The Cubs have another chance to build momentum.
After winning five of seven games on their homestand, the Cubs inched closer to .500 (57-60). Their next 11 games come against American League teams, beginning with a trip to the South Side this weekend.
The White Sox snapped their American League record-tying 21-game losing streak Tuesday, and Pedro Grifol’s tenure as the team’s manager ended two days later. Grady Sizemore’s first opportunity as interim manager comes Friday in the City Series.
Every Friday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Cubs and White Sox. Want more? Sign up for our newsletters.
Grady Sizemore gets a chance to lead the Sox
Grady Sizemore was a three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner and earned a Silver Slugger Award during his 10-year major-league career.
He’s now in position to guide the Sox for the rest of the season after being named interim manager Thursday, taking over for Grifol.
Sizemore, 42, joined the Sox as a major-league coach in the offseason. He previously was a minor-league instructor with the Cleveland Guardians and a coach with the Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks in 2023.
“Grady is certainly one of the most respected people in our clubhouse,” GM Chris Getz said during a videoconference call Thursday. “That showed very early on once we hired Grady, how players gravitated toward him, staff members gravitated toward him.
“He’s got a strong understanding of the game, how to play the game. He’s very authentic and honest with his communication ability. And so we felt that Grady would be the right fit for getting us to the end of September and building this environment that’s more effective for our players.”
Column: Real change for the Chicago White Sox can’t happen until there’s a real change at the top
He’s not the only one in a new role. Doug Sisson will be the bench coach, Justin Jirschele the third-base coach and Mike Gellinger the assistant hitting coach.
Sisson, 60, was in his seventh season as the field coordinator for the Sox’s player development system (2018-24). Jirschele, 34, was in his eighth season as a manager in the Sox system and second at Triple-A Charlotte. Gellinger, 60, is in his 37th season with the organization, the last four with the Arizona Complex League team.
“We are very confident the environment will be advantageous to show up each day and finish as strong as they can so we can go into the offseason feeling like we’ve built some momentum for next year,” Getz said.
Adbert Alzolay’s season ends with Tommy John surgery
Any hope that Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay would make it back during the final weeks ended Wednesday.
Alzolay needs Tommy John surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, manager Craig Counsell announced, which ends his year. The procedure puts the 2025 season in jeopardy, too, though Counsell didn’t want to speculate how long Alzolay will need to recover. The process can be methodical for pitchers recovering from this surgery, averaging around 14 to 16 months postsurgery to be fully back.
“He certainly made a big effort to come back and put a lot of work into trying to pitch this year,” Counsell said. “In the end, he tried and it was not possible to do it, and so he’s got to go get this fixed and go down the rehab route and then get strong and ready to pitch again.”
It’s a difficult blow for Alzolay, 29, who hasn’t pitched since May 12 because of a right flexor strain that landed him on the injured list. As he went through his throwing progression, Alzolay pitched in the Arizona Complex League in two outings, July 19 and 23, before joining Triple-A Iowa to begin his rehab assignment. However, Alzolay did not recover well from his July 27 outing, which Counsell called a setback. Alzolay received multiple opinions before surgery was determined to be the best course of action.
God’s plan .. road to recovery starts today.. The fist will be back better than ever .
— Adbert Alzolay (@adbert29) August 7, 2024
Alzolay’s future with the organization becomes murky. Alzolay still has two years of arbitration ahead of reaching free agency after the 2026 season. With next year’s availability in doubt, the Cubs could opt to nontender Alzolay and try to bring him back on a minor-league deal as he rehabs. In six big-league seasons with the Cubs, Alzolay owns a 4.04 ERA and 107 ERA+ in 121 games.
Number of the week: 21
The Cubs are tied for the second-most outfield assists in MLB with the Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins with 21 and also own the fifth-highest outfield fielding percentage at .993.
Tracking the White Sox’s record-setting losses
Record: 28-89
The Sox have the worst record through 117 games in franchise history. The previous mark of 37-80 occurred in 1932.
They’re on pace for 123 losses, which would eclipse the modern-day record of 120 set by the expansion New York Mets in 1962. The Sox record is 106, set in 1970.
In the midst of the AL record-tying 21-game losing streak, the Sox became the first team in major-league history to lose their first 17-plus games of the second half, breaking the record of 0-13 set by the 1935 Boston Braves, according to STATS.
