September 11, Cubs.com, Cubs keeping Florida in their thoughts

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1 September 11, 2017 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs Willson Contreras: I feel 100 percent. I m ready to play. Chicago Sun-Times, Just a tiny question: Are we witnessing the collapse of the 2017 Cubs? Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs' Contreras back, but not yet full time Daily Herald, Brewers sweep Chicago Cubs, pull within 2 games Daily Herald, Ostrowski: What are Maddon's bullpen options? Cubs.com, Cubs activate catcher Contreras off DL Cubs.com, Offense can't deliver for Hendricks in finale Cubs.com, Cubs 'know what we need to do' at plate Cubs.com, Cubs keeping Florida in their thoughts Cubs.com, Quintana, Cubs look to increase division lead ESPNChicago.com, Cubs had better hope their offense returns before it's too late CSNChicago.com, Cubs see division lead beginning to disappear: 'Are you in or are you out?' CSNChicago.com, Kyle Hendricks explains why Cubs won t panic now CSNChicago.com, Willson Contreras returns to give Cubs another energy boost in division race Chicago Tribune, Cubs' NL Central lead down to 2 games after sweep by Brewers story.html#nt=oft03a-1la1

2 Chicago Tribune, Cubs line up John Lackey to open next weekend's Cardinals series at Wrigley story.html#nt=simple-embed Chicago Tribune, Cubs activate catcher Willson Contreras from disabled list story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp3 Chicago Tribune, Fantasy football too much for Joe Maddon: 'It was ruining my Sundays. I just can't purely enjoy the game.' story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp3 Chicago Tribune, Cubs scheduled to face White Sox in 2 3-game series in story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp3 Chicago Sun-Times Cubs Willson Contreras: I feel 100 percent. I m ready to play. By Steve Greenberg Willson Contreras waved at strike three, ending an at-bat of zero usefulness in a game and series filled with disappointment and frustration for the Cubs. But, hey, at least Contreras was back. After being out of action since Aug. 9 because of a hamstring injury, Contreras returned in a seventh-inning pinchhitting role Sunday and received a standing ovation at Wrigley Field. Even after he struck out with the inevitability of a sweep at the hands of the second-place Brewers hanging in the air there was at least a lingering reminder that the Cubs would have one of their best players for the 19 games ahead. Contreras, 25, who has 21 home runs and 70 RBI in 102 games, expects to start behind the plate when the Cubs open a series against the Mets on Tuesday at Wrigley. With the Brewers and Cardinals nipping at the Cubs heels each only two games out of the division lead a team that hasn t been hitting will look to its offensive MVP of July and early August to make a difference. I feel 100 percent, Contreras said. If I m back, it s because I m ready to play. The Cubs, though, will be careful with him. Contreras didn t stay in the game after pinch-hitting. Manager Joe Maddon said Contreras might not play nine innings in any of the next handful of games. He ll also be expected to exercise restraint on the basepaths. No one wants to see a repeat of what happened in San Francisco when one of the hardest-playing young talents in baseball suddenly pulled up while digging for first base. I just have to see what the situation is and learn from the injury that that s the price that you pay when you play 110 percent every single day, he said. From now on, learn the situation and know when to run hard and when to not. Respect 90? Contreras will be getting something of a pass on that front for a while. The Cubs just want him to respect the hammy. Up, in and out

3 Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (6-5) took the loss, but he delivered his sixth consecutive quality start; it s the secondlongest streak by a Cubs pitcher this season. Since coming off the disabled list in July, he has allowed three or fewer runs in all 10 of his starts. Alas, his two-seam fastball up and in to Travis Shaw in the sixth inning made a cruel sound as it clanked off a façade in the right-field bleachers. Just the wrong fastball, Hendricks said. Against the wrong guy and the wrong team at the wrong time. That won t leave a mark Kris Bryant made a rare start in left field and did a whole lot of nothing at the plate. It was the first time in his last 35 starts that he failed to reach base. Chicago Sun-Times Just a tiny question: Are we witnessing the collapse of the 2017 Cubs? By Steve Greenberg Is there a nice way to say this? The Cubs didn t just get swept by the Brewers over the weekend at Wrigley Field. When it got down to crunch time in the 3-1 series finale Sunday, they went out like lambs. What a bottom of the ninth inning it wasn t. First, Ian Happ struck out swinging despite having been ahead in the count 3-1. Then, with the bases still empty, Javy Baez swung repeatedly for a two-run homer call it Javy math to no avail. Finally, after Jason Heyward ripped a glorious broken-bat infield single that traveled approximately 18 feet, Alex Avila kindly whiffed for Brewers closer Corey Knebel, too. Three games. Three runs scored by the Cubs. Three questions: Where has the Cubs mojo gone? Are the Brewers and/or Cardinals, each now two games back in the National League Central, going to blow the Cubs house down? Are we witnessing the collapse of the defending World Series champions? No pressure, fellas. I didn t feel [pressure] before the series, manager Joe Maddon said. I still don t. I just enjoy the game. And then, after a pause: We aren t hitting. It s kind of a problem. In their last eight games, the Cubs have scored 16 runs. Eight of those runs were scored in the lone game during that stretch when Cubs hitters approached the plate with detectable pulses. Otherwise, we re talking about eight runs in seven games. In September. With the division lead fading faster than the autumn sun. It s still summer, you know. Do the Cubs realize that? We just have to keep playing good baseball and see where it shakes out at the end, Happ said.

