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Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease named AL Pitcher of the Month for June

SAN FRANCISCO — Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for June, Major League Baseball announced Saturday.Cease went 2-1 with a 0.33 ERA, 45 strikeouts and a .192 opponents average in five June starts. He’s the first Sox pitcher to win the award since Lucas Giolito in May 2019.AdvertisementCease struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Guaranteed Rate Field.He is 6-3 with a 2.56 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 15 starts this season.AdvertisementCease started Saturday against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

Sports

Chicago Sky win their 5th straight, topping the Phoenix Mercury 91-75 behind Allie Quigley and Candace Parker

Allie Quigley scored 19 points to lead five players in double figures, Candace Parker added 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Chicago Sky never trailed in a 91-75 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday at Wintrust Arena.The game was a rematch of last season’s WNBA Finals, which the Sky won for their first championship. AdvertisementThe Sky (15-5) have won five consecutive games and eight of nine to move into a tie with the Las Vegas Aces atop the league standings.Kahleah Copper scored 12 points, Rebekah Gardner 11 and Emma Meesseman 10 for the Sky.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] 3 Chicago Sky players chosen as All-Star reserves — joining starter Candace Parker — for the July 10 game at Wintrust Arena ][ ‘We’re doing a disservice to an entire generation’: How Chicago athletes and teams reacted to Roe being overturned ]Parker hit a 3-pointer and then found Courtney Vandersloot for a layup to give the Sky a 9-2 lead, and they closed the first quarter with a 23-5 run to make it 32-12 when Dana Evans hit a 3 at the buzzer.Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Mercury with 25 points and four steals. Diamond DeShields added 21 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes, and Sophie Cunningham finished with 12 points. Diana Taurasi scored a season-low two points on 1-of-6 shooting.The Mercury (9-12) had their three-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since the franchise and 2012 WNBA MVP Tina Charles, who signed a free-agent contract with the club in February, mutually agreed to part ways on Monday.The Sky are 12-3 this season when scoring at least 80 points.[ [Don’t miss] Title IX turns 50: A look at how those 37 words have had an impact on women in sports ]

Sports

Which Chicago Cubs players are likely to get traded? Here’s where things stand with the deadline 1 month away.

