loss in years.

They blew a 4-0 lead at home against the NHL’s perennial punching bag, ultimately losing with 12 seconds left in regulation on a broken-stick shot that caromed off the end-boards, off Kevin Lankinen’s pad and across the goal line.

Considering the game’s utter lack of stakes, it’s probably not actually the Hawks’ worst loss in years in context. But that should take nothing away from the embarrassment of the team’s effort from the first intermission on.

Their defensive coverage was laughably awful, leaving Sabres attackers wide open all over the zone on every shift. Their mental fortitude was nonexistent, even squandering a 5-4 lead gifted by an Alex DeBrincat power-play snipe after they’d already thrown away the original four-goal cushion. And goalie Kevin Lankinen cast more serious doubt that he can be a reliable backstop for this team moving forward.

The final stats tell the story: the Sabres led 68-38 in shot attempts, 37-21 in shots on goal and 29-13 in scoring chances.

Interim coach Derek King was rightly as angry as he has been all season.

“We stopped playing the game the right way,” King said. “We just decided upon ourselves to go and do what they wanted to do. Didn’t do anything we asked them to do.

“I’m very surprised, disappointed. And they should be disappointed. We’ll find out come next game how disappointed they really are about losing a game like that.”

Toews nears milestone

Of course, the Hawks’ next game — Thursday against the Panthers — will also be Jonathan Toews’ 1,000th career game, and the anticipatory buzz the next few days will likely drown out the lingering bitterness from Monday’s defeat.

Considering the health issues Toews has overcome in recent years, it will be a significant accomplishment. He’ll be the 358th player in NHL history to achieve the milestone and the eighth to play 1,000 games with the Hawks.

Since returning from a concussion in early March, the captain has looked more and more like himself and finally has gotten the production to show for it. He scored in the first period Monday for his sixth goal in his last 10 games and 10th point in his last 13.

But he, too, struggled to feel anything but frustration Monday night, given the way the rest of the game played out.

“What we’re not doing right is right there in front of us, so it’s not really a confidence thing,” he said. “[We’re not] keeping the game simple and identifying little ways that we can make things hard for them and not give them free offense. We just let them walk in everywhere, just making plays through us, [getting] no sticks on pucks and go down the list.”

Injury updates

Tyler Johnson was activated from injured reserve and played Monday after recovering from his latest concussion. Connor Murphy, although still on long-term injured reserve, might be nearing a return from his concussion, too.

”He has been skating and working out, and he said he’s feeling really good,” interim coach Derek King said. ”I believe some of the symptoms are not there or close to being not there.”

De Haan snaps streak

Defenseman Calvin de Haan entered the game a month away from finishing a fifth consecutive season with exactly one goal.

But his streak is now dead. De Haan saw the net wide-open in the first period — after forward Taylor Raddysh executed a clever shot-fake and pass — and blasted the puck in for his second goal in 61 games this season.

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MESA, Ariz. – Outfielders Clint Frazier and Michael Hermosillo hit it off from the beginning of Cubs camp.

“He’s great,” Frazier said. “I feel like we’d be friends on the outside. So, hopefully there’s enough room for both of us to get the shot that we’ve been trying to get.”

Setting a roster is a numbers game, and the reality is, the Cubs might not have enough spots to carry all six outfielders who are in camp with a week and a half left before opening day.

Major League Baseball and the MLB players association agreed to expand rosters by two spots to start the season. But with the injury and ramp-up concerns surrounding pitchers in this condensed spring training, those spots will likely go to extra arms.

“But it’s not just how things will shake out performance-wise,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “There’s big-picture stuff that we look at, as well.”

Pencil in Seiya Suzuki, who the Cubs signed to a five-year, $85 million contract this spring, into right field. Jason Heyward, who has shifted from right field to center, and Ian Happ are also projected to claim starting outfield jobs.

Happ, however, underwent an elbow procedure in February, and the Cubs will be monitoring the stress to his throwing arm. The Cubs could also consider platoons, necessitating an extra outfielder or two.

If shortstop Andrelton Simmons’ injury recovery drags out, the Cubs may have another roster spot to fill. He has been dealing with shoulder soreness and is scheduled to throw Tuesday, and the Cubs don’t want to rush him back.

If Simmons, or anyone else, did land on the injured list, the Cubs could use that extra spot to hold onto the full outfield group. But they could also put a player like Alfonso Rivas, who could add depth at first base and in the outfield, on the opening day roster.

