May 10, 2016 CSNChicago.com Cubs: Will Javier Baez push Kris Bryant to the outfield? By Patrick Mooney Manny Ramirez – the hitting consultant hired with Javier Baez specifically in mind – sat in the big chair in front of Baez’s locker on Monday afternoon as a reminder of the offensive potential the Cubs saw. The day before, Baez did a bat-drop-and-hop routine after hitting a 13th-inning, walk-off homer into the Wrigley Field bleachers, ending a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals. But manager Joe Maddon loved the defensive upside and baseball IQ so much that he wanted Baez on last year’s Opening Day roster, whether or not the kid could actually handle big-league pitching yet. Maddon didn’t win that tug-of-war with Theo Epstein’s front office, but the extra time to develop keeps paying dividends. Even if it’s only a small sample size this season (.306 average), Baez has struck out less than 24 percent of the time, or a 15-point drop from his 2014 and 2015, a much more manageable number given his natural power and well-rounded game. Baez can play Gold Glove-level defense all over the infield, which could turn All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant into a part-time left fielder. “I can’t say no (to that),” Maddon said, pointing to the scheduled pitching matchup – Jon Lester vs. San Diego Padres right-hander Cesar Vargas – before Monday night’s rainout forced a day-night doubleheader for Wednesday at Wrigley Field. “You’ve noticed I like Javy at third base with Jonny pitching. There’s potentially a lot of action at third base offensively from them. You look at their lineup – it’s all right-handed. I’m not saying that Kris can’t do it. It’s just that it’s a good night for Javy there – he matches up well versus their pitcher.” This isn’t about Bryant, who is surprisingly agile for a 6-foot-5 slugger and could throw 90-plus mph as an occasional amateur pitcher. The Rookie of the Year is also versatile and well-rounded and seen as a hard worker. But Jorge Soler (.552 OPS) hasn’t grabbed the left-field job after Kyle Schwarber’s season-ending knee injuries and the Cubs will be looking for an offensive boost. Tommy La Stella (1.104 OPS) has also excelled as a situational player and earned time in the third-base rotation as Maddon tries to incorporate his entire roster. “Moving forward, you probably will see (Javy) and Tommy a little bit more often at third base,” Maddon said. “But I still want to get George out there. And when that happens, you’re going to probably primarily see ‘KB’ at third base.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs playing ‘scared?’ Joe Maddon dismisses Washington’s whining about the Bryce Harper treatment By Patrick Mooney Joe Maddon laughed off the way the Washington Nationals responded to the Bryce Harper treatment, from pitcher Tanner Roark saying the Cubs played “scared baseball” to manager Dusty Baker comparing those six walks to “Hack-a-Shaq.”
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May 10, 2016 CSNChicago.com Cubs: Will Javier Baez push Kris Bryant to the outfield? By Patrick Mooney Manny Ramirez – the hitting consultant hired with Javier Baez specifically in mind – sat in the big chair in front of Baez’s locker on Monday afternoon as a reminder of the offensive potential the Cubs saw. The day before, Baez did a bat-drop-and-hop routine after hitting a 13th-inning, walk-off homer into the Wrigley Field bleachers, ending a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals. But manager Joe Maddon loved the defensive upside and baseball IQ so much that he wanted Baez on last year’s Opening Day roster, whether or not the kid could actually handle big-league pitching yet. Maddon didn’t win that tug-of-war with Theo Epstein’s front office, but the extra time to develop keeps paying dividends. Even if it’s only a small sample size this season (.306 average), Baez has struck out less than 24 percent of the time, or a 15-point drop from his 2014 and 2015, a much more manageable number given his natural power and well-rounded game. Baez can play Gold Glove-level defense all over the infield, which could turn All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant into a part-time left fielder. “I can’t say no (to that),” Maddon said, pointing to the scheduled pitching matchup – Jon Lester vs. San Diego Padres right-hander Cesar Vargas – before Monday night’s rainout forced a day-night doubleheader for Wednesday at Wrigley Field. “You’ve noticed I like Javy at third base with Jonny pitching. There’s potentially a lot of action at third base offensively from them. You look at their lineup – it’s all right-handed. I’m not saying that Kris can’t do it. It’s just that it’s a good night for Javy there – he matches up well versus their pitcher.” This isn’t about Bryant, who is surprisingly agile for a 6-foot-5 slugger and could throw 90-plus mph as an occasional amateur pitcher. The Rookie of the Year is also versatile and well-rounded and seen as a hard worker. But Jorge Soler (.552 OPS) hasn’t grabbed the left-field job after Kyle Schwarber’s season-ending knee injuries and the Cubs will be looking for an offensive boost. Tommy La Stella (1.104 OPS) has also excelled as a situational player and earned time in the third-base rotation as Maddon tries to incorporate his entire roster. “Moving forward, you probably will see (Javy) and Tommy a little bit more often at third base,” Maddon said. “But I still want to get George out there. And when that happens, you’re going to probably primarily see ‘KB’ at third base.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs playing ‘scared?’ Joe Maddon dismisses Washington’s whining about the Bryce Harper treatment By Patrick Mooney Joe Maddon laughed off the way the Washington Nationals responded to the Bryce Harper treatment, from pitcher Tanner Roark saying the Cubs played “scared baseball” to manager Dusty Baker comparing those six walks to “Hack-a-Shaq.”
“I love it,” Maddon said before rain postponed Monday’s game against the San Diego Padres, setting up a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. “It’s really funny. There’s nothing I can say about that. The best way I can put it: I did not do anything to them.” The Cubs manager loves playing mind games, sending messages through the media and pushing opponents’ buttons. But this sounded more like an indirect criticism, Maddon subtly shifting blame to the lineup Baker constructed for Sunday’s 13-inning game, which saw Ryan Zimmerman, Washington’s cleanup hitter, leave 14 men on base as the Cubs pieced together a 4-3 victory. “There’s nothing to really react to,” Maddon said. “Of course, if you’re a Cub fan, you love it. If you’re not, you don’t necessarily. It was just a strategy of the game based on how they built their group. That’s all it came down to. “There’s nothing that I did. We had to react to the moment. We try to pick our best spots based on our abilities versus theirs. That’s how it played out. It happens every day. It just happened more often in yesterday’s game.” The Cubs walked Harper 13 times during their four-game sweep of the Nationals, a playoff-caliber team they could face again in October. That’s the most walks a player has accumulated during a four-game series since 1913, according to STATS, which only has research dating back to that year. “You try to manage the game accordingly,” catcher David Ross said. “I know a lot’s been made of it. That wasn’t our plan walking in: ‘Don’t let this guy beat us.’ They have a really good, deep lineup. And the lineup shook out to where they had guys on base in key situations, in game-winning situations. “(But) we’re not going to let him beat us late. And finding the right matchup is what Joe’s looking for.” Harper set a modern major-league record (since 1900) on Sunday for the most plate appearances without an at-bat in a single game (six walks and a hit by pitch), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. STATS also reported that the National League’s reigning MVP is the first hitter in at least 40 years to receive two intentional walks in extra innings with first base and second base occupied each time. “Jake (Arrieta) wasn’t trying to walk him,” Ross said. “He just didn’t have his command that he normally has. It’s not a matter of: ‘We’re not going to pitch to this guy.’ We’re going to set ourselves up to manage the game accordingly for us to win the game. “That’s all it is. He’s a great player and very talented. At the end of the day, you got to pitch around the guys that may beat you when the game is on the line. The goal is to win the game, however we have to do that.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs/Bears: Joe Maddon becoming Chicago’s baseball version of Mike Ditka By Patrick Mooney Joe Maddon met Da Coach for dinner on Sunday night at Ditka’s Gold Coast restaurant. But the Cubs manager didn’t waste his time asking Iron Mike to compare his team to the ‘85 Bears, the way Chicago fans and media personalities will this summer, trying to fill time before what now looks like an inevitable playoff appearance. But with roots in blue-collar Pennsylvania, all those must-see press conferences and his own restaurant/endorsement portfolio, Maddon is already this city’s hardball version of Ditka, someone with a look distinctive enough to inspire Halloween costumes. “It’s always fun,” Maddon said. “We talked a little bit about the Super Bowl. We talked about defense – the 46 defense – and how it worked and things like that.
