Moon Alert

Avoid shopping or making important decisions from noon until 10:15 p.m. Chicago time. After that, the moon moves from Leo into Virgo.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

This is a creative, playful, fun-loving day! However, most of this day is a moon alert; therefore, restrict your spending to food and gas. Write down your clever, original ideas. Enjoy socializing, sports and fun times with kids.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You might want to cocoon at home and have a let-your-hair-down conversation with a relative. This might be a good idea. However, note the moon alert and agree to nothing. Don’t volunteer for anything or agree to anything important.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You’re excited about ideas, which means you might agree to something or make a big decision. Not good! Check the moon alert times. Don’t agree to anything important. Don’t shop. (Except for food.) However, it’s a creative day!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

There is a Moon Alert for most of the day and it takes place in one of your Money Houses, which means don’t spend money on anything other than food or gas. Do not make important decisions, especially financial ones. Just cruise.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

For most of this day, the moon is in your sign; however, it is a moon alert. This means you might feel loosey-goosey and indecisive. However, you will also be creative because your mind is free to think outside of the box and come up with original concepts and ideas. Clever you!

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Today, you might have a vague feeling that things are getting away from you. You can’t put your finger on it but everything is nebulous and fuzzy. That’s because most of this day is a moon alert. Be smart and restrict spending to food and gas. Forewarned is forearmed.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Today you might have a confidential, heart-to-heart talk with someone, probably a friend or a member of a group. This discussion might relate to creative, artistic stuff. Great! Kick around ideas and build on them; however, wait until tomorrow to act.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

This is a tricky day because you are high visibility, which means people notice you more than usual. Nevertheless, because most of this day is a moon alert, you might feel indecisive or unsure about something, which is OK. Do not act today. Postpone shopping until tomorrow.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

This is a creative day if you are working on a paper or writing anything that requires an imagination. However, it’s a poor day for important legal decisions or important decisions related to medicine. Explore ideas, but wait until tomorrow to act on them. Ditto for making travel plans.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Today a moon alert is taking place in one of your Money Houses, which means this is an especially poor day to make important decisions about loans, mortgages, banking matters, shared property, inheritances or insurance issues. Don’t do it. Wait until tomorrow.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Today the moon is opposite your sign, which means you have to go more than halfway when dealing with others. This is not a big deal. It simply requires courtesy, patience and accommodation. (Admittedly, easier than it sounds.) Don’t volunteer for anything. Wait until tomorrow.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

You have a strong focus on home, plus this is also a creative, fun-loving time for you. Enjoy socializing and playful activities with kids. Know that your efficiency at work will suffer today because of the moon alert, which is fuzzy and prone to shortages.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actor Neil Patrick Harris (1973) shares your birthday. People love you. And you love to entertain. You are fast, witty and a caring person. You function best (personally and professionally) in a partnership. In a nine-year cycle this is an eight year for you, which is a wonderful time of achievement, kudos and material gain. This is a power year! It’s your time of harvest.

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Arrieta allowed four runs in five innings. He has a 6.53 ERA over his last five starts.

NEW YORK — Jake Arrieta has had a difficult time trying to duplicate the success he had during the first month of the season.

He showed signs of getting back there in his last start Wednesday against the Padres, mostly quieting one of baseball’s best offenses, but wasn’t able to keep it going Monday in the Cubs’ 5-2 loss to the Mets.

Arrieta (5-7, 5.14 ERA) had things under control early, getting through the first three innings without allowing much hard contact, and not so much as a base hit. But the fourth inning was a different story. Arrieta started to fall behind hitters, and the Mets made him pay for the loss in command. He allowed his first hit with one out in the inning, and the Mets had three runs before it was over.

“I had multiple opportunities to get out of the fourth unscathed,” Arrieta said. “The damage was done with two outs, and some of it was self-inflicted.”

After Dominic Smith singled, Arrieta proceeded to walk Billy McKinney before James McCann’s soft single up the middle sneaked through the infield to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Arrieta fell behind 3-1 in the count against the next batter, Kevin Pillar, who hit a two-run double off the wall.

“Started out really sharp,” Arri-eta said. “Felt great and felt good throughout the game. A couple walks in there were unnecessary, and the McCann single wasn’t hard contact. Just wasn’t a well-located fastball, and he was able to sneak the ball up middle, and then the Pillar double obviously kind of broke it open.”

Smith added some two-out magic of his own in the fifth, crushing a 433-foot solo shot off Arrieta to make it 4-0. Manager David Ross then went to his bullpen.

Arrieta finished allowing four runs and four hits, striking out three and walking four to tie his season high.

“Timing was good, and I liked all that,” Arrieta said. “I liked everything going into the start. It just really came down to not executing, especially with two outs and the opportunity to get out of that inning with at most one run. . . . Just have to execute a little bit better in those situations to keep it at either a 0-0 game or 1-0.”

After easily being the Cubs’ most consistent starter in April, Arrieta has had a hard time pitching consistently since.

“Sometimes that stuff creeps back to get you,” Ross said. “And you’ve got to work a little bit harder — and he did. I just think some of that command stuff and that bite later on in the game that he had early on [this season] seemed to be missing there on the back end of [this] start.”

Arrieta hasn’t reached the sixth inning since May 14, when he came off the injured list with a cut on his right thumb. He’s now 1-3 over his last five starts with a 6.53 ERA.

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Lance Lynn wasn’t at his very best but logged a workmanlike six innings, allowing three runs on a pair of homers and leaving with the Sox trailing by a run.

The White Sox hosted the Rays in an anticipated matchup of teams owning the best records in baseball Monday night.

They tried to minimize the meaning of a 5-2 loss, especially with 96 games to play.

“I mean, it was 60 games [66th of the season], so we’ll leave it at that,” said Sox right-hander Lance Lynn, who allowed three runs on a pair of early homers. “But they are a really good team. We knew that coming in, and they were able to get some runs early, and then they were able to add on late. That’s what we aspire to be.

“It’s June, nobody gives a s—.”

Lynn smiled after he said it, matter-of-factly. Perhaps, but he also knows the Sox will have to be better against the better teams than they were Monday. The Rays (43-24), the defending American League champions, won for the seventh time in eight games and snapped the Sox’ four-game winning streak.

“We have some guys seeing what a team that was in the World Series looks like,” Lynn said. “They have some talent top to bottom, guys who can pitch and who give you all kind of different looks coming out of the bullpen. It was a good challenge for us overall.”

Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow allowed two runs and left after four innings with a tight elbow. But the Rays’ bullpen strung together five zeros. The Sox (41-25) had five hits, including Tim Anderson’s single leading off the eighth that put the tying run at the plate, but right-hander Diego Castillo picked him off for the first out.

“Well, I’d like to see the move,” manager Tony La Russa said, “but, yes, he had a green light to go, and he’s got excellent judgment. He got picked. It’s not a bad baseball play when you’re trying to steal a base to get picked off. It’s better to be picked off than to be thrown out at second.

“He didn’t do anything wrong.”

The matchup before 18,024 fans at Guaranteed Rate Field marked the first Sox game since July 20, 2006, at Detroit in which both teams owned the top two records in baseball.

The Rays were aggressive early in counts against Lynn (7-2, 1.66 ERA), who wasn’t at his very best but logged a workmanlike six innings, leaving with the Sox trailing by a run. Lynn served up a two-run homer to cleanup man Austin Meadows in the first and a solo shot to leadoff man Brandon Lowe in the third, putting the Sox in a 3-0 hole.

“I made two mistakes,” Lynn said. “One was a decent pitch, and he made a good swing and kept it fair. The other one was a bad sinker down and in, especially with two outs. You can’t make that pitch right there.”

