The Chicago Cubs keep rolling.
They just completed a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, featuring three walk-off wins, as part of 15-consecutive victories at Wrigley Field. The Cubs start a nine-game trip against the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and White Sox. They have a chance to win their 10th straight game Friday in Arlington, Texas.
The White Sox begin their longest homestand of the season — nine games — Friday with the first of three against the Seattle Mariners at Rate Field. The homestand also includes three-game series against the Kansas City Royals (Tuesday-Thursday) and Cubs (May 15-17).
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.
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Cubs keep navigating injuries to the pitching staff
Six weeks in, the Cubs already are used to the challenges of a pitching staff that has been constantly banged up by injuries.
With left-hander Matthew Boyd sidelined following a left knee meniscectomy after suffering a fluke injury Wednesday while playing with his kids, the Cubs have 10 pitchers from the 40-man roster on the injured list. That group includes starters Boyd, right-hander Cade Horton and left-handers Justin Steele and Jordan Wicks. Boyd’s multiweek injury was another blow so shortly after Steele was diagnosed with a flexor strain that pushes his return from his initial April 2025 elbow surgery to likely after the July All-Star break.
“We’re just trying to think about the innings puzzle moving forward here and then you’re also just trying to think about, consider what’s next,” manager Craig Counsell said Thursday. “You have to play that game, unfortunately. But you always have to play that game. What do we do if something else happens, you know what I mean?”
Column: Matthew Boyd’s freakish injury brings back old myths about Cubbie Occurrences
The Cubs bullpen continues to evolve too. They designated right-hander Corbin Martin for assignment before Thursday’s 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds and recalled right-hander Gavin Hollowell. Martin pitched well in his first three appearances, most notably recording a save at Dodger Stadium to cap the Cubs’ 10-game winning streak at the end of April. But in his three outings after that game, Martin struggled with his command, allowing six runs and four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in one total inning.
“Overall we’re just trying to create an environment for them where they’re quickly part of the team, do what you’re good at, understand this is opportunity,” Counsell said. “We’re trying to put guys in places to have success and it’s probably not going to work in every situation, but we’ll find some good things out of this.”
The Cubs could be getting more bullpen reinforcements soon. Left-hander Caleb Thielbar (left hamstring strain) and right-hander Hunter Harvey (right triceps inflammation) will throw a touch-and-feel bullpen this weekend in Texas. Thielbar is closer than Harvey to returning, but both are taking steps forward.
“It’s been a resilient group, and some guys have stepped up and pitched really good, and our offense and our defense has stepped up and played well,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at the beginning of the homestand. “Just because we turned the calendar there’s no moment to pause and reflect. We have to continue doing that. We’ll keep working to find reinforcements, but also hopefully we get some of these guys healthy and get things to feel a little more like we anticipated in the bullpen.”
On the attack
Hagen Smith has done his best to watch former Triple-A Charlotte teammate Noah Schultz’s outings with the White Sox. Occasionally, if it was a game out west, Smith would catch up later with video highlights.
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“He’s been throwing the ball awesome,” Smith said during a videoconference call Tuesday. “Super happy for him, and he’s going to keep doing his thing.”
Smith has been doing likewise with the Knights, earning Sox minor-league pitcher of the month honors for March/April. He went 0-2 with a 2.33 ERA in that span, allowing five earned runs in 19 1/3 innings in six starts. The 2024 first-round pick had 29 strikeouts.
“Couldn’t have done it without the staff that we have here, teammates we have here,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve thrown the ball decent. There’s definitely some stuff I’d like to do a little better, but just carry on to this month and keep getting better every day.”
The lefty allowed two runs or fewer in each of the six outings. He had at least five strikeouts in four of those six games, including a season-high six on April 28 against Gwinnett.
Chicago White Sox pitchers — including rookie Noah Schultz — are ‘getting some momentum going’
Smith continues making strides working his cutter and changeup into the mix.
“The change had been there, but it’s more defined this year,” he said. “And really, just mixing all the pitches, giving everybody different looks.
“I feel my slider has been really good this year so far, so that’s been really good for me just to be able to know that in the back of my head that I can throw that whenever for a strike or a strikeout and it’s been really good.”
Overall, Smith is 0-2 with a 2.82 ERA in seven starts with 32 strikeouts and 16 walks over 22 1/3 innings. He’s focused on “just attacking hitters a little better.”
“There will be some at-bats where I fall behind,” he said. “And I think just getting ahead early just helped me a lot.”