Chicago Cubs closer David Robertson knows what awaits the next four weeks.Robertson, in his 14th big-league season, has been on the move ahead of the trade deadline once before and has seen plenty of teammates come and go during this month throughout the years. With the Aug. 2 trade deadline a month away, the Cubs will again be sellers. Robertson, who does not have trade protections in his contract, is expected to be on the move.Advertisement“That’s the way it goes,” Robertson told the Tribune this week. “You never know how many people you’re going to run through in a season. The trade stuff is above my pay grade. It’s uncontrollable for me. So, I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything yet.”Robertson likely won’t be the only Cub jettisoned by Aug. 2. The clubhouse will look different four weeks from now, a familiar position after one-third of the 2021 opening day roster was dealt before last year’s trade deadline.AdvertisementTrade talks will heat up in the coming weeks. With that in mind, here’s a look at which Cubs would be on the move:Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is congratulated by his teammates in the dugout after scoring a run in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field, June 30, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)If the Cubs follow their trade deadline playbook from last year, this is Contreras’ final month with the organization. It would be an unfortunate ending to a Cubs career that began in 2009 when Contreras signed as a teenager out of Venezuela. But barring a last-minute contract extension, it’s difficult envisioning a scenario in which the Cubs keep the catcher, who becomes a free agent after the season.Contreras is positioned to cash in in free agency as he produces the best offensive season of his career and could make his third All-Star Game start. For a money-making franchise like the Cubs, who have the long-term flexibility to sign him to a big contract, this will be another painful trade for fans to endure.Chicago Cubs closer David Robertson pitches during the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, May 31, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Robertson figures to be one of the most experienced and valuable closers on the market. The Cubs would be wise to try to move him as soon as possible. The 37-year-old right-hander has proven he is healthy in his first full season back after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2019. In the process, Robertson has returned to form as one of the best late-inning relievers in the majors. He should be a hot commodity for reliever-desperate teams. In addition to striking out hitters — 39 in 30 innings entering Saturday — Robertson has suppressed hits and home runs, allowing only 14 hits and three home runs. Aside from Contreras, he could net the Cubs their best return.Cubs relief pitcher Mychal Givens (60) throws to first base in the eighth inning against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 29, 2022. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)The Cubs had a clear strategy in spring to sign veteran relievers to one-year deals and hope a couple would pan out — and give them trade assets if the season didn’t pan out. While there have been misses (Daniel Norris and Jesse Chavez), the Cubs have two other veteran arms likely on the move with Robertson at the deadline.Right-handers Chris Martin and Mychal Givens fit the mix for what playoff contenders are looking for. Givens’ name had been a topic of trade rumors for years in Baltimore, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the move in the next month. While the number of base runners he allows can be problemattic, Givens’ setup experience is attractive.Martin forces batters to hit their way on base, limiting free passes to just four in 24⅓ innings entering Saturday. He has pitched well lately, throwing up zero earned runs in his last seven outings with no walks and five strikeouts. Martin also knows what it takes to win a title after being part of the Atlanta Braves’ World Series winning bullpen last year.AdvertisementChicago Cubs starter Drew Smyly (11) walks to the dugout after pitching the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field , May 18, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Left-handers Drew Smyly and Wade Miley, like their veteran bullpen counterparts, seemed fated to be on the move at the deadline. However, injuries have put a wrinkle in that plan. Miley (left shoulder strain) might not have enough time to get healthy and pitch in a big-league game before the deadline. He played light catch this week but there remains no timetable for his return.Smyly, though, is trending in the right direction. He threw a bullpen Friday and a rehab assignment could be coming soon, putting Smyly in play to return around the All-Star break. That timing would allow him to make a few starts before the trade deadline. Smyly had looked good before suffering a right oblique strain in late May, owning a 3.80 ERA in nine starts this year.Chicago Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (28) wipes his face during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, May 20, 2022. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)Sometimes surprising trades get pulled off when deadline deals are involved. And with the Cubs clearly rebuilding with no definitive, public timeline for when the front office expects a playoff contending team on the field, nothing should be ruled out.That includes outfielder Ian Happ and right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Happ is producing the most consistent season of his career and is set to reach free agency after next season. Perhaps the front office considers him a piece to build around and looks to extend him in the offseason. But if the Cubs do not envision him being part of the organization beyond 2023, Happ’s trade value might not be any higher than it is now with an acquiring team getting that extra year of team control. The Cubs need more good, All-Star caliber players, not less, if they’re turning things around sooner than later. They should want to retain Happ if they believe what he’s showing is the real deal.Hendricks has meant a lot to the organization, and trading him before his contract extension ends after next season (he also has a 2024 club option) would be a significant move. That’s less about how he’s pitching (4.76 ERA in 15 starts) and more about his stature within the team. AdvertisementIf any move were to truly sever the Cubs’ past and future, it would be trading Hendricks. This feels like a sell low situation, though, given his inconsistencies the last two seasons. However, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made clear at last year’s trade deadline that he took the emotional aspect out of trade considerations. So, if teams inquire about Hendricks, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cubs at least listen.

