It may not seem like it with the winter storms that swept across the country last week, but spring is on its way. The days are getting longer and longer, and with some (hopefully) rising temps to follow comes the return of one special sport: baseball! That’s right, the 2023 spring training season has arrived for the MLB and it won’t be too long before Opening Day rolls around on March 30.
This year’s Opening Day is set to be a special one with all thirty major league teams taking the field, something that hasn’t happened since 1968. We have plenty of baseball to get through before then though and as a city with two teams, there’s twice the amount of baseball to enjoy from now until fall. So how are both of our favorite teams doing this time of year? Let’s find out!
What’s Up With The White Sox
Short answer: it could be better.
Yes, it’s true. The Chicago White Sox have opened their 2023 spring training with a little bit of drama and distractions surrounding the organization. For the most part, a lot of it is driven by the situation with newly signed pitcher Mike Clevinger and the ongoing investigation into allegations of domestic violence.
Then to add to that, Tim Anderson stirred things up a bit when speaking about local Chicago media and how he was dissatisfied with how people are reacting to the team, especially last season. We can’t really blame loyal fans for having some distaste in their mouths after how last season played out, but we also can’t blame the players for not loving the criticism. In all fairness, Anderson said that the team’s talk will need to be backed up on the field this year, and we can only hope that plays out in their favor.
Outside of the distractions, the team is off to a 1-2 start on their 2023 spring training schedule after defeating the Seattle Mariners in a 10-1 game yesterday. Their first two games took place last weekend where they lost to the Padres 6-2 and the Angels 7-0.
Catching Up On The Cubs
Turning our heads to the Northside, things are a bit better for the Chicago Cubs. Drama and distraction-wise, the Cubs don’t have much to show for there this spring training. However, what they do have going on is some injuries to key pieces.
For starters, outfielder Seiya Suzuki is dealing with a left oblique injury that the team is looking into to understand the severity and plan of action going forward. He was scratched from the lineup this past weekend and given his importance to the team’s success in 2023, there’s a chance he could sit all of spring training as they look to make him ready for Opening Day. Suzuki isn’t the only banged up Cubbie, as starting pitcher Justin Steele was held out of his scheduled start on Sunday with some arm fatigue. The organization is likely, and understandably, taking the cautious approach with both guys. We can only hope to hear some positive news about both soon.
As far as the team’s performance goes, the Cubs are currently 1-3 in their spring training games so far. They opened the year with a victory against the San Francisco Giants in a 10-8 win but have since lost three straight to the Dodgers, Guardians, and Diamondbacks.
Upcoming Schedule
With baseball activities continuing to ramp up as we head into March, expect to see a lot more updates from both the Cubs and White Sox as we work our way towards Opening Day!
Each team has quite a bit of baseball left to play before game one of the regular season, and you can find both the Cubs spring training schedule and White Sox spring training schedule on ESPN.
Blink and you’ll miss it though, because in 30 days, the MLB regular season begins with Opening Day on March 30!
Featured Image Credit: Chicago Cubs’ on Instagram.