“He watches our games. He knew everything that was going on. He asked how (Kyle) Schwarber was doing, things like that. (Coach Ditka’s) very much aware, very much alive. I thought he looked great.” It’s too early to seriously talk about the World Series. So much can happen between now and October. But the 24-6 Cubs are, according to STATS, off to: the best start in franchise history since 1907; the best start for a National League team since the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers; and the first 24-for-30 start since the 1984 Detroit Tigers. Only the steady rain on Monday night slowed down a team with a plus-102 run differential, setting up Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field. Baseball Prospectus (99.0 percent) began the day a little more pessimistic than FanGraphs (99.3 percent) in its playoff odds report. Whether or not this group spawns “Saturday Night Live” sketches and comes anywhere close to the crossover appeal of Walter Payton, Jim McMahon and William “Refrigerator” Perry, the Cubs are in position to own this city for years to come. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other team right now,” said Ben Zobrist, the NL’s co-player of the week (four homers, 15 RBI, .455 on-base percentage) along with New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. “This is where everybody wants to be. “There’s probably a lot of players across the league that wish they were here, too, with what’s going on. Chicago is the place to be right now in baseball, on both sides. We’re having a blast on the North Side.” That’s a reflection of Maddon, who absolutely loves the big-market spotlight after spending almost all of his 31 years in the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels organization doing grunt work, and then managing the Tampa Bay Rays for nine seasons, always trying to do more with less. “That’s my second meeting with Coach Ditka,” Maddon said. “It’s very comfortable and easy. He’s from Western Pennsylvania. We had the same kind of background growing up. We like the same kind of foods. He likes red wine. “He’s just entertaining to speak with. He’s watching everything that we’re doing. He loves what we’re doing. Just good conversation between football and baseball and what he had done in the past and what’s going on here now. “He’s just as he appears. He’s just a tough old football guy, man. And I know a lot of guys like him, so the conversation’s very easy.” -- Chicago Tribune Budding bromance blossoms between Mike Ditka, Joe Maddon By Paul Sullivan Joe Maddon did a little name-dropping Monday night before the Cubs-Padres game was postponed, casually mentioning the fact he had dinner Sunday night with Mike Ditka at Da Coach's restaurant. "Kind of entertaining," Maddon said. That's like saying Niagara Falls is "kind of" wet. Like Maddon, Ditka tends to say what's on his mind without really worrying about what anyone else thinks. Maddon has a better vocabulary, while Ditka probably thought Nietzsche played for the Packers. Either way, Ditka was the right coach for the Bears at the right time, just as Maddon is a perfect fit for the Cubs as they try to end a 107-year drought.
"It's always fun," Maddon said. "That's my second meeting with Coach Ditka. He's very comfortable and easy. He's from Western Pennsylvania, and we have the same kind of background growing up. He likes the same kind of wine. He's just entertaining to speak with. He's watching everything we're doing. He loves what we're doing. "Just good conversation between football and baseball and what he'd done here in the past and what's going on now. Real easy. He's just as he appears, a tough, old football guy, man. And I know a lot of guys like him, so the conversation is very easy." The last time the two dined was in October before Maddon left for New York for the National League Championship Series. The Cubs were swept, so they'll have to hope this latest Ditka-Maddon summit is not a bad omen. It seems like a bromance waiting to blossom. The Bears haven't had a coach as entertaining as Ditka since he was fired, and the Cubs haven't had a manager as fun as Maddon since Don Zimmer was fired. Both like to win. Both like to talk. So what did they talk about? "A little bit about the Super Bowl," Maddon said. "Talking about the 46 defense and things like that, how it worked. Playing quarterback, I just was talking about that a little bit. He asked how (Kyle) Schwarber was doing. He's very much aware. Very much alive. Looks great." The Cubs will have to win it all to be mentioned in the same breath as Ditka's '85 Bears, and if they fail to get to the World Series, the season will be considered nothing more than a big tease. But so far they're looking like the '85 Bears' doppelgangers, putting their foot on opposing teams' necks and never letting up. The '85 Bears' .938 winning percentage (15-1) is much better than the Cubs' .800 winning percentage (24-6). But the Cubs had the second-highest run differential through 30 games (102 runs) of any major-league team since 1900, while the '85 Bears outscored their opponents 456-198, ranking second in points and first in points allowed. The '85 Bears had several larger-than-life characters, including Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, Steve McMichael and William "The Refrigerator" Perry, who seemingly were in every other TV commercial during that dream season. The 2016 Cubs aren't quite there yet when it comes to marketing themselves, but it's early. Jake Arrieta is the new face of Saxx underwear, Kris Bryant is on billboards all over town selling Express menswear and Anthony Rizzo is the first Cub since Sammy Sosa to have his own cereal brand, RizzOs. Maddon, a spokesman for Binny's liquor stores since arriving in town, probably could cash in more if he chose to become more Ditka-esque. But he said in spring training he turned down several endorsement opportunities because he preferred to focus on the task at hand. Do the 2016 Cubs have the chutzpah to pull off something as brash as the "Super Bowl Shuffle"? Doubtful, though they do enjoy karaoke, as we discovered in spring training. Maybe this Ditka-Maddon bromance will turn into something special this summer. Maddon could even invite Da Coach to Wrigley to perform during the seventh-inning stretch. Oh, wait ... never mind. --
Chicago Tribune 'Scared baseball' accusation amuses Cubs manager Joe Maddon By Mark Gonzales Cubs manager Joe Maddon chuckled Monday when he learned that Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark referred to the Cubs' strategy of walking Bryce Harper six times Sunday as "scared baseball." "The best way I could put it, I did not do anything to them," Maddon said Monday. The strategy resulted in Ryan Zimmerman stranding 14 runners as the Cubs won 4-3 in 13 innings. Maddon said the intent "was just the strategy of the game, based on how they built their group. That's all it came down to. It's nothing I did. "We had to react to the moment. We tried to pick our best spots, based on our abilities versus theirs. That's how it played out. It happens every day. It just happened more often in (Sunday's) game." Safe at third: Injuries have dictated Kris Bryant playing more in the outfield and Javier Baez taking over at third base in games started by left-hander Jon Lester. But Maddon is feeling more comfortable starting Tommy La Stella at third for longer periods after initially moving him during games for defensive purposes. "He's done a nice job with it," Maddon said of La Stella, who played primarily second base before joining the Cubs in a trade from the Braves. "The biggest thing was his throwing, his arm strength. But he gets rid of the ball well and he's very accurate, it seems. His confidence is up." La Stella said he worked more at third in the winter and became more accustomed to positioning himself to make stronger throws and read the ball off the bat. Extra innings: Maddon was delighted to learn second baseman Ben Zobrist shared National League player of the week honors with Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. "I've seen (Zobrist) for a while, and what he did this last week is as good as I've seen him," Maddon said. Zobrist batted .360 with four home runs and 15 RBIs last week. ... Catcher Miguel Montero will join Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday to begin a rehabilitation assignment and could be activated from the 15-day disabled list by this weekend. Montero has been sidelined since April 25 because of lower back tightness. -- Chicago Tribune Padres-Cubs game postponed, split doubleheader Wednesday By Mark Gonzales The Padres-Cubs game Monday night at Wrigley Field was postponed because of rain. The game will be made up Wednesday as part of a split-doubleheader. The first game will start at 12:05 p.m., followed by the second game at 7:05 p.m. The Cubs announced that separate tickets are required for each game. Gates will re-open about 90 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Tickets to Monday’s game at Wrigley Field will be honored for the 12:05 p.m. game on Wednesday. No ticket exchange is necessary. Jon Lester will start Tuesday night's regularly scheduled game. Kyle Hendricks will start Wednesday's first game, followed by John Lackey in the second game. CSN+ will televise Wednesday's first game, with CSN televising Wednesday night's game.
-- Chicago Tribune Roger Craig likens Cubs' hot start to that of 1984 champion Tigers By Mark Gonzales As impressive as the Cubs have been through 30 games, at 24-6 they can't match the 1984 Tigers' 35-5 mark. But coming off a run to the National League Championship Series last fall, the Cubs entered this season with a built-in confidence that those eventual World Series champion Tigers didn't possess until embarking on their scorching start. "There wasn't that much hype that spring," recalled Roger Craig, the pitching coach on the '84 Tigers, who finished 104-58. "It wasn't until we got off to a good start that we started to realize we had a heck of a club." The Cubs will attempt to extend their season-high winning streak to eight games Tuesday night after Monday's game against the Padres was rained out. Jon Lester's scheduled start was pushed back a day, while Monday's game was rescheduled for Wednesday as part of a split doubleheader. Tickets to Monday's game will be honored for Wednesday's first game at 12:05 p.m., with Kyle Hendricks slated to start. Gates will reopen about 90 minutes after the first game, and John Lackey will start the regularly scheduled 7:05 p.m. game. The Cubs' start equals that of the 1977 Dodgers, who won 98 games before losing to the Yankees in the World Series. The Tigers raised the bar seven years later, winning their first nine games and building momentum and confidence all the way to the World Series, which they won in five games against the Padres. Craig, 86, who lives in San Diego County, sees some parallels between the Tigers and Cubs. Neither team relies solely on one player. He did imply the Cubs might have two more formidable offensive weapons in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. "I remember Bryant from the University of San Diego," Craig said. "I thought he was a very good player, but I didn't expect him to be this good so soon. "Rizzo stands on top of the plate. I'm amazed at how he hits so well without getting hit more often." Like the Cubs, the Tigers found ways to win with multiple resources. It was that asset that fueled their confidence throughout the season. "When we got to 35-5, we kept saying, 'Why can't we keep going?' " Craig said. "We kept doing little things to win. "A lot of that was because of the depth we had. I see the Cubs are winning games the same way. It starts with the front office building a roster." The only member of the Tigers who needed convincing of their greatness was manager Sparky Anderson. "We were 35-5, and then we lost three straight games (at Seattle)," Craig recalled. "Because we were going so well early, Sparky was worried that we might never win again. "I told him not to worry. We could go .500 and win the (American League East)." The Tigers went 69-53 the rest of the way and won the division by 15 games.