“I think the competition’s been really good,” Cubs outfielder Rafael Ortega said through team interpreter Will Nadal. “I think it breeds results, it keeps us motivated. We have really good outfielders here.”

Ortega had a breakout year last season, especially against right-handed pitchers, who he logged a .321 batting average against. He’s had a slow start offensively this spring, going 2-for-16 in six games.

“I felt tense at the plate the past couple weeks,” Ortega said Monday. “But yesterday I felt really good, just getting that rhythm back, just hopefully in time, hopefully be on the team for the season, having that going into opening day.”

Frazier joined the Cubs this winter, signing on the eve of the lockout. Frazier, who entered Friday hitting .333 this spring, has a minor-league option year, unlike Ortega and Hermosillo.

“I don’t think I’m a Triple-A player,” Frazier said. “And hopefully they don’t think the same, and they look at me as a guy that can help them out for the next few years.”

Hermosillo’s first season with the Cubs last year was cut short by a forearm strain, but he said the experience was something to build off of.

“I think I was able to show some things last year,” he said. “Obviously, I would have liked to have been a little bit more consistent and better pinch-hitting wise, but I think I showed that there is some ability there and that, you know, given an opportunity that I can do some things.”

Hermosillo showed off his speed over the weekend, when his double got behind the center fielder at Peoria Sports Complex. Hermosillo flew all the way home.

Though this spring has been short, a lot can happen with over a week left.

“The guys I’m competing against, I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with them,” Frazier said. “I think at the end of the day – I know it’s a cliche answer – but it is weird how these things work themselves out.”

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. – The top of the rotation has already started bonding.

Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks and newcomer Marcus Stroman, who started the Cubs’ Cactus League game against the Reds on Monday, are expected to be the Cubs’ No. 1 and 2 starters. But they’ve both lobbied for the other to get the opening day start.

“Hendricks is the guy,” Stroman said last week. “He’s been doing this for a long time. I’ll pitch Day 5 — I really don’t care when I pitch. . . . I’ve never been prideful on that. I truly believe Hendricks should be the Opening Day [starter] just because of his career, how unbelievable he’s been in the playoffs. His resume speaks for itself.”

Hendricks said Stroman’s vote of confidence means a lot, but he’s told Stroman the same. Ross has not yet named an opening day starter, but Hendricks has been his opening day starter the past two seasons.

“I’m just so excited to pitch alongside him,” Hendricks said of Stroman. “And we know that whoever gets the first game, we’re excited for just the whole road together, to be together as a staff, me, him, Wade [Miley], see what we can do at the top of this rotation and set the tone and the identity for us.”

Hendricks and Stroman only really got to know each other this spring. They’d pitched against each other before, and had a quick exchange warming up before the game.

“We’ve kind of just gotten to know each other personally right now, just get to know each other as guys,” Hendricks said when asked what they could learn from each other, “and he’s just an awesome human being overall, him and his family, everything about him.

“But when we get into the nitty gritty of it into the season, definitely it’s gonna be fun to learn from each other. And we pitch in similar styles for sure. He’s got some other secondary stuff, but the way we use our fastballs, his sinker, especially, it’s gonna be fun to watch just how he attacks guys and take some things from him.”

On Monday, Stroman threw four innings, putting him on track to build up to around five frames in his final spring training start. Stroman allowed two runs on two hits against the Reds.

Miley and Givens bounce back

Cubs starter Wade Miley and reliever Mychal Givens felt good Monday, the day after both throwing live batting practice for the first time this spring.

“Talking to Mychal on the bench yesterday, he felt really good, stuff was coming out well, feels like his timing is just not quite there yet, which is to be expected,” Ross said. “As long as the arm’s healthy, the balls coming out the right way, especially with his arm slot, get that timing down.”

On deck

The Cubs are set to face the Diamondbacks Tuesday afternoon. Cubs lefty Justin Steele is scheduled to take the mound opposite a former rotation mate, Arizona right-hander Zach Davies.

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NEW YORK – It actually was a solid point made by Patrick Williams on Monday.

The second-year forward was asked about falling short statistically in the Scottie Barnes comparison. After all, yes, they were a year apart, but same college, same role at Florida State, and almost the same body type.

Yet, as a rookie Barnes entered the night averaging 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Williams’ argument? How does anyone know he couldn’t have numbers like that for Toronto?

