Author: staff

Sports

Willson Contreras is ‘blessed’ to share the All-Star stage with his brother William. ‘It will be amazing,’ the Chicago Cubs catcher says.

Shortly before Sunday’s game in Los Angeles, a text message popped up on Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ phone.His younger brother, William, sent him a photo of an envelope — the one players receive when they are invited to the All-Star Game. AdvertisementWilliam, who won a World Series ring last year with the Atlanta Braves, not only will join Willson on the National League team for next week’s game at Dodger Stadium, but for the first time since 1992, a pair of brothers will start an All-Star Game together. Willson was voted in by fans as the starting catcher, while William is replacing the injured Bryce Harper as the NL designated hitter. Knowing what awaits them next week, Willson thought back to when he was a kid playing baseball on the patio with William at their home in Venezuela using a stick and plastic ball.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] After All-Star Game honor, Willson Contreras makes it clear: ‘I would love nothing more than play for the Chicago Cubs the rest of my life’ ]“It will be amazing to spend the time with my brother on the same field,” Willson said before Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field. “That’s something we haven’t done since we were kids.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.William, 24, is a first-time All-Star, but Willson, 30 — who earned his third All-Star start — doesn’t plan to advise him on what to expect. He prefers to let his brother soak in the environment.“I want him to get that figured out all by himself,” Willson said. “I know how I felt the first time that I went to the All-Star Game, and it was a great experience. I know that he will me ask whatever questions he needs to ask over there, but I want him to find out himself.”Cubs catcher Willson Contreras walks through the dugout after the second inning against the Orioles on Tuesday July 12, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)The Braves’ William Contreras gets high-fives in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Cardinals on July 5, 2022, in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com/AP)The All-Star Game adds another chapter to a memorable season for the brothers. In late April, they shared a big-league field together for the first time during the Cubs’ three-game series in Atlanta. Before one game, Willson and William memorably exchanged lineup cards, prompting Willson to become emotional talking about the moment after the game.Then on June 18, the Contrerases played against each other at Wrigley Field, both getting the start behind the plate.“We’re blessed,” Willson said. “Those are blessed moments. … There’s no specific word to describe how I feel and how my family feels. This is the first time that I’ve got my whole family in the USA and everything happened, like, back-to-back. Hopefully it keeps coming.”Their parents, Wuiliam and Olga, and other brother, Willmer, are expected to join them in Los Angeles for the All-Star festivities.“They deserve it more than I do, especially my mom and dad,” Willson said. “They did everything that they could do to raise three kids in a poor neighborhood, and that’s not an easy job. They deserve it more than I do to go there.”

Sports

Lonzo Ball’s recovery is ‘not at the speed that we would like,’ Chicago Bulls VP Artūras Karnišovas says

Artūras Karnišovas isn’t overwhelmingly optimistic about Lonzo Ball’s recovery nearly six months after the Chicago Bulls point guard suffered a knee injury.The Bulls vice president of basketball operations voiced uncertainty about whether Ball will be ready for training camp during an on-air interview in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s NBA Summer League game against the Toronto Raptors.Advertisement“He’s progressing. That’s as much as I can say,” Karnišovas said during the NBA TV telecast. “He’s getting better — probably not at the speed that we would like, but he is getting better. Hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp, (but) that’s just our hopes.”Karnišovas’ lack of optimism matched that of general manager Marc Eversley, who said on draft night last month that Ball hasn’t been able to scrimmage.AdvertisementBall was sidelined in January with a meniscus injury that ultimately ended his first season in Chicago. Before the injury, he averaged 13 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals, providing a smothering defensive presence that anchored the Bulls in transition.After weeks of attempting to rehabilitate without an operation, Ball underwent meniscus surgery and eventually was shut down for the remainder of the season. His recovery was complicated by a deep bone bruise suffered before the meniscus injury, which repeatedly forced him to shut down efforts to ramp back up to full speed because of lingering pain.[ [Don’t miss] Zach LaVine says, ‘My heart was in Chicago,’ in signing a maximum deal with the Bulls — and he’s ‘excited’ to welcome his 1st child ]Ball was set to return to a California specialist in May after the season ended, but the Bulls have provided only vague updates since.“It’s very frustrating,” Ball said during his exit interview on April 28. “This year we had a lot of promise and I don’t think it was met, mainly due to a lot of health issues. But you can’t change your past. I think everything happens for a reason. For me now it’s just about moving forward and getting ready.”Injuries have been a consistent detriment for Ball, who has yet to play a full season without an injury in his five years in the NBA. During his tenures with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, he suffered a sprained MCL, a torn ankle ligament and injuries to his adductor, knee, hip flexor, shoulder and thumb.Ball has played only 64.6% of the total regular-season games possible in his career and never has logged more than 63 games in a season. This pattern is a major concern for the Bulls, who saw Ball as a game-changer — and his injury as a back-breaking loss as their 2021-22 season came crashing to a disappointing close.Two months remain before Ball needs to be at full speed — or relatively close to it — for training camp. But warning bells may be in order if he isn’t available by then.