Craig believes the Cubs — who have yet to lose consecutive games — are in good hands with manager Joe Maddon. "I like the way he runs a game," said Craig, who managed the Giants to two NL West titles and the 1989 league championship against the Cubs. "You can tell his players are relaxed and have fun. He's like Sparky in that he's letting them play." -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' Ben Zobrist shares NL player of week honors with Bartolo Colon By Mark Gonzales Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist was named the National League co-Player of the Week with New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. Zobrist batted .360 with four home runs and 15 RBIs during the week that ended Sunday. Zobrist has reached safely in 17 consecutive games since April 18, batting .322 with five home runs and 21 RBIs during that span. Colon was 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA and hit a home run. Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano was named the American League Player of the Week. -- Chicago Tribune How to talk Cubs-White Sox rivalry with both teams in first By David Haugh If the Cubs and White Sox insist on making nobody miss the Blackhawks or Bulls in May, the least we can do is keep the baseball conversation smart, civil and fun. That thought came to mind over the weekend while reading so many email and social-media messages that weren't any of the above. Cubs fans, stay humble. Sox fans, stay current. Everybody, enjoy what looks like the beginning of the city's best baseball summer in generations, maybe ever. Stop saying it's early. Everybody can read a calendar. No Cubs fan needs to be warned about what bad things can happen. Every ounce of their optimism is cautious optimism, without having to say so. It's ingrained. So if you want to project their final record after each victory, by all means do the math. 129-33? If you fail to see a weakness when you look at the Cubs lineup, thank your optometrist. The same goes for the Sox. They needed a strong start to save manager Robin Ventura's job and delivered. Revel in the numbers. If it makes your day better by pointing out the Sox could win 87 games — good enough for a wild-card spot in 2015 — by playing .500 ball after their 22-10 start, then make your day better. Enjoy each day in first place without worrying about the months ahead. Start with a lively debate with no wrong answer: Chris Sale or Jake Arrieta to win one game? What Arrieta has accomplished in the last 12 months defies logic. What Sale looks capable of doing any given start conjures images of Hall of Fame pitchers. The aces who could start opposite one another in the All-Star Game on July 12 in San Diego are a combined 13-0. Who gets to 20 victories first? How about 25? Today, I'd take Arrieta. Tomorrow, I reserve the right to change my mind. Debate which team has the better leadoff hitter: Dexter Fowler or Adam Eaton?
After supplying spring training's biggest surprise by re-signing with the Cubs, Fowler started even better than expected by showing improved plate discipline and hitting everything in sight. Eaton responded to his move to right field with All-Star-caliber defense and offense that has made him arguably the Sox's most valuable player. Avoid resorting to historical references to temper Cubs enthusiasm. Steve Bartman has nothing to do with the 2016 Cubs. Neither do black cats or 1969. There isn't a goat joke your Cubs buddy hasn't heard. Go ahead and mock the Cubs for getting swept by the Mets in last year's National League Championship Series if you must, but that's as far back as any applicable history goes. Manager Joe Maddon has made these Cubs curse-proof. The past means nothing to a Cubs team that lives in the moment. Keep attendance out of it too. The Sox averaged 19,691 fans in their first 15 games at U.S. Cellular Field. The Cubs attracted almost twice as many per game, 37,952, at Wrigley Field through 14 home dates. The disparity — a fact of life in Chicago sports for reasons best addressed in a sociological seminar — neither detracts from anything the Sox have accomplished nor makes the Cubs superior. Sox attendance references are tired, incomplete and irrelevant. The Cell gradually will fill up more if the winning continues, but even in the 2005 World Series season, the Sox drew nearly 10,000 fewer fans per game than the Cubs: 28,923 to 38,749. Empty-ballpark insults usually are a sign of a strong Sox team because there is little else to criticize. Discuss who signs a contract extension first, Ventura or Cubs President Theo Epstein. Oddly, Epstein's deal that everybody says is imminent remains undone, likely a formality but the Cubs could remove any anxiety by officially making him baseball's highest-paid executive. What's the holdup? Ventura, in the eyes of some, also earned an extension based on a strong first month. As much credit as he deserves for guiding the Sox through spring-training drama and getting them ready from day one, no hurry exists. On a team full of players on prove-it contracts, a leader in limbo somehow makes perfect sense until more clarity exists. Limit references to the schedule. The Sox need not apologize for anything after sweeping the Twins to go 6-0 against their division rivals because those were games they found a way to lose in 2015, regardless of the opponent. Their improved defense has little to do with the other team anyway. Teams prove they are good by taking care of weaker competition the way the Sox have. Their pitching has been too strong to have the look of a bottom feeder. The Cubs schedule, after beating the Pirates and Nationals seven straight, clearly doesn't matter either. Slip sabermetrics into the conversation at your own risk. The information explosion allows fans, and even media members, to embrace their inner baseball geek all they want to enhance their understanding of the game, but the quieter the better. Even though you might think it's a good idea to introduce WAR, FIP, BABIP and wOBA, for example, into your casual everyday baseball conversations, the average fan likely isn't familiar with the terms or impressed. Maddon is perhaps the smartest manager in the game, a tactician who balances old-school instincts with modern-day data at his disposal, yet seldom lapses into sabermetric-speak because that would harm his status as the most interesting man in the baseball world. Stick to current, compelling baseball questions that provoke thought.
Which starting pitcher has been a bigger surprise, Mat Latos or Jason Hammel? Who has the more reliable bullpen? Which pitching coach deserves the most credit, Don Cooper or Chris Bosio? How hard should the Sox pursue Tim Lincecum after President Ken Williams watched his workout last week in Arizona? How will the Sox spend the $13 million budgeted for Adam LaRoche? How badly do the Cubs need another bat if Jorge Soler stays cold? When will Jason Heyward start to hit? Which team throws the wildest postgame victory party? When will Steve Stone call Hawk Harrelson "Jason"? Circle the calendar and start saving. The Cubs and Sox play four consecutive nights July 25-28, the first two at the Cell and the last two at Wrigley. How fascinating it would be if the City Series features a showdown of first-place teams that have shown no signs of slowing down. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs oblivious to historic start By Paul Sullivan The last time the Cubs started out this hot was back in 1907, when they also were 24-6 after 30 games. Kris Bryant, born in 1992, was unaware he was part of the best Cubs start in 109 years. “1907?” he said. “I didn’t know. Just knew we had a good start. It doesn’t play a factor in our minds. It’s just that we’re doing what we need to do early on, and that’s always good because you don’t have to climb back up the hill. “You are where you want to be and just continue to do what you do on the field. That’s kind of where we’re at.” The 1907 Cubs were also where they wanted to be, led by player-manager Frank Chance, who was known as “Peerless Leader,” a nickname he learned at a young age mostly because it rhymed with “Fearless Leader” — the dictator of Pottsylvania and Boris and Natasha’s boss in the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoons. With a 768-389 record from 1905-12, Chase had the highest win percentage (.664) of any manager in Cubs history and still does. Joe Maddon is 121-71, a .630 winning percentage. Not too shabby either. Cubs manager Joe Maddon reacts to the team's 4-3 win over the Nationals in 13 innings on Sunday. Is this start a harbinger of things to come? The 1907 Cubs went 107-45 and beat the Tigers in the World Series. They’d go on to win again in 1908, and in case you haven’t heard, have not won since. Thanks to baseball-reference.com, you can follow the Cubs’ 1907 season to compare and contrast their start with the current edition. In Game 31, they beat the New York Giants 5-2 to improve to 25-6, moving into a first-place tie with New York. In the American League, the White Sox were also on top that day in 1907 with a 21-10 record. Today they’re in first with a 22-10 record. Some things never change. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs playing 'scared'? At least Bryce Harper has a clue By Teddy Greenstein Tanner Roark seems to think that Cubs manager Joe Maddon should wear chicken feathers for Halloween. I’d say he should go as Albert Einstein.
The Nationals stormed into Wrigley Field with a record of 19-8. They whimpered home winless in four tries. Maddon’s strategy against Bryce Harper had a lot to do with that. Cubs pitchers walked him 13 times in 19 plate appearances, unplugging one of the game’s most electric players. Harper scored just three runs. “They had a plan,” he said after the game. “They stuck with their plan. Unfortunately it worked.” Harper gets it. Roark, not so much. The Washington starter put it like this: “When you’re a pitcher you’re not just going to not challenge a guy just because of what their name is and what they can do … I think it’s scared baseball.” “Scared” baseball? Are extra points awarded to the team with the puffiest chest? If Roark wants to throw stones, aim them at first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is charged with protecting Harper in the lineup. He went 2-for-19 in the series. The Cubs walked him zero times. (Ryan Zimmerman, you are no Jeff Kent.) Or Roark could blame third baseman Anthony Rendon, who reached just four times in 16 plate appearances while batting second in the series. The rules of baseball allow you to walk a guy. Barry Bonds refused to expand his zone, so he took 232 free passes in 2004. (OK, not the best example. Bonds and his giant head were intentionally walked an unreal 120 times that season.) This isn’t an NBA-style Hack-a-Shaq, a garbage strategy used against the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard. But it’s the league, not the teams, at fault in that case. The NBA needs to turn those hacks into intentional fouls – one shot plus the ball. (Commissioner Adam Silver told USA Today in February that a rule change could come before next season.) No one on the Cubs is playing or coaching scared. They’re playing and coaching smart. And as a bonus, they’re in Harper’s head. Perfect for a potential playoff meeting. -- Chicago Sun-Times Big needs in play as pitching-thin Cubs approach low-pick draft By Gordon Wittenmeyer The major league draft is just a month away, and for the first time in at least five years nobody around here seems to notice. A big part of that is that the Cubs don’t pick until the No. 104 overall slot in the May 9-11 draft. A bigger part is the spotlight glare that comes with the best start in the majors and high performances across every position area (which, of course, is related to why they draft so low in the first place). “Very weird,” said Cubs president Theo Epstein, whose club drafted No. 6, 2, 4 and 9 overall in his first four drafts running the Cubs. But just because they lack a top pick (they had five of the top 101 as recently as 2012) doesn’t mean the Cubs lack urgency as they prepare for what could be as important a draft for the organization as Kris Bryant’s 2013 draft.
Because if nobody’s paying attention to next month’s results a few years from now, that national spotlight could start to take on a painful glare when it comes to the pitching staff. “The big thing for us is starting pitching,” Epstein said of the Cubs’ player development focus going forward. “We’re supremely confident about our ability to identify and develop position players, and waves of position players. “We have not done nearly as good a job with starting pitching – pitching in general. And that has to change.” The Cubs’ first-round picks under Epstein: Albert Almora (playing well at AAA Iowa and on track for a 2016 debut), 2015 NL Rookie of the Year Bryant, 2015 playoff hero Kyle Schwarber and defensively versatile switch-hitter Ian Happ (.870 OPS at high-A Myrtle Beach). The Cubs’ success stories among the 80 pitchers selected in those four drafts? There aren’t any. “We’ve built some of the best pitching staffs in baseball the last couple years, statistically, but it hasn’t been through our system,” Epstein said. “And eventually we’re going to need that.” This year the Cubs have the top-performing pitching staff in the majors, including three of the top four in National League earned run average. But none of the 13 pitchers on the staff was drafted and developed by the Cubs – who in the last two winters alone committed $205 million in free agent contracts to three pitchers (Jon Lester, Jason Hammel and John Lackey) to build a competitive rotation. Lackey’s free agent signing cost the Cubs this year’s first-round pick. When they signed Jason Heyward signing, they gave up their second-round pick. Nine of the 13 were acquired in trades, and closer Hector Rondon was a Rule 5 pick. Most of the better pitching prospects, according to various minor-league rankings, are Class A players – which make them relative crapshoots at this point in their careers. It’s no coincidence the Cubs targeted younger, controllable pitchers in trading-deadline talks last summer, including San Diego right-hander Tyson Ross, who has been on the DL the last month with shoulder inflammation, and multiple pitchers from the young Cleveland Indians staff. It’s also why this might be the year to focus on pitching volume in the draft more than any other since Epstein took over. Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta is eligible for free agency after next season. Same with Lackey. Hammel’s contract runs through this season. And Lester hits the backside of his six-year deal after next year. “We’d love to pick up high, but we can do a lot of damage from [round] three on,” Epstein said. Whether the Cubs can find their impact starter or two with two rounds tied behind their backs, their top player development executive, Jason McLeod, offered historic encouragement when asked about the low-picking status during Cubs convention. “My first draft ever as a scouting director in Boston, we didn’t have a first pick until No. 65,” he said. “And that player turned into Dustin Pedroia. “Good things can happen if you stick with your process and work hard.”
The Red Sox’ second pick that year at No. 95 overall? University of Virginia left-hander Andrew Dobies. Who? Dobies is a regional rep for an investment management firm, according to his LinkedIn profile. “As an organization,” Epstein said, “we just have to take it as a challenge to have a great draft despite not picking the first day.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Pa. natives Ditka, Maddon claim common ground—with more to come? By Gordon Wittenmeyer The 1985 Bears? Or the 2016 Cubs (so far)? It might have been the only thing Mike Ditka and Joe Maddon didn’t discuss at dinner Sunday night during their conversations about their sports and professions, Maddon said before the Cubs’ series opener against the San Diego Padres on Monday night was postponed by rain. “We talked a little about the Super Bowl,” Maddon said. “We talked about defense – the 46 defense and how it worked. He watches our games, knows everything that’s going on and asked how [injured Kyle] Schwarber was doing. Very much aware. Very much alive.” For all the mythology surrounding Coach Ditka’s 18-1 Bears champion and how deeply a place in the fabric of Chicago sports history it holds, Maddon’s team that is off to the best 30-game start (24-6) in the majors since the 1984 Tigers (26-4), already is inspiring visions of making its own history. Their plus-102 run differential is second only to the 1902 Pirates (plus-112) through 30 games in history. And they’re 9-1 against the three projected contenders they’ve faced so far (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Washington). But it seems the dinner companions had more to say about their home state of Pennsylvania during their “entertaining” evening at Ditka’s downtown restaurant than historical comparisons. “We have the same kind of background, growing up, we like the same kind of foods, he likes red wine,” Maddon said. “Just good conversation between football and baseball, and what he has done in the past, and what’s going on here now – real easy. “He’s just a tough old football guy, man. And I know a lot of guys like him. So the conversation’s very easy.” Notes: Catcher Miguel Montero (back) has been cleared to start a minor-league rehab assignment this week and could be looking at a return from the DL this weekend against Pittsburgh. … Ben Zobrist was named co-player of the week (with the Mets’ Bartolo Colon) in the National League after going 9-for-25 with four homers, five walks and a major-league-leading 15 RBIs during the Cubs’ 7-0 run through the Pirates and Nationals. “I’ve seen this guy for a long time, and what he did this last week was as good as I’ve ever seen him,” Maddon said. … The Cubs seems puzzled and amused by the over-the-top reaction and outrage to all the walks issued to Bryce Harper to keep the Nationals’ lone star hitting threat from beating them last four games (see Barry Bonds 1992-2007): “It was just the strategy of the game based on how they built their group,” Maddon said. “The best way I can put it is I did not do anything to them.” --
Chicago Sun-Times Cubs-SD postponed, rescheduled as part of Wednesday doubleheader By Gordon Wittenmeyer Monday night’s series opener between the Cubs and Padres at Wrigley Field was postponed by rain, the team announced a few minutes after the scheduled start. The teams are scheduled to make up the game at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday as part of a split doubleheader, to be followed at 7:05 p.m. by the regularly scheduled game. Monday’s scheduled starters both were pushed back to Tuesday night’s game: Cubs left-hander Jon Lester (3-1, 1.58 ERA) and Padres right-hander Cesar Vargas (0-1, 1.10). Tuesday’s scheduled Cubs starter, Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.10), moves to Wednesday’s early start with John Lackey (4-1, 4.02) staying on schedule for Wednesday night’s game. It’s already the third postponement at Wrigley Field this season. Rain is also forecast for Tuesday night. -- Chicago Sun-Times BASEBALL BY THE NUMBERS: Cubs walking their way to runs By John Grochowski The Cubs’ four-game sweep of the Nationals that ended Sunday featured this unusual tidbit: The Nationals drew more walks (22) than the Cubs (18). That was largely because the Cubs pitched around Bryce Harper, whose 13 walks in the series included a record-tying six – three intentional – Sunday. Still, being out-walked is a novelty for the Cubs, who led the majors with 156 bases on balls through Sunday. Meanwhile, their pitchers’ 88 walks were the fourth-fewest in the National League. Bases on balls have been an important component of the Cubs’ offense, which entered play Monday leading the majors with 6.13 runs per game. The Cubs’ .263 batting average through Sunday ranked eighth in the majors and was closer to the .250 major-league average than to the Pirates’ major-league-leading .284. But even though the Cubs were 21 points behind the Pirates in batting average, they were scoring a run-plus per game more than the Pirates’ 5.03. A large portion of that is because walks bring the Cubs’ on-base percentage up to .368, which tops the Pirates’ .364. On-base percentage correlates more strongly to runs than batting average alone. In 2006, the Hardball Times website published a study using data collected from 2000 to 2004. Batting average was shown to have a .843 correlation to runs. That’s pretty strong. A perfect correlation, with batting average and runs rising and falling in lockstep, would be 1. But batting average alone misses walks, extra-base hits and other factors that go into scoring. Just by including walks and hit-by-pitches to calculate on-base percentage, the correlation rises to .910. Adjust for extra bases by adding on-base percentage to slugging percentage to get OPS, and there’s a correlation leap to .958. To do better than that, you need more sophisticated stats such as Bill James’ runs created or Jim Furtado’s extrapolated runs reduced, both at .964.
