Chicago baseball report: Cubs’ Swanson nears return — and Sox ‘in a good spot’ in playoff chase

The Cubs must hope a return to the Friendly Confines is the cure for a tough stretch.

After going 2-4 on their trip to Miami and Milwaukee, the Cubs are back home for a pair of three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves. The Phillies’ loss Thursday moved the Cubs 1 game back of the National League’s first wild-card spot.

The White Sox have their final multicity trip of the season, and it’s a big one. After three games over the weekend in St. Louis, the Sox head to Cleveland for three more against the Guardians.

The first-place Sox enter Friday with a 1½-game lead over the second-place Guardians. The Sox hold a 6-4 edge in the season series, which is the tiebreaker should the teams finish the regular season with the same record.

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.

Back for the stretch run?

Dansby Swanson is moving closer to rejoining the Cubs.

The veteran shortstop has been sidelined since Aug. 17 because of his left oblique strain, the first time he has dealt with that type of injury in his baseball career. Swanson is expected hit off a Trajekt machine this weekend at Wrigley Field and get into more hitting activities. If he comes out of that feeling well, Swanson will begin a rehab assignment early next week with Triple-A Iowa.

“There’s not a lot of time left, so the plan would be early next week and then we’ll just go from there,” manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday of Swanson’s timeline. “But we’re going to do less games than more for sure.”

The Iowa Cubs’ season ends Sept. 20, giving Swanson potentially a maximum of six rehab games at Triple A, though he likely will get off days or limited action in there, too, after the layoff. The Cubs, who are 9-12 since Swanson went on the injured list, have felt the impact of his absence, particularly on the defensive side.

“When you’re missing a defender like Dansby, your defense is going to get worse,” Counsell said Sept. 2. “He’s a great defender.”

Nico Hoerner’s big-league experience at shortstop helps, but the lack of familiarity with his double-play partner, whether Pedro Ramírez or Matt Shaw at second base, has been apparent. It’s not surprising, though, because defensive chemistry takes time to build.

“When you play with someone long enough, they’re almost becomes just this unsaid communication,” Swanson, 32, said over the weekend. “And then when there’s someone new, even on a day that Matt Shaw was playing second and I was playing short or Pedro when Nico had an off day, you kind of find yourself having to remember that you do need to talk to them about, hey, you got this or that, right?

“Me and Nico don’t have to really say it, just kind of look at each other and just give him a signal and we know. It obviously takes time, but it’s more of a conscious effort and thought and understanding the strengths of one another.”

The September drive

Chase Meidroth appreciates the progress the Sox have made throughout the season.

“It’s been good,” the infielder said Wednesday. “But I think it only matters how you finish. I think we’re in a good spot, though, and you know we’re going to compete, compete like no other these next how many ever games (remaining on the schedule).

“Everyone’s healthy right now, and so that’s awesome. I’m enjoying it, and I’d love to enjoy it a lot more through October.”

Meidroth knows getting there won’t be simple.

“Just got to want it, just got to really want it,” he said. “Everyone’s had a long year, you’ve just got to be less tired than the other team. Everyone wants to play in October. Not everyone gets to.

“You don’t ever get promised anything in this game. You’ve just got to show up and work every day. And that might not even work out in the way you want it to, but you’ve just got to keep going.”

Meidroth, the team’s primary second baseman, had a .268/.343/.391 slash line with 27 doubles, 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 139 games entering Thursday.

“It’s the most games I’ve played in a season, (this year has been) the most a lot of guys (in the Sox clubhouse) have played in a season,” Meidroth said. “I don’t feel like there’s any break in stride in a lot of guys. Guys want to keep competing and keep going. It’s awesome. It tells a lot about the people and the group.

“There’s not another group I want to celebrate with. That’s what’s driving me every day. I can’t even put into words how much it would mean to me to celebrate with this group.”

Number of the week: 7

Pete Crow-Armstrong tied Ryne Sandberg’s franchise record, set in 1991, with his seventh game this season recording at least one stolen base and a home run when he swiped two bags and went deep in Monday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Week ahead: Cubs

Two weeks left in the regular season and a tight race to secure a postseason spot inherently create more scrutiny when things aren’t going well.

For the Cubs, riding a four-game losing streak into their penultimate homestand of the season, the bullpen’s recent struggles and two blown leads en route to getting swept in Milwaukee lead to questions on how to fix a struggling group. Counsell reiterated this week that this is the group they’re rolling with, that they don’t have immediate helpful options in Triple A.

The rehab assignments for right-hander Shelby Miller and left-hander Justin Steele at least create intriguing what-ifs. Both were scheduled to appear in Thursday night’s Triple-A Iowa game, the 12th rehab appearance for Miller and third for Steele.

“That’s a pretty big difference, I think — recovery and frankly just being yourself at this point is what they’re trying to both achieve,” Counsell said Wednesday. “I think Shelby’s a little farther along, but that’s the area they’re both in.”

Counsell gains another option with Javier Assad shifting back into a relief role following his start Saturday in Miami. There could be some games the Cubs consider different approaches in which Assad could factor in, Counsell said, but for the most part the right-hander is part of the relief group.

Veteran reliever Phil Maton, who signed a two-year deal in the offseason, won’t be returning as a late-season boost. He is scheduled to undergo season-ending knee surgery this week. More details about the procedure and recovery will be known post-operation.

Week ahead: White Sox

From opening to closing — and almost everywhere in between — Bryan Hudson has been one of the reliable relievers for the Sox.

“There’s always going to be opportunity,” Hudson said last week. “Our offense has been known to come back later in the games. We just kind of make sure everyone’s on that same page day in and day out down there (in the bullpen), come third or fourth inning, all hands on deck because you might get to close tonight. You never know.”

Hudson has a 2.95 ERA in 62 appearances (eight starts). The left-hander has seven saves, 57 strikeouts and 17 walks in 61 innings.

Hudson said a key has been “staying on the attack, just going after hitters. That’s been the biggest thing for me, getting ahead and staying on the attack 24/7.”

Hudson said his body is “feeling as good as it can for September.” He sees the “drive to win” as a strength of the bullpen as a whole.

“Everyone, no matter how we’re feeling that day, we’re down there hyping each other up, giving each other that extra little boost of confidence to go out there and perform that day,” Hudson said. “Late in the year, it gets tiring, your mind can be wherever some days. So helping each other stay locked in is a very big factor.”

The bullpen has received plenty of work, including three pitchers ranked in the top 13 in the AL for innings pitched among relievers. Sean Newcomb is third with 74 2/3, Grant Taylor is tied for seventh with 70 and Trevor Richards is 13th with 66.

“Just a really good group of guys,” Hudson said of the relievers as a whole. “Friendly, helpful and just determined, I think is a good word to put it. We’re always down there locked in and helping each other in any way we can to go out there and throw up zeros.”

Quotable

“Obviously Sammy goes out there and plays extremely hard. I wouldn’t say anything he does is dirty, but you understand when guys play hard and there’s contact. At this point, Sammy is probably developing a reputation for a guy who goes out and plays hard and puts his body on the line.” — Sox manager Will Venable on Sam Antonacci following Wednesday’s bench-clearing incident with the Pirates after a slide into second base