July 4, Cubs.com, Rizzo keys Cubs' come-from-behind win

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1 July 4, 2018 The Athletic, Searching for the next Gleyber or Eloy: Scouting report on the Cubs international free-agent signings The Athletic, Once a model organization for the Cubs, the Cardinals handling of Dexter Fowler shows poor judgement The Athletic, What s wrong with Kyle Hendricks? Let him explain Cubs.com, Rizzo keys Cubs' come-from-behind win Cubs.com, Bryant takes BP; Cubs will wait to activate him ESPNChicago.com, Scoring second not a problem in Cubs' string of snappy comebacks NBC Sports Chicago, Analyzing the All-Star chances for each Cubs player NBC Sports Chicago, Kyle Hendricks hasn't turned the corner yet: 'It's very unfamiliar from the dugout watching it out there' NBC Sports Chicago, Joe Maddon on Dexter Fowler drama in St. Louis: 'It's really unfortunate' Chicago Tribune, Cubs score another comeback, run win streak to 5 with 5-3 win against the Tigers Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant's return from DL delayed at least until Friday story.html

2 Chicago Tribune, Column: Cubs schedule quirk sets up enjoyable month of day baseball at Wrigley Field story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs target Kris Bryant's return for Wednesday but could wait until Friday Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon calls Dexter Fowler's situation with Cardinals 'unfortunate' story.html Chicago Sun-Times, Comeback Cubs win fifth straight as they wait for vaunted rotation to catch up Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs push back Kris Bryant s return from DL after more shoulder pain Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs Joe Maddon: Mozeliak s comments ripping Dexter Fowler really unfortunate Chicago Sun-Times, Life s a beach and beachfront property for the super-rich Ricketts family Daily Herald, Cubs do all the little things right for fifth straight win Daily Herald, Cubs' Bryant won't return from DL until at least Friday The Athletic Searching for the next Gleyber or Eloy: Scouting report on the Cubs international free-agent signings By Patrick Mooney Pay attention when the Cubs have money to spend on the international market and a clear need for more high-end talent in their farm system. Projecting how teenagers will assimilate into a new culture, grow into their bodies and handle the demands of professional baseball is an impossible task. But Cubs officials have contacts and relationships that matter at showcases and credibility whenever they walk into a prospect s home: Just look at Gleyber Torres and Eloy Jiménez.

3 The Cubs thought Torres had the physical skills and emotional maturity to play for a big-market team expected to win the World Series every year. It s just happening now in New York in Yankee pinstripes after the blockbuster Aroldis Chapman deal that completed the 2016 championship team. The Cubs thought Jimenez had off-the-charts power and fast-track potential. It s just routed now to the South Side after last year s José Quintana trade with the White Sox, a matter of staying healthy given his most recent injury (strained left adductor muscle) at Triple-A Charlotte. The reverberations from those international free-agent signings in the summer of 2013 will still be felt at Wrigley Field for years to come. It will be difficult to top the buzz surrounding those one-name prospects Gleyber and Eloy but the Cubs hope the investments made in this July 2 class will pay huge dividends. That s hard to match, said Louie Eljaua, the director of international scouting and a special assistant to Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Not just by our standards, but kind of as an industry standard. That was a special group, a special year. We lined it up pretty good where we were in position to sign both guys. Yeah, if we could get another one like that, obviously, we would be happy. But you never know. It s hard to say that. But we re extremely happy about these guys, for sure. We like their upside. With the Cubs out of the collective bargaining agreement s penalty box no longer capped at $300,000 for an individual player s bonus Eljaua viewed this as a chance for his staff to fish in deeper waters. The Cubs landed two high-profile pitchers out of Venezuela right-hander Richard Gallardo ($1 million) and lefty Joel Machado ($850,000) and also reached agreements with Dominican outfielder José López ($1.5 million), Dominican shortstop Rafael Morel ($850,000) and Venezuelan outfielder Yohendrick Pinango ($400,000). We liked quite a few players in this class, Eljaua said. In our opinion, we got commitments from the top right-handed pitcher arguably the best pitcher on the market and probably the best lefthanded pitcher in Machado. We got some really good, premium athletes, up-the-middle guys in Morel and López and Pinango. They re all plus runners. They all have power. We all feel they re going to hit and have a chance to stay in the middle of the field. The Cubs understand how long it takes drafted pitchers to develop and how much it costs to build a rotation through free agency, spending $319 million on Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood plus cashing in a valuable trade chip (Jiménez) to get Quintana for four pennant races. Here s Eljaua s scouting report on Gallardo, who s listed at 6-foot-1, 187 pounds and ranked fifth on MLB.com s international pipeline: We ve seen his fastball up to 94. It sits 90-92, which is really good for a 16-year-old. It s not just the stuff. It s not just the velocity. He gets really good movement on his fastball, plus movement. A lot of swing and misses on all three pitches. The curveball is a swing-and-miss curveball. The changeup is a plus pitch. We feel he s a leader. He s a really good athlete. He s a strong kid. He s physical. We think he s going to be a durable guy who s going to be able to sustain the innings [with] the feel for his stuff and mound presence. For a 16-year-old kid, he s very polished.