The Cubs have been holding their own in the slugging end with a .441 slugging percentage that ranks fourth in the NL. Paired with their league-leading on-base percentage, that adds up to an .809 OPS, one point behind the league-leading Cardinals’ .810. The OPS has been enhanced by walks, and the Cubs would walk 842 times on their current pace. That would break the major-league record of 835 set by the 1949 Red Sox. Even with a good deal of leveling off, they could challenge the NL record of 732 set by the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers. Ben Zobrist (23 walks through Sunday), Anthony Rizzo (22) and Dexter Fowler (21) have been the leaders. Addison Russell entered play Monday with 17 walks, representing 14.3 percent of his 119 plate appearances. Russell has taken a leap forward from 2015, when his 42 walks were 8 percent of his 523 plate appearances. A year ago, when the Cubs jumped to 567 walks from 442 in 2014, their approach was labeled ‘‘selective aggression.’’ They weren’t looking for walks; they were being patient about looking for a pitch to hit, and walks were a beneficial byproduct. This seasob, that byproduct is providing an even bigger boost. -- Chicago Sun-Times Walks to Harper were the right move, just not a whole lot of fun By Rick Morrissey Before the Cubs’ game Sunday, I asked manager Joe Maddon if he would be able to enjoy Jake Arrieta’s battles against the Nationals’ Bryce Harper that afternoon. Enjoy it the way a fan would enjoy watching the reigning National League Cy Young award winner face the reigning N.L. most valuable player. “I don’t do that,’’ he said. “I work the game. I do the game. I’m just about watching the game and trying to understand what’s happening. I don’t necessarily really check this matchup out and hold it in awe. I don’t do that.’’ We now have indisputable proof that Maddon wasn’t kidding. Cubs pitchers walked Harper six times and hit him once Sunday. Three of those walks were intentional. Maddon looked like a genius after the Cubs’ 4-3, 13-inning victory. Ryan Zimmerman, who batted immediately after Harper in the Nationals’ lineup, left 14 men on base. You could raise a barn with that many people. The Cubs and their fans don’t care how the team gets its victories, nor should they. It’s Maddon’s job to figure out the best way to win. In this case, he believed it involved taking the bat out of Harper’s hands. But from an entertainment standpoint, it was frustrating, like going to a movie and finding out that all of Daniel Day-Lewis’ scenes had been left on the cutting-room floor. I wanted to watch Arrieta challenge Harper at least once. Hand-to-hand combat instead of chess. Competitors competing. The decision to pitch around or intentionally walk Harper came well before Arrieta took the mound Sunday and struggled. Three of Harper’s walks came from Arrieta, one intentionally. The strategy behind the three intentional walks, and the success of it, is the kind of thing that gives stats freaks hot, sweaty dreams. I get that. It was the right decision, but it left the baseball fan in me feeling a little empty, a little cheated. The two teams meet again in Washington next month. Maybe Arrieta will get to throw strikes to Harper, who might even have to swing. --
Chicago Sun-Times Dreaming of a Cubs-White Sox World Series? You should be By Rick Morrissey There’s no “too early’’ when it comes to talking about a Cubs-White Sox World Series. There’s only “too late,’’ usually after the first week of the season. Everyone can look at the calendar and see that it’s May. If the baseball calendar were a growth chart, May would be a toddler. We haven’t even gotten to June, the teen years. So many things can happen. Angst. Rebellion. Girls. Cars. The infield fly rule. But so many good things have happened to this point that it’s impossible not to consider a crosstown World Series. And why deprive ourselves? Chris Sale facing Kris Bryant? Jake Arrieta staring down Jose Abreu? Fans riding the CTA north, south and back again? It would be an el of a thing. At 24-6, the Cubs have the best record in baseball. At 22-10, the Sox have the second-best record in baseball. The Cubs are winning 80 percent of their games. They can’t keep that up. If they did, they would win 130 games. Not even Joe Maddon’s undying optimism has room for that number. If the Sox keep up their pace, they’ll win 112 games. You can see why the town has lost its mind. I’d like to say that every Chicago baseball fan is so happy about his team that he doesn’t have time to rip on the crosstown rival, but I know better. Dogs and cats. Democrats and Republicans. Cubs fans and Sox fans. No championship is won in April and May, but it can be lost there. So talk about it while you can. Both teams have the staying power to make this a season-long conversation. Both have great pitching staffs. Yes, we are getting ahead of ourselves. That’s the whole idea of sports, isn’t it? To dream big? If it’s too much for you, if the concept of a Cubs-Sox World Series is too large to process, the teams play each other July 25-28, with the first two games at The Cell, the final two at Wrigley Field. Concentrate on that target. Trust me, it will be big enough. -- Daily Herald Imrem: Chicago Cubs' Arrieta has set a high standard By Mike Imrem Chicago Cubs pitching ace Jake Arrieta has brought unrealistic expectations upon himself. It's like Arrieta poked his own eye. He walked into a glass door. He shifted the car into reverse when he wanted to go forward. This guy was so good for so long, without interruption, that he spoiled people. Just the other day, Cubs manager Joe Maddon had to proclaim that, no, he doesn't take his No. 1 starter for granted. Still, let's say Arrieta gives up a hit now: The instinct is to wonder how it happened. Let's say he gives up a run: Is something wrong with his arm? Let's say he loses a game: Well, that hasn't happened this season. Sirens aren't going off yet. Alarms aren't blaring. Red lights aren't flashing. "We believe we can win any game he pitches," teammate Kris Bryant said before the Cubs rallied to win Arrieta's latest start Sunday against Washington.
Arrieta hasn't quite been his old self lately, which is saying something considering he has a 6-0 record and 1.12 earned run average. "Right now," Maddon said, "he's pitching at a very high level without being at the top of his game." Maddon added that the difference between Arrieta at this time last year and this time this year is he can prevail now without being at his best. The fear is that Arrieta will start losing with less than his best before he regains his command. Arrieta is so important to the Cubs that mediocrity isn't an option for him. No pitcher goes out there with superior stuff every appearance. Sometimes he has to struggle just to keep his team in the game. But after Arrieta threw two no-hitters in the span of 11 starts, it was easy to imagine that he'll make a run at another one every time he pitches. Then against Washington, Arrieta yielded a single on his sixth pitch of the day to the Nats' second batter. Gasp! Arrieta yielded 5 more hits during his 5-inning stint on the Wrigley Field mound. Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! By the time Arrieta left the game, the Nationals scored 2 earned runs sandwiched around 1 unearned run. Gasp! Half-gasp! Gasp! Arrieta was dominant from the beginning of August last season and resumed the run at the beginning of this season. So it's surprising if not stunning if not shocking when Arrieta, for even a single day, doesn't perform like the guy who looked like Cy Young while winning the Cy Young Award last season. Blame Arrieta for establishing his standard of a quality start every time out, along with at least a sniff of a no-hitter and certainly a victory. Blame the sensational statistics that Arrieta mounted for more than two months in 2015 and another month in 2016. One mediocre outing is disappointing but not disastrous. It's just that Arrieta was limited to 5 innings in 2 of his last 3 starts and just doesn't look right even if he's so-so instead of no-no. Arrieta's next start will come this weekend against the Pirates, whom he did shut down last week. This would be a good time for Jake Arrieta to demonstrate that he's still every bit of what he had been and every bit of what the Cubs need him to be. Sorry, sir, but it's your own fault that you're expected to live up to unrealistic expectations. --
Daily Herald Letdowns no concern for Chicago Cubs By Bruce Miles The term "trap game" usually isn't used in baseball as it is in football. With games almost every day, baseball players don't have much time to think about a lesser opponent. That said, the Chicago Cubs entered Monday coming off a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, including an emotional 4-3 victory in 13 innings Sunday. It was on to a three-game series against the San Diego Padres, the last-place team in the National League West. Monday night's game was postponed because of rain. It will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday. The first game starts at 12:05 p.m. The second game begins at 7:05 p.m. Jon Lester will pitch Tuesday night's game for the Cubs. He was Monday's scheduled starter. In the doubleheader, Kyle Hendricks will pitch Game 1 with John Lackey going in Game 2. "I think we're just going to try to sleepwalk through this one; we're not going to come ready to play today," joked veteran catcher David Ross. "I've said this a billion times already this year: These guys come every day prepared and ready to play. "For a young group, we're going to come out and try beat the team that's on the field today. All the guys are going to go out there and play their hardest. Win or lose we'll come back and try to do the same thing the next day." Just call it the effect of manager Joe Maddon's 30-minute rule. After victories, the Cubs celebrate hard for 30 minutes. After losses, they're down for 30 minutes. Win or lose, once the 30 minutes are up, they move on. It's gotten so ingrained that Maddon hasn't even talked about the 30-minute rule much this year. "Me, personally, I don't try to hang on to things too long unless it's a personal failure of mine where I messed up," Ross said. "It's good for the young guys to hear that (the 30-minute rule). I think I learned that over experience, where if you play things too long and let them carry over, this game will eat you up. "It's such a long season and so many games, we're going to have bad days, and we're going to have good days. The key is to stay consistent with your approach and your plan. "Joe talks a lot about 'the process.' As long as we come in every day and the process is the same about how we go about our business, that's the key. However you deal with a loss or a victory is each individual's, but, yeah, that's a great philosophy." In Sunday's game, Maddon used every player on his four-man bench and had starting pitcher Jason Hammel pinch hit. Relief pitcher Trevor Cahill started a game-tying rally in the seventh inning with a hit and he scored a run. "It's probably easier sometimes to put down a win than it is to put down a loss," Maddon said Monday. "But you've got to keep moving. There are too many games to be played. I think our guys are really good at that. "The thing that really impressed me a lot (Sunday) was, fourth game of a series, we had already won the first three against a really good team and had a really good week. There are a lot of times teams just don't show up 100 percent, and our guys were there the entire game, I'm telling you. "It was really impressive to watch how our guys hung in there."
-- Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' Maddon shrugs off criticism By Bruce Miles Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon shrugged off any complaints or grousing directed at him and his team for the way they pitched to -- or didn't pitch to -- Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper in Sunday's game. During the Cubs' 4-3 victory in 13 innings, the Cubs walked Harper six times, with 3 of the walks being intentional. In the late stages of the game, Maddon walked Harper intentionally twice with runners at first and second. Harper also was hit by a pitch, giving him 7 plate appearances without an official at-bat. Nationals manager Dusty Baker said that although the moves worked, fans came to the park to see Harper hit. "There's nothing really to react to," Maddon said Monday. "Of course, if you're a Cub fan, you loved it. If you're not, you don't necessarily. It was just a strategy of the game based on how they built their group. That's all it came down to. It was nothing I did. "We had to react to the moment. We try to pick our best spots based on our abilities versus theirs, and that's how it played out. It happens every day. It just happened more often in (Sunday's) game." Ryan Zimmerman, who batted behind Harper, flied out to end the 10th inning and grounded out to end the 12th after Harper was walked, moving runners ahead and loading the bases. Washington pitcher Tanner Roark called it "scared baseball." "I love it; it's really funny," Maddon said. "There's nothing I can say about that. The best way I can put it, I did not do anything to them." Weekly honor for Zobrist: Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist was named co-player of the week in the National League, sharing the honor with New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. Colon hit his first career home run over the weekend at San Diego. "Great," Zobrist said of Colon. "I like the home run trot even better. He played it off like he knew it was going to go. Either that, or he thought it was an out." Zobrist is working out to be a key player for the Cubs after signing a four-year contract last winter. He entered Monday with a line of. 277/.406/.475 with 5 homers, 25 RBI and 23 walks. "I wouldn't want to be on any other team right now," he said. "I don't think anybody else in this clubhouse would think differently. This is where everybody wants to be. There are probably a lot of players across the league who wish they were here, too, with what's going on. "Chicago's the place to be right now in baseball, on both sides (of town)." Montero getting closer: Catcher Miguel Montero was on the field early Monday afternoon, taking batting practice and running the bases to test his back.