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Week ahead: Cubs
- Friday: at White Sox, 7:10 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at White Sox, 6:15 p.m., Fox-32
- Sunday: off
- Monday: at Guardians, 5:40 p.m., Marquee
- Tuesday: at Guardians, 5:40 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: at Guardians, 5:40 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: off
Michael Busch’s consistency at the plate has made him one of the top rookie hitters in the majors.
His defensive work at first base, though, is turning him into one of the best all-around players at the position. If he keeps up his performance, he should be in consideration for the National League Gold Glove Award at first.
Busch leads all major-league first basemen with 10 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), three more than the next closest. His Outs Above Average, which helps measure range, ranks fifth. Busch’s defensive development has featured noticeable improvements since spring training and has helped the infield defense get to the level the organization expected.
“You move the middle infielder to first base, you’re going to get range,” Counsell said. “The difficult thing about first base is that you’re playing the ball in the hitting zone, and you also have to think about getting to first base. So just being comfortable playing the ball in the hitting zone and using your range and then being able to move a little farther off the base and still feel comfortable to get to the base to receive throws.
“That was going to take time, but as he’s gotten more comfortable, I think we’ve seen the range really pick up.”
Week ahead: White Sox
- Friday: vs. Cubs, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Saturday: vs. Cubs, 6:15 p.m., Fox-32
- Sunday: off
- Monday: vs. Yankees, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Tuesday: vs. Yankees, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Wednesday: vs. Yankees, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH
- Thursday: off
The Sox had their hands full all year dealing with Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. The shortstop hit .469 with three doubles, two home runs (one a grand slam) and eight RBIs in 13 games against the Sox this season.
Another AL MVP candidate comes to Guaranteed Rate Field on Monday when the Sox play host to Aaron Judge and the Yankees.
Judge entered Thursday leading the majors in several offensive categories, including home runs (41), RBIs (104) and OPS (1.157). He’s third in the majors — behind Witt and the Guardians’ Steven Kwan — with a .324 batting average.
Judge did damage against the Sox during the three-game series May 17-19 at Yankee Stadium, going 3-for-9 with two home runs and three RBIs in the Yankees’ sweep.
Recapping the last City Series games
In the teams’ first meeting on June 5, the Cubs picked off White Sox base runner Duke Ellis on closer Héctor Neris’ perfect execution to second baseman Nico Hoerner. Two pitches later, Neris got Corey Julks to foul out to give the Cubs a 7-6 comeback win at Wrigley Field.
The pickoff call came from the dugout after seeing Ellis’ leadoffs and apparent plan to try to steal third.
“When you put plays like that on, you’re not really thinking out. You’re just thinking keeping him close and maybe he takes a wrong step,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And he was caught leaning the other way.”
Game 2 was just as dramatic. Mike Tauchman hit his first walk-off home run off Sox closer Michael Kopech into the center-field bleachers to complete the Cubs’ 7-6 comeback victory for the second straight night.
“Every kid dreams of hitting a walk-off home run, so to have that moment, it’s special,” said Tauchman, who grew up in Palatine. “It’s something that, when it’s all said and done, I’ll look back on it and I’ll always have that to be able to smile about.”
What we’re reading this morning
- White Sox fire manager Pedro Grifol, who had an 89-190 record: ‘We expect better, we need better’
- Column: Real change for the White Sox can’t happen until there’s a real change at the top
- 3 takeaways from the Cubs’ 5-2 homestand: Bullpen stays hot — and catcher Christian Bethancourt steps up
- A skid-busting win but another series loss: 3 takeaways from the White Sox’s 3 games against the A’s in Oakland
- Isaac Paredes connects for 3-run HR in his 1st big offensive game for Cubs in 7-3 win against Twins
- The nightmare is over: White Sox snap historic 21-game losing streak with 5-1 win
- For Cubs reliever Ethan Roberts, overcoming the challenge of multiple injuries brings him back to majors
- From No. 1 to 21: A closer look at the White Sox’s American League record-tying losing streak
- Frank Thomas says ‘it’s time to snap’ as White Sox lose 21st straight game: ‘We’re the laughingstock of baseball’
- White Sox tie an American League record with their 21st consecutive loss
- Column: Bill Veeck boycotted both Chicago ballparks in the last year of his life — but you shouldn’t do the same
Quotable
“Although a hard day because of the caring individuals that were let go, it’s also a step in a new direction.” — Getz