In first sport since firing supervisor, White Sox tackle Cubs

The Chicago White Sox will host the Chicago Cubs on Friday and resume their turbulent 2024 season with coach Grady Sizemore as interim manager.

The White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol on Thursday amid a 28-89 start that included an American League record-tying 21-game losing streak. The White Sox snapped the skid Tuesday at Oakland.

The Grifol era on the South Side concluded with Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the A’s, dropping Grifol’s record to 89-190 since he took the reins of the White Sox before the 2023 season.

“This won’t break me. As a matter of fact it only motivates me,” Grifol said via text message to the Chicago Sun-Times. “The next thing I do in my life, I will do it for the love and passion I have for this game and for the sole purpose of serving others.”

The White Sox are in search of their first home victory since July 10, which doubled as their most recent win, period, before Tuesday. The White Sox, who last won successive games at Guaranteed Rate Field from June 27-29, have lost 10 straight series, including all six since the All-Star break.

Andrew Benintendi launched a two-run home run in the second inning Wednesday, his third homer in four games, but the bullpen surrendered three runs in the Oakland seventh.

As with their South Side counterparts, the Cubs have struggled, too, albeit to a muted extent compared to the White Sox.

This week’s home series victory against the Minnesota Twins helped the Cubs climb within five games of the third National League wild-card spot entering Thursday.

A balanced attack bolstered the Cubs to an 8-2 win in Wednesday’s rubber match against the Twins. Leadoff man Ian Happ and No. 2 hitter Michael Busch homered while the club’s Nos. 7-9 hitters, Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Christian Bethancourt went a combined 4-for-11 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs.

“We’re just getting contributions from nine guys right now on any given day,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And that makes all the difference in the world, I think. It allows you to be consistent, which I think we’ve done a pretty good job of these past couple weeks. It’s the key to this team being good offensively.”

The Cubs were nine games under .500 after a three-game losing streak from June 30-July 3. They are six games over .500 since.

“It’s been a lot of guys that have kind of picked their years up and kind of got it going,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s at the right time, because we’ve still got 45 (games) left and we’re only getting better as the season goes.”

A victory Friday would clinch the season series for the Cubs, who swept a two-game set at Wrigley Field in June, winning both games 7-6.

Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (7-6, 3.25 ERA) is set to oppose White Sox All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet (6-8, 3.19).

Taillon took a no-decision against the White Sox on June 5 after scattering five runs and 10 hits in five innings. He is 0-0 with a 3.58 ERA in five career starts versus the White Sox covering 27 2/3 innings.

Crochet, whose workload is being monitored in the second half considering his injury history, will make his first career appearance against the Cubs.

–Field Level Media