Montero, who has lower-back tightness, can come off the disabled list Tuesday, but he will first head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. -- Daily Herald Bernfield: Cubs, Sox both have super starting rotations By Jordan Bernfield If the Cubs and White Sox combined to form a super team, who would throw in the starting rotation? There is no city with a better duo of aces than Chicago, but one takes the top spot. It's difficult to argue for anyone other than Jake Arrieta to throw a tone-setting series opener or a do-or-die Game 7. His last regular season loss came July 25, 2015. Since then, his numbers have been preposterous. Chris Sale would pitch next. The righty-lefty combination would be intimidating and downright unhittable. Sale set a White Sox single-season record last season with 274 strikeouts. This year he features a pitch-to-contact approach, making him more efficient and better late in games. Prior to this historic run of dominance from Arrieta, Sale was without question Chicago's best pitcher since he moved into the Sox's starting rotation in 2012. Jon Lester throws third. The veteran has the seventh-highest WAR among pitchers this season, and his 1.58 ERA ranked slightly ahead of Sale's entering this past weekend's games. Lester earns this spot thanks to his veteran leadership and playoff experience. While the lefty lost both of his starts in last year's postseason, he has three career World Series wins: the clincher in 2007 against the Rockies, Game 1 in 2013 against the Cardinals, and the critical Game 5 that allowed Boston to beat St. Louis in six games. No other Chicago pitcher has that many victories in the Fall Classic. Lester's teammate in Boston, John Lackey, would pitch fourth. He's a veteran right-hander to follow the lefty Lester. While Lackey's first season in Chicago has had its ups and downs, he's another proven pitcher when the calendar flips to October. He has two career World Series victories, including a Game 7 over the Giants in 2002. He rises to the occasion in big moments. His best start this season came in a tone-setting opener against the Cardinals in St. Louis: 7 innings, 4 hits, no runs, 11 strikeouts. Last, but certainly not least, is Jose Quintana. Over the last calendar year, he has tied reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel for the fifth-best WAR among pitchers. Quintana is off to a fantastic start this year, posting the sixth-highest WAR (1.6) and ERA (1.40). He boasts a career 3.36 ERA since joining the Sox's rotation in 2012. And despite a lack of run support, he has emerged as one of the game's best arms. With this rotation, Chicago would be the front-runner to win the World Series. Entering action Friday, the Cubs' staff had allowed the fewest runs in the league, with an eye-popping 2.31 ERA. Opposing hitters are batting just .198 against them. The White Sox's pitching ranks fourth in ERA (2.83) and earned runs (81). Opponents are batting just .230 against them, which ranks seventh in the game. Fortunately, this year Chicagoans don't need to dream up a super team that could contend. We have two. --
Daily Herald Rozner: Cubs' Maddon makes the complex simple By Barry Rozner He may be one of the most complex personalities to ever pass through Chicago. And yet it's the simplicity with which Joe Maddon approaches each minute of the day that removes all complexity from the moment. Maddon stresses staying in the moment and he practices what he preaches to his players, enjoying each game each day, and being ready for that situation with extraordinary preparation. It's what he asks of his players and what he asks of himself, while insisting that everyone involved enjoys the process and has fun playing baseball. In that sense, not that complicated, right? There's all kinds of managers and we've seen all kinds on the North Side, many of them less that competent. A manager doesn't have to be good at everything, but he has to be good at some things and there are so many items on the agenda. Managers have to manage ownership and manage management, getting his bosses to give him the players and accommodations necessary to be successful. A manager also has to manage the media and manage fan expectations. He has to manage his coaching staff and manage the clubhouse. He has to manage the dugout, a pitching staff and -- finally -- he has to manage the game itself. And considering how well he must do all those other things first, the actual managing of the game might be the least important, while being absolutely the most visible. If all the rest of it doesn't go smoothly, game strategy can become irrelevant. No manager is capable of doing every one of these perfectly, and some obviously are better in certain areas than others. But Maddon is awfully good at most of them. Much of it has to do with his love of the game. He really wants to be at the park every day deeply involved in a baseball game, but it doesn't stop him from being deeply involved with and communicating with his players. He is the reason they also love coming to the park and playing a game, making sure they don't get caught up in the big picture while keeping a firm grasp on what indeed is the ultimate prize. The players are aware of it, but not stuck on it. They're too busy having fun, staying in the moment and kicking the living snot out of the National League right now. He has the players seeing every game like that game is important, without allowing them to place more significance on a particular situation over another. How is that possible? Process. Be prepared, have a plan, and through preparation execute that plan in that moment.
Then move on to the next moment. But always have fun doing it. Maddon has a wonderful amount of energy and passion for managing personalities. This is time-consuming work, and most managers don't spend that kind of time getting inside their players' heads. They're just not that engaged. But Maddon is an extraordinary communicator, so he stays connected to each player and because of that he conveys a process that allows them to play at a high level for a long period of time without burning out, something that can easily occur during the course of eight months of baseball. He keeps the mood light and fun, while making certain that take their jobs seriously. It's this constant communication that allowed him to bench Starlin Castro and then get a significant contribution from that player at a different position, just when the Cubs needed it most last season. This connection to all of these different areas Maddon must manage is what makes this work so well. Much was made of the crazy Bryce Harper weekend, when the best player in baseball rarely got a chance to swing, walking 13 times in a four-game set and six times on Sunday alone. But the truth is Maddon had no Barry Bonds-type plan for Harper. Maddon was staying in the moment and managing that moment, and it just so happens that on Sunday the moments Harper arrived at the plate were moments that could have cost the Cubs the game. And those were the moments in which Maddon decided to see if Ryan Zimmerman could win the game for Washington. He could not, and it worked out well for the Cubs. But the biggest point here is the way in which Maddon approaches every situation in every game. He understands that one moment affects the next and if you're not paying attention as a player or a manager, that moment can cost you bigger moments, maybe a game and ultimately much more than that. He wants his players prepared for that moment and he would ask nothing less of himself. Maddon has a reason for everything he does. He may not always tell you what it really is, but he has a reason and rarely is it a hunch. He might go by the book. He might throw it out. He might use a metric, or he might see something in a pitcher's delivery or a hitter's mechanics that speaks to him at that moment. He might know something about a player's mindset, physical health or personal life that at that moment causes Maddon to make a call. But ultimately he has a reason for what he does, and that's all you can ask from a manager. From some we've seen, that's clearly asking too much. From Joe Maddon, you can expect nothing less. --
Cubs.com Cubs' opener vs. Padres postponed; twin bill Wed. By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Monday night's game between the Cubs and Padres was postponed because of inclement weather; the two teams will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday. The first game will begin at 12:05 p.m. CT, and be followed by the regularly scheduled game at 7:05 p.m. CT. Jon Lester (3-1, 1.58 ERA) will start on Tuesday for the Cubs, while rookie Cesar Vargas (0-1, 1.10 ERA) will go for the Padres. Both had been slated to start on Monday. This was the first game postponed by the weather for the Padres this season. The Cubs had two games in late April rescheduled because of weather, and will play a makeup game on July 7 against the Braves and a makeup split doubleheader on Aug. 16 against the Brewers. Separate tickets are required for each game on Wednesday. Gates for the nightcap will re-open approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Tickets to Monday's game will be honored for the 12:05 p.m. CT game on Wednesday. No ticket exchange is necessary. The Cubs entered Monday riding a seven-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh and a four-game sweep of the Nationals at Wrigley Field. At 24-6, the Cubs have the best record in the Major Leagues and are off to their best start through 30 games since the team opened the 1907 season 24-6. -- Cubs.com Zobrist named co-NL Player of the Week By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon wasn't surprised to hear on Monday that second baseman Ben Zobrist was named co-National League Player of the Week. "I've seen him for a while, and what he did this past week, that's as good as I've ever seen him," Maddon said of Zobrist, who shared the honor with Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. Zobrist led the Majors in RBIs last week, with 15 in seven games. He was tied for second among NL hitters with four home runs and eight runs scored while collecting 22 total bases and posting an .880 slugging percentage. He hit .360 on the week and posted a .455 on-base percentage and had at least one RBI in six consecutive games, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs on Friday against the Nationals. He also drove in four runs on Thursday. "Power, driving in runs, good at-bats -- just watch him bounce around out there, too," Maddon said. "The energy level is really high. This guy takes care of himself. ... Just watch him. Watch him between innings at second base. He's definitely feeling good right now. Part of that is giving him his days off and making sure he's OK. He can play like that all year." Zobrist credits his teammates with helping him get the honor. "Everybody up and down the lineup has been having great at-bats, and I think it flows throughout the lineup and it helps every guy produce better individually," Zobrist said. This is the third career weekly honor for Zobrist and his first as a member of the Cubs. He was twice named American League Player of the Week as a member of the Rays. The veteran Colon went 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA from May 2-8, and homered on Saturday against the Padres, his first career long ball.
