Chicago baseball report: Cubs and White Sox enter season’s final weekend with playoff foes in flux

It took a few days longer than the Cubs wanted, but they are heading to the playoffs again.

Their next three games will determine whom and where they will play the best-of-three National League wild-card series as the Cubs wrap up their season against the Red Sox. How many games of their final series take place at Fenway Park is still to be determined because of a concerning nor’easter forecast to hit Boston this weekend.

The White Sox locked up a playoff spot and are still competing for the American League Central title, trailing the first-place Cleveland Guardians by one game but holding the tiebreaker. The Sox return home Friday to finish the regular season with three games against the Colorado Rockies.

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.

Soaking it in

Ian Happ understands the reality of his situation.

In the final year of his contract, Happ, the longest-tenured Cub, knows there is no guarantee he’ll be back next season. So the 32-year-old made sure to take everything in Thursday at Wrigley Field, the only home ballpark he has played in during his 10-year big-league career. He showed his appreciation to the Cubs faithful in the left-field bleachers by tossing a signed baseball with beer money attached to it.

“Incredibly emotional, it was really tough,” a champagne- and beer-soaked Happ said in the postgame clubhouse. “Started the game and then after I was able to keep it together during the game, but after the family’s here and just 10 years of memories and the people and what they’ve meant to me, the fans, and so, yeah, incredibly emotional.”

Happ fittingly scored the winning run in Thursday’s playoff-clinching 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. He hit a leadoff triple in the sixth inning and scored the go-ahead run when Nico Hoerner followed with a single to left field. Manager Craig Counsell said he hadn’t thought much about the possibility Happ won’t be back as an impending free agent until that triple.

“When he hit the triple, Ian doesn’t show much emotion on the field, but there was a little extra there that you don’t see that often from Ian,” Counsell said. “That made me think about it a little bit, and I know we’re going to get a game back here again, but I think that was a little moment where he was recognizing that.”

A key contributor

The Sox signed Randal Grichuk as a right-handed-hitting outfield option in May after Austin Hays suffered a left calf strain.

Grichuk has been that and much more, particularly down the stretch.

The 35-year-old outfielder is slashing .400/.408/.733 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs over his last 15 games.

“He’s obviously responded to the opportunity here, taking advantage of it,” manager Will Venable said. “He’s been as good as anybody in this league offensively.”

Grichuk’s big hits include a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning Sept. 12 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He had four hits Tuesday against the Royals, finishing a triple shy of the cycle (he doubled twice).

“He’s been unbelievable,” second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “He’s the man, he’s been awesome for this clubhouse and what he’s doing on the field is incredible.”

In 98 games with the Sox, he is hitting .304 with 21 doubles, 14 home runs and 41 RBIs.

Grichuk has been one of the veterans the Sox have leaned on during their playoff push. He sees a team that has responded well to adversity late in the season.

“I feel like honestly we’re getting back to our old selves from most of the year,” Grichuk said. “We’re relaxed, making jokes, keeping things light but yet still playing the game hard between the lines.

“I feel like that’s kind of what made us good. We didn’t dwell on bad things in here, we didn’t let it linger. Just took a new day and took it head on. I feel like that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Number of the week: 223

Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery has matched the major-league record with 223 strikeouts in a season. He is tied with Mark Reynolds, who struck out 223 times in 2009.

Week ahead: Cubs

The Cubs might not know until Sunday whether they get to head home to host their wild-card series or perhaps travel as far as San Diego for the best-of-three matchup that begins Tuesday.

“We don’t know what’s going to get thrown in front of us, and we don’t know what we’re going to have to respond to, and kind of enjoy it,” Counsell said. “Like, this weekend’s a great example. Like, hey, whatever you’re going to make us do, we’ll do it. Let’s go.”

They’ve packed enough for every scenario in case they don’t get to return to Chicago following their series against the Red Sox. The Cubs hold the tiebreaker advantage over all three teams still in wild-card contention: the Padres, Phillies and Diamondbacks. The Padres face the Diamondbacks this weekend in San Diego.

Meanwhile, the Phillies, who lost to the Brewers on Thursday to remain one game back of the Cubs, close the season with three games against the Tampa Bay Rays in Philadelphia.

Week ahead: White Sox

It remains to be seen what possible postseason scenarios await the big-league club.

At the minor-league level, prospect Caleb Bonemer’s upcoming plans include the Arizona Fall League.

The No. 2 prospect in the Sox system, according to MLB.com, displayed tremendous power in 2026 with 37 home runs in 132 games between High A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham.

The infielder got a taste of the outfield toward the end of the season. And that will continue in the AFL.

“It’s one of the reasons he’s going out there, specifically, is to continue the outfield stuff,” Sox director of player development Paul Janish said Monday in a videoconference call. The focus will be on center field.

Janish credited Bonemer for buying in, with the organization pointing to Sam Antonacci’s move from the infield to left field this year as an example. Janish said game reps will be valuable.

“You can do so much with shagging during (batting practice) and reading balls off the bat, but at the end of the day you’ve got to see the ball come off the bat in a game,” Janish said.

Bonemer hit .251 with the 37 home runs and 92 RBIs this year. In a videoconference call early this month, Bonemer said he has learned a lot.

“I’ve put up a lot of power numbers this year, which I’m definitely happy with,” Bonemer, 20, said. “I hope I can continue to improve on the hit tool, kind of get the batting average up a little bit. Maybe less strikeouts (161 on the season). That would be something I would like to improve on. Overall this season has been great for me.

“Playing in the outfield, that’s big for my career in general. Making adjustments here and there, that’s kind of what the minor leagues is all about, learning who you are, learning how to make adjustments. This season, in totality, has helped me do a lot of those things.”

Quotable

“He’s been in the playoffs 10 years in a row — 10 years in the league, 10 years in the playoffs. That’s pretty special right there. It’s three different teams now, and that just tells you who Alex Bregman is. That’s the simple sentence you could put up on the scoreboard, and it says everything about him. He’s relentless. He’s a relentless competitor who loves the game of baseball and makes you love it because how much he pours into it.” — Craig Counsell on third baseman Alex Bregman