Chicago baseball report: James Triantos a hit in Cubs debut — and Jordan Hicks a triple-digit threat for Sox

The Cubs might lament leaving a couple of wins on the road as they return to Wrigley Field with a homestand against two title contenders.

The Cubs on Thursday wrapped up their trip to Pittsburgh and St. Louis with a 4-2, 10-inning victory against the Cardinals, finishing 5-2 despite losing a winnable game in each series. Even so, the Cubs remain in good playoff position ahead of Monday’s 5 p.m. MLB trade deadline, holding the top National League wild-card spot with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town.

The White Sox on Friday continue their stretch of 13 consecutive games against teams with a .500 record or better, beginning a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Sox then visit Boston for three games against the Red Sox starting Tuesday. They return home Aug. 7 for the first of three against the Cleveland Guardians. The Sox opened the challenging period by going 2-2 against the New York Yankees.

‘Surreal’ debut for Cubs prospect James Triantos

Triantos didn’t have much time to think when his name was called.

Called up July 24 in Pittsburgh, Triantos made his MLB debut one day later as a pinch hitter. Known for his bat-to-ball skills, Triantos took an 0-2 pitch the opposite way for a single off Pirates reliever Brandon Eisert for his first big-league hit. Triantos had about 15 friends and family members in the stands at PNC Park to see the milestone. He plans to frame his first-hit ball with the jersey he wore and potentially the bat he used.

“It happened fast, but I knew that I’ve done this every single day forever,” Triantos told the Tribune. “It’s still the same game. I’ve got a job to do, and I was pretty focused, present for the moment at least. So that made it a little bit easier. You’ve still got to throw it in the zone, and you’ve still got to hit it. It’s the same game.”

Triantos, 23, stayed in the game and took over at second base for the final two innings. But in that moment running to first as he watched the ball get to the outfield, all he felt was joy.

“I visualized this thousands of times and hit a line drive through the four hole probably about 980 times, it’s just how I drew it up,” Triantos said. “I didn’t really smell the roses until I got out in the field and was able to look around. Once when they were like, ‘You’re hitting,’ I was like, ‘All right, I’ve got to focus on it, I’ve got to be on it.’ But once I got out in the field was when I really got to just look around and take a deep breath and take it all in. It was pretty surreal.”

Triantos got a pinch-hit at-bat in Tuesday’s 10-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, grounding out to first. Playing time is expected to be sporadic while he’s with the Cubs right now, but the organization felt his first big-league call-up would be valuable for their 2021 second-round pick.

“It’s been awesome,” Triantos said. “Just watching how they’re going about their business, how they handle themselves, whether things are going well or not going well. Just watching and observing and picking up stuff that I could use, I could get better at.”

Jordan Hicks impresses Sox with ‘spectacle’

Grant Taylor spoke in amazement after watching fellow reliever Jordan Hicks come through for the Sox in the 12th inning Wednesday against the Yankees.

“A spectacle, 102 (mph), 102, 102, being able to put up a zero is huge,” Taylor said.

Hicks got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam without allowing a run. The Sox scored in the bottom of the 12th on Edgar Quero’s single for a 6-5 victory. Hicks picked up the win, his first with the Sox.

“Not the way I drew it up, but it worked out,” Hicks said after the game. “Today was the hardest I’ve thrown all season. Just being in and around the zone, the best pitch was the one to (Ben) Rice, the slider to strike him out. After that I had full confidence I was going to get out of it.”

After striking out Rice swinging for the second out, Hicks went to a full count with Ali Sánchez and got the catcher to ground out to second baseman Chase Meidroth. All seven pitches against Sánchez were clocked at more than 100 mph.

Hicks extended his career-high scoreless streak to 14 games (13⅓ innings). He has a .089 opponents average (4-for-45) during the span. He has a 3.19 ERA in 34 relief outings this season.

“After coming off rehab, I took my arm slot up a little bit,” said Hicks, who was on the injured list from May 21-June 21 with a right lat strain. “Just really started enforcing the four-seam in the zone and playing catch with it. I feel like those two things, really trying to get back to the 2023 version, but I feel like I’m throwing more strikes than back then. Everything is working right now.”

Number of the week: 50

The Cubs have five players with 50 RBI or more this season: Dansby Swanson (61), Pete Crow-Armstrong (61), Seiya Suzuki (60), Michael Busch (58) and Nico Hoerner (50). Only the Atlanta Braves, with six, have more players with 50-plus RBI. Ian Happ is two RBI away from reaching the mark.

Week ahead: Cubs

The Cubs’ injured list remains lengthy.

Fourteen players are on the IL, but the pitching staff could gain some reinforcements within the next two months.

“It’s like everything else, we’re going to have some success stories there and we’ll probably have some setbacks,” manager Craig Counsell said. “But there’s enough names you’re talking about that you’re going to have some good results there.”

Right-hander Edward Cabrera (left hamstring strain) threw a bullpen Wednesday and will begin his rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Iowa. Cabrera will likely need three rehab starts before rejoining the Cubs rotation, Counsell said, which puts him on track for a mid-August return.

Lefty reliever Hoby Milner (appendectomy) retired all three batters he faced Wednesday in his first rehab assignment with Iowa. Milner is expected to get at least one more rehab outing before the Cubs activate him from the IL.

Closer Daniel Palencia (flexor tendon strain) will throw live batting practice this weekend, potentially doing it at Wrigley Field, then either do another live BP before starting his rehab assignment or go on his rehab assignment next week. Palencia will need a couple of rehab outings.

Infielder/outfielder Matt Shaw (left hand sprain) is at the team’s complex in Arizona continuing to rehab but hasn’t advanced to full hitting yet. The injury initially seemed minor, but Shaw has been sidelined a month.

“He’s progressing but cautiously would be probably the best way to say it,” Counsell said of Shaw.

Right-hander Ben Brown (stress reaction in neck) is playing catch daily as he builds up volume and intensity, essentially at the pre-spring training phase of building up. Bullpens are “a ways away still,” Counsell said.

Left-hander Justin Steele (flexor strain) is scheduled for a touch-and-feel bullpen this weekend at Wrigley, the initial step of his throwing progression. Steele, who hasn’t pitched since April 2025 because of elbow surgery and the subsequent injury in late April this year, still has a bunch of steps to complete before he could help the Cubs late in the season.

Week ahead: White Sox

Braden Montgomery was part of a late rally Tuesday against the Yankees, reaching on a single with one out in the ninth. He later scored on Meidroth’s two-run home run in an eventual 3-2 loss.

The single was part of a two-hit game for the outfielder, who also had a walk.

“I’d say the confidence is wherever the preparation is,” Montgomery told reporters after the game. “The more I get work in the cage pregame, the more I see and feel good results coming from that, the more you can just relax and the level of your training is going to come out in the game no matter what. You don’t really play up, you do what you do. It’s just the result of quality reps outside of the game.”

Montgomery is hitting .288 (15-for-52) with two doubles, two triples, one home run and 12 RBI in his last 14 games.

“It’s a blessing to be able to wake up each day healthy and surrounded by so many people that serve and support us,” Montgomery said. “So I don’t take any of it for granted and I enjoy every day being able to come to this clubhouse with this group of guys.”

Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller is excited about what’s ahead for Montgomery.

“We haven’t seen the best of Braden yet, and he’s still holding his own,” Fuller said Thursday. “He’s taking really good at-bats, taking walks when they’re presented. Once he gets comfortable and continues to learn, he’s going to be a force.”

Quotable

“We just try to keep guys focused on their job and their work, and hopefully that’s enough.”— Sox manager Will Venable on handling distractions ahead of Monday’s trade deadline