Number of the week: 33
The Sox are tied for second in Major League Baseball with 33 home runs on the road.
Week ahead: Cubs
- Friday: at Rangers, 7:05 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at Rangers, 6:05 p.m., Marquee
- Sunday: at Rangers, 1:35 p.m., Marquee
- Monday: Off
- Tuesday: at Braves, 6:15 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: at Braves, 6:15 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: at Braves, 6:15 p.m., Marquee
No division has been better to start the season than the National League Central.
All five clubs are above .500 through Thursday — even the Reds after the Cubs swept a four-game series. Only three teams in the American League are above .500, while just two other divisions, the NL West and AL East, have two teams with a winning record. The AL West entered Thursday with the division-leading Athletics sitting at .500.
“Our division is really good, to be clear, but if anyone said it would be this good, I think that’d be really unexpected,” Hoyer said. “Normally all five teams don’t play exceptionally well, especially when you look at other divisions. There’s plenty of divisions where there’s one team playing well and everyone’s playing poorly. It’s great. We have our work cut out for us. We have to play really good baseball. It’s going to be a good division.
“It may not be like this all summer. I think at some point, that’s difficult, especially as we start more intradivision play. But there’s really teams in this division, really good young players in this division.”
The Cubs have largely played nondivision opponents en route to their 26-12 mark. They face the Milwaukee Brewers (May 18-20), Pittsburgh Pirates (May 25-28) and St. Louis Cardinals (May 29-31) each for the first time later this month.
“We struggled early a little bit against a part of our schedule that probably looked a bit softer, played great against a stretch of our schedule that probably looked, going into the season, like it was going to be more challenging,” Hoyer said. “But yeah, if you had given this record and this run differential and where our offense is and say are you happy with it? Yeah, I think we’ve played really well.”
Week ahead: White Sox
- Friday: vs. Mariners, 6:40 p.m., CHSN, The U
- Saturday: vs. Mariners, 6:10 p.m., CHSN
- Sunday: vs. Mariners, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: vs. Royals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Wednesday: vs. Royals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Thursday: vs. Royals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
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Catcher Drew Romo said he hadn’t traditionally been a home run hitter or a hitter who walks.
“But those are the two things I’m doing right now, hitting home runs and I’m walking,” Romo told the Tribune on Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. “I haven’t hit a single. It’s weird because that’s not normally the type of hitter I am, but that’s what I’m doing right now. It’s cool, it feels good.”
Romo is 3-for-16 since being called up from Charlotte on April 25. All three hits are home runs, including two on April 28 against the Los Angeles Angels when the switch-hitter went deep from both sides of the plate. He also has drawn eight walks.
“I’m seeing the ball well, my approach feels good, so just keep doing it,” Romo said.
His top priority is working with the pitchers.
“I love the work ethic, it seems like everybody really gets after it,” he said when asked about the starters.
He added about the relievers: “Great bullpen as a whole. When they come into the game, a lot of good stuff and tough to hit.”
The Sox made a move in their bullpen Thursday, adding Trevor Richards to the active 26-man roster while optioning Jordan Leasure to Charlotte. Leasure had a 6.06 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 appearances (one start). He allowed 11 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings. The Sox acquired Richards in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
What we’re reading today
- Cubs sweep Reds for 9th straight win overall and 15th in a row at ‘electric’ Wrigley Field
- Column: Matthew Boyd’s freakish injury brings back old myths about Cubbie Occurrences
- Cubs’ Moisés Ballesteros is always on the attack: ‘He’s just incredibly confident’
- Matthew Boyd to undergo surgery for torn meniscus, another blow to injury-riddled Cubs pitching staff
- Column: Home-field advantage looking real for the Cubs, but don’t get too giggly
- White Sox — in need of outfield help — add veteran Randal Grichuk on 1-year deal
- Cubs continue to defy the odds with a 3rd straight walk-off win
- Munetaka Murakami hits his 14th home run — tying him for MLB lead — in White Sox’s win
- ‘A real feeling and belief right now’: Cubs’ 5th walk-off win has them playing with confidence
- White Sox pitchers — including rookie Noah Schultz — are ‘getting some momentum going’
- ‘Tough way to end a good road trip’: 3 takeaways after White Sox drop series to Angels
Quotable
“It sounds not normal, but it can be (normal). It’s part of this thing when you’re using your body to make a living, you’re at risk.” — Counsell on the flukiness of Boyd’s meniscus tear while playing with his kids