The Sox flashed some speed, scoring two in the third. Leury Garcia doubled, advanced on Danny Mendick’s fly to right and scored on a wild pitch that didn’t bounce far away from catcher Mike Zunino. But Garcia got a good read on it and a quick jump. After Anderson’s hustle double with two outs, Brian Goodwin poked a single to left, scoring Anderson.

Randy Arozarena’s homer against left-hander Garrett Crochet in the eighth, the first allowed by the rookie, ended Crochet’s scoreless-innings streak at 16 and gave the Rays a 4-2 lead. An error on Sox reliever Jose Ruiz covering first allowed the Rays’ fifth run to score in the ninth.

“It was an even-steven game that got away from us at the end,” La Russa said. “We had a couple of chances. I liked the way we competed.

“I am impressed [by the Rays], but I’m also impressed by the White Sox. We were a one-run game [until the eighth inning]. So I was impressed with both teams.”

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Grandal is vote-worthy and Moncada tops his position, but Abreu, Anderson and Madrigal all face opponents with better numbers.

Fans are back in ballparks, the White Sox and Cubs are among baseball’s hottest teams and All-Star voting is upon us.

Balloting began last week, opening the annual question: Should you choose the best players or vote, vote, vote for the home team?

Is the game to honor players or to entertain fans?

For a middle ground, you could favor the home team but focus on those with numbers near the top of their position.

This week, let’s zero in on Sox who fill that bill (through games Sunday), using Fangraphs’ wins above replacement and weighted runs created plus as guides — fWAR for a player’s total game, wRC+ for offense-first voters.

Jose Abreu, first base

The reigning MVP is second in the American League with 49 RBI. Abreu’s 125 wRC+ signifies offense at 125% of the league average, and his 1.4 fWAR puts him on pace for 3.5.

The fWAR and wRC+ aren’t superstar level, but they’ll do for fans who find comfort in voting for an established star.

Problem is, baseball’s best player in 2021 plays Abreu’s position. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads MLB with a 4.1 fWAR and incredible 203 wRC+, not to mention in home runs, RBI, times on base, OPS, OPS+, runs created and more.

Nick Madrigal, second base

For old-schoolers who love batting average, Madrigal’s .305 leads AL second basemen. His 1.4 fWAR and 117 OPS+ put him in the “very good” category.

But Madrigal’s two home runs and 11 walks aren’t enough to compete with league leaders Marcus Semien (2.7 fWAR, 142 wRC+, 15 homers, 26 walks) and Jose Altuve (2.1, 132, 12, 26). Of course, Madrigal wouldn’t be able to play anyway because of a hamstring injury that has him on the 60-day injured list.

Tim Anderson, shortstop

Like Abreu and Madrigal, Anderson has been good but not league best.

With a .299 BA after .322 last season and .335 in 2019, Anderson is at 1.7 fWAR and 115 wRC+. Xander Bogaerts (3.1 fWAR, 153 wRC+) and Carlos Correa (2.5, 144) are the leaders, partially because of Bogaerts’ 12 homers and Correa’s 11 to Anderson’s six.

Yoan Moncada, third base

It’s a close call with the Indians’ Jose Ramirez, but Moncada has been at the top of the AL third-base class.

Moncada has homered only five times, but his .402 OPB has fueled a 134 wRC+ that’s a near match for Ramirez (136), Rafael Devers (135) and Joey Wendle (135). Add 5.0 Fangraphs defensive runs, and Moncada tops AL third basemen with 2.6 fWAR to 2.4 for Ramirez and 1.9 each for Devers and Wendle.

Yasmani Grandal, catcher

Can a .157 hitter be an All-Star?

Despite the low BA, Grandal leads AL catchers with a .398 OPB. Fifty-one walks in 182 plate appearances will do that. Toss in 10 home runs, and Grandal’s 135 wRC+ leads Mitch Garver (129), Salvador Perez (127) and Mike Zunino (121) among AL catchers.

With defense considered, Grandal and Zunino are tied for the lead with 1.6 fWAR.

Grandal is vote-worthy and Moncada tops his position, but Abreu, Anderson and Madrigal all face opponents with better numbers.