Local

Boy, 7, shot to death in East Chicago

A 7-year-old boy was fatally shot early Tuesday morning in East Chicago, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.Jermiah Moore, 7, suffered a gunshot wound in…

Sports

Chicago White Sox are held to 3 hits in a 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of a doubleheader

CLEVELAND — Andrew Vaughn’s grounder just squeaked between third baseman José Ramírez and shortstop Amed Rosario for a two-out single in the first inning.The Chicago White Sox wouldn’t get another hit against Cleveland Guardians starter Shane Bieber until an infield single by José Abreu with one out in the seventh.AdvertisementBieber has often given the Sox fits, and Tuesday was no different. The Sox were limited to three hits in a 4-1 loss in the first game of a split doubleheader at Progressive Field.“He threw the ball well,” Sox second baseman Josh Harrison said. “That’s baseball. Sometimes you’re going to have guys that have outings like that. He pounded the zone. That’s pretty much what a lot of starting pitchers want to do. He lived down in the zone, got his outs.Advertisement“He got a couple of double plays, ground balls when he needed them. Sometimes you’re going to run into guys that have a day like that.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: Ken Williams to the rescue? More like another maddening moment in a miserable White Sox season. ]Bieber went the distance, striking out seven with no walks.“I don’t know how many balls he threw over the middle of the plate — once in a while to get ahead — but (he had) command the whole game,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “So I give him credit.“Our plan was try to hit more balls to the middle. We rolled over a few, but when that ball is spinning in on you or spinning away, it’s hard to. The pitcher deserves the credit.”Bieber entered Tuesday with a 6-2 record in 13 career starts against the Sox. His 2.48 ERA against them was his second-lowest against any American League opponent behind only the Baltimore Orioles (0.75).Davis Martin kept the Sox in the game, allowing four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks in six innings.Martin took a liner near his right shoulder in the second but recovered and turned a double play — and remained in the game.The Guardians scored three runs in the third, all with two outs. Ramírez had a two-run single to make it 3-0.Advertisement“I liked how I attacked the zone,” Martin said of his overall outing. “This team is a good hitting team. They are a contact team. They are going to get their singles. I’d say probably three things: Walking (Myles) Straw (with one out in the fifth), the fastball that leaked in to Rosario for the double (in the fifth) and just when we faced Jose Ramírez. He’s an All-Star for a reason.“Can’t let him beat you and I pitched too into the zone against him. I should have been a little bit more, hey, let’s try to move it off the plate or try to get him to chase. There’s guys on base. He wants his RBIs. Let’s see if we can get him to chase. If he doesn’t? Fine. Let’s go to the next guy.”[ [Don’t miss] White Sox drop the opener of an 8-game trip after Ken Williams reportedly addressed the ‘underachieving’ team ]The third inning featured less-than-stellar defense from the Sox. Austin Hedges reached on a grounder that third baseman Yoán Moncada couldn’t cleanly field for an infield hit. Hedges scored with two outs when Rosario’s liner to left-center fell for a double. Left fielder Eloy Jiménez did not take a direct path to the ball.With runners on second and third and two outs, the Sox elected to pitch to Ramírez, who knocked in two with a single to right.“We were going to pitch Ramírez tough, and probably the mistake he made there, puts the ball over the plate (and) it’s a single,” La Russa said. “Still was a ground ball, found a hole.”Rosario drove in Straw with the double in the fifth. Ramírez came up and was intentionally walked after fouling off a pitch.AdvertisementWhite Sox starter Davis Martin delivers in the first inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Guardians on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Cleveland. (David Dermer/AP)“The second time we were pitching around (Ramírez) too,” La Russa said. “Even then, pitch tough. Because sometimes then you get the guy, they get themselves out. And if they get good patience, it’s like an unintentional intentional walk.“So that’s what (pitching coach) Ethan (Katz) went out to say, and the first pitch was on the plate. He fouled it off, so I said, well, put him on (with the intentional walk). I just think it’s lack of experience for Davis and understanding more about that situation. Because he’s smart enough to know to pitch off the plate and he got it on, cost him two runs (in the third). He was supposed to do it again (in the fifth) and after one strike, said no.”[ [Don’t miss] Dylan Cease, left off the All-Star team, is focused on improving. ‘There’s still room to get better,’ the White Sox starter says. ]The Sox showed some signs of coming together offensively in the seventh. Jiménez followed Abreu’s single with one of his own, bringing home Vaughn for the team’s only run. Gavin Sheets represented the tying run but grounded into an inning-ending double play.Bieber retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth as the Sox dropped to 1-6 this season against the Guardians.“Nothing’s missing,” Harrison said. “We’ve just got to put it together day in and day out and be consistent.”