Author: staff

Sports

Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer is confident his long-term game plan is working: ‘We’re on the right track’

The outcry over the trade of several star players has subsided over the last year, giving Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer a chance to breathe.It has been almost 10 months since Hoyer dealt Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and other name players for a boatload of prospects at the trade deadline, starting a new era of Cubs baseball that had neither a label or a timeline.AdvertisementHoyer no doubt put his stamp on the team after years as Theo Epstein’s wingman. Have Cubs fans finally started buying in to the Hoyer’s game plan?“I’m really proud of the way the minor leagues in general are playing,” he said Thursday before the Cubs opened a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. “You look at our record and performance at every level and it’s been really strong.Advertisement“You can never have enough depth or get to the point where you feel our system is good enough, but I feel like we’re on the right track, so hopefully fans know that by how well (we’re) playing.“Ultimately, those trades are not going to be evaluated in the middle of May 2022. They’re probably going to be evaluated in 2027 for real, and that’s the way it should be. I don’t think anyone should be looking at it as a passing grade at this point. They should be looking at it as what does that net down the road. But on the basis of those trades and some good drafts and good international classes, I feel we’re definitely moving in the right direction in the minor leagues for sure.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 32Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, with his glove, walks out to the field for a workout at Wrigley Field on July 6, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Many of the players Hoyer projects as part of his “next great Cubs team” are either in the minors or still waiting to be drafted or signed. But he has been able to watch pitchers Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele develop in the big leagues, much like Jamie Moyer and Greg Maddux in the late 1980s, and versatile infielder-outfielder Christopher Morel made a great impression in his first few days as a Cub.The next big thing might be Triple-A Iowa starter Caleb Kilian — acquired in the Bryant deal — who reduced his ERA to 1.31 in his second win Thursday. Kilian was still being stretched out, but Hoyer didn’t discount the possibility of a call-up this season.Hoyer’s most glaring decision is whether to trade popular catcher Willson Contreras, who will become a free agent after the season. Contreras is off to a great start and could bring back a few top prospects, but most Cubs fans are hoping he gets a deserved extension.Hoyer said “our relationship is good” and he “loves the way” Contreras has played and led in the clubhouse but wouldn’t tip his hand about the catcher’s future as a Cub. In fact, Hoyer said thinking about trade-deadline decisions was “not at all where I’m at mentally.”Give him time. If the Cubs aren’t in postseason contention in mid-July, Drew Smyly, Wade Miley, David Robertson, Mychal Givens and others likely will become available. The Cubs need to continue restocking the farm system, whether Contreras is traded or not.Entering Thursday, the Cubs were 15-21 and eight games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers but had won three straight series and seen the starting pitching come around — a 2.68 ERA from starters over 10 games before Marcus Stroman’s return Thursday.AdvertisementHoyer said he can’t be satisfied with the record but was happy with the overall effort.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“The challenge for us is having that consistency and not falling back in a rut like we did before,” he said.Things don’t always go according to plan, even during the Epstein rebuild that started a decade ago. Báez was called up to great fanfare in August 2014 but hit only .169 in 52 games and started 2015 at Iowa. Hoyer took a similar risk by bringing Morel up from Double-A Tennessee, but the 22-year-old homered in his first at-bat and showed off his defense and strong arm Wednesday night at third base before moving to second Thursday.“He’s stronger now, and that makes a huge difference at the upper levels,” Hoyer said. “That’s probably the biggest change I see. The personality is awesome. I feel like he walked into the clubhouse the other day and all the veterans came up to him. That’s pretty rare for a young guy.”Watching Morel and Brandon Hughes make memorable debuts Tuesday are the kinds of moments Hoyer said he lives for this season. The future is uncertain, however, and Hoyer wouldn’t speculate about whether the Cubs could contend by 2023.“We did trade for a lot of guys in the lower levels,” he said. “And a lot of people felt like because of that, ‘OK, they’re signaling exactly when they’re going to be competitive.’ Waiting on the development of minor-leaguers is really challenging. I don’t think you can tie a team’s competitiveness to a group of guys in the lower minors.Advertisement“I think a lot of those guys are going to play big roles here. But I don’t want to just think about their timeline to our timeline.”Epstein received the benefit of the doubt from Cubs fans when he started the rebuild because of his reputation with the Boston Red Sox. Hoyer might have to prove himself before reaching “Theo status” in Chicago, but he already has shown he’s not afraid to do things his way.

Sports

Chicago White Sox pound out a season-high 14 hits in a 7-4 victory against the Kansas City Royals for a 3-2 series win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chicago White Sox scored six runs over their last three games entering Thursday.They looked more like the team many had projected in the series finale against the Kansas City Royals, rallying for a 7-4 victory in front of 11,784 at Kauffman Stadium.AdvertisementLuis Robert had three hits, including a two-run homer, and four RBIs. Tim Anderson singled twice, walked twice, stole two bases and drove in two. And Adam Engel had a crucial pinch-hit RBI single as the Sox returned to .500 (19-19) while taking three of five in the series.“We work to produce a lot of runs every day, but that’s how the game is — you don’t always produce as (many) runs as you want,” Robert said through an interpreter. “You don’t always pitch as good as you want to. You don’t always play defense as good as you want to. That’s baseball.Advertisement“Today was a good day for us. We were able to produce, to get the big hits in the big moments, and that helped us to win this game.”Luis Robert (88) and Yoan Moncada (10) celebrate with Jose Abreu after they scored on Robert’s two-run home run during the eighth inning of the Chicago White Sox’s 7-4 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. (Charlie Riedel/AP)The Sox had a season-high 14 hits, including 13 singles. It was their most singles in a game since compiling 15 on Aug. 24, 2021, at Toronto.“I thought we were on more pitches,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “We chased a few breaking balls, but overall we did a better job (on) two strikes (of putting) the ball in play. We worked the at-bats better.“There were times we hit the ball hard and didn’t have a hit to show for it. But overall, I thought every guy that went to the plate was working.”Before the game, La Russa addressed criticism hitting coaches Frank Menechino and Howie Clark have received from pundits and fans.“If you coach or manage in the big leagues and if somebody points a finger at you and that bothers you, you’re doing the wrong thing for a living,” he said. “And if you coach, you should be able to absorb the hits instead of having a player or some players be targeted.“But I’m in the cage a lot, the players know, they’ll tell you, the messages that they’re getting, whether it’s strategy or mechanical from both of those guys is sound. They’re just not executing.”The execution emerged as the game unfolded.AdvertisementThe Sox trailed 3-0 after two innings. They scored once in the third as Anderson walked, stole second and third and scored on a Robert single. The Sox loaded the bases but didn’t score any more runs in the inning.The Sox loaded the bases again in the fourth with no outs. Anderson came through with a two-run single, putting the Sox within 4-3.“Just really trying to beat you at all angles,” Anderson said. “Being able to play both sides of the ball and giving us a chance to win and giving others a chance to get RBIs and get bags and whatever the case is. Just putting us in the best position to be successful.”The Sox tied the game on a Robert RBI single in the sixth and went ahead an inning later when Engel came off the bench and drove in AJ Pollock with a one-out single.“I’m trying to get a pitch over the plate, put a good swing on it,” Engel said. “Guys are on first and third, in a good situation there. Just had to put the ball in play, try to keep it up the middle the best that I can. In order to do that, just look for a pitch over the plate and try to not do too much.”White Sox relief closer Hendriks, right, and catcher Yasmani Grandal celebrate after a 7-4 win against the Royals on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. (Charlie Riedel/AP)Robert connected on an 0-2 slider from Dylan Coleman for the two-run homer in the eighth to create some distance.Advertisement“I was just trying to not strike out,” Robert said. “(Wednesday) night was a difficult game for me (0-for-4 with three strikeouts). The at-bats (Thursday) weren’t easy either.“I got that at-bat. I was just trying to put the ball in play. I charged earlier in that pitch because I was expecting a fastball. He made a mistake and I took advantage of it.”The Sox will try to carry the positives into the weekend series against the Yankees in New York.“We are pretty close to being the team that we all know that we can be,” Robert said. “Every team has some struggles sometimes. But … we are pretty close to being that good team that we hope we could be.”

Sports

Colorado Rockies TV reporter is recovering after being hit in the head by a foul ball

DENVER — AT&T Sportsnet reporter Kelsey Wingert says she’s recovering after being struck in the head by a line drive during the ninth inning of the Colorado Rockies’ game against the San Francisco Giants earlier this week.“I took a 95 MPH line drive to my head,” Wingert said in a tweet, along with a photo that showed a row of stitches on her forehead.AdvertisementChecking in – Monday, I took a 95 MPH line drive to my head.The @Rockies & @ATTSportsNetRM have treated me like family. Getting me treatment & to the best hospital ASAP. I was at hospital for 5 hours w/ David Woodman (GM of AT&T SN), his wife, Paula & my producer Alison Vigil. pic.twitter.com/UzhlCzclNE— Kelsey Wingert (@KelsWingert) May 18, 2022

Wingert, who covers the Rockies, was in the camera well past the Rockies’ first-base dugout Monday night. Giants outfielder Austin Slater fouled a ball off Rockies reliever Daniel Bard and the ball hit Wingert.Wingert said she spent five hours in a hospital, where tests revealed no fractures or internal bleeding. She said she “received internal and external stitches.”AdvertisementWingert also was hit by a foul ball in 2018, when she was covering the Atlanta Braves for Fox Sports South. She suffered a broken right eye socket when she was struck by a foul ball from Odubel Herrera of the Philadelphia Phillies.

News

Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show

Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by…