4 The stuff combined with the pitch-ability combined with the presence combined with the know-how and the swing-and-miss stuff it s everything you look for. And hopefully it will continue to progress [the way it] has since we started scouting him. The upside, for us, is a top-of-the-rotation guy. We ll see where it ends up. Since the Cubs first started tracking him, Machado has grown an inch or two and added about pounds to his 6-foot, 165-pound frame, fueling a belief he could throw mph from the left side. He s got some José Quintana in him, Eljaua said. He s not as advanced as Gallardo, but not many are. He s a guy that we ve seen up to 91 mph. Again, really good movement to his fastball, really good life. Strike-thrower. Can paint both corners of the plate. Changes speeds very well. The curveball is a pitch we see as above-average. Another guy who s a really good athlete. Before Tuesday s game at Wrigley Field, Eljaua chatted behind the batting cage with Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila, an old friend he once worked with to close the Miguel Cabrera deal for the Florida Marlins back in Eljaua is now in his 10th season in the Cubs organization after overseeing the construction of academies for the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates in the Dominican Republic. Alex Suarez the international director of pro scouting and assistant director of player development started out as a baseball operations intern with the Cubs in Jose Serra who helped sign Jiménez, Starlin Castro, Welington Castillo and Carlos Marmol has overseen the club s operations in the Dominican Republic since The Cubs can only make educated guesses about Gallardo as a No. 1 starter and Machado as the next Quintana. But the Cubs know what they re doing in Latin America, building off the network Jim Hendry s regime created. Class-A South Bend catcher Miguel Amaya ticketed for the All-Star Futures Game is already drawing comparisons to Willson Contreras. The continuity definitely helps, Eljaua said. Theo and Jed trust the process that we have in place. We trust our staff, our evaluations. It s a much different deal than what we do in the draft. It s something you don t see as much visually or on a spreadsheet or on a board. This is more like [reporting] back to Theo: OK, this is what we got. This is what we re looking at. This is what we re seeing. It s more verbal. But it is a longer process because you re starting to see these guys much younger, in some cases scouting them when they re 13 or 14. That helps because you build history with them and build relationships with the family. Our guys in the field are great. These guys are great in the house. They re great from a reputation standpoint in different countries. It s not just the Dominican or Venezuela. It s Colombia. It s Mexico. It s Panama. The Athletic Once a model organization for the Cubs, the Cardinals handling of Dexter Fowler shows poor judgement By Sahadev Sharma The Cubs of the last half-decade have prided themselves on the culture they ve created. Once known as the lovable losers, the Cubs are now a franchise known for successfully recruiting some of the best free agents, many of whom have chosen to take less money to play on the North Side.

5 They re a team known to focus on the fundamentals while also enforcing few clubhouse rules, rather choosing to create a laid-back atmosphere where players hold each other accountable. It was an environment in which Dexter Fowler was able to thrive. But that doesn t appear to be the case for Fowler in St. Louis. In an interview with a local St. Louis podcast, Cardinals team president John Mozeliak called out Fowler by name, saying that he s, had a lot of people come up to me and question his effort and his energy level. Mozeliak also added that everyone just needs to take a hard look in the mirror, a comment he has since said is directed at the team as a whole. Fowler, who is currently on paternity leave following the birth of his second child, is in the midst of the worst season of his career. After struggling early last season, Fowler was able to bounce back with a 121 wrc+. At this point in July, Fowler s wrc+ sits at 57 and despite being moved from center field to right, he s providing negative value on defense as well. I ve been reading about Dex and it s unfortunate because he is such a good friend, too, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, before talking about why he believes providing a positive atmosphere is so important. According to Maddon, it s something that he did organically years ago and didn t realize he was doing until it was pointed out to him by his mentor Gene Mauch. Since then, he carried it with him to Tampa Bay and now Chicago. For his part, Maddon never seemed to have any issues with Fowler. I love Dexter, Maddon said. He is effervescent, he is gregarious. He always lit up a room when he walked in. That s how I see Dex. He and I had great conversations all the time. I don t have any idea what s going on there in St. Louis. I just know my personal relationship with him is outstanding. Nobody who has spent any time with Fowler would deny any of those things. While with the Cubs, he d often joke around with teammates, a smile glued to his face. But what about his effort on the field? That s up to those guys, that s not up to me, Maddon said, referring to the Cardinals. But while he was in Chicago? That s St. Louis, that s not me, Maddon said. Maybe Maddon was simply saying that those issues are in St. Louis, but never were present in Chicago. But it was a struggle to get there if that s the case. What s clear is that Fowler doesn t seem to be having the same positive effect in St. Louis that he had while with the Cubs. This was a player who was known to lead with an expressive personality that resonated so well in a Cubs clubhouse aching to win. During his time with the Cubs, many suggested that Fowler was one of the smartest players in the clubhouse. However, there were those who have, over the years, questioned his hustle on the field defensively. Whether it was fair or just a flawed perception is another story. The Cubs did a masterful job of positioning Fowler to actually make him a much better defender in center field, according to both scouts and advanced defensive metrics. The Cubs acquired Fowler with one year remaining on his deal and were willing to let him walk after that season. However, Fowler never received the offer he was looking for and came back to the Cubs on a one-year deal, becoming a key part of their 2016 World Series-winning group. With another shot at free

