A challenging homestand has the Cubs nearing the end of a tough stretch of 17 consecutive games without an off day.
The Cubs wrapped up a homestand that featured six games against the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers with Thursday’s makeup game against the Toronto Blue Jays before hitting the road to Kansas City, Mo., where trade-deadline acquisitions Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes will make their team debuts Friday and Saturday against the Royals. Following Monday’s much-needed day off, the trip continues with a three-game set against the Nationals.
A key American League Central showdown begins Friday at Rate Field, with the first-place White Sox hosting the second-place Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series. The Sox entered Thursday with a three-game lead over the Guardians.
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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Jameson Taillon returns to Wrigley
Less than two weeks after the Cubs designated the right-hander for assignment, Taillon found himself in a very familiar place.
Taillon, with a coffee in hand, sat on a bench Thursday morning in the visitors dugout at Wrigley Field watching the Cubs’ pregame infield work. The Cubs traded Taillon to the Blue Jays last week following his DFA, and the makeup game brought him back to the ballpark he had called home for the last 3½ years.
“You see everything going a certain way and then you have it kind of ripped out from under you, and it just changes your perspective a little bit, makes you look at things a little differently and also makes you look in the mirror a little bit and understand that there’s things to change and get better at,” Taillon told the Tribune Thursday. “I really enjoyed my time, and I don’t have anything bad to say to be completely honest.
“Wrigley’s the greatest place to play. Chicago’s a great city. All the guys over there, lifelong friends. So it’s nothing like that. It’s just obviously performance-based, and I wasn’t getting it done, which kind of hurts.”
The two starts off the injured list in which Taillon allowed 11 runs and five home runs in 8 1/3 innings was enough for the Cubs to move on. As Taillon waited to see how the DFA process played out, he worked out at Tread Athletics facility in North Carolina, able to get away from worrying about results, then got going with the Blue Jays staff after the trade. He made his Blue Jays debut Wednesday in Houston, allowing three runs in four innings.
Taillon, a free agent after the season, is excited for fresh eyes on him and a new start. He felt encouraged by an uptick in his stuff during Wednesday’s outing.
“About midway through the year, I had that White Sox game (with eight runs and five home runs) and ever since then it’s just been hard,” Taillon said. “And everyone was trying, and it just wasn’t working, and that’s OK.
“I’m just at peace with it all and obviously disappointed in the way it ended, and I feel bad about it, and I wanted that message to be heard over there. I feel bad that I couldn’t have been better, and I put everyone in that position, and I feel like I made Jed (Hoyer) go out and have to get another starter or two, and I feel some of that’s on me, and it’s a s—– feeling to be honest.”
Taillon, 34, will be most remembered as a Cub for his two great starts in the 2025 postseason, getting the ball in an elimination game in both the wild-card series and division series. But in 15 starts with the Cubs this year, Taillon finished with a 5.92 ERA and 69 ERA+ while surrendering 25 home runs in 76 innings. Taillon hopes Cubs fans remember him for the good moments during the heart of his contact rather than his struggles at the beginning and end of his deal.
Taillon wasn’t exactly surprised by the timing of the Cubs’ decision to move on, despite it happening shortly after his return from the IL.
“I felt like maybe for a little while there, I was looking over my shoulder a little bit,” Taillon said. “I don’t want this to sound bad or anything, but I did feel like things just felt a little different, even just this year in general. I don’t know what it is. It’s probably me going into a free-agent year and obviously I had a tough spring, which set the tone.
“I put myself in a little bit of a hole mentally, maybe. So, yeah, I was kind of looking over my shoulder a little bit and definitely didn’t deserve reassurances or anything. But I definitely didn’t get them either. So, I definitely wasn’t shocked. At the end of the day, it’s a business. I heard great things from everyone as a person and stuff, but at the end of the day, what you do on the field matters, and this is a really damn good team.”
Taillon now gets to represent his native country after pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic in March. His grandmother lived in downtown Toronto, and his parents met at the University of Toronto. He grew up going to Blue Jays games and he always has kept tabs on the team.
“It’s been really cool from afar to watch the country of Canada get more into baseball, and I think the Blue Jays have played a really big part in that,” Taillon said. “Out of all places to land, this almost feels kind storybookish.”
Roch Cholowsky takes first steps with Winston-Salem
Cholowsky made his professional baseball affiliated debut Tuesday, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and one walk for Winston-Salem, the High A affiliate for the White Sox, against Asheville.
The top pick in the 2026 MLB draft collected his first hit Wednesday with a sharp grounder back up the middle for what was scored an RBI double in the second inning.
“It’s going to be another player to follow closely in the organization, which is always fun,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said Wednesday afternoon in Boston. “He’s getting his career rolling, along with some other guys that (are) from this draft class.
“We’re excited about Roch and what he can bring to the table.”
Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla., Sox director of player development Paul Janish said the word “teammate” comes to mind in regard to Cholowsky.
“He’s obviously extremely talented,” Janish said. “There’s going to be a lot of notoriety and exposure and things that he’s going to have to deal with that he’s already dealt with to a certain degree at the college level.