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A 2021 Fall Classic held at Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate would be amazing.

Stop me if you’ve heard this fantasy before, but . . .

White Sox vs. Cubs in the World Series.

I’ve lived my whole life — as have you — dreaming of such a thing.

The last time it happened was in 1906. You weren’t alive, and neither was even a wizened old sports scribe like, say, Rick Morrissey.

But 115 years later? We’re all here, salivating.

And it could happen. OK, maybe it’s like imagining Jeff Bezos paying more than 1% on his billions, but it’s possible.

Consider both of Chicago’s teams were in first place (Sox) or tied for first (Cubs) in their respective divisions going into Monday. And the logical progression of such success is winning the playoffs and moving on to the 2021 World Series.

Call it wrong even to fantasize about such a thing. Call me light-headed, spring crazy.

But would you have canceled the ludicrous thoughts of Johannes Gutenberg, Charles Darwin, the Wright brothers?

I think not.

Back in 1906, the Sox — a k a the ‘‘Hitless Wonders’’ — beat the heavily favored Cubs in six games. The crafty, anemic Pale Hose batted only .198. But the mighty Cubs (winners of 116 regular-season games) hit only .196.

I’m not sure how the celebration went on the South Side after that, or the despair on the North Side, but the city is still standing.

Think of a crosstown matchup happening again. Think of unicorns and cotton candy and puffy clouds with cherubs lounging. Dream the impossible dream.

After all, much is already ludicrous about both Chicago teams and their winning.

The Sox built a young, strong squad, true, but they lost star outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert to injuries early on.

Since then, right-hander Michael Kopech and second baseman Nick Madrigal also have gone out with injuries.

Yet the Sox rage on unimpeded. Replacements have picked up where the stars left off, and the Sox had a 41-24 record, better than any team in the rival National League.

Oh, and there’s Sox manager Tony La Russa, a fellow the critics might as well call the Sleepy Joe Biden of the American League. From all the nasty noise out there, you’d think La Russa, 76, were Methuselah with a Model T Ford parked in his space.

Maybe the hair dye he chose isn’t the greatest, but La Russa once led his old Athletics and Cardinals teams to a lot of postseason success, and the game hasn’t changed so much that he can’t lead the young Sox to the promised land.

Yes, the guy will turn 77 during this year’s World Series, but, remember, according to the Bible, Methuselah stayed sharp and lived to 969. Seventy-seven, I’m thinking, is the new 800.

The Cubs, on the other hand, were shocked to see their allegedly fading team doing so well. In a dogfight with the Brewers for the NL Central lead, the Cubs now have to wonder how far they can go.

Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Willson Contreras and Kyle Hendricks are performing as well as ever. Closer Craig Kimbrel is back to being the door-slammer he was with the Braves, Padres and Red Sox.

Team president Jed Hoyer actually has to marvel at this magical team and soon make the decision to buy or sell talent. Fans obviously want him to buy, to go all in. Such are fans.

They also can dream of a showdown with the Sox. And they should.

A little more magic? Take the ridiculous and heroic efforts — no matter how brief — of the previously unknown Yermin Mercedes and Patrick Wisdom. Both are fill-ins getting close to 30, and both hit the tar out of the ball.

Mercedes is the 28-year-old rookie who got eight hits in his first eight at-bats to start the season. And Wisdom, 29, is the wise old man (78 at-bats before joining the Cubs) who hit eight homers in his first 10 starts.

That’s the kind of rare, nutty stuff you don’t want to waste, that you want to ride to the prize.

Imagine Chicago in the midst of an internecine baseball war. Well, not a war. A friendly — if intense — ‘‘Red Line Royale,’’ from Wrigley Field to Guaranteed Rate Field, Addison Street to 35th Street.

Wouldn’t we love that?

Didn’t your mother tell you to dream big?

I know she did.

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Former Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen is releasing his own bourbon titled “Digits.”

The post Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen is launching his own Bourbon first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

The fire at the Chemtool plant near the Illinois-Wisconsin border sent huge black plumes of smoke into the air and forced residents to evacuate.

A massive chemical plant fire that sent black plumes of smoke into the air near the Illinois-Wisconsin border is expected to continue burning for several days as firefighters retreat and residents were ordered to evacuate.

Fire broke out around 7 a.m. at the Chemtool Inc. plant, which makes oil-based lubricants, at 1165 Prairie Hill Road in Rockton, about 10 miles north or Rockford, Rockton Fire Protection District Chief Kirk Wilson said.

The cause of the fire remains unknown and no significant injuries were reported.

“We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions,” Chemtool said in a statement.

Firefighters stopped spraying the fire with water to reduce the risk of runoff and contamination of waterways.

“We don’t want an environmental nightmare to occur,” Wilson said in a news conference Monday. “At this time, it’s in our best interest to let this product burn off. … We’re thinking this will be a several-day event.”

As a precaution, residents were evacuated within a mile of the plant, he said. So far, air quality tests show the air is OK at ground level, Wilson said.

An employee of the plant told a reporter with WTVO that he was at work for less than an hour when someone yelled “fire” and alarms went off. The employee said the fire was possibly caused by the failure of a pipe that moved hot grease within the plant, WTVO reported.

The employee also told WTVO that staff have been evacuated in the past for small emergencies, but nothing on this scale.

“This is the worst it’s ever, ever been,” he told the station.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Gov. J.B. Pritzker deployed the Illinois National Guard and activated the state’s emergency center to the fire.

“I am monitoring this situation closely and will make all resources available to the surrounding communities as we work to keep people safe,” Pritzker said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it responded to the site to conduct air monitoring and sampling. Officials recommended people within a three-mile radius wear masks as a precaution.

Smoke from the fire drifted south and southeast past Rockford, which warned residents to stay indoors, close windows and turn off air conditioners. South of Rockford, the Ogle County sheriff’s office said smoke covered a third of the county.

The fire was fast-moving, partially aided by strong wind, and was shooting through the plant’s roof by the time firefighters arrived, Wilson said. The plumes became so big they were being picked up on weather radar.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

About 70 employees evacuated the plant by themselves and were unharmed, he said. One firefighter suffered a minor, unspecified injury. About 175 personnel from over 40 local fire agencies were called to assist, he said.

The fire department also has reconnaissance crews roaming the town looking for fires caused by falling burning debris, Wilson said. Any debris falling from the sky was thought to be non-toxic, he said.

In all, about 150 homes were evacuated in Rockton. Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said she estimates about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order. The Salvation Army said it was aiding in the response.

Chemtool Inc. is the largest manufacturer of grease in the United States. It has a plant in northwest suburban Crystal Lake, too.

Contributing: Brett Chase, AP

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Donald Turner, of Porter, Indiana, was swimming with his girlfriend Sunday in Lake Michigan when she began to struggle, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

A man drowned after saving his girlfriend Sunday in Michigan City, Indiana.

Donald Turner, of Porter, Indiana, was swimming with his girlfriend about 4:40 p.m. in Lake Michigan when she began to struggle, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Turner, 28, was able to get her to safety before he went underwater and didn’t resurface, officials said.

Another swimmer found Turner’s body near from where he was last seen, officials said. Michigan City firefighters pulled the body from the water and performed life saving measures.

He was transported to Franciscan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

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He was on the sidewalk about 4:30 p.m. in the 200 block of North Leclaire Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, Chicago police said.

A man was killed in a shooting Monday in Austin on the West Side.

He was on the sidewalk about 4:30 p.m. in the 200 block of North Leclaire Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, Chicago police said.

The 25-year-old took himself to Loretto Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

No arrests have been reported. Area Four detectives are investigating.

The incident was the second fatal shooting to take place in broad daylight Monday afternoon.

About 1:25 p.m., a person was shot and killed in the 11000 block of South Wentworth Avenue in Roseland on the South Side, police said.

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