The Chicago Cubs’ stellar homestand has them riding momentum — and a nine-game winning streak — into their first West Coast trip of the season.
After going 7-0 on the homestand, the Cubs open a series in Los Angeles on Friday and catch a break against the Dodgers: They won’t have to face Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Tyler Glasnow on the mound during the three-game series.
The Chicago White Sox return home Friday to begin a six-game homestand with the first of three against the Washington Nationals. The Sox showcased some power during their six-game trip, hitting 16 home runs while going 4-2.
Every Friday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Cubs and White Sox.
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Cubs relievers Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey are progressing
Veteran reliever Phil Maton checked off an important step as he works back from right knee tendinitis.
Maton faced batters Tuesday for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list April 8. He finished throwing live batting practice with 30 seconds to spare before rain fell on Wrigley Field. Maton wanted his stuff to be a little sharper during the session, but it went well enough — and more importantly, his knee felt good enough the next day — for him to make a rehab appearance Friday with Triple-A Iowa.
Maton, who was eligible to come off the IL on Thursday, believes the time he was sidelined helped him get his mechanics in a better place. He had been trying to address issues within his delivery before the reoccurrence of the knee tendinitis, which initially popped up during the second half of last season.
“It should be resolved with the positioning stuff we’ve done, but, yeah, right now I’m very happy with it,” Maton said. “We’ll see how it goes over the course of the year, but I’m kind of hoping that we addressed it now and we can just focus on getting guys out for the rest of the year.”
Column: Like a rat scurrying along the field, the Chicago Cubs just keep on streaking
Right-hander Hunter Harvey (biceps inflammation) also is taking encouraging steps. He’s scheduled to begin his throwing program Friday, though manager Craig Counsell cautioned Tuesday that the veteran is still weeks away from rejoining the bullpen.
Harvey had been fully shut down, even restricted from using plyo balls or tossing a football. He and Maton are among nine pitchers on the Cubs 40-man roster currently on the IL.
Closer Daniel Palencia, who went on the IL retroactive to April 14, underwent an MRI that revealed a mild left lat strain. He was initially diagnosed with an oblique strain, though the new prognosis hasn’t changed the treatment plan as the Cubs were addressing the area where he had experienced discomfort. The lat issue is on Palencia’s non-throwing side, which helps the timeline to return.
Counsell said Tuesday that Palencia was responding well and optimistically could be back in two weeks.
Sox starter Noah Schultz is living the life
Sox left-hander Noah Schultz called his first week-plus in the majors a “dream come true.”
“I don’t think anyone could have told me or prepared me for how awesome it is living this life,” Schultz told the Tribune on Wednesday in Phoenix. “Obviously you’ve got to put work in and do a ton every day to establish myself here and be confident in everything I do. But you can’t really ask for anything better.”
Schultz is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte on April 14. The Oswego East graduate has allowed four earned runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 9 1/3 innings.
He earned his first major-league win Sunday when he allowed one run on one hit in five innings against the Athletics during a 7-4 victory in West Sacramento, Calif. He’ll look to take another step as the scheduled starter Saturday against the Nationals at Rate Field.
“We talked last week that there were some at-bats that could have gone a little quicker,” Schultz said. “Definitely felt there’s things to build on every start. Being more efficient — I threw 82 pitches in five (innings against the A’s). Hopefully with 80 I can get through six.
“There’s always something to work on. And being able to get through the game more efficiently and save the bullpen for the times we need it is important.”
Sam Antonacci’s inside-the-park home run caps 1st week in majors for Chicago White Sox rookie
Schultz also knows the importance of chemistry and has enjoyed connecting with teammates.
“(I) talked in spring training with a lot of these guys. It’s not my first time playing with them,” he said. “And a couple of the guys I played with in the minor leagues, so it’s not a completely new group of guys.
“It’s pretty cool that a lot of us have bonds that we had going up in Double A and Triple A. That goes a long way when you have guys that get along and have a great bond together.”
Number of the week: 300
Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki this week became the fourth Japanese-born player to record 300 RBIs in his major-league career, joining Ichiro Suzuki (780), Hideki Matsui (760) and Shohei Ohtani (680).
Week ahead: Cubs
- Friday: at Dodgers, 9:15 p.m., Apple TV
- Saturday: at Dodgers, 6:15 p.m., Fox-32
- Sunday: at Dodgers, 3:10 p.m., Marquee
- Monday: at Padres, 8:40 p.m., Marquee
- Tuesday: at Padres, 8:40 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: at Padres, 3:10 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: off
Cubs fans might have noticed that the bricks and ivy in right-center field look a little different.
A section of the outfield wall around the yellow 368-feet marker has had visibly less ivy and more exposed brick during home games this month. During the offseason, the Cubs completed repair and maintenance work on the wall in right-center, and a portion of the ivy had to be temporarily removed in order to implement the improvements.
Once the work was finished, the Cubs grounds crew restored the ivy. The team expects the wall will gradually return to its usual appearance as the season progresses.
Week ahead: White Sox
- Friday: vs. Nationals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Saturday: vs. Nationals, 3:10 p.m., CHSN
- Sunday: vs. Nationals, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
- Monday: vs. Angels, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Tuesday: vs. Angels, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Wednesday: vs. Angels, 12:10 p.m., CHSN
- Thursday: off
The A’s loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth Saturday, looking to break a tie with cleanup batter Tyler Soderstrom at the plate.
Sox reliever Bryan Hudson made sure that didn’t happen, striking out Soderstrom swinging to work out of the jam.
“You trust your mechanics, what you’ve been doing,” Hudson told the Tribune on Tuesday.
Hudson also is trusting his stuff, which he said has been “playing well.” The left-hander has a 1.69 ERA in 11 outings this season. He has allowed two earned runs on nine hits with 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 10 2/3 innings.
“He’s been really special,” manager Will Venable said Tuesday. “And he’s a guy that wants to be out there. He always wants to pitch. He wants to be in that big moment. He’s been huge for us.”
Hudson has nine straight scoreless appearances — a stretch of 8 1/3 innings.
“After the first few, me and the catchers got on a real good page and it’s been really good since then,” Hudson said. “A lot of credit goes to them and the team, the way they’ve been playing behind me. I’m just looking forward to keeping it going.”
What we’re reading today
- Column: Like a rat scurrying along the field, the Cubs just keep on streaking
- 3 takeaways after Andrew Benintendi’s 3-run homer in the 9th propels the White Sox to a series win
- Cubs run winning streak to 9 — their longest in 10 years — with walk-off victory: ‘A complete effort’
- Munetaka Murakami homers for a 5th straight game — matching a White Sox record — in 11-7 loss
- 8 straight: Cubs take 7-2 win over the Phillies as starter Matthew Boyd returns from IL
- Sam Antonacci’s inside-the-park home run caps 1st week in majors for White Sox rookie
- White Sox minor-league report: Hot week for top-ranked prospect Braden Montgomery
- Embracing a new plate approach, Dansby Swanson slugs a 3-run home run in the Cubs’ 5-1 win
- Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner named NL Player of the Week — and Jacob Webb embraces multi-inning chances
- Column: Season’s just starting, but Cubs and White Sox already dealing with closer issues
Quotable
“I mean, he’s unbelievable. It’s so fun watching him do that.” — Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas after Munetaka Murakami homered for the fifth straight game Wednesday
