The White Sox and Cubs were off Monday. At Sox camp, manager Pedro Grifol encouraged everyone to take full advantage of the breather.
“Days off are days off,” Grifol said Sunday. “This will be the last one before the one in Houston (the day before the March 30 season opener).”
The Cubs come off the break with back-to-back night games against the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds.
Chicago Tribune baseball writers LaMond Pope and Meghan Montemurro will be providing Cubs and White Sox updates throughout spring training.
Jake Burger’s power display had added meaning
Saturday was memorable in more than one way for Sox infielder Jake Burger.
“It was Brooks’ first game,” Burger said Sunday, referring to his son born in November. “It was the first one he was at and I guess brought me some extra strength.”
Burger homered twice in the 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium. He hit a two-run homer in the fourth and added a solo home run in the eighth.
“It was unbelievable,” Burger said of the day. “It’s cool having him in the stands and knowing (Burger’s wife, Ashlyn) is up there with him. The only thing you get a little nervous about are foul balls and making sure they don’t hit him. But other than that, it’s really cool to share that experience with him.”
Burger entered Sunday tied for the major-league lead with four home runs this spring.
“I’ve always hit the ball hard but at a down angle,” he said. “So now it’s trying to get it in the air as much as I can.”
Grifol said Burger is “performing against good pitchers.”
“I’ve said it from Day 1, there’s a lot of competition here,” Grifol said Sunday. “It’s fun to watch, it’s fun to see the depth that we have. I think guys are smelling it. They’re smelling that there’s some competition and it’s good to see.”
Derailed by injuries, Nick Burdi taking glass-half-full approach
Nick Burdi was rehabbing in Arizona from his second Tommy John surgery in 2021 when the Downers Grove South alumnus reached a crossroads in his career.
The recent birth of his daughter coincided with the surgery, leaving Burdi and his wife, Rebecca, to try to navigate life with a newborn and another attempted comeback from a serious injury. Healthy and getting a shot with the Cubs is all Burdi can ask for as Rebecca takes care of their daughter back home in Rhode …read more
Source:: The Mercury News