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Back-to-back homers by Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel help Chicago Cubs avoid a 4-game sweep

Patrick Wisdom grinned as he pulled on a gray T-shirt that read “SCHWISDOM” across the front.Nothing more needed to be said.AdvertisementWisdom and Frank Schwindel hit consecutive homers against Ian Kennedy in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Sunday at Wrigley Field to avoid a four-game sweep.Wisdom had a bouncer go just foul right before he connected for his ninth homer, sending a leadoff shot deep to center field. Schwindel then drove a 1-0 pitch from Kennedy (3-3) into the bleachers in left for his fourth homer.Advertisement“I was riding the momentum right there,” Schwindel said. “So I think that was the intent on the swing.”Cubs designated hitter Frank Schwindel (18) celebrates his home run with Patrick Wisdom in the eighth inning Sunday, May 22, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Schwindel and Wisdom also hit consecutive homers during the Cubs’ 7-6 loss Saturday. The last time the same two Cubs hit back-to-back homers in consecutive games was Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and Jim Hickman on Aug. 23-24, 1969, according to the team.“We feed off each other’s energy, so it’s been great,” Wisdom said.P.J. Higgins drove in three runs with his first career triple for the Cubs. Keegan Thompson (4-0) worked three innings of one-run ball for the win.The Cubs had dropped four in a row, blowing a 4-0 lead Saturday.Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith each had two hits for the Diamondbacks, who were trying for their first sweep at Wrigley Field since Aug. 9-11, 1999. David Peralta snapped a tie with a fielder’s choice that drove in Geraldo Perdomo in the seventh.The Diamondbacks had lost six in a row before they arrived in Chicago, including a four-game sweep by the Dodgers.“I thought overall these past four games, I was proud of the way we came back after what we did in (Los Angeles),” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We were in a position to sweep a team on the road. We just couldn’t get it done.”AdvertisementThe Cubs grabbed the lead in the second. With two out and the bases loaded, Higgins lined his second big-league hit into the corner in right and used a headfirst slide to beat the throw into third.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Before Higgins’ clutch swing, it looked as if Merrill Kelly might escape the inning unscathed. After the first three batters reached — including Wisdom’s infield single on a popup that dropped in front of third baseman Drew Ellis — Alfonso Rivas struck out looking and Andrelton Simmons fouled out.“Huge knock for us,” manager David Ross said. “Huge.”The Diamondbacks rallied in the sixth, tying it at 3-3 on two-out RBI singles by Marte, Smith and Jake McCarthy. Marte’s hit drove in Ellis, who led off with a double to center for the team’s first extra-base hit against Wade Miley.Cubs starting pitcher Wade Miley reacts as he allows three Diamondbacks runs in the sixth inning Sunday, May 22, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Diamondbacks: 3B Josh Rojas (bruised left hand) was held out. Lovullo said he doesn’t think Rojas will need a stint on the injured list. Ellis was recalled from Triple-A Reno and INF Yonny Hernandez was sent down. … Lovullo said he talked to SS Nick Ahmed on Saturday, and he has a text chain going with C Jose Herrera, LHP Kyle Nelson and OF Cooper Hummel. Herrera, Nelson and Hummel are on the IL because of COVID-19 protocol, and Ahmed also is on the IL with an unspecified issue. Lovullo said all four players are doing well.Cubs: C Willson Contreras (right hamstring) is day to day after he left Saturday’s 7-6 loss in the third inning. Higgins was promoted from Triple-A Iowa, and INF Ildemaro Vargas was designated for assignment. … INF Nico Hoerner (right ankle) hit on the field, and Ross said Hoerner planned to take some ground balls. INF Nick Madrigal (low back strain) played catch. Ross said he thinks Madrigal will need a rehab stint in the minors, but Hoerner could return as soon as the upcoming series in Cincinnati.AdvertisementDiamondbacks: RHP Zach Davies (2-2, 4.35 ERA) starts Monday night against the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a nine-game homestand. RHP Zack Greinke (0-2, 3.48 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals.Cubs: LHP Drew Smyly (1-5, 3.97 ERA) pitches Monday night in Cincinnati in the opener of a four-game series. The Reds have not announced their starter.

Sports

Candace Parker’s 2nd triple-double — the 11th in WNBA history — leads the Chicago Sky to an 82-73 win

WASHINGTON — Candace Parker finished with her second career triple-double and the Chicago Sky pulled away in the second half to beat the Washington Mystics 82-73 on Sunday.Parker totaled 16 points, 13 rebounds and picked up a 10th assist on a basket by Allie Quigley with 21.2 seconds remaining.AdvertisementIt was the 11th triple-double in WNBA history. Parker joins Sheryl Swoopes and Sky teammate Courtney Vandersloot as the only players to accomplish the feat twice.“It means a lot,” Parker said. “To be in the company with Sloot, who does it on a regular basis and will end up leading the league in assists, and Sheryl Swoopes — I grew up watching her play and idolizing her. To be in that company. I realize there are more that are coming behind me. Hoping coaches are watching post players, point forwards, that’s where it’s at.”AdvertisementParker was the sixth player to post a triple-double when she pulled it off in 2017 against the San Antonio Stars. Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty was the last to record a triple-double, accomplishing the feat in May 2021 against the Minnesota Lynx.Azurá Stevens scored 13 off the bench for the Sky (3-2). Quigley and Kahleah Copper added 12 points apiece, while Emma Meesseman and reserve Rebekah Gardner scored 11.Ariel Atkins had 20 points to lead the Mystics (5-2), who led 42-38 at halftime before being outscored 23-13 in the third quarter.Elena Delle Donne pitched in with 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Mystics, who fell a game behind the first-place Las Vegas Aces.

Sports

‘Utter bull(bleep)’: Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks rejects Josh Donaldson’s explanation for his ‘Jackie’ comment

NEW YORK — Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks wasn’t buying Josh Donaldson’s explanation for the New York Yankees third baseman’s comments to Tim Anderson during Saturday’s game at Yankee Stadium. “Basically tried to call me Jackie Robinson: ‘What’s up, Jackie?’” Anderson said after the Sox’s 7-5 loss, describing what led to a discussion with Donaldson after the third inning. “He made the comment and it was disrespectful and I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary.”AdvertisementThe benches cleared before Donaldson’s at-bat in the fifth inning.Donaldson admitted after the game, “I called him Jackie,” later adding: “I thought that was a joke between him and I because we have talked about it before. … He’s called himself Jackie Robinson. That’s why I thought it was funny between us.”AdvertisementThat explanation did not sit well with Hendriks.Umpires, left, call for calm while White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing (99), second from right, holds back shortstop Tim Anderson (7) during a game against the Yankees on May 21, 2022. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)“Usually you have inside jokes with people you get along with, not people that don’t get along at all,” Hendriks said Sunday. “So that statement right there was complete bull(bleep).“My feelings toward the individual in question are pretty well-documented in the fact that we don’t get along. The fact I have now spoken to four separate clubhouses he’s been in and as a whole, none of them get along. So trying to whip out that narrative is complete and utter bull(bleep).”Donaldson’s “Jackie” reference dates to a 2019 Sports Illustrated article that came out soon after Anderson’s bat flip against the Kansas City Royals and subsequent plunking made news.The article discussed a “have-fun barrier.”“I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson,” Anderson said in the article. “That’s huge to say. But it’s cool, man, because he changed the game, and I feel like I’m getting to a point to where I need to change the game.”[ [Don’t miss] Column: A teachable moment — and the true meaning of Jackie Robinson’s legacy to Black baseball players ]The article pointed out in the next sentence Anderson’s “point is more nuanced than it might sound.”Donaldson said Saturday: “My meaning of that is not any term trying to be racist by any fact of the matter. It was just off of an interview.”AdvertisementHe later added: “Just trying to defuse it, make light like, ‘Hey, we’re not trying to start any brawls or anything like that.’ Obviously he deemed that it was disrespectful and if he did, I apologize. That’s not what I was trying to do by any manner.”Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson and White Sox baserunner Tim Anderson share words in the first inning of a game at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 13, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Hendriks said Donaldson’s comments during the game were “just completely unacceptable,”“And then trying to whip it out like an inside joke is horse(bleep),” Hendriks said. “They don’t have those sorts of things going on. That’s like getting into an argument, like having an inside joke with a guy you’re nemeses with, per se.“That ain’t it. That’s not how it went down in this clubhouse and I don’t understand how he ever thought about it like that. It’s just straight delusional.”Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal exchanged words with Donaldson before the fifth-inning at-bat, and both dugouts and bullpens emptied.“I’m really happy with (Grandal’s) decision to confront him at the plate,” Hendriks said. “That shows how strong this clubhouse is. That shows the brotherhood in this clubhouse that we have going on. We’re going to go to bat for everyone in this clubhouse, no matter who they are, no matter what’s going on. We’re going to take care of them.Advertisement“(Sox manager) Tony (La Russa) wears the shirt that says ‘Family’ every single day, and that’s what it is, a family. We take care of our own, and if something happens that we don’t think is right, we’re going to speak up.”[ [Sign up now] Get the latest Chicago sports news in your inbox each morning ]La Russa said Sunday he was “curious to see what the Yankee organization says.”“It’s not really important what I say here,” La Russa said. “(Yankees manager) Aaron (Boone), he’s between a rock and a hard place there. I know him, I know his family and I know he doesn’t approve.“But I’m really waiting to hear what the Yankees say. I know what they represent, right? ‘God Bless America’ (in the) seventh inning. So I’m waiting to hear what they say.”Major League Baseball is looking into the incident, according to reports.“Whenever they reach a conclusion, I’m sure you’ll hear it,” La Russa said. “I know you’re looking at MLB. That’s why I said I’m anxious to know what the Yankees are saying because MLB has been crystal clear for years on how they feel about something like that.Advertisement“I hope (the Yankees) would echo Major League Baseball, where there’s no situation where that’ll be tolerated. I’ve respected the Yankees organization for a long time, so I’m just curious.”