6 agency looming, Fowler put together a great season (a career-high 128 wrc+ with positive defensive metrics in center field) and earned himself a big five-year deal in St. Louis. The bottom line is, the Cardinals were once known as a model organization. But what we ve seen of late has been a jarring juxtaposition to the St. Louis teams of just a few years ago. The fundamentals on defense and the base paths are gone, and issues that normally should be handled in house are being discussed publicly on a podcast with a current team broadcaster, and by the team s top baseball executive, no less. St. Louis looks nothing like the franchise it once was. Giancarlo Stanton enacted his no-trade clause and refused to be traded to St. Louis. Jason Heyward took less money to sign with the Cubs. The Cardinals lack any semblance of the franchise Theo Epstein once suggested the Cubs must mimic in order to find sustained success. Whether the Cubs had any issues with Fowler s effort and energy on the field isn t a topic of discussion in Chicago, because even if it existed, it was never once mentioned publicly. Instead, the team focused on highlighting what Fowler and everyone around him does well. Every player has his warts; no one would deny that. But by fostering a positive environment and handling any issues internally, the Cubs have not only become a destination franchise, but they ve emerged as the class of the National League both on and off the field. The Athletic What s wrong with Kyle Hendricks? Let him explain By Sahadev Sharma When Kyle Hendricks struggles, it almost always can be traced back to a mechanics problem, which leads to issues with his fastball command. Right now, Hendricks is posting a 4.21 ERA with a 7.6 percent walk rate, 18.2 percent HR/FB rate and 31.7 percent hard-hit rate, all of which would be the worst of his career. He s struck out just 18.3 percent of the batters he s faced, which would be his worst mark since his 14.6 percent mark his rookie season. One of Hendricks best characteristics off the field is his ability to explain exactly what s going on with him in great detail. If you ask the right questions, he s happy to dive into what s happening with him on the mound. I remember when Hendricks was in a really bad spot three years ago. I stood with him in the visitors clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field and he meticulously went over what was wrong with his mechanics and each of the drills he was doing to correct them, showing me visually what was wrong and how he was trying to correct it. This time around, he says he s doing more video work. Because he has a greater body of work, one with extreme success, he can look back at what s different between now and in 2016 and try and get back to what he knows works for him mechanically. Considering Hendricks is so good at describing these things, I ll let him do exactly that and try and provide a little context when appropriate. Sahadev Sharma: There are times I look at the pitches you ve thrown that get hit, particularly in your most recent start against the Dodgers, and it doesn t look like they re terrible pitches. They re probably not going where you want, but they re not always fastballs down the middle.

7 Kyle Hendricks: It s just the sequence of how things happen. Falling behind guys, you become too predictable. Even though you executed a pitch, it s not executed in the right sequence. I m just falling behind too many guys and I m not executing enough. I m not establishing my fastball in the bottom of the zone, so I m not getting the swings on my changeup. There s a few mechanical things that I m just going through that I m trying to find. SS: My colleague Eno Sarris wrote a piece recently in which he said your four-seam fastball is too often down in the zone and the two-seamer is up. Obviously, that s not what you want. You re trying to do the opposite. I would assume this is a result of the mechanical issues you ve alluded to quite a bit? Hendricks: All year I haven t been on my backside. [I want to be] strong on my backside, strong over the rubber, it hasn t been there. It s been a search of how to get in the right position. It s not that far off, but the results, once it gets down to the plate, can be drastic. It s just a few things that we re finding. I m trying to stay tall over the rubber and just create more angle. I m not getting good depth or good sink at the bottom of the zone with my two-seam. So stay tall at my balance point and just drive down the mound. I m just trying to find the right feel for it. (Definitely give Sarris piece a read, there are some very specific points on Hendricks stuff. The velocity is up on his fastballs and the movement of his pitches is as good, if not better than ever. It s all about location, which, as Hendricks said often during this interview, comes down to his mechanics. Get that right and we ll once again see the Hendricks we ve grown accustomed to over the last few years.) SS: What sort of things are you doing to correct this issue in between starts? Hendricks: I m watching a lot of video. Working with [pitching coach Jim] Hickey, [catching coach Mike Borzello] Borzy and [run prevention coordinator] Tommy [Hottovy]. Watching old video to when I was good and comparing it to now. We re trying to find the differences, whether it s my balance point on my backside, just trying to find any discrepancies. Then taking that visual I m a visual learner so once I see it, I can go out and try and work on it. It s just getting it to translate day to day. Gotta get those good habits going. I got into some bad habits and it s now all about the reps. SS: I remember talking to you about mechanical issues three years ago at Sox Park. You had a very specific idea of what was going on and how to fix it. Obviously, by 2016, your mechanics were right and you put together the best season of your career thus far. Does the fact that you ve been in a rut and found your way out give you confidence when you hit a rough patch like you re in now that you can find your way out? Hendricks: I ve had struggles, everyone has struggles. That s what you go back to. When you hit a rough patch, you look at it in a positive way. It s an opportunity to get better, it s teaching you something about yourself. Once you come out of it on the other side, I ll know a lot more about my mechanics, how to get myself right again if things start going bad in the future ever again. SS: You said earlier that you re not getting your fastball down in the zone, which is leading to hitters not chasing your changeup. That makes perfect sense, but can you explain in a bit more detail as to how you believe it s supposed to work and why it s not working? Hendricks: Everything works off my fastball. When I m establishing my fastball at the bottom of the zone and they re seeing it, I m getting called strikes right at the bottom, the changeup is coming out right on the same plane. They have to respect it. So that s when I m getting swings under the zone, you get chases and bad contact. Right now, I m not establishing that fastball, so I m having to throw changeups for strikes earlier in the count to combat it. But then they re getting a good look at it and they see it