4 But Kris Bryant, the reigning NL MVP, is 0-for-September in home runs and RBI. Even Anthony Rizzo, the team s most dependable hitter for so much of the season, hasn t put a ball over the outfield wall since the calendar bid adieu to August. Not that it s home runs the Cubs need, necessarily. But this team doesn t seem to understand much about stringing together regular old hits that lead to what s that word again? runs. The Brewers came in trailing by five games. They head for home feeling like 19 games to go including four against the Cubs in Milwaukee later this month equals all the opportunity in the world. One imagines the Cardinals, who have seven games left against the Cubs, feel quite the same way. Isn t there supposed to be a significant talent gap between the Cubs and those teams? Nothing happened, Heyward said of his team being swept, perhaps the emptiest statement any man could ve come up with in that situation. Baseball happened. The Brewers definitely happened. This is a team that wore T-shirts in Chicago calling themselves the Milwaukee Un-blank-withables. Only the shirts didn t say blank. This is a fired-up team. That much was obvious as outfielders Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton and Hernan Perez put their arms out to their sides and flew in like airplanes to high-five teammates after the sweep was complete. You know what s possible? The Cubs could travel to Milwaukee and eliminate the Brewers there. Then they could head straight for St. Louis and eliminate the Cardinals there. It sure would be dramatic. You know what else is possible? The Cubs could collapse like a house of cards. Speaking of dramatic. We know what we can do, said Kyle Hendricks, the losing pitcher. That s definitely a given. A two-game lead with 19 to go? At this point, there are no givens. Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' Contreras back, but not yet full time By Bruce Miles It should come as no surprise that catcher Willson Contreras is raring to go. The Chicago Cubs activated their hyperkinetic catcher off the disabled list Sunday but did not put him into the starting lineup. They will try to gradually work Contreras back into the action after he was out since Aug. 11 with a strained right hamstring. He played in two rehab games for Class A Myrtle Beach. In Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, Contreras struck out as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. "I feel good; I feel good to play," he said. "That's all I have to say. I feel 100 percent. I'm back because I'm ready to play." Manager Joe Maddon said the Cubs would have a better idea about Contreras heading into Tuesday night's series opener against the New York Mets. "As we get into (this) week, we're going to try to get him involved in the games to get him at-bats, that kind of stuff, get him on the field, maybe not play a complete game," Maddon said. "We're still trying to figure out the entire program or plan.

5 "But we've got to get him going. We've got to get him into a game. We chose this path. He's feeling good. Tuesday, I'll have a really much better idea, but the point is to get him involved in the game, not for nine (innings) but to get him involved." One key will be getting Contreras to not overdo it. "It's hard to ask him to not go 100 percent or back off or be cautious," Maddon said. "It's very difficult with him, I think. The trainers feel really strongly about him being well, healed. "I think the best thing we probably can do is limit innings or whatever in the beginning as he builds back into it, almost like he would be on a rehab assignment. That's probably the only recourse we have. To ask him to not go hard, like he normally does, is difficult. I don't even know if I would do that." Schwarber sitting: Kyle Schwarber did not start any of the three games against the Brewers, but he did hit his 25th home run of the season Saturday as a pinch hitter. On Sunday, Kris Bryant started in left field, with Tommy La Stella at third base. "I really wanted to get Tommy involved," Joe Maddon said. "It's just about matchup stuff. Hitting a home run yesterday was very big for (Schwarber) confidence wise. But I've spoken to him. He's aware. "I want to just try to match it up as well as I can right now. It's not June or July. It's September. We're trying to do the best we can to match up versus their pitchers. "We're just trying to get him in the best matchup based on what we see, his skill versus that pitcher that day. That's just the proprietary stuff that we do." Rotation roulette: Right-hander Jake Arrieta played catch Sunday as he continues his recovery from a right-hamstring injury he suffered last week in Pittsburgh. The Cubs will reassess the situation this week. For the three game series against the Mets, they will go with three left-handers: Jose Quintana, Jon Lester and Mike Montgomery. Right-hander John Lackey will open the weekend series Friday against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Daily Herald Brewers sweep Chicago Cubs, pull within 2 games By Bruce Miles Through good times and bad his own and the Chicago Cubs' Jason Heyward always has been a go-to guy in the clubhouse. True to form, Heyward was at his locker Sunday to try to explain a three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. A tiebreaking, 2-run homer from Travis Shaw in the sixth inning lifted the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

6 The Brewers (75-68) pulled within 2 games of the first-place Cubs (77-66) in the National League Central. The St. Louis Cardinals also are 2 back after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs had a 5-game lead entering Friday with a chance to put some distance between themselves and the Brewers. Now, it appears the Central will be a three-team race going all the way to the wire. In the three games at Wrigley, the Brewers outscored the Cubs That came on the heels of the Brewers being swept in three by the last-place Reds in Cincinnati. "What's happened?" Heyward asked, repeating a question to him. "Nothing happened. Baseball happened. OK, if you go over there and ask their clubhouse what happened to them when they got swept by Cincinnati, it's the way the game goes. You go to every team, any situation, any time, if you don't win a game or win a series, it's baseball. "Not saying, 'OK, so what?' But that's just a part of the game. Teams are going to pitch well sometimes. Sometimes you're not going to hit well. Sometimes the ball's going to go at people. Sometimes it's going to be what it is. It's a series." But it has been happening a lot to the Cubs lately, and it should be worrisome. Beginning with a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 3, the Cubs have been outscored by their opponents, and that includes an 8-2 Cubs victory in Pittsburgh. "They got us," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Zero runs and 1 run in two of the three games. In one game (Saturday's 15-2 loss), we had no chance, but we definitely had chances in the others. We pitched really well. You have to pitch better than good pitching to win, and they did it." The Cubs outhit the Brewers 8-7 Sunday, but they struck out 11 times and walked just once, going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That wasted a decent pitching performance from Kyle Hendricks (6-5), who worked 6 innings of 4-hit ball. "It happens, it just happens," said Maddon, who is searching for answers like everybody else. "If you look around baseball, it happens to every team at some point. It's contagious to hit as well as it's contagious to not hit. You've just got to keep working your way through it. "It's going to come back to us. We're going to start hitting again." For his part, Hendricks said there is no feeling of shock in the clubhouse. "Not really shock; obviously not what we wanted," he said. "But those are the outcomes. We just have to deal with it and move forward." And for their part, the Brewers are enjoying this. They feel they've been victimized by Cubs schedule jury-rigging twice this season, and they're 4-0 in their last four games at Wrigley. "Every game's huge," manager Craig Counsell said. "Wins are critical for us. There is another race (the wild card) we're chasing, too. "But just to finish this series, to me I think it was last year, we came here and got swept pretty handily. A short time later to come back and be able to do this against the World Series champs, to me, is a really good sign." Daily Herald Ostrowski: What are Maddon's bullpen options? By Joe Ostrowski

7 Getting outscored 20-3 by Milwaukee this past weekend felt like a lot more than losing 3 games off an NL Central lead. Pessimists are saying the Cubs lead is down to only 2 games and 12 of their final 20 contests are against the teams on their tail, the Brewers and Cardinals. Optimists expected a Sunday Cubs victory that would push Milwaukee 4 games back with 19 left. They aren't distressed over the Jake Arrieta, Willson Contreras and Addison Russell injuries. Fearful of Milwaukee and St. Louis? Please. Mike Montgomery's lousy performance Saturday, along with off-days the next two Mondays gives Joe Maddon the perfect excuse to send him back to the bullpen. The reality being, this isn't much of a debate as long as Arrieta is healthy. Jon Lester, Arrieta, Jose Quintana and Kyle Hendricks is expected to be the Cubs' playoff rotation in some order. As long as they get there. Yup, this team is forcing us to still have to say that as we approach mid-september. During last year's World Series run, Montgomery was one of two relief pitchers that Maddon truly trusted. In their 17 playoff games, Aroldis Chapman threw 15⅔ innings in 13 appearances and Montgomery tossed 14⅓ innings in 11 games. Both had more than double the workload of any other reliever. Chapman and Montgomery arrived within a week of each other in separate July trades last season. Everyone knew that Chapman was brought in to shut games down and win a championship. It was different for Montgomery. Montgomery was on the mound for the last out of the World Series. Even though that wasn't the plan, he earned that spot. In the last month of the season, Montgomery appeared in seven games, starting two. He had a sparkling 1.10 ERA and.164 batting average against during that stretch. So who has earned Maddon's trust this year? Wade Davis and Montgomery is a solid righty-lefty starting point. Davis is 29-for-29 in save opportunities. They may not all be pretty, but he has a low 2.23 ERA. As a reliever, Montgomery has a 2.57 ERA. There isn't a Chapman this year, and starters aren't going as deep in games, so Maddon will need to trust more than two guys out of the pen. There are two more candidates, another right-hander and left-hander. Carl Edwards Jr. has a 2.25 ERA in his last 13 appearances, but his 15.4-percent walk rate is a concern. Going all the way back to June 22, Brian Duensing has a sensational 1.52 ERA. Four solid options isn't bad, but it isn't great. Bullpens are becoming more vital with every passing postseason. Keep a close eye on Justin Wilson, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon over the next three weeks, if the Cubs can get to October. Cubs.com Cubs activate catcher Contreras off DL By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Willson Contreras was activated from the disabled list on Sunday, but the catcher will be eased into the Cubs' lineup as the team tries to replicate a rehab assignment at the big league level.

8 Contreras has been sidelined since Aug. 11 with a right hamstring strain, and he was able to play briefly in two Minor League games with Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday, he was eager to get back in the lineup. He pinch-hit in the seventh, only to strike out in the Cubs' 3-1 loss to the Brewers. "I feel good," Contreras said. "I feel good to play. I feel 100 percent. I'm back because I'm ready to play." Manager Joe Maddon was more cautious. "He's available today," Maddon said. "As we get into the next week, we'll try to get him involved in the games and get him at-bats and get him on the field, maybe not play a complete game. We're still trying to figure out the entire program or plan. We have to get him going, we have to get him in a game. He's feeling good." The Cubs have an off-day Monday, and Maddon said he expected to have a better plan regarding Contreras' playing time on Tuesday. The tough part will be getting Contreras to slow down a notch to avoid re-aggravating the hamstring, which he injured running to first base. As Maddon said, Contreras plays "like his hair is on fire." "It's hard to ask him to not go 100 percent," Maddon said. "The [athletic] trainers feel really strongly about him being well and healed. I think the best thing we can do is limit innings in the beginning, like he was almost on a rehab assignment. To ask him to not go hard or play like he normally does is difficult to do." Contreras caught for five innings in his first game with Myrtle Beach, and he was the designated hitter on Friday. The Cubs open a three-game series against the Mets on Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to talking to [the medical staff] today to see what their plan is," Contreras said. "I'm ready to play, and I'm back." When Contreras returns, will he bat cleanup again? Maddon said he wasn't sure. Contreras, 25, sparked the Cubs in the second half, batting.311 in 23 games with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs before he was injured. He was batting.274 overall with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs in 102 games. Cubs.com Offense can't deliver for Hendricks in finale By Carrie Muskat and Adam McCalvy CHICAGO Mission accomplished for the Brewers. Travis Shaw smacked a two-run homer to back Zach Davies, who won his Major League-leading 17th game, and lift the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Cubs on Sunday. With the win, Milwaukee completed a sweep of the weekend series, and it is now two games behind Chicago in the National League Central. "We know what needs to be done, and we've been through it," Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks said. "Nothing needs to be said.... We're all on the same page. We just have to win ballgames." Shaw's homer with one out in the sixth inning off Hendricks snapped a 1-1 tie. Milwaukee leads the season series, 8-7, and these two teams will meet one more time, from Sept , at Miller Park in what could be a crucial series. "That's about as good as I can hit a ball. That might be close to the third deck at home," said Shaw, a reference to the wind off Lake Michigan, which played a factor in all three games. "We needed a sweep. Now we need to make sure we carry this [forward]." Said Cubs manager Joe Maddon: "Shaw beating the wind like that, that's pretty impressive."

9 Davies struck out six and scattered seven hits over seven innings to improve to 6-2 in his past eight road starts. The Brewers' three starters in the series Jimmy Nelson, Chase Anderson and Davies combined to give up one earned run over 17 innings while striking out 18. The sputtering Cubs were outscored, 20-3, in the three games. "We aren't hitting," Maddon said. "We came off winning two in a row in Pittsburgh and before that, we won six in a row, and in this series, we chose not to hit. Hopefully, we'll start hitting soon." Hendricks notched his sixth consecutive quality start but took the loss, and the Cubs ended their string of 20 consecutive games at Besides having a day off Monday, the Cubs can look forward to the return of Willson Contreras. Contreras, out since Aug. 11, pinch-hit in the seventh but struck out. The Brewers had lost three in a row to the Reds before they arrived in Chicago. This was their first three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field since May 9-12, "That was a big thing, coming here into their ballpark and showing we can compete," Davies said. "It's going to make [the rest of] September very interesting and fun to play for." The defending World Series champion Cubs are still in first place in the division. "September baseball is fun," Chicago rookie Ian Happ said. "The next few weeks will be a blast." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Taking advantage: Happ walked to lead off the Chicago second and advanced on Javier Baez's sacrifice. One out later, Rene Rivera lined the ball to right, which Hernan Perez should've caught, but misplayed. Rivera was credited with a double and Happ scored to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Happ said Davies was tough. "He does a good job of keeping the ball out of the middle and has a lot of movement both ways," Happ said. "That big, slow curveball kind of offsets everything else." Surprise: Ryan Braun bunted to lead off the Brewers' fourth, and was safe, his first bunt hit since Hendricks walked Shaw, and both Braun and Shaw advanced on Perez's sacrifice. Braun then scored on Stephen Vogt's groundout to second to tie the game at 1. "My take on the day was there was not going to be home runs hit," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "One, with the wind, and two, seeing the swings both teams were taking off [Davies and Hendricks]. I think the only ball we hit hard off Hendricks was the ball Travis hit. I thought it was going to be very difficult to score. I thought one run was going to be a big deal, to get it tied up. I thought we had the right guys to execute it." QUOTABLE "This was kind of our last stand here this weekend. If they win the series, the division is going to be out of reach, I think, So it was huge sweep for us." Shaw "We've been in so many different ballgames and so many different situations between this year and last year. We know what we need to do. As far as attitude, team demeanor, grinding pitch to pitch, we're doing what we can." Hendricks SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Cubs were swept at home for the third time this season and first time since May 5-7 vs. the Yankees. WHAT'S NEXT

10 Brewers: The Brewers return to Miller Park for a quick, three-game homestand against the Pirates. Brandon Woodruff will make his fifth Major League start in Monday's 6:40 p.m. CT opener opposite Pittsburgh's Steven Brault. Cubs: After an off-day Monday, the Cubs open a six-game homestand on Tuesday, beginning with the Mets. Jose Quintana will make his 11th start for the Cubs. He's coming off a no-decision against the Pirates in which he threw six scoreless innings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Cubs.com Cubs 'know what we need to do' at plate By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO There's no need for a team meeting or any hand-wringing. There's also no need to panic. The Cubs' offense is sputtering, and the players know it. The Brewers beat the Cubs, 3-1, on Sunday to complete a sweep of the three-game series and trim Chicago's lead in the National League Central to two games. Milwaukee's pitchers were the stars, and the three starters Jimmy Nelson, Chase Anderson and Zach Davies combined to give up one earned run over 17 innings while striking out 18. "We aren't hitting," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We came off winning two in a row in Pittsburgh and before that, we won six in a row, and in this series, we chose not to hit. Hopefully, we'll start hitting soon." The Cubs were offensively challenged in the first half of the season when they ranked 14th in the NL with a team batting average of.239. That number was better in the second half, thanks to a surge from Willson Contreras, who batted.311 after the All-Star break before he injured his hamstring. Since he was hurt on Aug. 11, the Cubs were collectively batting.276, but in their past eight games, they've scored 16 runs and they're batting.150 with runners in scoring position. The Cubs have won two of those eight games. What's happened to the Cubs' offense? "What happened? Nothing happened. Baseball happened," Chicago's Jason Heyward said. "You go over and ask that [Brewers] clubhouse what happened when they got swept by Cincinnati it's the way the game goes," Heyward said. "It's baseball. I'm not saying, 'So what?' but that's part of the game. Teams will pitch well sometimes, sometimes you're not going to hit well, sometimes balls will go at people, sometimes it'll be what it is." Maddon limits his team meetings to three a year, and the next one is tentatively scheduled before the postseason begins. "There's nothing I can say to them that would make a difference right now," Maddon said. Maddon has had plenty of conversations with players, preferring "one-on-one therapy as opposed to group therapy." A few of the veteran players have called team meetings. "It's been different people," Heyward said. "[Jon] Lester's done one, [John] Lackey's done one, [Jon] Jay's done one, I've done one. Even if we have one, it's, 'Hey, everybody speak up. Get it off your mind, put it to the group.' That's what matters is the group. I think we've done a great job to this point. We're going to keep having fun and grinding it out and pushing to go forward. It's not going to be easy.

11 "The name of the game is find a way to get it done," Heyward said. "Nobody's going to care at the end of the year [what the record is]. It's just, 'Are you in or not?'" This was the first time the Cubs were swept at home since May 5-7 by the Yankees. It stings a little more to Cubs fans, because it was the rival Brewers who came out ahead. These two teams meet again at Miller Park from Sept "We've been in so many different ballgames and so many different situations between this year and last year," Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. "We know what we need to do. As far as attitude, team demeanor, grinding pitch to pitch, we're doing what we can. "Nothing needs to be said," Hendricks said. "We just have to win ballgames." Cubs.com Cubs keeping Florida in their thoughts By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO At least one television in the Cubs' clubhouse was tuned to The Weather Channel on Sunday as players with family and friends in Florida watched Hurricane Irma's progress. Catcher Alex Avila has a home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and he was getting updates. "All morning, I've been getting texts from friends and family about their status down there," said Avila. "The whole area where I'm at has lost power. As far as anything else, that's really the extent of it. People have lost power, and it's been a lot of trees flying around." Avila's home was in a mandatory evacuation area, and his family was able to get to Chicago safely. Anthony Rizzo was monitoring video outside his Florida home, which was more inland, and he could see the heavy rain and high winds blowing the palm trees. Albert Almora Jr.'s family decided to stay in the Miami area and hunker down. Manager Joe Maddon's wife, Jaye, was able to leave Tampa with their two dogs and cat and drive north, hopefully out of harm's way. "You prepare as best you can," Avila said. "I grew up there. You know what to do. Once you do that, once you prepare, you just cross your fingers." All of the Floridians were looking forward to next week when the Cubs are scheduled to play the Rays in Tampa Bay on Sept Worth noting Kyle Schwarber has not started the past three Cubs games against the Brewers, and Maddon said that's because their scouting department likes the matchups better with others in the mix. Kris Bryant started in left field on Sunday, his first start in the outfield since June 26. "I want to match it up as well as I can," Maddon said. "It's not June or July, it is September. We're trying to do the best we can to match up versus their pitchers. It's not just about Kyle, it's about everybody, and [Schwarber] gets it." Schwarber came off the bench and hit his 25th home run on Saturday in the Cubs' 15-2 loss to the Brewers. He is batting.250 (4-for-16) in seven games this month.

12 Jake Arrieta, whose status is uncertain after he strained his right hamstring last Monday in Pittsburgh, played catch on Sunday, and he said all went well. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated on the off-day Monday. The Cubs have yet to announce the rotation for their weekend series against the Cardinals, which begins Friday. Good luck to all the fantasy football participants enjoying the start of the NFL season on Sunday. Maddon is not a participant any more. "It was ruining my Sundays," Maddon said. "I started worrying about the wrong things. I stopped doing all that stuff. Fantasy football was great in the beginning, but then it was the worst. I could not enjoy football any more, so I stopped doing that." Cubs.com Quintana, Cubs look to increase division lead By Chris Bumbaca The Cubs will look to bolster their slim lead in the National League Central race on Tuesday against the Mets in the first game of a three-game set in Chicago. Jose Quintana will start for the Cubs, while the Mets will send Robert Gsellman to the hill. Since being traded to the Cubs in July, Quintana is 5-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 10 starts. He's recorded quality starts in three of his last four outings, tossing six scoreless in the Cubs' 1-0 win in Pittsburgh during his last start. Monday's off-day will be a nice reprieve for the Cubs, who played 20 straight games without an off-day before that, going (11-9) in that span. After being swept by Milwaukee on Sunday, Chicago's lead in the NL Central narrowed to two games. "I think you enjoy the pennant race," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Enjoy this whole thing. We're in a position once again to go back to the playoffs. That's something you never want to take for granted." Gsellman hopes to finish his 2017 campaign strong to prove to the Mets he deserves at least consideration for a starting role in Over his last three starts, the right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.76 ERA. The Mets took two of three from the Cubs in June during the first series of the season between the teams. Three things to know about this game Quintana has faced the Mets once before, on May 30 last season, and took the loss despite pitching well, allowing one earned run over seven innings. This will be Gsellman's first career start against the Cubs. Jose Reyes is two extra-base hits behind Darryl Strawberry (469) for second-most in Mets history. David Wright is first on the team list with 658. The back ends of both clubs' bullpens are in good shape going into the series. AJ Ramos has been perfect in save opportunities (7-for-7) since joining the Mets in late July, and Wade Davis is a perfect 29-for-29 on the season. ESPNChicago.com Cubs had better hope their offense returns before it's too late By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO Not even the return of Willson Contreras could spark the Chicago Cubs as they played a weekend of forgettable baseball that put their playoff hopes squarely back in question. The Milwaukee Brewers squashed the

13 five-game lead the Cubs had over the National League Central heading into the series to move just two games behind first place after Sunday's 3-1 win. The overarching theme for the home team? It couldn't touch Milwaukee's pitching. "It really comes down to that," manager Joe Maddon said after the Cubs were swept on Sunday. "You have to pitch better than good pitching, and they did it. We pitched well but were unable to string together any amount of hits, and our power has been negated a bit." It's true, the Cubs pitched well enough to win at least a game or two, but the offense scored one run all weekend when it counted, and that came on a misplayed ball in right field on Sunday. Maddon tried three different lineups, none of which came through. Outfielder Jason Heyward was asked what has happened to the Cubs' offense, which came in to the series as the highest-scoring team since the All-Star break but has struggled for the past seven days. "Nothing happened," Heyward answered. "Baseball happened. That's the way the game goes." As usual, when it comes to a lack of offense, there are few easy answers. Maddon has tried different combinations all season, which has led to people asking for a set batting order. But the reasons behind the changes have been due to players like Kyle Schwarber who barely got off the bench this weekend and Ben Zobrist struggling as much as they have. It's the chicken and egg of baseball. Which came first: different lineups due to offensive struggles, or the struggles due to different lineups? Maddon would rightly tell you it was the former, not the latter. Perhaps things will look more normal once Contreras returns as an everyday player. (He struck out in a pinchhitting appearance on Sunday.) One player rarely makes the entire difference, but seeing him in the cleanup spot again could at least solidify the middle of the order. But the Cubs' offensive problems could be bigger than even that. Did their standing as the highest-scoring team in the second half have real meaning, considering that much of their scoring was concentrated in so few games? There were the four 15-run affairs in August, and just eight days ago they put up 14 against the Atlanta Braves. Since then, the offense has been a shell of itself, resembling the first-half team more than the post-all-star-break squad. "It happens to every team at some point," Maddon said. "It's contagious to hit as well as it is contagious to not hit. You just have to keep working your way through it. It's going to come back to us. We're going to start hitting again." So, basically, Maddon is saying it's bad timing more than anything systemic within the team's approach. Heyward said as much, too, in regard to the fate of the Cubs and Brewers lately. "We've been swept before, they've been swept before," he said. "They're coming off a sweep, had an off day and bounced back. We need to do the same." Heyward and Maddon could be right. If they are, that would mean they're due for another hot stretch. Perhaps they'll get it with the New York Mets coming to town on Tuesday, but it's not like this was the first offensive slump the Cubs have had this season. They had a bad first half at the plate and have gotten by since the break mostly thanks to hitting a lot of home runs. When that dried up, so did the Cubs' offense. Maddon was asked whether a team meeting was in order. "There's nothing I could say to them that would make a difference right now," Maddon said. "They need to see consistency from me." That means no extra hitting, no panic lineups and no tables overturned. The Cubs will do their usual pre-series work and be thankful the Brewers' pitching staff has moved on, at least until the teams meet again for a fourgame series near the end of the month. Maybe by then, the timing will be better for the Cubs. "All of a sudden, in this series, we chose not to hit," Maddon said. "Give their pitchers credit. They've pitched well. Hopefully we'll start to hit soon."

14 What more can Maddon do but hope? CSNChicago.com Cubs see division lead beginning to disappear: 'Are you in or are you out?' By Patrick Mooney What s happened? Jason Heyward said, repeating back part of a reporter s question. Nothing happened. Baseball happened. It was only fitting that Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk threw out the first pitch and led the seventh-inning stretch on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Maybe the Cubs aren t quite that desperate and would never admit it even if they were in crisis mode but the Milwaukee Brewers had only one realistic way to stay relevant in the National League Central race: Sweep the defending World Series champs. Mission accomplished for the upstart Brewers team the Cubs allowed to hang around into September and gain more and more confidence. The flip-flopping St. Louis Cardinals sellers one day, buyers in another deal, holding auditions for the future while trying to compete now have also closed to within two games of first place. The Bears losing their opener to the Atlanta Falcons in the final seconds at Soldier Field and all the Monday morning quarterbacking will give the Cubs some cover during their day off. But what could have been a fourgame lead over the Brewers disappeared with a 3-1 loss in front of 40,113. If you go over there and ask that clubhouse what happened to them when they got swept by Cincinnati (last week), it s the way the game goes, said Heyward, the $184 million Gold Glove outfielder with a.259 batting average who is always available at his locker to answer questions. I m not saying, Oh, OK, so what, but that s just a part of the game. Teams are going to pitch well sometimes. Sometimes, you re not going to hit well. Sometimes, balls are going to go at people. Sometimes, (that s) going to be what it is. The Cubs are getting what they deserve for all their inconsistencies a stressful finish where 11 of their last 19 games are against either Milwaukee or St. Louis. The Cubs also have enough of an off-the-field reputation when it comes to rainouts and game times that the Brewers could make themselves feel slighted and turn those petty behind-the-scenes disputes into part of the narrative. We ve been in a tight race all year, rookie Ian Happ said. Just keep playing good baseball and see where it shakes out at the end. The Brewers lined up their top three starters Jimmy Nelson, Chase Anderson and Zach Davies and limited the Cubs to three runs total in 27 innings. The first point the Cubs led all weekend came during Sunday s second inning, when No. 8 hitter/backup catcher Rene Rivera lifted what looked like a routine flyball to right field. It carried over the head of Hernan Perez, who stuck out his glove and watched the ball bounce away for a questionable RBI double. They got us, manager Joe Maddon said. We were just unable to string together any kind of hits, and then our power s been negated a bit. If you look around baseball, it happens to every team at some point. It s contagious to hit as well as it is contagious to not hit. You got to just keep working your way through it. It s going to come back to us. We re going to start hitting again.

15 After pinch-hitter Alex Avila struck out swinging at All-Star closer Corey Knebel s 97-mph fastball to leave Heyward stranded at second base and secure the sweep, the Cubs played reggae music in their clubhouse and looked forward to a day off after playing 20 games in 20 days and ahead to what will ultimately define their season. You say gave up three games, whatever, Heyward said. They had a great series. That s that. That s the name of the game right now find a way to get it done. Nobody s going to care at the end of the year. It s just: Are you in or are you not? And no doubt that all the teams right now in our division that still have a chance are doing the best we can to get in. These games are big, of course, but they re over with. CSNChicago.com Kyle Hendricks explains why Cubs won t panic now By Patrick Mooney Kyle Hendricks started Game 7 of the World Series 11 days after beating Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers to give the Cubs their first National League pennant since the year World War II ended. What happened last October and November remains part of this group s DNA, the same way Cubs teams used to feel that anxiety and weight of history. So these Cubs won t be panicking or playing tight after a lost weekend at Wrigley Field where the Milwaukee Brewers outscored them by a 20-3 aggregate during a three-game sweep, assuring the NL Central would remain a three-team race. We ve been in so many different ballgames, so many different situations, Hendricks said matter-of-factly in the interview room after Sunday s 3-1 loss. We know what we need to do. That s definitely a given. But as far as attitude, team demeanor, no, it s just grinding pitch to pitch, trying to do what we can. The Cubs earned championship rings last year with pitching, defense and clutch hitting. While the offense went missing against the Brewers essentially giving Hendricks no margin for error even a rotation missing Jake Arrieta should still give the Cubs a chance to win every night. Both the Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals are now two games out of first place, and the Cubs will play those two teams 11 more times this month, including eight in a row on the road between Sept We re somewhat aware of where the teams are at, Hendricks said, but it s not what we re focused on. We re focused on the field, what needs to be done, pitch to pitch. That s really where our focus is and where it s stayed. So two games, five games, whatever it is, it is. We have to win ballgames down the stretch. Period. Hendricks who has put together six quality starts in a row and a 2.58 ERA in his 10 starts since coming off the disabled list basically regretted one pitch. Milwaukee slugger Travis Shaw drove an elevated two-seam fastball that crashed off the video-board ribbon in the right-field corner for a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning. There is no other way for the Cubs to spin it, of course, but last year gives them the benefit of the doubt. If they can survive and advance, the Cubs will have a playoff rotation that should match up with anyone else in the NL, and a resilient team strengthened through adversity. This is just more of it to test us and see what we re made of, Hendricks said. We ve come out on the good side of it in the past, so it s a good track record to move forward with. But it doesn t guarantee anything.

16 CSNChicago.com Willson Contreras returns to give Cubs another energy boost in division race By Patrick Mooney For all the mood swings around this team and conflicting signals within the National League Central understand that the Cubs doubled their division lead while Willson Contreras recovered from a strained right hamstring. The Cubs held a 1.5-game edge on the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 9 when Contreras grabbed his right leg while running out a groundball and collapsed onto the outfield grass at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Contreras hit the optimistic end of a four-to-six-week projection and got activated before Sunday s game against the Brewers at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs opened with a three-game advantage over Milwaukee and St. Louis. We have a goal to reach the playoffs and then go from there, Contreras said. This is a young team that never quits. This is a young team that plays nine innings, 27 outs. And no matter what injuries we have on the team, they re going to stick it out and play hard. At the time, Contreras (21 homers, 70 RBI,.861 OPS) had been performing like someone who would get votes on the bottom half of the NL MVP ballot. In the meantime, the Cubs watched their top starting pitchers (Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta) walk off the field in the middle of starts with injuries, and kept waiting for All-Star shortstop Addison Russell (strained right foot/plantar fasciitis) to come off the disabled list. (It s) guys understanding their roles, catcher Alex Avila said, and the fact that when guys went down, it doesn t have to be one person that has to do everything, just as long as you have contributions from everybody. Even guys just going into the game late whether you re pinch-running or pinch-hitting all those types of things play (into that and) pick up the team when quite a few guys are injured. When the Cubs executed the Justin Wilson deal with the Detroit Tigers before the July 31 deadline, the assumption was Avila would be a backup who might play once a week while Contreras continued to established himself as one of the best two-way catchers in the game. But the Cubs are always trying to think through worst-case scenarios and prepare accordingly. During the time Contreras spent on the disabled list, Avila hit.281 (18-for-64) with two homers and 14 RBI in 22 games. So the Cubs will certainly take Contreras and his rocket arm, powerful swing and boundless energy. But near the end of an unexpected division race, that depth might ultimately be the separator for the defending World Series champs. The key is not trying to do too much, Avila said, understanding what you re capable of, and just trying to take care of that and allow the talent to take over." Chicago Tribune Cubs' NL Central lead down to 2 games after sweep by Brewers By Mark Gonzales Position changes. Team meetings. Parent-teacher conferences. At this point, the Cubs won't care how they break out of their offensive funk as long as they can win the increasingly difficult National League Central race.

17 "Find a way to get it done," Jason Heyward said Sunday after the Cubs' division lead was cut to two games over the Brewers and Cardinals following the Brewers' 3-1 triumph that completed a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field and the Cardinals' sweep of the Pirates. "Nobody is going to care at the end of the year. It's just are you in or out?" The Cubs' inconsistent offense showed during the series, in which they scored only three runs. Since the Cubs defeated the Braves on Sept. 2 their sixth straight win and the sixth time in 19 games they scored 10 or more runs they have been outscored in eight games. The Cubs have a day off Monday after they went 11-9 during a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. The last time the Cubs suffered a three-game sweep, May in San Diego to end an 0-6 road trip, a players' meeting followed. Manager Joe Maddon usually holds three team meetings per season: prior to the first game, the first game of the second half and the first playoff game. He doesn't see the need to add one with 19 games left in the regular season. "There's nothing I can say to them that would make a difference right now," said Maddon, who said he conducts one-on-one meetings and that the hitters and pitchers meet separately before each series. "Regarding the group as a whole, I'm never opposed to the group getting together." Only a two-out fielding gaffe by Brewers right fielder Hernan Perez that was ruled a double by Rene Rivera and allowed Ian Happ to score in the second inning prevented the Cubs from being blanked for the 11th time. Zach Davies earned his MLB-best 17th win for the Brewers with seven hits, one walk and six strikeouts in seven innings. The Cubs' lineup featured Kris Bryant starting in left field for the second time this season and Tommy La Stella starting at third base for more offense with Ben Zobrist getting a day off. But the Brewers bunted frequently at La Stella, and Ryan Braun set up the Brewers' tying rally with a bunt single that eluded La Stella. Catcher Willson Contreras was activated from the disabled list before Sunday's game. He could return to the cleanup spot and allow Maddon to permanently return Bryant and Anthony Rizzo to the second and third spots. Contreras was the Cubs' hottest hitter before he suffered a moderate right hamstring pull on Aug. 9. He had only six plate appearances during his two-game rehabilitation assignment for Class-A Myrtle Beach. Contreras struck out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, and it could be awhile until he finds his timing. The Cubs' offensive shutdown occurred after they came home with a five-game lead after winning the final two games in Pittsburgh while the Brewers were swept by the last-place Reds. "And all of sudden in this series, we chose not to hit," Maddon said. "So hopefully we'll start hitting soon." Kyle Hendricks, who threw an 86 mph letter-high fastball that Travis Shaw whacked through a stiff breeze for the winning home run in the sixth, seemed indifferent to a players' meeting. "We know what needs to be done," Hendricks said. "And we've been through it. Nothing needs to be said. "If it happens, maybe it would help a bit. We're all on the same page. We know what needs to be done. We just got to win games." Chicago Tribune Cubs line up John Lackey to open next weekend's Cardinals series at Wrigley By Mark Gonzales