Zobrist did see Colon's homer, which may have helped him share the honor. "I liked the home run trot even better," Zobrist said. -- Cubs.com Montero ready for rehab assignment By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Catcher Miguel Montero, on the disabled list since April 25 with tightness in his lower back, is expected to begin a Minor League rehab assignment this week and could return by the weekend. Montero took batting practice on the field on Monday and also ran the bases. The Cubs were trying to determine which Minor League affiliate to send Montero to. "It's getting close to getting him out and playing a little bit," manager Joe Maddon said. • Maddon had dinner on Sunday night with former Bears coach Mike Ditka, and the conversation included the Bears' famed "46 defense." Maddon also learned that Ditka is up to date on how the Cubs are playing. "He's from western Pennsylvania, same kind of background growing up," Maddon said. "We like the same kind of foods, he likes red wine. He's watching everything we're doing. He loves what we're doing. It was just good conversation between football and baseball, what he had done in the past and what's going on here now. "He's just as he appears -- a tough old football guy," Maddon said of the 76-year-old Ditka. "I know a lot of guys like him, so the conversation is very easy." • Jake Arrieta had trouble commanding his pitches on Sunday, but catcher Tim Federowicz isn't too worried. Arrieta lasted five innings and did not get a decision in the Cubs' 4-3, 13-inning win over the Nationals. "[Clayton Kershaw] went through that in L.A., too," said Federowicz, who was with the Dodgers for four seasons. "Each year he kept having a better year than the year before. Every time he had one bad outing -- he had a really bad one against the D-backs and gave up eight runs, and everyone thought something was wrong. "[Arrieta] will be fine," Federowicz said. "His stuff is still there. Command is something you go through. It shows the type of team we have, to still be able to win that game. He kept us in it and the bullpen kept us in it and we were able to win." • Maddon may play Kris Bryant more in left field than at third base in order to get Tommy La Stella and Javier Baez at-bats. • On Monday, Cubs Charities and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation announced more than $1 million in grants to nonprofit organizations serving those in need in the Chicago area. McCormick Foundation's Cubs Care has donated more than $20 million to Chicago nonprofit organizations since its inception. This is the 12th consecutive year more than $1 million has been donated to Chicago communities through Cubs Care and Cubs Charities. Cubs Care grants help organizations to provide youth health and wellness programs and education programs. --
Cubs.com Ross, Maddon address walks to Harper By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon knows there was some criticism regarding the six walks issued to the Nationals' Bryce Harper on Sunday -- three of them intentional -- but he said the situations called for them. "If you're a Cubs fan, you loved it. If not, you don't," Maddon said on Monday. "It was just a strategy of the game based on how they built their group. That's what it came down to. It's nothing I did. We had to react to the moment. ... It happens every day. It just happened more often than not in yesterday's game." Told that Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark called it "scared baseball," Maddon shrugged. "There's nothing I can say about that," Maddon said. "The best way I can put it is, I did not do anything to them." Harper tied a Major League record with six walks in the game -- which the Cubs won, 4-3, in 13 innings -- and set a record for walks in the four-game series with 13. "You try to manage the game accordingly," catcher David Ross said. "The lineup shook out where guys were on base in key situations, especially late, and we weren't going to let him beat us late. [Jake Arrieta] wasn't trying to walk him [early in the game]. [Arrieta] just didn't have his command that he normally has." Arrieta walked Harper three times, including one intentional pass in the fourth. "[Harper] is a great player and very talented," Ross said. "At the end of the day, you have to pitch around the guys who may beat you in the game when the game's on the line. The goal is to win the game however we have to do that." Ross was catching when Harper was intentionally walked in the 10th and 12th innings, and the two had a chance to chat. They joked about the Cubs' Kris Bryant, who played youth baseball with Harper in Las Vegas. "I said, 'How come you can't get [Bryant] to have good hair like you have?'" Ross said. "I know they're buddies. I was just making fun of K.B. to him. "He said something like, 'Man, I like you, you're the man,'" Ross said. "I said, 'I'm not the man. Me the man? You could say that if I put up numbers like you have.' He first started off congratulating me on the no-hitter [with Arrieta], and I congratulated him on his year last year. I talk to everybody, especially during intentional walks when there's nothing going on. I was ragging him -- that's why I was laughing." Ross, who is retiring after this season, enjoyed the chatter. "Too many people think it's all about, 'I hate this team or that guy,'" he said. "It's one of those things, you're out here to compete and have fun, and I'm trying to have way more fun this year than I normally have and take it in. I don't know him that well. ... I got to get a little insight into his personality, and it was fun. He seems like a good guy." --
Cubs.com After rainout, Cubs go for 8th straight win By AJ Cassavell Rain put a temporary halt to the Cubs' hot streak on Monday night. Now it's the Padres' turn to try to do the same. After Monday's series opener was washed out, the Cubs -- whose 24-6 record is the best 30-game start by any team since the 1984 Tigers -- will go for their eighth consecutive victory on Tuesday night. Left-hander Jon Lester, originally slated to start on Monday, gets the ball for Chicago. "We're playing really good baseball right now," Chicago's Kris Bryant said. "A lot of stuff seems to be going our way. ... Sometimes baseball goes your way, and I think we're on a little streak here." Impressive Padres rookie Cesar Vargas will be looking to counter the red-hot Cubs. Vargas can become the first pitcher in Padres history to begin his career with four straight starts in which he allowed one run or fewer. Things to know about this game • Padres manager Andy Green grew up in Lexington, Ky., and used to make the 5 1/2-hour drive to Wrigley to see the Cubs play. "I love Wrigley, I love coming up this way," said Green. "Coming here as a player was fun and now as a manager, I think it's one of the best places in baseball to play. And you're playing against one of the best teams in baseball -- if not the best team in baseball -- right now. So it's fun in many respects." • Lester is still searching for his first win at home. He's 0-1 with a 2.21 ERA in three starts at Wrigley this season, striking out 25 over 20 1/3 innings. • In 28 career games at Wrigley Field, Padres right fielder Matt Kemp is hitting .324/.376/.610 with seven home runs. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs hitters having fun robbing Hector Rondon of saves By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs hitters really mean no offense to their closer, Hector Rondon. They simply want to add on runs and win baseball games without a nail-biting ninth inning. In that vein, they play a game catcher David Ross brought to the team. "When you're on the bench and you're up three runs, two runs, whatever, we have a game we call Screw the Closer," Ross explained, laughing and admitting 'screw' isn't the word the players actually use. "We want to score more so he doesn't get the save." Of course, the game is in jest. The Cubs are perfectly fine with Rondon getting a save, but they like adding on to the huge run differential that has defined their season so far. How's the game going? Pretty good when you consider the Cubs rank second in baseball in runs scored from the seventh inning on. Rondon has been a yo-yo, warming up only to sit down again when the Cubs score too many runs late in the game. "He gets up and down a lot," Cubs bullpen coach Lester Strode laughed of Rondon's workday. "I'd say 4-5 times he's been ready in the eighth inning and then he's not needed." Rondon is 6-for-6 in save opportunities after converting his latest one over the weekend against the Washington Nationals. For a 24-win team, you would think he’d have had a few more chances, but that's not the case. That's
because the Cubs' run differential over their first 30 games is out of this world: plus-102. It hasn’t resulted in many tight games at the end. "I think 4-5 times already I got up [then down], but it doesn't bother me," Rondon said Sunday. "[Anthony] Rizzo and [David] Ross, they laugh all the time." They're not the only ones. Ross says the whole dugout gets into the game, led by Jon Lester at times. "Lester will go, 'It's a little game we like to call Screw the Closer!'" Ross said. "And then we score and everyone goes 'YEAH!'" Rondon laughs along with them because he knows the win is all that matters, though his agent might be concerned. The pitcher is arbitration-eligible after this season, and saves are a closer's meal ticket. "It's early May -- there's a lot of season left," Rondon's representative, Scott Pucino, said. "There'll be a lot of ammunition. It's about your contribution to the team, not just the number of saves." True, but saves don't hurt. If the Cubs win their division, Rondon is on pace to match the fewest saves (33) by a division-winning team (Boston, 2013) going back to 1990. For perspective, the fewest saves ever for a division winner is 17, achieved by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1974. But that was a different era in baseball as the Pirates pitched 51 complete games. Rondon will get more than 17 saves, but how many more? "Sometimes it's kind of funny what those guys are doing late in the game," Rondon said. "It's much more important we win the game. "They come tell me they like to 'screw' me up." Well, it is the name of the game, after all. The real challenge for manager Joe Maddon is finding work for his closer when there isn't work to be had. That's where Strode comes in. It's his job to make sure Rondon is ready no matter the situation. "The one thing I try to get him to understand is -- whether it's one or two runs or four runs -- to pitch the same," Strode explained. "Mentally, you have to think, I'm going in to shut this game down." That can be easier said than done, as we've seen many a closer struggle in non-save situations, and that can carry over to an outing when the score isn't so lopsided. That’s one reason Maddon doesn't like to bring in his closer in blowouts, but Strode and Rondon convinced the manager it was needed for the pitcher to remain sharp. "Sometimes they get too relaxed with those conditions," Strode said. "It's tough to pitch in, but you have to be ready in all circumstances." Rondon added: "When you come into the game, it's a little different mentally. In a close game the mental part is quite different." So as he battles a lack of adrenaline when the game is out of hand, Rondon does his best to mimic a close contest. His sequences will be similar and his mindset the same. So far, so good. His 0.79 ERA and four hits allowed in 11 innings are a testament to how sharp he's stayed in the face of all his teammates conspiring against him. "I love the game," Ross said. "We start screaming in the dugout. 'Screw the closer! C'mon!'" Rondon gets it and believes his time will come. "We hit well," he said. Then a pause. And a smile.