8 down and they take it. So, the swings I m getting on pitches are all in the zone. So, it s really hard to get soft contact in the zone against these guys when my stuff s not moving how I m wanting it to. (Hendricks is getting a career-low 29.9 percent O-Swing%, the percentage of times he s getting opponents to swing at pitches that are outside the zone. According to Statcast, Hendricks is getting a 35.9 percent whiff rate on his changeup this year, which is actually above last season, but below his 2015 and 2016 marks, which were both right around 39 percent. The major issue here is that from 2015 to 2017, Hendricks had a chase rate of his changeup between 46.4 to 52.6 percent. This season that number is down significantly to 37.1 percent. The numbers show Hendricks was exactly right in his assessment. Jarringly so.) SS: And then you re also coming in the zone because you re behind. Hendricks: Exactly. When you fall behind, you can t walk guys over and over again. So, you re not giving in, you know you re not giving up a walk, so you throw a pitch that s more over the plate. That s what they re doing, guys are just waiting it out until they get that pitch they see over the plate. SS: And that all adds up to either walks or home runs. Hendricks: Exactly. Walks and hard contact. That s all you re going to get out of it. It s a recipe for disaster. It s the exact opposite of what you re trying to do in pitching. Be aggressive, get ahead with the fastball and then work off of that. That s just not what I m doing right now. Cubs.com Rizzo keys Cubs' come-from-behind win By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO The Cubs believe they can make in-game adjustments against good pitchers like the Tigers' Michael Fulmer. They believe no lead is too much to overcome. And they believe in Santa Claus, too. Anthony Rizzo drove in the game-tying run with an RBI single in the fifth inning and the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice in the seventh to lift the Cubs to a 5-3 victory on Tuesday afternoon over the Tigers at Wrigley Field. Kyle Schwarber added a solo homer in the eighth and Pedro Strop notched the save to secure the Cubs' fifth straight win, matching their longest streak this season. They're now 7-4 in Interleague Play, including a 6-3 mark at Wrigley Field. "The approaches are paying off now, we're getting some opposite-field hits," said Jason Heyward, who collected his 13th multi-hit game in his past 30 contests. "The weather warming up, they're getting hot. Hitting is contagious, too. You get a couple guys going there, and it translates through the whole lineup." Each of the Cubs' past six wins since June 26 have been of the come-from-behind variety. Chicago has 25 such victories this season, the most in the Majors. The Mariners and Phillies began play on Tuesday with 24 each. "We believe in everything right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Santa Claus is absolutely true. When you get to that point and you get that kind of confidence, you don't want to do anything to nick it."