“But the thing that sticks out is even with the expectation and everything that goes with it, the way that he just like plugs into the group and the way that guys gravitate to him. He’s got a presence to him that’s pretty special. And it’s a humble presence, if that makes sense. But a highly competitive kid.”
The shortstop out of UCLA went 1-for-8 with two RBIs and two walks over his first two games with the Dash.
“Really cool to kind of get going and get the pro season underway, get those first at-bats, means a lot,” Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday.
Asked about his professional debut, Venable said, “For me, it was really just trying to figure out where I stacked up. And I think that that’s kind of how it is for all these guys as you first signed.
“This is all new for everybody, kind of figuring out where you fit in. Obviously, Roch is somebody that’s a big prospect, has been in the spotlight and understands where he’s at. So I’m sure there’s a ton of confidence for him. Just excitement to see these guys kind of transition into pro ball and get their careers underway.”
Number of the week: 13
Ozzie Guillén’s uniform No. 13 will be retired by the Sox on Saturday at Rate Field. He will become the 13th member of the organization and first manager to have his number retired.
Week ahead: Cubs
- Friday: at Royals, 7:10 p.m., Marquee
- Saturday: at Royals, 6:10 p.m., Marquee
- Sunday: at Royals, 1:10 p.m., Marquee
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: at Nationals, 5:45 p.m., Marquee
- Wednesday: at Nationals, 5:45 p.m., Marquee
- Thursday: at Nationals, 3:05 p.m., Marquee
The back end of the Cubs bullpen has had to navigate most of the season without closer Daniel Palencia.
Palencia, though, is nearing a return from his flexor strain, which has sidelined him since mid-June. He made his first rehab appearance Wednesday with Triple-A Iowa, allowing one run and two walks and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning. Palencia still needs additional rehab appearances before he returns, potentially in mid-August.
When Palencia does return, it likely won’t immediately be in the closer role.
“Initially when Daniel comes back, we’re should be flexible with where he pitches and just get him into some appearances,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And if we get to a place where we’re kind of getting a little bit more defined (roles), great. If we don’t, great. But I think certainly when he comes back we’re going to be flexible.”
How will Craig Counsell manage a Chicago Cubs rotation that went from a shortage to an overflow?
Palencia has been limited to 16 2/3 innings in 19 games this season with just three saves. The Cubs have seen how valuable Palencia can be in high-leverage spots between his postseason performance last year and what he did for Venezuela en route to his country’s WBC title in March.
“He just hasn’t pitched this year, so that’s probably my concern right now,” Counsell said. “We’ve got to get innings under his belt. We think the injury is behind him but we’ve still got to be a little careful, too, at the start here.”
Week ahead: White Sox
- Friday: vs. Guardians, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Saturday: vs. Guardians, 6:15 p.m., Fox-32
- Sunday: vs. Guardians, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: vs. Reds, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Wednesday: vs. Reds, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
- Thursday: vs. Reds, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
Huascar Brazobán had heard that there was a possibility he would be traded.
“I knew about the rumors, I knew there were a few teams asking for me,” Brazobán said through an interpreter Tuesday at Fenway Park. “As soon as I got the call and they told me where I was going, I was excited because I knew how this team was playing. And also I have a cousin in the organization (Prelander Berroa). It was exciting news for sure.”
The Sox acquired the right-handed reliever from the New York Mets for minor-league pitchers Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin.
He had a 2.56 ERA in 46 games (six starts) this season and an 0.84 ERA over his last 10 outings leading up to the trade.
“The key has been just being able to attack the hitters,” Brazobán said. “With all the reports we have now, all the scouting, if you have all the info, you have to use it to your advantage. Something that has been important, too, is that I have been attacking the hitters with my strength. I’ve been able to execute that.”
Brazobán, 36, said regardless of the inning, “I’m just ready to pitch. I like to compete, I like to go out there and feel the heat of the moment. And I’ll be ready for it.”
He struck out one and walked one in a scoreless inning in his Sox debut Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox.
“I’m excited, this is a young team with a lot of energy and a team that is ready to compete,” he said Tuesday. “It’s always good when you have the chance to be on a team like this. I just want to do my part.”
What we’re reading today
- Column: How will Craig Counsell manage a Cubs rotation that went from a shortage to an overflow?
- October preview? NL MVP front-runners Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani put on a show at Wrigley Field.
- Column: In one of Chicago’s busiest MLB trade deadlines, the Cubs and White Sox made things happen
- 4 takeaways from the Cubs’ trade-deadline moves, including Ryan Zeferjahn’s velocity — and whiffs
- How White Sox will use newly acquired Joey Bart, Luis Castillo, Brenton Doyle and Huascar Brazobán
- Column: Tarik Skubal tries to shut out the noise before losing his Dodgers debut at Wrigley Field
- ‘We’re here to win’: Cubs’ aggressive deadline trades show front office’s belief in postseason run
- White Sox target bullpen, outfield and catching depth at trade deadline: ‘Couldn’t be more excited’
Quotable
“We would like to make up ground, but worrying about it is not going to help me do it. We get an opportunity to play them. That’s when we can worry about it. Other than that, we’ve just got to do our thing.” — Counsell on the Cubs trying to chase down the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers