CHGO Digest: Shota's historic start, Sox swept, Bears' OTAs begin

Happy Monday, friends!

Welcome to OTAs, Bears fans — we’ve made it. We caught a glimpse of Caleb Williams throwing to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Velus Jones Jr. in a quick video posted by the Bears’ social team last week.

But now it starts to get real.

OTAs begin today and run for the next two weeks. Then there’s mandatory minicamp, and in six short weeks, training camp opens on July 20. Two weeks later, it’s the Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio.

The most consequential offseason in team history is rolling right along, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Kiran Amegadije, Tory Taylor, and Austin Booker have all inked rookie deals with the team. First-rounders Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze haven’t signed yet, but it’s not of any concern until we get closer to July 20.

All that’s left between now and opening kickoff in September is a few practices… and maybe the occasional photo shoot.

— Patrick Norton

Shota shoves, Cubs offense sputters

Move over Fernando Valenzuela — it’s Shō Time. The Cubs’ 30-year-old rookie southpaw is crushing expectations in his first season in the United States, and through nine starts, Shōta Imanaga is on a historic pace.

Fernando-mania swept through the baseball world in 1981 when the Dodgers’ rookie pitcher took the league by storm. Valenzuela’s 0.91 ERA through nine career starts was an MLB record … until Saturday when Imanaga’s seven shutout innings lowered his ERA to 0.84.

• Imanaga received a no decision, but his outstanding efforts kept the Cubs in the game despite the non-existent offense. “When you start getting in this territory, you have to be a little surprised, for sure,” Craig Counsell said about Imanaga’s start. “We’re fortunate to watch it.”
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• In nine starts, Imanaga has surrendered at least one earned run just three times, and the Cubs are 8-1 in his outings. In May, the left-hander has completed 7.0 IP in three of his four starts thanks to his willingness to attack the strike zone — this year, Imanaga has 58 K and just 9 BB.
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• Despite his elite stuff, Imanaga hasn’t received a decision since May 1 when the Cubs defeated the Mets, 1-0. The Cubs’ offense has scratched across just five runs of support for the rookie hurler in four May starts.
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• The entire offense is in the midst of a mighty slump. It doesn’t help to have Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson sidelined with injuries, but Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki haven’t hit their strides since returning from the 10-day IL, either. The Cubs’ offense is averaging just 3.5 runs per game in May and is coming off losing three of four to the Pirates over the weekend.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Become a Diehard to receive Ryan Herrera’s CHGO Cubs Weekly newsletter every week!

📺 WATCH | Corey Freedman and Brendan Miller break down the Cubs’ rough weekend against Pittsburgh, the mounting injuries, and more on the CHGO Cubs Podcast!

⚾ NEXT | Cubs vs. Braves — Tuesday, 6:40 on Marquee Sports Network

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Join CHGO on a trip to Wrigley North!

Join the CHGO Cubs crew for a trip up north to Milwaukee on June 29! Brats, beverages, and a battle for the NL Central!

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White Sox return to earth in Bronx

Heading into the weekend, the White Sox were winners of six of their last eight games, the bullpen was performing well, and Erick Fedde was becoming quite the discovery for the Southsiders.

Momentum is a tricky thing in a 162-game season. The Sox started the 2024 campaign 3-22 and looked bad doing it. In three weeks since the team’s fourth win, it’s looked like a legitimate, competent product. However, this weekend against the Yankees more closely resembled the first 25 games of the year.

• Eight homers surrendered by the pitching staff in the three-game series killed the White Sox early and often. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Juan Soto each homered twice over the weekend, pummeling White Sox starters through the three-game set.
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• But while Mike Clevinger, Brad Keller, and Chris Flexen struggled to keep the ball in the yard, the offense couldn’t keep up for the White Sox. The Sox struck out 34 times in the Bronx, including 16 times on Saturday.
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• In Sunday’s 7-1 loss, Tommy Pham failed to record a hit in a game for just the fourth time since joining the major league club on May 1. Pham has been outstanding and an extremely welcomed addition to a White Sox offense that desperately needed a boost. The 33-year-old is slashing .333/.379/.481 in 21 games.
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• Erick Fedde can right the ship on Monday in Toronto. Fedde has been a massive star in an otherwise dismal season for the Sox, posting a 2.60 ERA and 4-0 record in nine starts. The 31-year-old reclamation project has been everything the Sox wanted and more, bringing his season’s WAR up to 2.3 after 7.0 IP of three-hit, scoreless baseball last Tuesday.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Become a Diehard to receive Vinnie Duber’s CHGO White Sox Weekly newsletter every Monday!

⚾ TODAY | White Sox at Blue Jays — 2:07 on NBC Sports Chicago

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Join CHGO for a Southside Takeover!

Join the CHGO White Sox crew at Guaranteed Rate Field this Memorial Day, May 27! Enjoy your holiday weekend at the ballpark with some brews and baseball!

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Roundup: Sky snag first win, Bulls make splash hire

• Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky picked up their first win of the 2024 campaign with a nine-point victory against the Dallas Wings on Saturday night. Diamond DeShields led all Chicago scorers with 16 points, while Reese nearly picked up a double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds. The Sky opened the season in Dallas last Wednesday with a nail-biting loss despite Reese’s 12 points in her WNBA debut.
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🏀 NEXT | Sky at Liberty — Thursday, 6:00 on Marquee Sports Network, Prime Video

🏀 HOME OPENER | Sky vs. Sun — Saturday, 7:00 on Marquee Sports Network

• The Bulls are bolstering Billy Donovan’s staff ahead of free agency. According to ESPN, the team is hiring Wes Unseld Jr. as Donovan’s top assistant. Unseld Jr. spent the last 2.5 seasons as the head coach of the Washington Wizards before being fired following his team’s 7-36 start in 2023-24. He spent six years under Michael Malone with the Denver Nuggets prior to his time in Washington.
  

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The shirt never lies.

A Red Stars gameday reminder from a friend!
Also @obvious_shirts how can we get one of those? 👀 #withthestars pic.twitter.com/orMtherYe0

— CHGO Red Stars (@CHGO_RedStars) May 19, 2024

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More on CHGO!

• Mark Carman and Nicholas Moreano break down how the Bears’ schedule can help Caleb Williams get acclimated to the NFL before playing the NFC North on the CHGO Bears Podcast.
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• The CHGO Blackhawks Podcast crew is joined by former Blackhawk Brendan Perlini to chat about his time in Chicago and life after hockey.
  

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