9 Said starter Kyle Hendricks: "It's so fun watching those guys and their approach now. You know it's just a matter of time in any ballgame for us now." The Cubs started their comeback in the fifth when they trailed, 3-0. Albert Almora Jr. and Heyward hit back-to-back RBI doubles, and Rizzo added an RBI single. This was Fulmer's first start against the Cubs and his first at Wrigley Field, and the right-hander posted a quality start, giving up three runs over six innings. "Isn't it fun to watch that?" Maddon said of the rally. "Line to line, two-strike approach, moving the ball with two [outs]. Fulmer is good. I was really impressed with the way we came back against him. "That's the kind of guy you keep trying to hit home runs against and you come up empty," Maddon said of the Tigers' right-hander. "We finally adjusted our approach and had some great at-bats. That was beautiful to see." With the game tied at 3 and one out in the seventh against the Tigers' Daniel Stumpf, Heyward was on third and Ben Zobrist at first when Rizzo hit a grounder to second baseman Niko Goodrum, who flipped to shortstop Jose Iglesias for the force at second. Rizzo beat the throw to first, and Heyward scored to go ahead, 4-3. Rizzo, who said he believes in Santa Claus, too, now has 58 RBIs; he reached 50 by the end of June for the third straight season, and he is the third player in franchise history to do so, joining Ernie Banks and Sammy Sosa. In 2016, the Cubs' motto was "We never quit." It's engraved on their World Series rings. What's the theme this year? "Nothing yet," Rizzo said. "I'm sure, organically, something's brewing. Good teams come from behind a lot, they win late in games. That's what we did so well in 2016 that made us say that." The only downer was Hendricks' inability to go deeper in the game. Two of the Tigers' three runs off him came in the first, which continues to be a problem. He's been charged with 16 earned runs in the first inning of his 17 starts for an 8.47 ERA in that frame. Hendricks has a 3.38 ERA from the second inning on. "It's very unfamiliar from the dugout, watching it out there," Maddon said. "It's obviously frustrating," Hendricks said. "I have to stick with what I'm doing and my cues, and hopefully it'll click." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Glove work: Chicago native Jim Adduci, called up for Tuesday's game, singled to lead off the Tigers' fourth. He moved up when JaCoby Jones walked, and he scored on James McCann's single to left to open a 3-0 lead. But the Cubs' defense shut down the Tigers. One out later, Fulmer bunted. Rizzo was ready and charged the ball, scooping it up to start a double play. "I told [Rizzo] that double play doesn't get turned by everybody," Heyward said. "We don't take those things lightly. We definitely understand the importance [of playing defense]. We're trying to do what we can on both sides of the ball." YOU GOTTA SEE THIS

10 Heyward robbed McCann of a potential extra-base hit with a running catch in to open the Tigers' second inning. Heyward, a five-time Gold Glove winner, slid hard into the wall along the right-field line. "There's not much room for error there," Heyward said. "Fortunately, it stayed enough in play. It found my glove and I didn't get hurt, knock on wood." HE SAID IT "I don't think we've faced any bad pitching recently. That's a challenge. I feel we've done a good job of seeing what teams are trying to do to us throughout the game and not allowing them to do the same thing over and over." Heyward UP NEXT Jose Quintana will close the brief two-game Interleague series on Wednesday. Quintana did not get a decision in his last outing against the Dodgers, giving up three runs over 5 1/3 innings. He has not won a game since May 31, going 0-2 with a 4.33 ERA in five June starts. He's 2-2 with a 6.00 ERA in six home starts. Francisco Liriano will start for Detroit. First pitch at Wrigley Field is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT. Cubs.com Bryant takes BP; Cubs will wait to activate him By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Third baseman Kris Bryant felt some discomfort in his left shoulder after taking batting practice on Tuesday before the Cubs' 5-3 win over the Tigers, so he will not be activated from the disabled list for Wednesday's game. Bryant, who has been sidelined with left shoulder inflammation, may not be active until Friday, depending on how he feels, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said on Tuesday. Bryant has been out since June 23, and he has stepped up his baseball activities in recent days. He was eligible to be activated from the DL on Tuesday. "I just want the guy to be well," Maddon said on Tuesday. "I love the break he's getting right now." Bryant injured his shoulder more than a month ago while sliding, and he tried to play through it. He was batting.280, but his power numbers have dropped off. The third baseman has nine home runs this season; he had 16 homers in the first three months of the 2017 season. Around the horn Carl Edwards Jr. will stay in the Minor Leagues at Triple-A Iowa and make one more rehab appearance with the team. He had a rough outing on Monday with Iowa, his second rehab appearance there. Edwards gave up two runs over two-thirds of an inning, walked two, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. He has thrown 19 pitches in both of his appearances with Iowa, but he was unable to complete an inning either time. Edwards is fine physically, Maddon said. The right-hander has been sidelined since May 30 with right shoulder inflammation.

11 The Cubs may have players sidelined because of injuries, but Maddon is hoping they take advantage of the time off. "Rest matters," Maddon said. "If you want great performances out of your players, you want less strikeouts, better pitching performances, make sure you have a rested athlete." The Cubs have seen Jason Heyward and Brandon Morrow return strong after spending time on the disabled list. It's as if they get a second wind. "It matters to performance, it matters to not chasing pitches," Maddon said. "When you see guys go into these moments when they're not playing well, everybody gets upset with them and they get upset with themselves, but it's probably because they're fatigued and nobody's going to admit to that. "I don't think you'll ever see Cal's record be broken that was above and beyond," Maddon said, referring to Cal Ripken Jr.'s record of playing in 2,632 consecutive games. ESPNChicago.com Scoring second not a problem in Cubs' string of snappy comebacks By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO If they keep this up, the Chicago Cubs will be deserving of some fancy come-from-behind nickname. The never-say-die, comeback kids did it again on Tuesday, winning their fifth straight game after trailing early in each contest. "Everything is believable," manager Joe Maddon said after the Cubs' 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. "We believe in everything right now. Santa Claus is absolutely true." No word on if the Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny is paying them a visit anytime soon, but you might believe as well if you were in the Cubs dugout, considering they've trailed 3-0 three times during the streak, including Tuesday, when Maddon pinch hit for struggling starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks, bringing in Tommy LaStella to lead off the fifth inning and ignite a three-run frame off Michael Fulmer. "That's the kind of guy, you keep trying to hit home runs against, and you come up empty," Maddon said. "We finally adjusted our approach." It's the same approach that has worked for a week now ever since hitting coach Chili Davis shut the clubhouse doors for a hitters-only meeting. Since then, the Cubs have scored a whopping 65 runs in seven games. Tuesday's five scores seemed like a tiny total after the team tallied 10 or more runs in four straight games. "It's just so fun watching those guys and their approach right now," Hendricks said. "It's just a matter of time in any ball game right now." The Cubs have 25 come-from-behind wins so far this season, the most in baseball. They're when the opponent scores first, the best mark in the National League. For perspective, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the last teams with a.500 or better record when their opponents scored first were the 2006 White Sox (36-36) and Yankees (38-38). It sustains the kind of energy a dugout loves to embrace: the feeling that you're never out of any game.

12 "We have a good amount of experience knowing we have to finish the game regardless if we're up or down, and we treat every inning like it's 0-0," Jason Heyward said. Spoken like a true veteran. Of course, most talented teams earn their share of come-from-behind wins, but it takes a certain amount of quiet confidence to not press in the batter's box when trailing. The Cubs have rightly been accused of trying to hit three-run homers when the bases are empty, but not so much lately. Since that hitters meeting, which took place three series ago, the Cubs have been all about passing the baton to the next guy. "Isn't it fun to watch that?" Maddon asked rhetorically. "Line to line. Two-strike approach. Moving the ball with two [strikes]." It's especially fun considering the state of baseball these days, but if you're looking for opposite-field hitting, fewer strikeouts and good defense, you've come to the right place. The Cubs have gone oldschool during their win streak. There have been some home runs, but they have singled and doubled teams into submission. And they're at the top of the league in hitting the ball the other way. No one has illustrated that more than Heyward, who surpassed his 2017 total on Tuesday with his 24th opposite-field hit of the season. He has been the best example of the line-to-line approach Maddon has been preaching. Rizzo has always embraced that strategy, and now his teammates are joining in. "I don't think you see the home run swing on every single pitch," Rizzo said. "Guys are very disciplined right now. It's really fun. When guys are down two strikes, it's not about hitting a homer." Rizzo proved that himself on Tuesday, when he went the opposite way for a game-tying base hit in the fifth and a go-ahead fielder's choice RBI groundout in the seventh. Even without their closer available and with their starter having troubles, the Cubs found a way. In fact, they keep finding ways, inching closer to first place in the process. "When you get to that point and you get that kind of confidence going, you don't want to nick it," Maddon said. "It's the residue of our starting pitching not being what it normally is. We're giving up more early runs from our starters that we didn't anticipate that happening. But such a tightly knit group, they're there to pick everyone else up." That, more than anything, is the line you can draw back to a week ago, in the visitors clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, when the Cubs' hitting coach gave his guys a simple message: You don't have to do this yourself. The result has been an offensive explosion no matter what or when the other team scores. It comes with the talent and culture the team has developed over time. "I think we're always relaxed," Rizzo said. "We're not a team to get outside of our comfort zone.... We know we're a good team, just have to string together good at-bats." Mission accomplished. Christmas has come early for the Cubs pitching staff. As the temperatures have risen in Chicago, so have the run totals for the home team along with a never-say-die attitude. It's the kind of thing that bodes well for the playoffs, if the Cubs get that far. "I think it's just confidence," Hendricks said. "They've [the hitters] got it right now."

13 NBC Sports Chicago Analyzing the All-Star chances for each Cubs player By Tony Andracki Barring a crazy Fourth of July holiday, the Cubs will not have a player voted into the National League All- Star starting lineup. It's always possible a Cubs player could join that lineup over the next two weeks as a replacement, but as of Monday, the only Cub with a chance of being voted in was catcher Willson Contreras, who was close on the heels of former MVP Buster Posey. Javy Baez somehow slipped to 3rd in voting among second basemen while Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist were all likely too far behind in their respective positions to make up the ground before voting closes on July 5. But that's not to say the Cubs won't be well-represented when it comes time for the entire roster including reserves to be announced. Either way, Baez will be on the NL roster. That much is clear. Jon Lester leads the NL in wins (11) and will enter his next start with a 2.25 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his age 34 season. Washington's Max Scherzer and New York's Jacob degrom are having fantastic seasons and should be the NL's starting pitcher, but if their schedule doesn't allow, Lester looks like the next-best candidate at the moment. Albert Almora Jr. may also be named as an NL reserve with the incredible first half he's put up so far this year. The 24-year-old entered play Tuesday 2nd in the NL in batting average (.331), just behind Cincinnati's Scooter Gennett (.334). And that was before Almora doubled home a run in the 5th inning Tuesday to get the Cubs on the scoreboard. He wasn't an everyday starter at the beginning of the year and thus wasn't included by the Cubs on the All-Star ballot, so the only way fans could vote him in is by writing him in manually. Still, Almora has been an absolute revelation for the Cubs this season, hitting.332 with a.371 on-base percentage and.834 OPS. He's on pace for 88 runs in only 476 at-bats and has already accrued as much WAR (1.7) in 78 games in 2018 as he did in 179 games between combined. Almora is always focused on the team and trying to get the Cubs back to the Promised Land. But even he could allow himself to dream on how cool it would be to head to Washington D.C. in two weeks to represent his organization. "It'd be special," Almora said. "Not even being on the player's ballot, to be a write-in everywhere, no exposure when it comes to social media from our team or anything, that'd be pretty neat if I could make that. "It shows people really pay attention to the season. But at the same time, I'm not looking at that. I'm not paying attention to that. But it would definitely be a great experience."

14 Almora appeared in 132 games for the Cubs last season, but only notched 299 at-bats in the process. Despite hitting.298 with a.783 OPS, he was only a platoon player as the Cubs limited his plate appearances against right-handed pitching. The Cubs still manage his exposure to some tough righties and Almora still has a tendency to swing at too many breaking pitches low and away, but he's made remarkable strides this year. Entering Tuesday's game, he was hitting.329 with an.815 OPS against righties compared to a.333 average and.855 OPS against lefties. When asked if his place near the top of the NL leaderboard in batting average is any validation for the amount of work he's put in, Almora let out a breath and said, "Ah man, I've put in a lot of work, that's for sure. "There's still a lot of season left, so I'm not gonna sit here and say, 'Yeah, what I did paid off,'" Almora continued. "I'm just putting my head down and playing the game. There's still a long way to go. "I feel like you can really determine a player throught he final stages of the season, when you start getting tired and fatigued. It's been a nice season so far for myself and team-wise, we're right where we need to be." Almora talks about rest and with a team hoping to be playing through the end of October, getting 3 days off in mid-july for the All-Star Break would be a major boon. At the same time, the Cubs also understand how exciting it would be for these young players to be able to experience the honor of going to the Midsummer Classic for the first time and Joe Maddon believes it can do wonder for the confidence of a guy like Almora. As for the rest of the Cubs, Willson Contreras looks to be a good bet to go in as a reserve even if he can't catch Posey in the voting. Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber are having resurgent offensive seasons at the plate and the NL outfield isn't as stacked as it usually is, so it's possible one or both of the Cubs outfielders makes the trip to D.C. Kris Bryant's All-Star chances have slimmed after enduring the worst month of his pro career in June and landing on the disabled list for the first time ever. Nolan Arenado is a lock to start at third base if healthy and Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez will probably be his backup. Then it's a choice between Anthony Rendon, Travis Shaw and Bryant among the other candidates if the NL squad even has 3 third basemen. Across the diamond, Atlanta's Freddie Freeman should start and it would be hard for Anthony Rizzo to beat out the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, Brandon Belt and Joey Votto for a reserve spot. Rizzo is currently 10th in the NL in OPS, ahead of only Justin Bour, Ian Desmond and Josh Bell among qualifiers. Ben Zobrist is having a very solid season, but isn't an everyday player at age 37 and probably won't be included among the reserve outfielders. Closer Brandon Morrow also has a chance to make the NL squad. He's only thrown 24.2 innings, but he's 18-for-19 in save chances and has a sparkling 1.46 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.