Sports

Preakness 2022: ‘Everything lined up’ for Early Voting but what about for the Triple Crown series?

Chad Brown’s heart sang as he watched the Preakness unfold according to the plan he and Seth Klarman had concocted six weeks earlier.Using all their best data and intuition, the trainer and owner had guessed Baltimore would be the place to strike with their fast, tough, inexperienced colt, Early Voting. And for the second time in five years, here was the proof that Brown and Klarman knew what they were doing by skipping the Kentucky Derby.Advertisement“Everything lined up,” Brown said Sunday after traveling back to his home base in New York overnight.Early Voting, ridden by jockey Jose L. Ortiz and leading runner-up Epicenter, won the 147th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)But this triumph of analysis sucked any forward momentum out of a Triple Crown series that had already featured a Preakness buildup devoid of Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. Early Voting will not go on to the June 11 Belmont Stakes, just as Rich Strike did not go on to the Preakness after his 80-1 dream run in the Derby. Racing fans are left to wonder if the Triple Crown series is really a series at all.AdvertisementNot since Justify’s Triple Crown in 2018 have we seen a horse win even two of the three races.That possibility is still on the table, with Rich Strike expected to headline the field for the Belmont. But the Derby winner’s owner, Rick Dawson, skipped the Preakness because he was uncomfortable running his horse on two weeks’ rest. His decision — lauded by many as a welcome sign of care for Rich Strike’s health — effectively severed the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont into three distinct events rather than the traditional gauntlet for elite 3-year-olds.With neither Early Voting nor Epicenter (runner-up in the Derby and Preakness) pointed for the Belmont, fans will have to wait until the summer (if then) for the high-profile rematches that usually spice up the Triple Crown.What’s left to say then as the carnival moves away from Pimlico Race Course?With neither Early Voting, blanketed with flowers with jockey Jose L. Ortiz leading the way, nor Epicenter pointed for the Belmont, fans will have to wait until the summer (if then) for the high-profile rematches that usually spice up the Triple Crown. (KENNETH K. LAM/Baltimore Sun)This year was billed as a return to normal for Baltimore’s largest spring event, with pandemic-era crowd restrictions lifted and the infield reopened for accompanying parties and concerts. That narrative proved partially true, but with no Derby winner on hand and the heat dissuading some patrons, the Preakness was not all the way back to peak form. The crowd, described by The Stronach Group as “60,000-plus,” was less than half the pre-pandemic norm, though the track operator said at least some of that was by design. The customary roar when nine contenders entered the starting gate was less full-throated, with plenty of empty chairs visible along the track’s apron. The joy surrounding Rich Strike’s shocking charge in Kentucky was not replicable, no matter how perfect a race Early Voting ran.That takes nothing away from what Brown and Klarman, who grew up three blocks from Pimlico, accomplished. Picking the right race has always been a vital part of the trainer’s art, and as Klarman suggested, Brown might be better at it than anyone in the game. It makes sense that a wildly successful hedge fund manager would partner with such a horseman, and they have made their mark on the sport in addition to building a close friendship.Their 2017 Preakness win with Cloud Computing was a monument to effective planning, a classic victory pulled from a horse that showed no sign of greatness either before or after the third Saturday in May. Early Voting might prove to be a more accomplished racer, but he too benefited from Brown and Klarman’s restraint in avoiding the 20-horse maelstrom of the Derby. Theirs might not be the most romantic approach, but it paid off.And let’s not forget jockey Jose Ortiz, who recognized that charging after the early lead, Early Voting’s expected setting, was not the right play on Saturday. His patience in the race fit the theme around this Preakness champion.AdvertisementJoel Rosario, the jockey for Epicenter, speaks to owner Steve Asmussen after finishing runner-up at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday. (Vincent Alban/Baltimore Sun)Steve Asmussen, meanwhile, could only stew in another evening of disappointment. The most prolific winner in North American history has every reason to believe Epicenter is the best 3-year-old in the land, but he has neither a Derby nor Preakness victory to show for it. Asmussen was perplexed as he watched Epicenter fall so far back early in the race. He was still in seventh 3/4 of a mile in, not the plan for a colt that dominated his Derby prep races from more forward placements.Owner Ron Winchell speculated Sunday that his horse was “a little flat” because of the quick two-week turnaround from the Derby. His sharpest efforts have come off five- and six-week breaks.Epicenter could still be headed for a great career; Asmussen-trained Gun Runner (Early Voting’s sire, coincidentally) won American Horse of the Year honors a year after he finished third in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the other two Triple Crown races. But if that’s his destiny, it will have to wait.Asmussen did leave Pimlico with a $50,000 bonus for achieving the best overall results of any trainer across Preakness weekend.The story that captured the most prerace attention, 86-year-old D. Wayne Lukas’ bid for a seventh Preakness win with the filly Secret Oath, also ended in disappointment. She “made a big, sweeping run” in Lukas’ words, to move up from ninth at the half-mile mark to fourth at the finish. But Secret Oath too is done with the Triple Crown series and will prepare for battles against other fillies in the summer and fall.Of the nine Preakness runners, only third-place finisher Creative Minister, who validated his owners’ $150,000 decision to add him to the field, seems certain to head for the Belmont, though fifth-place Skippylongstocking could join him.Advertisement154th BELMONT STAKESFinal leg of Triple Crown seriesElmont, New YorkJune 11TV: Chs. 11, 4 (coverage begins 5 p.m.)

Sports

Manchester City clinches a 6th Premier League title in 11 seasons

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City clinched a sixth Premier League title in 11 seasons on Sunday by scoring three times in five minutes to come from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the finale to avoid being toppled by challenger Liverpool.City was trailing 2-0 to Villa until İlkay Gündoğan began the comeback in the 76th. Rodri equalized two minutes later and Gündoğan put City in front in the 81st.AdvertisementAt one point even when City was losing, it was still set to defend the title as Liverpool was only drawing 1-1 to Wolverhampton. But Mohamed Salah then put the second-place side in front in the 84th minute, which would have taken Liverpool into first place had City not mounted its fightback at the Etihad Stadium. Andy Robertson then sealed Liverpool’s 3-1 win.Had City conceded a late equalizer, Liverpool would have snatched the trophy away but Pep Guardiola’s side held on for the win in a thrilling climax.AdvertisementPep Guardiola’s defense of the trophy was secured on the final day in a more jittery way than expected when City briefly had a 14-point lead in January.City’s fourth championship success in five seasons produced a first for Guardiola. It’s the first time City has sealed the title in front of its own fans who spilled onto the field in their thousands at the final whistle against Villa.Although it went down to the wire, this one came without any of the anguish of 10 years ago when City’s first Premier League title was only clinched in the final minutes of the season.That success, which produced City’s first championship crown in 44 years — with Roberto Mancini as manager — ushered in the era of dominance enjoyed by a club transformed by the influx of investment from Abu Dhabi.City is now enjoying the steady stream of titles it once had to watch crosstown rival United sweep up under Alex Ferguson. The rise of City has coincided with the retirement of the Scot — who won the Premier League 13 times from 1993 to 2013 — and the decline of Manchester United.The teams entered the final round on Sunday with City 32 points ahead of United and with Liverpool the greater threat to Guardiola’s side. In the last five seasons, the only time City didn’t win the trophy was when Liverpool’s 30-year title drought ended in 2020.But it will be another season ending with City unable to win the biggest prize in European football — the Champions League — while Liverpool will be contesting the final against Real Madrid on May 28.While Liverpool’s net spending on transfers has been around $250 million in the last five years, City’s has been more than $530 million.AdvertisementCity’s financial might wasn’t enough to convince Tottenham to sell Harry Kane ahead of this season, leaving Guardiola to achieve this title without a recognizable striker. Yet, City was able to break the British transfer record to sign Jack Grealish for 100 million pounds ($139 million) even though the midfielder only started sparingly.City has already reinforced its attack for next season, with a deal clinched with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland for 60 million euros ($63 million), adding one of Europe’s most exciting young forwards into the squad.Still, concerns remain for human rights activists and less wealthy rivals about the club’s Abu Dhabi ownership and its actions.Human rights violations by the United Arab Emirates are glossed over by City fans who largely overlook how their club has been used by a state as a tool of soft power that exploits the glamor of the world’s biggest sport to cleanse its image.City owner Sheikh Mansour has only been seen at one game during his 14 years as owner. Mansour, who is deputy prime minister of the UAE, was condemned by the British government for recently hosting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.City was fined €10 million ($12 million) in 2020 for obstructing a UEFA investigation into its finances following leaks of internal correspondence at the club. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a two-year Champions League ban because claims that the club disguised the source of income as overvalued sponsorships from companies linked to its Abu Dhabi ownership were either rejected or found to have happened too long ago to be investigated.