Sports

Leury García comes through in the 9th, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 1-0 win against the San Francisco Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — Leury García came up with the go-ahead run at second base and two outs in the top of the ninth. The Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants were scoreless.The Sox second baseman had one thing on his mind.Advertisement“Bring the guys in,” he said.García did just that, knocking in Adam Haseley with a single to right to lead the Sox to a 1-0 victory Friday night. Haseley scored just ahead of Mike Yastrzemski’s throw as the Sox won the opener of the three-game series in thrilling fashion in front of 35,266 at Oracle Park.Advertisement“I know (reliever Camilo Doval) is a pretty good pitcher,” García said. “Everybody knows that. He’s got pretty good stuff. I tried to put the ball in play and drive the guys in.”García picked the perfect time for his biggest hit of the season.“That was good, a good game,” García said. “We got the W.”García entered Friday with a .193 batting average and 12 RBIs in 54 games. He went 2-for-4 Friday.“He’s been better lately, just got to watch, watch his at-bats the last weeks, not like they were earlier,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s getting closer and closer. He’s a big-time player, got a big-time hit against a big-time arm out there.”The tense game went to the ninth scoreless. With one out, Gavin Sheets hit a grounder to first. Doval didn’t catch Brandon Belt’s throw to the base and was charged with an error.Haseley ran for Sheets and moved to second on a two-out hit by AJ Pollock. García was up next, and he came through on a 2-2 pitch.“I’ve been feeling good the last two weeks and honestly I don’t have the results that I want,” García said. “My mind is always get a hit. Try to get a hit and that’s what happened.”AdvertisementTeammates were glad to see García deliver in that spot.“That was awesome,” Sox starter Lance Lynn said. “He’s had a little struggle early on this year. He’s not going to shy away from that, but he gets his work in every day. He’s ready to play, wherever you tell him to go play, whatever part of the lineup.“For him to get that knock there, hopefully that kind of gets the weight off his shoulders and now he can just relax and go play and be the player that we all know he is.”The Chicago White Sox’s Leury García is greeted by catcher Reese McGuire after the team’s 1-0 win against the San Francisco Giants, July 1, 2022, in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg / AP)Lynn put the Sox in position for the win, allowing three hits, striking out five and walking two in six innings.“As a competitor you love the back and forth, no runs scoring,” Lynn said. “But you’d like a couple of runs there just to give yourself some wiggle room. But it’s fun to compete. I’ve pitched against (Giants starter) Alex (Cobb) a long time, so that was fun to compete against him and we were able to come through there at the end.”Lynn escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first and then settled in, at one point retiring 12 consecutive batters.AdvertisementLynn made his fourth start of the season after returning from right knee surgery in the spring to repair a torn tendon.“That’s part of the process here,” Lynn said. “Once you get into the flow of what you’re doing and your pitches and everything like that, everything starts rolling a little bit different.“With the wind blowing in, I was able to let the elements work for me.”There was a brief scare in the third.Giants left fielder Joc Pederson called for time just as Lynn went into his windup.Lynn stopped before throwing and walked behind the mound.AdvertisementThe training staff, La Russa and pitching coach Ethan Katz checked on Lynn, who remained in the game after throwing a warmup pitch. La Russa said he tweaked the knee “a little bit” but he was OK.“When you’re in the middle of going and try to stop, with a couple of less tendons it will do that,” Lynn said. “(Pederson) said ‘My bad’ (after the at-bat) and I said ‘All good.’ It’s part of the game.”Lynn allowed a two-out double in the fifth, but LaMonte Wade Jr. flied out to left. Lynn gave up a one-out single in the sixth, but retired the next two. He struck out Yastrzemski, his final batter of the night.Joe Kelly and Tanner Banks both struck out one, pitching the seventh and eighth respectively. Banks, who was credited with the victory, induced a double play during his inning.The Sox took advantage of the error in the ninth, and Haseley exhibited solid base running to score on García’s single.Kendall Graveman pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save. The final play was a grounder to García.Advertisement“Coming off an off day (Thursday) after losing two of three (to the Los Angeles Angels), we have to find ways to win games,” Lynn said. “A 1-0 win on the road, that’s a nice win for us.”Adam Haseley (51) of the Chicago White Sox scores sliding past the tag attempt from San Francisco Giants catcher Austin Wynns during the ninth inning July 1, 2022, in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

Sports

With USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten, conference realignment makes another seismic shift in college sports

Conference realignment in college sports has been going on since 1984, when the Supreme Court invalidated the NCAA’s national television contract for football.The conference juggling has gone through ebbs and flows through the years since, from small schools bumping up to power programs switching to other major conferences.AdvertisementThe latest move — USC and UCLA bolting the Pac-12 for the Big Ten — could be part of a tectonic shift. Not just because of the marquee schools involved but because it happened at a time when the NCAA is looking to take a more decentralized approach to governing college athletics, handing more power to schools and conferences.“You might think this is more seismic because it’s involving wealthier schools — and arguably it is — but also it’s seismic because of the underpinnings of the system, the foundations of the system, are being challenged at a time when the financial structure is exploding,” Smith College economics professor Andrew Zimbalist said Friday. “It may have larger ramifications, but it is a process that’s been ongoing.”AdvertisementThe decisions by USC and UCLA to join the Big Ten in 2024 come roughly a year after Texas and Oklahoma announced they were leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.[ Big Ten votes to add USC and UCLA as members starting in 2024, marking a seismic shift in college athletics ][ [Don’t miss] What’s next for conference realignment after USC, UCLA join Big Ten?  ]While surprising, even to Pac-12 officials, the announcement Thursday gives the Los Angeles schools stability and exposure in a shifting collegiate sports landscape.“It’s huge for our student-athletes, just from a national-exposure perspective,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said. “They’re going compete at the highest level in a major elite conference in different time zones. UCLA is always national, but now we have the ability for student athletes to showcase their talent across the country. That’s exciting.”For all the other benefits, the bottom line to the defections is the bottom line.The SEC has become a college football behemoth that distributed $54.6 million to each of its member schools in the 2021 fiscal year. The Big Ten has tried to keep up and had a per-school distribution of $46.1 million last year.The Pac-12 had the lowest distribution number among Power Five schools, paying its member institutions $19.8 million in 2021.At the core, it’s all about TV.UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., right, tries to get by USC forward Isaiah Mobley on March 5, 2022, in Los Angeles. USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in a seismic change that could lead to another major realignment of college sports. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)The SEC has a $3 billion deal with ESPN that’s set to kick in in 2024, and the Big Ten is negotiating a massive media-rights deal. The Pac-12 has floundered when it comes to TV as the conference’s network has struggled to gain footing while many of its games are played late at night.AdvertisementWith costs to run college athletic programs have climbed in recent years, exacerbated by the pandemic, moving to an even bigger conference provides more financial stability. For the Big Ten, adding UCLA and USC gives the conference a foothold in the nation’s second-largest media market.“Money talks,” said Tom McMillen, President and CEO of Lead1, which represents Football Bowl Subdivision athletic directors and programs. “I was on the board of regents when Maryland jumped in to the Big Ten, and there were all kinds of arguments about it was academics and it was this and that, but ultimately it came down to money. I think that’s the same case here.”The defections will create two mega conferences that will hold the majority of power and money, leaving the rest scrambling to keep up.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.The tiering could stratify even more if the SEC and the Big Ten continue to expand, which could be the next step.The future power structure could consist of two, maybe three mega conferences of up to 20 schools at the top, with the Power Five joining the Group of Five conferences in the tier below but still above the Football Championship Subdivision.More schools in the Pac-12 and Big 12, along with the ACC, could look to bolt for more stability.AdvertisementConferences losing members likely will face two options: combining to form a mega conference of their own or expand on the current membership. The Pac-12 said it plans to take the expansion route, issuing a statement Friday that said it is exploring all expansion options.“You have exploding costs on one end and your revenue sources are being decimated, which is a tremendous pressure,” Zimbalist said. “On the other hand, what do you do? Well, something pretty radical I think is going to have to happen.”Uncertainty is the only thing that’s certain at this point.Associated Press reporter Joe Reedy contributed from Los Angeles.