“It’s no secret to anybody on this team of what I can do offensively,” Williams said. “Maybe people on the outside don’t see that, but when you’re trying to win you have to do whatever it takes to win. It takes what it takes. Definitely I can be more aggressive on offense, in certain areas, but Scottie is in a different situation. Scottie doesn’t have a DeMar [DeRozan], he doesn’t have a Vooch [Nikola Vucevic]. He’s had to step into a scoring role.

“I don’t think [Toronto] came into the season thinking they would be winning as many games as they have, but he’s been playing well. I always wish nothing but the best for him. He’s been amazing. But it’s a little different because we have very different teams.”

That doesn’t mean Williams still doesn’t need to pick up his scoring at some point, but in only playing his 10th game of the season on Monday, he’s also been dropped into a tough situation. Like he did in Summer League, he would love to put up 19.3 shots per game. That’s just not realistic, however, with so much at stake these final seven regular-season games.

“For sure, winning is why I play this game,” Williams said. “Everybody doesn’t get what they want when you get a win. There’s a sacrifice to it. But there’s also the idea of no one knows exactly what every game will need. It has a life of its own. Whether you’re getting 20 shots in that game or not, just always being ready to come out and be aggressive for what’s needed. Winning is the top priority.

“Everybody on this team has crazy offensive potential. Defensively is where we need to lock in. So just coming back for me that’s been the focus.”

Coach Billy Donovan understood where Williams was coming from, but also needed his 20-year-old forward to stay aggressive. Whether it’s scoring, defense or just physically imposing his will on a play, keep an aggressive attitude.

“I think with Patrick to me it’s all mentality,” Donovan said. “It’s not his skillset, it’s not his body, it’s not his quickness or athleticism. He kind of came back in that first game against Toronto, and he really played well off the bench in a limited amount of minutes. Then he had a couple games there where you just didn’t feel him for two games. Then all of a sudden you come back against Cleveland and you kind of feel him.

“That has to be consistent. I mean his running, his athleticism, his size into the game. There’s plenty of opportunity for him to do that.”

Ball game

Lonzo Ball (left knee bone bruise) was still expected to restart his rehab program later this week. What Donovan did clear up, however, was there was no doomsday scenario in place where if the pain comes back the organization would just shut Ball down for the rest of the season.

“They have not said to me, ‘Hey, if we try and ramp him back up and he’s not responding …’ They haven’t said that to me yet,” Donovan said. “The encouraging part is Lonzo is really driving this as far as wanting to get back.”

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — As Ryan Poles sized up the work it would take to build the Bears into a winner, he saw clearly that quarterback Justin Fields was the centerpiece of their future.

And in order to build around him, he had to leave Khalil Mack in the past.

It was a bold move for Poles to undo the Bears’ biggest blockbuster trade of the past decade in his first six weeks on the job, and in doing so take a sledgehammer to a pass rush that was arguably the strongest part of the roster, but he believed it necessary.

Mack is still in his prime, but the Bears went 6-11 last season and need widespread renovation. Getting a second-round pick and clearing a massive salary-cap hit off the books eventually will help set up the infrastructure Fields needs.

“It was looking at where we needed to go,” Poles said. “It just seemed like the right time to do it in terms of value where we can help this team out now and in the future.

“I would understand why some people would be upset. It’s not easy for us to do, either, but… that is my job to do what I think is best for the organization for now and the future.”

Whatever Poles does with the resources the Mack trade brought in, plus the windfall of cap space and full set of draft picks coming next year, should be viewed through a lens of what it does for Fields. He’s the franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future, and no one else in the building will have more impact on whether the Bears turn this around.

Part of that equation is providing a defense to back him up, but Poles’ most significant task is constructing a viable offensive line, supplying Fields with dynamic playmakers and formulating an offense that fits his strengths.

Basically, he and Eberflus need to do the opposite of what predecessors Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy did.

It’s not clear that Poles has installed the necessary pieces around Fields for the upcoming season after he resisted the urge to splurge on high-priced wide receivers and offensive linemen in free agency and the trade market.

He picked up budget-friendly linemen in Lucas Patrick and Dakota Dozier, as well as affordable receivers in Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown. Any could be quality players, but they don’t look like game-changers at first glance. He also has two second-round picks and a third-rounder, but the draft is rife with uncertainty.

Reading into Poles’ comments since taking over, he seems to see sweeping out the dysfunction Fields endured in his rookie season as a big step toward him emerging as the quarterback the Bears hope he can be. Clearing out the clutter is an upgrade in itself.