"Especially late in the game, we hit really well." -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs, Padres to play day/night doubleheader on Wednesday By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres game Monday night was postponed due to rain, marking the third game since April 27 canceled at Wrigley Field due to inclement weather. The two teams will play a day/night doubleheader this Wednesday, with Game 1 set for 12:05 p.m. CT and Game 2 at the regularly scheduled time of 7:05 p.m. CT. Jon Lester was supposed to start on Monday but will pitch Tuesday night instead. Kyle Hendricks will start Game 1 Wednesday, while John Lackey will get the nod in the nightcap. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs say walking Bryce Harper simply a product of his success By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon has heard some of the buzz regarding his decision to walk Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper six times Sunday, including three times intentionally. Maddon said he doesn't think he did anything wrong. "There's really nothing to react to," Maddon said Monday afternoon. "If you're a Cubs fan you love it. If you're not, you don't, necessarily. "It was a strategy in the game based on how they built their group. ... The best I way I can put it is, 'I didn't do anything to them.'" Maddon seems to be putting the issue back on the Nationals, who batted the league's leading hitter at the time, Daniel Murphy, two spots below Harper, perhaps not affording him proper protection. The Cubs chose to pitch instead to Ryan Zimmerman, who went 1-for-7 in the 13-inning loss Sunday, leaving 14 men on base. Zimmerman was right back in the cleanup spot, in between Harper and Murphy, on Monday against Detroit. "Do I tear up my whole lineup for three days?" manager Dusty Baker said before taking on Detroit. "I think people are panicking a little early here. Early to me. I'm sure it's been the subject of discussion. "I've been at this a long time. Everybody's got an opinion on what my lineup ... should be. In the meantime, I'll make out the lineup." The Cubs gave no credence to complaints regarding their strategy of taking the opposition's best hitter out of the game. "No one goes to a football game and complains that Calvin Johnson got double-teamed," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said, referring to the retired Detroit Lions receiver. "It's part of the game. You try to take away the strength of another team's best player."
The Cubs insist they didn't enter the series intending on walking Harper 13 times but said the games, especially Sunday, dictated it. Harper twice came to bat in extra innings with two runners on and two outs with the score tied. Both times he was walked intentionally. "He kept on coming up with a base open and two outs," Hoyer said. "He's a great player. The guy can end the game quickly, so we were probably more careful than usual. Ultimately, it's a sign of respect for Bryce that that was the chosen avenue." Some disagreed, including Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark, who called it "scared" baseball. Again, Maddon put the onus on the Nationals for not taking advantage of the situation. "There's nothing I did," Maddon said. "It happens every day." The strategy worked. Zimmerman kept making outs, and the Cubs eventually won on a walk-off home run by Javier Baez. They knew it would create a stir. "We didn't go into the series saying, 'We're going to walk him a bunch of times,'" Hoyer said. "The game situations dictated it to an unbelievable level. "Managing along with Joe, I agreed with all of them but knew it would be a topic of conversation." -- ESPNChicago.com Does a 24-6 start portend a championship? Sometimes By Mark Simon The Chicago Cubs are as hot as can be and stand atop baseball with a 24-6 record through their first 30 games. Winning 24 of 30 to start a season is a relatively unusual accomplishment, one that hadn’t been done in 32 years. Have teams that been that good at the start of a season fared well at the finish? Here’s a review that goes through the past 80 years. 1984 Tigers: started 26-4, won World Series The Detroit Tigers came roaring out of the gate starting 26-4 and then 35-5, with the high point being Jack Morris’ no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers went wire-to-wire, finished with 104-58, swept the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series and beat the San Diego Padres in five games to win the World Series. 1981 Athletics: started 24-6, lost in ALCS Billy Martin brought “BillyBall” to the Oakland Athletics, who benefited for the short term. They started 24-6 in what turned into the “first half” of the strike-shortened season (which the Athletics won). The Athletics were led by young star Rickey Henderson, who hit .319 with 56 stolen bases (he’d steal 130 the next year). The Athletics won an American League Division Series matchup with the Royals, but were swept by Martin’s former team, the New York Yankees, in the ALCS. 1977 Dodgers: started 24-6, lost in World Series The Los Angeles Dodgers were a powerful bunch. They started 24-6, and led the National League West by 11 games only 30 games into the season. Their lineup featured four 30-home run hitters -- Steve Garvey, Reggie Smith, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker. But after advancing to the World Series, they lost in six games to the Yankees, with Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs in the final game. 1958 Yankees: started 24-6, won World Series
The Yankees started fast, with 24 wins in their first 30 games and built a huge lead on the Boston Red Sox. The World Series would pose the most formidable challenge, but the Yankees rose to the occasion. Trailing 3-games-to-1, they won three straight, including the last two in Milwaukee to win the World Series. The Brooklyn Dodgers were finally able to celebrate both their start and their finish. Getty Images 1955 Dodgers: started 25-5, won World Series “Wait ‘Till Next Year” finally came for the Dodgers, who lost to the Yankees in the World Series in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953. In 1955, the Dodgers started 22-2, hit a brief skid, but easily won the National League pennant. Hall of Famer Duke Snider hit .309 with 42 home runs and a league-leading 136 RBIs. The Dodgers beat the Yankees in seven games to win the World Series, with 23-year-old Johnny Podres pitching a shutout in Game 7. 1946 Red Sox: started 24-6, lost in World Series The Curse of the Bambino was not yet recognized, though by 1946 it had been 28 years since the Red Sox last World Series triumph. These Red Sox weren’t just 24-6, they were 50-20 and 65-25. They won 104 games and looked to be favorites in the World Series. Then came a fluke injury to Ted Williams, when he was hit on the elbow in an exhibition game in the time between the regular season and World Series. The Red Sox lost the World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Williams, who hit .342 in the regular season, went 5-for-25 with no home runs in the series, his only appearance in the World Series. 1939 Yankees: started 24-6, won World Series The 1939 Yankees are considered one of baseball’s greatest teams. They went 24-6 through 30 games, 40-10 through 50 games, finished 106-45 and won the AL pennant by 17 games. These were Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees, as “The Yankee Clipper” hit .381 with 30 home runs and 126 RBI in 120 games. Rookie Charlie Keller was also fantastic, hitting .334 in the regular season and .438 with three home runs in a sweep of the Reds in the World Series. -- ESPNChicago.com Is pitching around Bryce Harper 'scared baseball' or good strategy? By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Was Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon "scared" to pitch to Bryce Harper as Washington Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark intimated after the National League MVP walked a record six times Sunday -- three intentional -- and 13 times in the four-game series just completed? Maddon might not use the same word but he explained himself in simple terms after the Cubs' four-game sweep. "Why tempt fate like that?" Maddon said. "If the other guy gets you that's fine. I have no problem with that whatsoever ... I know he's [Harper] not as hot as he can be coming into this series but you don't want to get him hot." One man's "scared" move is another man's strategy. That's the beauty of baseball. A Cubs fan might look at it this way: Maddon was pretty "brave" in pitching to Ryan Zimmerman with the bases loaded so many times. We can go around and around on this topic, but Maddon reminded everyone why baseball is such a unique sport. Pitchers hitting, sluggers sacrifice bunting and, yes, MVPs getting pitched around. We saw it all Sunday and it worked in the Cubs' favor. Why not take advantage of all the options presented to you?
The Cubs issued 13 walks to Bryce Harper in the just-completed four-game series and came away with a sweep of the Nationals. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images What's great about Maddon is he's comfortable in his own skin and is the last person in this game who cares about being second-guessed. He encourages it, but after a day in which everything worked he can sit back and enjoy not just the win but the entertainment for everyone watching. The strategy of walking Harper might not just exist for Sunday alone. There could be far-reaching implications, starting with the possibility the Cubs need a lockdown lefty specialist. We don't know for sure but if Aroldis Chapman, for example, is warming in the bullpen instead of Travis Wood, maybe the Cubs pitch to Harper. Wood was up in the 10th and 12th innings Sunday and both times Maddon stuck with the righty. So maybe a specialist could be on the Cubs' wish list come July. And perhaps Nationals manager Dusty Baker decides to protect Harper more by moving the league's leading hitter entering Sunday, Daniel Murphy, up a spot in the order. And maybe now that the strategy has worked for Maddon, the next time he faces Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a base open and the game on the line, he walks him too. That scenario played out earlier this season, leading to one of just six losses by the Cubs. See what an impact the Harper strategy could have? The beauty of this game is the daily decisions that you simply don't get in other sports, then the consequences for that day and beyond. Sometimes those decisions are traditional but sometimes they're outside the box. If there's anyone willing to try them all, it's Maddon. In doing so, he keeps his team on its toes and involved in the game. One secret to his success is his ability to enlist his entire 25-man roster early in the season to keep them involved and make them feel needed. I think Maddon secretly likes running out of players and then grinding his way -- somehow -- to a victory. By now his players are used to it. After a 97-win season and a 24-6 start, it's hard to question much of what he does. If that's managing scared, the Cubs will take it. "Year 2 is easier to vibe to the same frequency as him," Anthony Rizzo said. The Cubs are vibing pretty good right now with their manager. The only question is, what will tonight bring? Stay tuned. --
