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Heading into Thursday’s off day, Cubs relievers have combined to throw 243 ⅓ innings this season, fourth-most in the majors. Even so, the bullpen’s 2.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) ranks third best in baseball. Ross rightfully trusts his relievers, especially when they are charged with maintaining a lead as the bridge from when the starter exits to the end of the game.

“Especially now, I think fans are happy to be out of the house and very happy to be at Wrigley and the team is playing well,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “The fans are always top notch, but when we’re playing well, they jump behind us even more. And when we’re not, they’re still behind us. That’s the beauty of it. That’s why being a Cub is so great.”

“We weren’t sure going into that Detroit game how he was going to be able to hold up physically and mentally, and so I’d say the very first thing is that he aced that test,” coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday. “And we just kept giving him more and more and more. Now it’s our job to make sure that, as we go into this season, he gets a lot of opportunities.

“Obviously you feel terrible for someone when things happen like this,” Sox starter Lance Lynn said. “But as a team, you’ve got to do everything you can to make sure they’re good, keep them upbeat, keep them ready to roll and keep them pushing to get back. And then the guys that are active that day, it’s the next man up.”

Fun fact: Chicago was built on swamp land. So it should be no surprise that as we enter the height of summer, the days become long and humid. Of course, Chicago is a playground in summertime, even as sweaty, muggy heat waves punctuate the more temperate weeks. Thankfully, this city is full of ice cream and frozen treat spots that will help fight the heat. Looking for nostalgic flavors of bygone eras? Check out mainstay Margie’s Candies for humongous sundaes, or more contemporary Spinning J’s for a hit of throwback charm. Want something more adventurous? Don’t miss frozen cookie dough from Cookie Dough Creations, paletas made from fresh tropical fruit at any number of vendors, or even trendy Thai rolled ice cream, which is popping up around town. There’s no better time to be an ice cream lover, and we’ve got the scoop.