LYNDSAY JONES
BLOOMINGTON — Another person has died as a result of COVID-related complications, the McLean County Health Department said Friday.
A woman in her 50s is the latest local fatality attributed to COVID-19. MCHD said the woman was not affiliated with any long-term care facilities. Her death brings the county's mortality count to 252 people since last year.
An additional 23 people are in home isolation, MCHD said. There are now 525 people self-quarantining after exposure to the virus.
Two McLean County residents have been released from hospitalization, bringing the total of those COVID patients to 26. Three people were released from hospitals locally, bringing the total of COVID patients between Carle BroMenn and OSF St. Joseph medical centers down to 29.
Local hospital bed capacity eased some, as well, Friday: MCHD said 14% of all total beds in the county are open, with 86% reported as in use. The percentage of occupied intensive care unit beds fell also, down to 77% reported as in use and 23% available.
MCHD announced an additional 72 cases of the virus were confirmed in the county in the past day. That brings the total since the pandemic's start last year to 21,482. Of all known cases, MCHD considers 20,679 cases as recovered.
The percentage of tests returned positive for COVID in the past week increased for the third day in a row: As of Thursday, MCHD reported the county's rolling test positivity rate is at 3.6%.
The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available before the Westside Neighborhood Back 2 School Kick-off Saturday at 311 W. Olive Street in Bloomington.
The festival begins at 1 p.m., but vaccinations will be available from 10 a.m. until the festival starts.
So far, more than 183,603 doses of vaccine have been administered in McLean County. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 92,149 people — or about 53% of the population — are considered fully vaccinated.
4 notable Chicago Cubs stats to follow during the final 18 games
1. Patrick Wisdom’s home run total
Wisdom has been mired in a bit of a slump since he produced back-to-back multihomer games against the White Sox on the South Side.
Since then, Wisdom is 5-for-45 (.111 average) with four walks and 22 strikeouts in his last 13 games. When he has had hits in that stretch, he’s hit the ball hard — four have landed for doubles, including as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco Giants.
Wisdom can be a streaky hitter on both ends of the spectrum; twice this season he’s hit seven homers within an eight-start span. While he looks for more consistency as opposing teams have a better grasp on where he can be exposed like fastballs up on the zone, Wisdom’s power numbers and hit ability to hit homers in barrages remains impressive.
Wisdom heads into the Cubs’ series in Philadelphia sitting on 25 home runs. It puts him one homer shy of Kris Bryant’s Cubs rookie record set in 2015 when the third baseman was named the National League Rookie of the Year. Wisdom currently leads all NL rookies in the category despite not debuting for the Cubs until May 25.
Although he is 30 years old, Wisdom is an intriguing piece for the 2022 roster. His defense at third base — and ability to handle first base and the corner outfield spots — helps him stay in the lineup when he’s in a slump. While the strikeout rate needs to lower (40% K%), Wisdom has given Cubs fans plenty of entertaining moments to put him on the precipice of a new team record.
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
2. Frank Schwindel’s batting average
When the Cubs have played well post-trade deadline, Schwindel’s performance has been a key role in that success. He’s made the most of his opportunity so far with the unenviable task of replacing first baseman Anthony Rizzo. And all he’s done since getting called up July 30 is hit.
Schwindel’s .366 batting average in 38 games after his call up leads the majors, ahead of Miami Marlins rookie outfielder Bryan de la Cruz (.338) and Oakland Athletics’ Starling Marte (.345). There’s a little luck involved with that sample size, reflected in Schwindel’s .383 Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP). Even so, Schwindel has been getting the job done more often than not.
This figure is less about putting up the best batting average in the majors dating to his arrival and more about how Schwindel is helping build a case to be part of the team next year. The Cubs need to determine whether what they’ve seen from players like Schwindel is sustainable on a contributable level. If they believe this is not a fluke stretch, Schwindel profiles as a guy who they could look to platoon at first base or in a designated hitter role should the position be added to the NL.
When Cubs fans look back on the roller coaster 2021 season, Schwindel and his clutch hits will be part of that reflection.
NAM Y. HUH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
3. Kyle Hendricks’ total innings pitched
At his best, Hendricks can carry the Cubs and the rotation as he did for a prolonged stretch this year.
From May to the beginning of August, Hendricks posted a 2.89 ERA in 18 starts with the Cubs going 13-5 in those games. The lows have certainly been low, however, featuring an ugly April that saw him finish the opening month with a 7.54 ERA over five starts. Those struggles have reemerged last month with his 8.16 ERA, including three starts in which he surrendered at least six runs. It’s worth watching how the Cubs handle Hendricks to close out the schedule.
Ahead of his start Wednesday against the Phillies, Hendricks’ 166⅔ innings rank ninth most in MLB. If he were to stay on rotation, Hendricks would add approximately 17 more innings to his total by the end of the year. Should that happen, Hendricks would finish with his third-most innings pitched in his eight-year career and it would be a significant jump from the 81⅓ innings he threw in the shortened 2020 campaign.
Every team has dealt with the balancing act between increasing pitchers’ workloads coming off the 60-game season while not compromising their long-term health. The Cubs’ three off days over the final 2½ weeks allows them to build in extra rest for the starters they want to pitch through the end of the season. It would involve keeping starters, some if not all, on a five-game schedule rather than the traditional every fifth-day start. With the last 18 games not holding any importance for the postseason, expect to see the Cubs take a big-picture approach to usage.
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
4. Avoiding a 90-loss season
The Cubs haven’t experienced a season with at least 90 losses since 2013 when they finished 66-96 under Dale Sveum in his second and final year managing the team.
Some Cubs fans are likely rooting for the team to finish with the most losses as possible to secure a better position in the draft. Their .451 winning percentage currently would give them the No. 8 overall pick in next summer’s draft. From a competitive standpoint, manager David Ross and his team won’t be satisfied with the record regardless, but the optics of losing 90 or more games isn’t great for a team that was expected to compete for a division title.
To avoid amassing 90-plus losses, the Cubs need to finish 10-8 down the stretch. Ross has lauded his players’ fight and propensity to continue to battle back in games. The Cubs’ schedule isn’t favorable in helping them avoid the 90-loss mark. They are tied for the 13th-hardest strength of schedule for their remaining games with opponents owning a combined .497 winning percentage. Thirteen of their remaining 18 games are against teams with winning records: Phillies (three games), Milwaukee Brewers (three) and St. Louis Cardinals (seven).
Like the Cubs did to the Cincinnati Reds, they can try to spoil the playoff hopes of the Phillies and Cardinals, something veteran outfielder Jason Heyward seems to be enjoying.
“This is the first time in my career being in that position to play spoiler,” Heyward said after his walk-off homer Wednesday to beat the Reds. “It’s a lot of fun playing good baseball, of course, but have some incentive to do it and go out there together, it’s really nice to see good results.”
MATT MARTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Concerned about COVID-19?
Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily.