August 30, Cubs.com Cubs answer Bucs in 13th to end wild night By Carrie Muskat and Adam Berry

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1 August 30, 2016 Cubs.com Cubs answer Bucs in 13th to end wild night By Carrie Muskat and Adam Berry CHICAGO For five hours, Miguel Montero sat on the Cubs bench, watching a seesaw battle against the Pirates at Wrigley Field. The veteran catcher has been relegated to a backup role with the emergence of rookie Willson Contreras, but Montero showed his expertise in the 13th inning. Anthony Rizzo delivered a game-tying RBI single in the 13th and Montero followed with the game-winning hit, a walk-off RBI single to lift the Cubs to an 8-7 victory over the Pirates in a game that began Monday night and stretched into Tuesday morning. "The resiliency of our team was incredible," Chicago starter Jake Arrieta said. "Just a crazy ballgame all the way around. So many things happened." The Cubs were weary after a delayed flight from Los Angeles the Pirates played in Milwaukee on Sunday and had a 90-mile drive but gutted this one out. Manager Joe Maddon quipped that the Cubs were comfortable because they wore pajamas on their charter flight. "Look at how they played tonight it must have been the onesies," Maddon said. "If you're flying on a charter airplane, and you have onesies on, you feel better the next day." The Pirates had taken a 7-6 lead in the top of the 13th on Josh Harrison's sacrifice fly. But Dexter Fowler singled off Jeff Locke, who was pitching his fourth inning, and reached third on Kris Bryant's single. The Pirates had intentionally walked Bryant in the 10th to face Rizzo, and got him to hit into an inning-ending double play. This time, Rizzo delivered an RBI single to tie the game. Ben Zobrist was intentionally walked, and Montero slapped a single to left for the game-winner. "It's one of those situations where you've got to go until something happens. If it's good, we win. If it's bad, we tie and maybe we lose," Locke said. "I wouldn't do it any differently. I would just try to do it better next time." "I guess they didn't check my stats with the bases loaded," Montero said. "When they load the bases, I feel pretty good about myself." With the win, the Cubs improved to 20-6 in August, while the loss snapped the Pirates' win streak at four. Chicago is 7-4 in extra-inning games. Josh Bell smacked a solo homer in the fourth and Gregory Polanco hit a three-run homer in the sixth to help the Pirates open a 6-3 lead. But Contreras belted a two-run homer in the eighth off Neftali Feliz, and Jorge Soler tied the game at 6 with a one-out blast in the ninth off Tony Watson. The Cubs loaded the bases in the 10th, and thought they had scored the winning run when Javier Baez slid home on Rizzo's fielder's choice. Baez was ruled out, and the Cubs challenged the call but after a review, the call stood. Baez also tripled in the 12th and tried to score on Addison Russell's fly ball to left but again, was thrown out at the plate.

2 "It was a really, really good ballgame to watch and be a part of. Our guys played hard all night," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "At the end of the day, we came up one run short. We kept pushing. We kept battling. Proud of everybody that took the field." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Start me up: Arrieta had a busy night. He singled in the second, and then battled Pirates starter Steven Brault in a 14-pitch at-bat in the fourth, fouling off eight straight pitches before striking out and earning a standing ovation. In the Pirates' fifth, Arrieta was credited with an assist and a putout in a rundown. But in the seventh, Arrieta was not happy with home plate umpire Tripp Gibson's call on ball four to Francisco Cervelli, and told him so. Contreras tried to calm down Arrieta, as did Maddon, who went to the mound as well. Gibson and Maddon then had an animated conversation. "He's a young umpire," Maddon said. "He'll probably take a good look at the game on video and assess what happened. He's a good guy, but I can only take so much. He's a guy you can talk to.... At the end of the day, when you're constantly being frustrated, you have to make your point, and I did." Said Arrieta: "It was a heated moment there but at the end of the day, a couple calls didn't go my way, and you deal with it, and move on." Game of RISP: The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first when Fowler singled, reached third on a throwing error by Brault and then scored on Rizzo's groundout. Chicago made it 3-0 in the third as Bryant and Rizzo both walked, and one out later, Soler hit an RBI double and Jason Heyward followed with a run-scoring groundout. It was encouraging after the Cubs struggled to drive runners in during their three-game series in Los Angeles, stranding 22. On Monday, the Cubs went 4-for-18 with RISP and stranded 15. "We had plenty of opportunities, plenty, to win that game in a normal fashion," Maddon said. Brault called the critical error a "stupid rookie mistake," saying he grabbed the ball with only his thumb and ring finger, panicked and rushed the throw to second base. "Learn from it moving forward. I know I can field my position," Brault said. "Stupid mistake." Bell ringer: Bell launched his second Major League homer to left field in the fourth inning, blasting a high fastball from Arrieta just over the left-field fence for the Pirates' first hit of the night. Bell sandwiched the homer between a pair of walks, displaying the eye and on-base percentage that got the rookie bumped up to the second spot in Pittsburgh's lineup. Including his pinch-hit single just before the All-Star break, Bell has made four plate appearances against Arrieta without recording an out. "Bell took advantage of a pitch early," Harrison said. "Pretty impressive." What a relief: Brault ran up a high pitch count in four innings of work, forcing Hurdle to ask the Pirates' relievers for 15 outs. And Pittsburgh's bullpen, which has transformed from a shaky unit into one of the best in the Majors, was up to the task. Jared Hughes, A.J. Schugel and Felipe Rivero each put up a scoreless inning. Before handing the ball to Watson, Hurdle trusted Feliz with the eighth. Contreras' homer brought the Cubs within one, one of several hard-hit balls in the inning. But Feliz eventually rebounded to escape, striking out Matt Szczur, Fowler and Rizzo. QUOTABLE "We're not going to stop playing hard. This is a team that's trying to win the World Series and we're not going to give up, no matter how many runs we're up or down. I saw [Montero] getting ready, and I said, 'It's going to be you.'" Baez "They don't quit over there. That's a tribute to how well they've played all season and why they're standing where they are." Locke, on the Cubs

3 SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Polanco's home run was the 11,000th by a Pirates player since Pittsburgh joined the NL in This loss snapped the Pirates' streak of 139 straight wins when taking a lead into the ninth inning. Their last loss when leading after eight came on April 21, 2015, to the Cubs. UPON FURTHER REVIEW Cervelli came to the plate in the fifth inning with one out and Starling Marte on third base and tapped an 0-2 fastball back to Arrieta, who caught Marte off the bag and fired to Bryant at third base. Marte got caught in a rundown and was eventually tagged out at the plate by Arrieta. Pittsburgh challenged the call on the field, objecting that Arrieta blocked the plate in violation of Rule 7.13 regarding home-plate collisions. But the call was confirmed after a replay review. In the end, the out was scored Crew chief Bill Miller called for another review in the 12th, when Marte threw out Baez at the plate and sent the game into the 13th inning. The call was quickly confirmed, and Marte recorded his 17th outfield assist. WHAT'S NEXT Pirates: Rookie right-hander Chad Kuhl will make his ninth Major League start Tuesday night (8:05 ET) at Wrigley Field. After an up-and-down first stint with the Pirates, Kuhl has improved in his second tour, generating 41 ground balls and posting a 2.96 ERA in four outings, all quality starts. Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, who leads the Majors with a 2.19 ERA, will make his 25th start of the season on Tuesday. In 17 straight starts, he's given up three runs or less. He's also 8-1 with a 1.38 ERA in his last 13 outings (12 starts), the best ERA in the Majors in that stretch. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT. Cubs.com Baez snubbed at plate by Pirates twice By Adam Berry CHICAGO The Pirates couldn't keep the Cubs away from home plate all night, not after both clock hands on the Wrigley Field scoreboard pointed straight up and Monday gave way to Tuesday. But for a while, it seemed like they might. Twice in extra innings, Pittsburgh managed to keep Javier Baez from scoring what would have been the gamewinning run on a play at the plate. But it wasn't enough, as the Cubs eventually stormed back to win, 8-7, in 13 innings. "That just shows what this game was about," Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison said. "Neither team giving in. Taking chances on both sides of the ball." And what does it reveal about the Cubs that they hung around and won the knock-down, drag-out affair after those two setbacks? "We're not going to stop playing hard," Baez said. "This is a team that's trying to win the World Series and we're not going to give up, no matter how many runs we're up or down." When the game went into extra innings, it fell to Pirates left-hander Jeff Locke, a starter bumped into a multiinning relief role earlier this month. Pittsburgh had no safety net for Locke, having used five relievers before him with two others unavailable.

4 So when Locke toed the rubber to face one of the Majors' best run producers with the game on the line, he had to escape or walk off the mound. So with one out in the 10th inning, Locke intentionally walked Kris Bryant to load the bases and bring up Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo worked a 2-1 count, fouled off three pitches then chopped Locke's seventh pitch down the first-base line. Sean Rodriguez, brought in as a defensive replacement, snagged it, stepped on first base and flung the ball to Francisco Cervelli at the plate. Baez slid home, arms outstretched. Cervelli reached across the plate to snag Rodriguez's throw, which was slightly off-line and right of home plate, and tagged Baez. Both Rizzo and Baez were initially ruled out, allowing Locke to escape the inning. But the Cubs asked for a replay review of both outs. As the packed crowd at Wrigley Field chanted, "Safe! Safe! Safe!" crew chief Bill Miller removed his headset, pointed to first base and signaled that Rizzo was out. Miller then pointed toward the plate and signaled for the second out, giving Pittsburgh another chance. Rizzo's out was confirmed after a review, while replay officials determined that the call at home plate should stand. "I don't know about the view, but I felt I got in there," Baez said. "I thought I got in there." Two innings later, Baez again found himself reaching for the plate and waiting for a replay. Baez tripled to right-center off Locke with one out in the 12th, moving back within 90 feet of a walk-off win. Addison Russell knocked Locke's eighth pitch to left field. Starling Marte settled under it, secured the second out and unleashed the throw home. Baez slid toward the plate, but the Gold Glove left fielder's throw gave Cervelli plenty of time to grab the ball and tag out Baez for the third out. Miller called for a crew-chief review of the plate, but the call was confirmed and Marte officially locked down his 17th outfield assist, tied with Adam Eaton for the Major League lead. "They're plays that you've got to take if you're their offense. You've got to try to score a run, take a chance that everything's done perfectly," Locke said. "And in our case, it was, twice." Cubs.com Thriving at Wrigley, ERA title in Hendricks' reach By Phil Rogers CHICAGO A fifth starter in April, Kyle Hendricks has methodically worked his way into the Cy Young Award discussion. He's there because of something he's doing that might be even more impressive leading the National League in ERA. No Cub has done that since Ray Prim in Greg Maddux didn't do it while he was with Chicago. Nor did Fergie Jenkins, Rick Sutcliffe or any of the other livearm guys who have called Wrigley Field home over the past 70 seasons. Historically, Wrigley hasn't exactly been conducive to low-scoring games. Maddux says that when he was pitching there, he used to check the size of the waves on Lake Michigan on his way up Lake Shore Drive to see if the wind was blowing in or out. If the lake was flat, Maddux knew the air was either still or the wind was blowing out, and he considered neither of those options good.

5 "There are days where it's hard to keep the ball in the ballpark,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Monday when discussing the chance of a Cubs pitcher leading the league in ERA. "I think it would be very impressive if somebody did [it]. Almost as impressive as if somebody won an ERA title pitching at Coors Field. It can be very hitter-friendly.'' Hendricks' fastball only occasionally touches 90 mph, but he has maximized his ability to pound the strike zone with his pitches, including a changeup that is one of the most effective in the Major Leagues. The Dartmouth product is unflappable and backed by baseball's best fielding team, which has allowed him to compile a 2.19 ERA entering Tuesday night's start against the Pirates. Hendricks, 26, entered the season with a 3.49 ERA in 45 career starts. He credits his improvement to maintaining his mechanics better throughout this season, which has allowed him to throw his four-seam fastball and curveball for strikes, in addition to his trademark sinker-changeup combination. Hendricks is thriving by getting soft contact and more than his share of called strikes. "Last year when I had some mechanical issues, it's hard to then go out and fully pitch when you're not trusting yourself,'' Hendricks said. "This year, my mechanics feel solid. I'm not really thinking about that. That really opens it up for pitchability. I'm able to use my curveball and the four-seam more. I'm changing speeds better. I can keep hitters off my two-seam changeup.'' One bad start could change it but for now, Hendricks has a significant lead on the Giants' Madison Bumgarner (2.49), the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (2.55), teammate Jon Lester (2.70), the Marlins' Jose Fernandez (2.79), and another teammate, Jake Arrieta (2.84). Hendricks believes he's benefiting from the example of the veterans on the Cubs' staff as well as the competition between starters. "There's friendly competition, 100 percent,'' Hendricks said. "It's not so much as far as the numbers, I think. It's just among ourselves, going out and getting the wins, trying to dominate another team. When you see one of the guys in your rotation go out and dominate a team, you want to take the ball and one-up him. We all have that mentality here. It's all in a friendly way. It all brings us to another level, raises the bar a bit.'' Theo Epstein acquired Hendricks and Arrieta in trades and signed Lester as a free agent. He smiles every time he looks at the league's list of ERA leaders. "It's been a remarkable year for this pitching staff so far,'' said Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations. "We hope they can keep it going.'' Epstein points out that Wrigley Field hasn't been as hitter-friendly this season as in most years. "This year, it's playing like a pretty solid pitcher's park,'' Epstein said. "Obviously if you run into enough starts when the wind's blowing out, no matter what you do you're going to give up a crooked number here or there on homers. I'm sure that can make it difficult to keep your ERA down over a season.... It's interesting how it's been a pitcher's park this year. Obviously, it depends a lot on what the wind's doing.'' Hendricks' ERA is 1.31 at Wrigley Field and 3.23 on the road. His 12 starts have been split between four with the wind blowing in, three with the wind blowing out and five with crosswinds. Some pitchers adjust their approach according to the conditions at Wrigley. Hendricks says he keeps it simple, trying to take the same approach regardless. "My approach is always to make good pitches,'' Hendricks said. "So wind blowing out, wind blowing in, I know if I have my fastball command, I'm changing speed and I'm making pitches, at the end of the day I'm getting soft contact, hopefully, and it's going to stay in the yard.'' Two of Hendricks' best career starts have come in games when the wind was howling out to center field at Wrigley. He held the Nationals to one run in seven innings on May 26, 2015, and then he threw a 104-pitch complete game against the Phillies on May 28 this season.

6 Hendricks has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 19 of his 24 starts and never more than four earned runs in a game. His consistency, along with his success at Wrigley Field, could prompt manager Joe Maddon to start him behind Arrieta in the postseason rotation, with Lester and John Lackey (probably) working as the third and fourth starters. Both Maddon and Epstein flinch at questions about October, and rightfully so. But don't be surprised to see Hendricks in a prominent role when the postseason arrives. How could he say no to the ERA champ? Cubs.com Hendricks brings MLB-best ERA into start vs. Bucs By Adam Berry Right-hander Kyle Hendricks doesn't have the track record of Madison Bumgarner, the imposing stature and memorable nickname of Noah "Thor" Syndergaard or the no-hit stuff of Cubs teammate Jake Arrieta. But Hendricks holds a title none of those aces can claim: Major League ERA leader. Nearing the end of a remarkably consistent season, Hendricks will enter Tuesday night's matchup with the Pirates carrying a 2.19 ERA. Hendricks will scale the mound at Wrigley Field opposite Pirates rookie Chad Kuhl in an MLB Network Showcase game and MLB Plus broadcast on MLB.com. The Cubs have a seemingly insurmountable lead in the National League Central, while the Pirates are battling for an NL Wild Card spot. Hendricks has yielded three earned runs or fewer in 22 starts, including each of his last 17 the longest such streak in the Majors. He's been at his best in the Friendly Confines, where he is 8-1 with a 1.31 ERA in 13 games this season. What's been the key to his success? "The biggest difference is, actual command of his fastball is better than it was last year," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. In a way, Kuhl is like Hendricks. He doesn't have traditionally overpowering stuff, but he has earned a spot in Pittsburgh's revamped rotation by quickly and efficiently pounding the bottom third of the strike zone. In his first four big league starts, Kuhl produced 21 ground balls and ran up a 4.19 ERA. He rediscovered the lower part of the zone in his last four outings, all quality starts, generating 41 grounders and posting a 2.96 ERA. Things to know about this game One matchup to watch for Hendricks: Gregory Polanco. The Pirates cleanup man is 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run and two doubles against him. Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer (both 4-for-10) have also fared well off Hendricks. Andrew McCutchen, on the other hand, is 1-for-8 with five strikeouts against him. Cubs shortstop Addison Russell is expected to be back in the lineup. Russell was given Monday off, part of Maddon's proactive approach to make sure players get a breather. Russell went 1-for-13 in three games against the Dodgers at the end of the West Coast road trip. Kuhl struggled in his first start against the Cubs on July 9, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk and lasting only 2 1/3 innings. But the Pirates came back to win that game, 12-6, due in part to Josh Bell's pinch-hit grand slam. Both of Bell's big league homers have come against the Cubs, as he went deep to left field off Jake Arrieta on Monday night.

7 Cubs.com Arrieta bookends odd rundown against Pirates By Adam Berry CHICAGO The Pirates saw a rare scoring opportunity against Jake Arrieta go to waste on an unusual rundown in the fifth inning Monday night at Wrigley Field in a game the Cubs rallied to win, 8-7, in 13 innings. Starling Marte slapped a leadoff single to right field off Arrieta then stole second base, his 45th steal of the season. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras' errant throw sailed into center field, allowing Marte to scramble all the way to third. Arrieta struck out David Freese, bringing up Francisco Cervelli with one out and Marte still at third base. The Cubs were leading, 3-1, but the Pirates were 90 feet from a one-run game. Cervelli tapped an 0-2 fastball back to Arrieta, who caught Marte off the bag and fired to third baseman Kris Bryant. Marte ran toward home but was forced back to third by Contreras. Contreras threw the ball to shortstop Javier Baez, covering third base, but Baez dropped it as he attempted to tag Marte. The Pirates' speedy left fielder made one last break for home plate, but Baez recovered and threw to Arrieta, who tagged out Marte. Pittsburgh challenged the call on the field, objecting that Arrieta blocked the plate in violation of Rule 7.13 regarding home-plate collisions. But the call was confirmed after a replay review. In the end, the out was scored "That's not very typical," Arrieta said. Cervelli advanced to second amid the confusion, but four pitches later, the inning was over. Cubs.com Strop eager to return, throws 'pen session By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO When the Cubs were on the West Coast, they got word that reliever Pedro Strop was feeling good. On Monday, Strop threw 25 pitches in his first official bullpen session, and showed what he meant. "They think I'm rushing," Strop said Monday. "Now [that they saw me], they know what I'm talking about." The right-hander is rehabbing from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus. He was placed on the disabled list Aug. 11 and projected to be sidelined four to six weeks. "He's definitely pushing a little bit," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Strop. John Lackey, sidelined since Aug. 15 with a right shoulder strain, also threw a bullpen session Monday, while Hector Rondon continues to make progress. Rondon is rehabbing a strained right triceps. "We're trying to play it smart and not push them too quickly," Maddon said. Lackey will need at least one more bullpen before he can be inserted into the rotation. Extra bases

8 Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he and the rest of the front office were discussing possible callups for when rosters expand on Thursday. Maddon said whoever is added will be "pertinent people who can help" the team win. Epstein said they also have talked about the possibility of switching to a six-man rotation in an effort to conserve the starting pitchers. One option would be to keep lefty Mike Montgomery in the mix; he's been subbing for Lackey and will make his third start for the Cubs on Wednesday. Addison Russell did not start Monday, part of Maddon's plan to keep players fresh. The shortstop went 8-for-37 on the nine-game road trip, hitting five home runs and a double, and driving in 10 runs. He has at least one RBI in nine of his last 12 games. "I'm just trying to be proactive and give guys days off," Maddon said. Carl Edwards Jr. had what Maddon likes to call a "big boy moment" on Sunday when the rookie reliever was called on in the Dodgers' eighth with the bases loaded and one out. First up for Edwards was Justin Turner, and the right-hander said he was hoping to get a double play. Instead, Edwards struck Turner out on a 97-mph fastball. Next was Adrian Gonzalez, and Edwards got the ground ball he wanted as Gonzalez hit it to third baseman Javier Baez. But Baez threw to second baseman Ben Zobrist, who had to run because he was playing deeper because of a shift, and the two could not get an out, enabling a run to score. "I told Javy, I'm like, 'Bro, it happens, it's OK,'" Edwards said Monday. "I know we wanted to win and it's a crucial time, but at the end of the day, we got out of there without giving up the house, we just gave up one and still had a chance to win that game. It was another one of those big boy moments." Maddon keeps testing Edwards in such situations. "To come in after the intentional walk, to have the bases loaded, to face those two guys, I feel my confidence was [high]," Edwards said. The Cubs and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans signed a four-year extension of their Player Development Contract. The agreement will keep the Pelicans as the Class A Advanced affiliate through the 2020 season. Myrtle Beach players from the 2015 and '16 seasons make up five of the top eight, and 12 of the top 30 prospects in the Cubs organization, according to MLBPipeline.com. ESPNChicago.com From high school underdog to surprising ERA leader the rise of Kyle Hendricks By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO It was 2008, and Kyle Hendricks had a decision to make. Actually, he had two decisions to make. He had just been drafted in the 39th round by the Angels, a franchise whose ticket office his father, John, worked in for six years. Should Kyle start his pro career or attend college? That question turned out to be the easy one. When you throw in the low 80s, you need to have a backup plan. "I told the Angels thanks, but it's going to be hard to pass up this opportunity," the Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher recalled recently. "I figured college was the best place for me to be." That left one decision: Which college should Hendricks attend? The University of San Diego was pushing hard for him. He lived about 70 miles north of San Diego, attending and pitching for Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California.

9 Mission Viejo is situated in southern Orange County between San Diego and Los Angeles. The weather is essentially perfect for baseball year-round. Hendricks had the chance to precede another future Cub, Kris Bryant, at the University of San Diego. But Dartmouth came calling from across the country, and Hendricks couldn t say no. The Big Green liked him on the mound, and he liked Dartmouth on the field, as well as everywhere else. "They had more interest in me," Hendricks said. "They had invested more in me. I wanted to play right away as a freshman. I wasn't assured of that at San Diego. It was just a feel thing. I fell in love with Dartmouth." It didn't hurt that Hendricks had a GPA better than 4.0 and probably had more in common with the average Ivy League student than he did with anyone else. "He was the same in the classroom as he was on the baseball field," Hendricks' high school head coach, Bob Zamora, said. "I had him in Spanish class, and he always had the answer, always raised his hand. He was smart, just like you see on the mound." Fast-forward to Zamora made the short trek by train from Mission Viejo to San Diego last week to watch his former Spanish student pitch against the Padres. Zamora showed no surprise that Hendricks had made it to the big leagues, but no one could have predicted an MLB-leading 2.19 ERA as Hendricks takes the mound for his final start of August on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unless something goes drastically wrong, he ll keep his top ERA ranking going into the season's final month. "He had the mental makeup, and the stuff followed to do it," Zamora said. "He still does. And the guy is an athlete." Zamora recalled when Hendricks beat pro golfer Rory Sabbatini in a pro-am event, but the pitcher claims he "came really close." In his typical, understated style, Hendricks admitted he's a scratch golfer but doesn't "play that much" and certainly doesn't show a passion for golf when discussing it. That isn't the story when it comes to pitching, an area in which he has flown under the radar his whole life. "Even in high school, it was the same," Hendricks said. "Tyler Matzek got a lot of attention. Rightly so he was touching close to 100 mph." Matzek was a year behind Hendricks at Capistrano Valley but was garnering attention early in his high school career, as opposed to Hendricks, who "came on late." The two friends might be the latest example of the radar gun not telling the whole story. Matzek threw bullets, but Hendricks found his niche as a senior. He compiled a 1.25 ERA with 72 strikeouts and five walks over 72 innings. Hendricks was drafted in the 39th round in 2008, then in the eighth round in 2011 by the Texas Rangers. Matzek was drafted 11th overall by the Colorado Rockies in He has spent most of this season in Class A after starting 24 games for the Rockies the previous two seasons and compiling an ERA over Meanwhile, Hendricks is flourishing. "He was basically just a 12-6 curveball pitcher in high school," Zamora said. "Now he has that changeup and sinker. He can cut the ball now and make it sink in. He was getting downward movement on the changeup, but now he can do more with it." Although still the "small" guy in the Cubs rotation standing at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds Hendricks credits his getting stronger as one key to his breakthrough season. It wasn't reported last year, but he wasn't completely healthy and a lot of that was due to his not being strong enough to withstand the rigors of Major League Baseball.

10 "What I see now is a better fastball too," Zamora said. One sequence Wednesday at Petco Park surprised Hendricks' high school coach. With the tying run on third base and two outs, Hendricks had a full count on Ryan Schimpf. With two bases open, it seemed like the right time for a changeup or sinker. Instead, Hendricks threw a 90 mph fastball right by Schimpf, who froze, seemingly astonished that he got that pitch. That isn't a sequence we would've seen last season. "That s Kyle," Zamora said. "He'll keep learning and adjusting and wanting more." Zamora had less effusive things to say about Hendricks' high school career at the plate. The coach's hitter rating system had Hendricks at minus-28 points his senior season, the worst on the team. The two decided to work on one aspect of Hendricks' hitting bunting and brought in a guest instructor, thanks to Hendricks' dad's association with the Angels. "We had Rod Carew come in and show him how to bunt," Zamora said. "He's a good bunter now." Hendricks' offensive numbers aside, his tendency to outthink hitters and his mid-80s radar gun readings keep inspiring comparisons to Cubs great Greg Maddux something Hendricks heard even more when he first came up, before he started to establish his own identity. At that time, people weren't quite sure what to make of him. "Same gig," Hendricks says of flying under the radar. "Not much has changed since then [high school]." If Hendricks wins the ERA title and subsequently garners Cy Young votes, his lack of notoriety is bound to change. Fans will tell you he's easy to root for because he isn't that different from them other than his being a really good athlete. He doesn't throw hard or look the part of a baseball star. He looks more like a school teacher or a "professor," one of his nicknames. Plus, he was no sure thing. He had work his way up the ladder. "At Dartmouth, we didn't like the pitching mound we had, even though we had a new field," Hendricks said. "It was kind of flat, so a few of us basically built the mound. We went out there with 20 buckets of [dirt] to make the mound." Now Hendricks has people who tend to the mound for him, as well as a first-place team playing behind him. Asked if his life would be the same if he had stayed near home and gone to San Diego, Hendricks wasn't sure. "What if I go to San Diego, and I don't play those first two years?" he asked. "Does that hinder my development? I feel like I'm a rhythm guy and need to be pitching. I think it would have been a different path. I can't see it working out any better." Neither can the Cubs, who hit a home run when they traded Ryan Dempster for Hendricks back in The front office has a young, cheap pitcher who won't go to arbitration for the first time until after next season. Hendricks is just fine with that. He's just happy to have his own car now. He didn't when he went to high school, a place he passed last week on his way from Petco Park to Dodger Stadium. Times have indeed changed for the top pitcher according to ERA in the game. "I used my parents' car," Hendricks said with a smile. "My dad would walk to work, and I got the car. I bought my first car when I signed with Texas." ESPNChicago.com Cubs outlast Pirates to win wacky, extra-inning affair By Bradford Doolittle CHICAGO The kids set it up and finally the veterans knocked it down for the Chicago Cubs.

11 The Cubs' wacky 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 13 innings on Monday was a sprawling affair. The game dragged on just over five hours, a fact ill-timed in a number of ways. But when Miguel Montero looped a single against a drawn infield to score Kris Bryant, it was all worth it. "That was a goofy game, boy," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said as he sat down for his late-night, postgame news conference. He could have left it at that. The win was an affirmative testament to the collective will of a tired Chicago team. One day after they finished a nine-game, 10-day West Coast trip punctuated by flight delays and a short night's rest, the Cubs came back twice to knock off a Pirates team involved in a tight battle with St. Louis for the NL's second wild-card spot. "We got in late last night," Maddon said. "These guys were tired." Earlier in the evening, before the sun set, Cubs ace Jake Arrieta was tagged for six runs in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed two home runs as the Pirates built a 6-3 lead heading into the eighth. By then, it was past dusk, but things were just getting started. "I didn't pitch as well as I would have liked," Arrieta said. "Obviously, the two homers were the daggers for me." Luckily for Arrieta, who ended up with a no-decision, the Cubs' energetic kids were just tapping into their energy reserves. "The resiliency of our team is incredible," Arrieta said. First up was rookie catcher Willson Contreras, who rifled a two-run shot into the center-field batter's eye off Neftali Feliz to cut Pittsburgh's lead to 6-5. Then, in the ninth, Jorge Soler capped a big night with an opposite-field shot off Pirates closer Tony Watson to send the game into extra innings. It was the first game-tying homer in the ninth inning or later for Soler, who added a single and a double in the game. "We never give up," Soler said via a translator. "Even until the last out, we're always trying to battle on and look for the victory." The Cubs nearly won in the 10th. With the bases full and one out, Anthony Rizzo bounced one to first baseman Sean Rodriguez, who stepped on the bag and threw Javier Baez out at home on a close play. The umpires went to the review booth to see if Baez had slipped his hand around the tag of catcher Francisco Cervelli, but the call stood, which sent the game to the 11th. "I don't know about the view," Baez said. "I felt like I got in there." Baez was thrown out at the plate again in the 12th, after another umpire review. He tripled with one out but was thrown out trying to score on Addison Russell's shallow fly to left. Baez tied a career high with four hits in the game. As Maddon said, "We had plenty of opportunities to win that game in a normal fashion." The squandered chances were rendered irrelevant in the 13th. In the top half of the inning, Cubs reliever Rob Zastryzny Chicago's eighth hurler of the night loaded the bases with no outs but limited Pittsburgh to one run on Josh Harrison's sacrifice fly. That once again put Pittsburgh in position to win with three more outs. Not on this night. Not in this year. Dexter Fowler singled. Bryant singled to right, which pushed Fowler to third. Rizzo singled to score Fowler and send Bryant to third. Ben Zobrist was intentionally walked to load the bases.

12 That brought up Montero, the veteran catcher whose playing time has been pinched by the sparkling arrival of Contreras. Montero had been sitting on the bench for five hours, but that wasn't so long to wait to be the hero and to find the Cubs their fifth walk-off win of the season. "The position [Montero] was in tonight, to be on the bench as long as he was, to stay ready to put yourself in position to get a big knock for us like that, it isn't easy to do," Arrieta said. "You respect that." Bryant's game-winning run gave him an MLB-best 109 runs this season. It was Montero's third walk-off RBI of his career. The victory gave Zastryzny his first big league win. And it gave the Cubs some positive vibes to take home for some much-needed rest. "Of course you want to win that game," Maddon said. "That's a tough game to lose. But understand the effort you saw tonight, based on a lot of fatigue. That's probably what I'm most proud of." ESPNChicago.com John Lackey takes step toward return with bullpen session By Bradford Doolittle CHICAGO The Cubs moved a step closer to getting starter John Lackey back after the veteran righty threw a bullpen session Monday at Wrigley Field without incident. The session went "quite well," according to a Cubs official. If Lackey does not experience any unexpected soreness when he reports to the park Tuesday, he'll be slated for a second bullpen session later in the week. If that goes well, he'll likely be activated to resume his turn in the Cubs' rotation. Lackey, 37, has been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 15 because of a right shoulder strain. The decision to put him on the DL was largely viewed as precautionary for the front-running Cubs, who are nursing a big lead in the National League Central. Lackey is 9-7 with a 3.41 ERA for Chicago in his 14th big league season. He hasn't pitched since Aug. 14, when he left a start against St. Louis in the seventh inning because of shoulder tightness. "We'll know after this one and the next [bullpen session] where he's at," Maddon said before Monday's game. "But he's doing well. No setbacks or complaints on his part or the trainer's part. Everything is in pretty good shape, it looks like." CSNChicago.com Never Say Die: Cubs Battle Back For Wild Walk-Off Win Over Pirates By Tony Andracki It would have been so easy for the Cubs to just chalk this one up as a loss and head home. But this 2016 Cubs team isn't built that way. They showed what they're made of again Monday, walking off the Pirates, 8-7, in front of 38,951 fans at Wrigley Field. The Cubs had plenty of chances to score all game, including in extra innings as Javy Baez was thrown out at home plate to end both the 10th and 12th innings. In the top of the 13th, the Pirates finally broke through, loading the bases with nobody out against Rob Zastryzny and scoring a run but only one run.

13 In the bottom of the 13th, the Cubs got their offense going again as Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant led the inning off with singles to put runners at the corners. Anthony Rizzo then singled through the infield to tie the game and drive home Fowler. Ben Zobrist was intentionally walked to load the bases with nobody out, setting the stage for Miguel Montero's walk-off single to start the Cubs' homestand off on a positive note and send Zastryzny home with his first MLB victory. It capped off a game in which almost 465 pitches were thrown and took more than five hours to complete. "We got in late last night," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I got back about 3 a.m. So these guys they're coming off West Coast to the Central Time Zone, they're tired, we had to show up today early for a picture that happens sometimes and they came out and played until Midnight. "Of course you want to win that game. That's a tough game to lose. But understand the effort that you saw tonight based on a lot of fatigue. And that's probably what I'm most proud of." The Cubs opened up a 3-0 lead on Pirates rookie starter Steven Brault early, but they could have easily had more, narrowly missing home runs in the first (Zobrist) and third innings (Jorge Soler). The Pirates, meanwhile, came roaring back against Jake Arrieta. First, Josh Bell hit a solo homer just over the basket in left field in the fourth inning. Then Gregory Polanco deposited a three-run shot down the left-field line in the sixth inning, two batters after it appeared the Cubs had gotten a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play. Home plate umpire Tripp Gibson disagreed, calling the pitch Ball 4 to Bell and putting two runners on with nobody out instead of two outs and nobody on. Arrieta was irate, staring down the umpire and prompting a visit from Maddon, who proceeded to get in Gibson's face at the base of the mound after calming down Arrieta. "That's an entirely different baseball game right there that occurred on that particular pitch," Maddon said. "Everything turned on that particluar pitch. "But I'm not gonna denigrate the umpire. We had plenty of opportunities PLENTY to win that game in a normal fashion or earlier. We had so many great at-bats to set it up and then we could not seal the deal." Arrieta was also saddled with a pair of runs in the seventh inning, with Travis Wood letting two inherited runners score on Josh Harrison's two-out double to make it a 6-3 Pirates lead. The reigning NL Cy Young winner finished with a tough-luck line that flashed six earned runs in 6 1/3 innings on five hits and three walks. Then the Cubs began their comeback. In the eighth, Jason Heyward doubled and Willson Contreras homered to straightaway center. With one out in the ninth, Soler sent a charge into Tony Watson's offering to tie the game with a blast to center. That set up Montero for the storybook ending. "The resiliency of our team is incredible," Arrieta said. "That's what you need down the stretch.... Just a crazy ballgame all the way around."

14 CSNChicago.com Cubs: Theo Epstein Believes Kris Bryant Can Follow In Dustin Pedroia's MVP Footsteps By Tony Andracki Joe Maddon has been trying to find a chance to give Kris Bryant a day off. But how do you sit the hottest hitter on the planet? Bryant just finished a torrid road trip in which he staked his claim to the National League MVP Award by hitting.417 with a OPS, five homers, 11 RBIs and 11 runs in nine games. That pushed his season line to.305/.398/.588 (.986 OPS) with a league-leading 35 homers and 107 runs plus 89 RBIs. So is he the Most Valuable Player in just his second season in "The Show"? "I don't want to get too wrapped up in individual awards," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "He's an outstanding player having a great year. It's never too early. "(Red Sox second baseman) Dustin Pedroia is another guy we drafted over a decade ago and he did the same thing Rookie of the Year in the first year and then MVP the next year. It can be done. "(Bryant is) helping us win in so many different ways. Obviously coming up big of late, which is great to see. He deserves all the accolades that are coming his way and that may eventually come his way. "But I think he'd probably be the first one to tell you he wants the team awards; he wants the team recognition in the end. The only one that really counts is winning your last game and the parade. Everything else is nice to fill the trophy case, but that's what everyone here is all about." Bryant will undoubtedly split some MVP votes with teammate Anthony Rizzo (.946 OPS, 25 home runs, 89 RBIs), but the Cubs third baseman/outfielder woke up Monday morning leading all of baseball in WAR on FanGraphs' page. Even the Cubs admit Bryant has progressed beyond their realistic expectations. "I would never have held him to this standard," Epstein said. "I wouldn't say, 'This is his development path. He's gotta go be maybe the Most Valuable Player in the league in the second year.' But at the same time, it doesn't surprise me. "He's always been outstanding at making adjustments. Very cerebral player. Makes great use of his down time, whether it's the winter where he can work on swing adjustments or even the time between at-bats or pitch-topitch. He's just really, really good at making adjustments and thinks about his own game at a really high level. "He's such a good athlete, he's able to take it right out on the field." Bryant has also surprised Epstein and the Cubs with how he's evolved as a player. "In some ways, surprising," Epstein said. "I thought he would always hit five to 10 opposite field home runs a year at a minimum, and he hasn't this year that was his first one of the year the other day at Dodger Stadium. "But he's added the ability to turn on the inside pitch and hit it in the air and keep it fair, so he's hitting more home runs as a result. So I never saw that coming. "It's interesting the way his swing and his game have evolved."

15 In discussing the difference between 2016 Bryant and the rookie model, Maddon pointed to a decrease in strikeouts (from 30.6 percent in 2015 to 22 percent) and a smoother product on defense. "The biggest for me is consistently shorter swing. More contact," Maddon said. "He's had smaller windows of chasing pitches out of the strike zone compared to last year when he did it more often. "But recently, he's been using the outfield gap, which is really impressive. So offensively, that's what I'm seeing. Defensively, better feet on the infield. "You'd see a lot of the patting of the glove as the feet were moving. I see it on occasion now, but not to the extent I saw it last year. He's still a great baserunner. "So primarily shorter hack, greater contact, less chase, right central is coming back into play right now and better feet on defense. That's what I'm seeing." Put it all together and you have an MVP frontrunner entering September. CSNChicago.com With Season's Final Month Looming, Cubs Will Apply Lessons Learned From 2015 Playoff Run By Tony Andracki What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Cubs put the pedal to the metal in advance of a four-game series with the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field in August and never looked back until they ran into the brick wall that was the New York Mets in the NLCS. This season, with another four-game set with the Giants at the "Friendly Confines" on tap this week, the Cubs are in a completely different position. There is no need for Joe Maddon to step on the gas and floor it into the postseason. The Cubs entered play Monday 14 games up in the NL Central and they've already started counting down their magic number before the calendar has even flipped to September. This year, it's going to be about rest and keeping guys sharp and fresh entering October, which the Cubs learned is key after last season. Right now, the Cubs don't need to lean on Jake Arrieta to come close to a complete game each time out or utilize relievers on three straight nights in tight ballgames. "I think our guys understand where we're at and it's going to be important to get where we want to go to be at their best," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Monday at Wrigley. "Last year's stretch and playoffs especially was instructive. "I think we pushed guys hard during the year and it'd be nice for them to be at their absolute best during the most important time of year down the stretch and hopefully into October." The Cubs also have some reinforcements on the way with rosters expanding to 40 players Thursday. Tommy La Stella continues to work out in the minor leagues and Epstein acknowledged Monday the left-handed role player could be back in Chicago as soon as this week.

16 "The guys coming up will get some playing time," Maddon said. "I've always talked about in a bad game or even in a really good game, to get guys off their feet, that's important. "Whoever we're going to bring up right now, they're going to be pertinent people that are going to help us win also right now." Hector Rondon (triceps) and Pedro Strop (knee) are progressing "really well," Maddon said, with Rondon nearing a return while Strop threw in Chicago during the Cubs' recent road trip and reported no issues. "We're just trying to really play it smart, not push them to come back too quickly," Maddon said. "But they're both making great progress." John Lackey (strained shoulder) is slated to throw a pair of bullpens this week and could return from the disabled list on the current homestand if all goes well. When Lackey does come back, the Cubs could keep Mike Montgomery as a starter and go with a six-man rotation to keep everybody fresher down the stretch. With all the rest in mind, Maddon isn't worried about his players getting rusty or losing their edge at all. Maddon admitted he's never been in a position like this where the Cubs are close to locking up a playoff spot and still have a month to play. But he compared the idea of taking the foot off the gas to the same way teams handle pitchers at the end of spring training before the regular season starts. "You're trying to conserve their moments for the most important time of the year," Maddon said. "Regardless of any kind of pushback you might get from the players themselves, I still think you can do it and control it and not worry about the rust component. "I think by this time of year, rest in a more intelligent manner - limiting innings or number of pitches thrown - I don't think that's going to cause a negative downturn in their abilities by the end of September." Of course, just because the Cubs are prioritizing rest doesn't mean they're going to take their foot off the gas completely. Epstein, Lackey and Jon Lester saw firsthand how quickly a large lead can evaporate with the 2011 Boston Red Sox "I think once you go through a year in which you have a double digit lead right before Labor Day and screw it up and don't even get into October, you don't take anything for granted," Epstein said. "I guess that's the only good thing to come out of September 2011 for me - I'll never look too far ahead and I'll never take anything for granted. "You have to have a broad perspective and look ahead and understand what might lie ahead, but you have to go earn it. That's been our team's approach from the very beginning - not to accept some of the praise that's come our way. It's to go out and try to earn it with our play and that's definitely true in the month of September." Chicago Tribune Cubs rally twice for 13-inning win after Jake Arrieta gets knocked around By Chris Kuc Jake Arrieta had the Wrigley Field crowd on its feet and roaring in approval for a strikeout his own. The right-hander worked a 14-pitch at-bat against Pirates starter Steven Brault including eight consecutive foul balls to draw the applause during the Cubs' 8-7 come-from-behind victory in 13 innings.