“He’s going to be put in a situation where he’s going to be comfortable,” Poles said. “And allowing him to do what he does best is going to allow him to grow.

“I want to give him everything I possibly can, but you still have to construct an entire team… The timing and the talent level and the cap situation — all of those are going to dictate when we can [spend] and when we can’t. What we’ve done so far is at least establish a little bit of growth in the roster, plus the scheme [and] coaching. I see him getting better even from what we did right now.”

If he’s correct, the pain of offloading someone as talented as Mack will be worthwhile.

He’ll hope Fields can progress during this transition season, then flourish in the next one. If he outpaces that schedule, all the better. But that’s the priority, and cashing in Mack for assets to facilitate that vision — even if it isn’t instantaneously — makes sense to someone looking at where the Bears need to go rather than where they’ve been.

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — New Bears general manager Ryan Poles wants to give quarterback Nick Foles his wish: a ticket out of Chicago.

Poles said flatly Monday that free agent signee Trevor Siemian will be Justin Fields’ backup and that he intends to trade Foles.

“Nothing has popped up right now, but we’re working on it,” Poles said. “Hopefully something pops up.”

Foles has been problematic ever since former general manager Ryan Pace traded a fourth-round pick to acquire him from the Jaguars in 2020 and committed to a three-year, $24 million contract.

After a brutal first season in which he couldn’t beat out Mitch Trubisky for the starting job in summer and then lost the spot to Trubisky after a brief run as the starter, Foles was essentially shelved. Former coach Matt Nagy declared him the third-stringer last spring, and Foles said publicly he hoped to be traded to a better situation.

The Bears couldn’t find a taker for his contract, and he played just one game for them. With Fields and Andy Dalton both injured, Foles led the team to a 25-24 comeback victory at Seattle in Week 16.

In two seasons with the Bears, he has an 82.6 passer rating to go with 11 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. At 33 and four seasons removed from winning Super Bowl MVP, it’s doubtful there will be a strong market for Foles.

Siemian, 30, signed a two-year, $4 million deal after playing six games off the bench for the Saints last season. Poles was drawn to his overall game, as well as his history working with elite quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

“In this offense, I think he’s a better fit [than Foles],” Poles said. “In terms of a guy who has been behind Peyton and Brees, there’s also a wealth of knowledge he can bring to Justin.”

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — New Bears general manager Ryan Poles had high hopes for Bills offensive lineman Ryan Bates when he signed him to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent last week, but he’ll have to move on to contingency plans.

The Bills matched Poles’ four-year offer to keep Bates, 25, on Monday. They had until Tuesday night and hadn’t given the Bears any indication of their intentions.

“Yeah, it stinks,” Poles said. “But that’s a part of the RFA process. We’ll adjust and keep adding players. It’s out of your control. You put your best foot forward… and we came strong, and that’s given back to that team if they want to match it.”

Bates likely would’ve competed for a guard spot. He played all 17 games for the Bills last season, including four starts. While he got just 25% of the offensive snaps, it’s clear the Bills agree with Poles that Bates is trending upwardly.

“Ryan’s a really good player and really good person,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday morning, before general manager Brandon Beane made the decision public. “He’s meant a lot to our football team, whether he was in a backup role or starting role. He’s been a valuable piece of our team.”

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — So far, so good for Garrett Crochet, the second half of the White Sox’ high-octane left-handed bullpen tandem with Aaron Bummer.

The 6-6 second-year former first-round draft choice has been sharp in three Cactus League games, allowing two hits and no walks and striking out five batters in three innings.

“I’ve been feeling really smooth mechanically and I feel confident throwing all my pitches regardless of count,” Crochet said Monday. “Those were my goals leading into the season and so far it’s working out.”

Ask Crochet, who possesses upper 90s velocity, what his best pitch is right now and he’ll tell you it’s a tossup between his fastball and slider.

“But I feel equally comfortable with my changeup, that has come such a long way since I was drafted [11th overall in 2020] and that could easily overtake them eventually,” he said.

Crochet hopes to expand his changeup and show it to lefties this spring.

Coming off his first full season in which he appeared in 54 games, posting a 2.82 ERA with 65 strikeouts and a 1.270 WHIP over 54 1/3 innings, the 6-6 Crochet “definitely gained some comfortability in this environment,” he said.

“And the knowledge and experience of what it takes to make it through the season. It’s no longer the unknown where I’m tiptoeing around the clubhouse. Now I know how to carry myself and what needs to be done. I look forward to helping this team win baseball games this year.”

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