15 Setup men aren't often selected for the midseason festivities, but Steve Cishek (1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 10 holds, 2 saves) has been the linchpin of the Cubs bullpen this year while appearing in almost half the team's games. Of course, none of this speculation is even taking into account the rule where each team must be represented at the All-Star Game. Maybe Colin Moran is the Pirates' only representative worthy of attending, which would take yet another third-base spot away from Bryant's potential bid. We'll find out more about the Cubs' chances in the next week or so. NBC Sports Chicago Kyle Hendricks hasn't turned the corner yet: 'It's very unfamiliar from the dugout watching it out there' By Vinnie Duber Kyle Hendricks only gave up three runs Tuesday. The Cubs beat the visiting Detroit Tigers. All the fans at the Friendly Confines had something to sing about. But while the calendar has turned away from Hendricks awful June, he hasn t turned the corner quite yet. Hendricks lasted only five innings Tuesday, the fifth time in his last seven starts he s failed to reach the sixth inning, and once again put his team behind early on. He allowed two runs in the first inning to balloon his first-inning ERA out to 8.47 on the season. While Tuesday could be considered a step in the right direction from a results perspective it wasn t the six-run disaster he had in his previous outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers he s still not reminding many onlookers of the Hendricks of old: the 2016 ERA champ, the guy who posted a combined 2.51 ERA in the past two seasons. One of the onlookers who can t recognize this Hendricks: Joe Maddon. It was not typical surgical-like procedure from Kyle, the Cubs skipper said after Tuesday s game. He s fine, his arm s well, it s great, he looks good. It s just not executing. And with him, it s happened before, we ll figure it out. Part of it is the lack of execution right now. It s very unfamiliar from the dugout watching it out there. Hendricks summer struggles have been just one of the things to go haywire with what was supposed to be one of the best starting rotations in baseball. That distinction could certainly still play out by the time the games really start counting and the pennant chases kick into high gear, but to this point only Jon Lester has lived up to preseason expectations placed on the starting staff. Hendricks owns a 4.27 ERA after Tuesday s outing. Jose Quintana is at Tyler Chatwood is at And the still-injured Yu Darvish has been Cubs fans biggest concern of the season with his 4.95 ERA. Things really started going bad for Hendricks at the start of last month, and he wrapped the 30-day stretch with a 1-4 record and a 7.03 ERA in five June starts. There was no gaudy damage on the scoreboard Tuesday and the Cubs offense was able to pick Hendricks up, but he was lifted after throwing only 78 pitches and still saw his ERA increase.

16 The way we ve been swinging it, just try to minimize as much as I can, Hendricks said. Letting the leadoff guys get on, getting behind guys and missing spots, that s a bad recipe for me right now. Just got to stick with it, keep battling and find something. Just take the good pitches I did make and that good feeling and try and translate that to my bullpen. I ve just got to get the good habits going rep after rep. It s just one bad, one good. The repeatability, right now. So just really focus on the good ones I m making and try to lock that into my side sessions. When you make bad pitches, you re going to get hurt. Hendricks actually didn t lament his first-inning woes too much Tuesday, saying he made just one bad pitch despite three of the first four Tigers hitters reaching base and scoring two runs out of the deal. Maddon, though, thinks there s something to Hendricks first-inning troubles. After all, in every inning he s thrown this season that hasn t been the game s first, he s got a 3.38 ERA. With him, it s hard to fault anything that he does. I would bet it s just a confidence issue, more just trusting yourself, Maddon said. He knows that, he knows exactly what you re talking about (the firstinning numbers), so he s walking out there with that in his back pocket thinking about it. We ve just got to get him by that for a couple outings and that ll get him back to normalcy. I m certain he s aware of what you re talking about, and that s probably the reason why he s still doing it. How long it takes Hendricks to get back to being the guy Cubs fans are used to watching remains to be seen. It s become the story of the season, the starting staff s struggles, and what happens with Hendricks, Quintana, Chatwood and Darvish over the season s next three months will determine how realistic another World Series run is for this team. But even with four-fifths of the Opening Day rotation riding a season-long roller coaster, the Cubs remain one of the National League s best squads, neck and neck with the Milwaukee Brewers at the top of the NL Central standings. That just shows, all the other aspects, how good they ve been, Hendricks said. The bullpen, obviously, and the lineup, the runs we re scoring. And how good Lester s been doing. We ve had one guy that s been carrying it, and the rest of us have just been up and down. A little bit surprising in a way, maybe, but as good as all those other parts have been, I think once we can get rolling, that shows how good we can be. NBC Sports Chicago Joe Maddon on Dexter Fowler drama in St. Louis: 'It's really unfortunate' By Tony Andracki The Cubs had their first off-day in nearly three weeks Monday, but they didn't spend that time under a rock, completely closed off from the world. The Dexter Fowler story still found a way to reach the outfielder's former organization.

17 Joe Maddon began and ended his 11-minute session with the Chicago media Tuesday morning by addressing the ongoing Fowler drama in St. Louis. As a refresher, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak questioned Fowler's energy, enthusiasm and hustle, saying: But I've also had a lot of people come up to me and question his effort and his energy level. Those are things that I can't defend. What I can defend is trying to create opportunities for him, but not at the expense of somebody who's out there hustling and playing hard. Maddon responded to a question about the Cubs' clubhouse culture/environment by first saying, "I've been reading about Dex and it's really unfortunate. He is such a good friend, too." The questions about effort have followed Fowler around throughout his career and his two years in Chicago were no different. There was at least an outside perception that his style of play and lack of outward energy meant the level of effort wasn't quite where it should be. Fair or not, Fowler has been criticized for rarely appearing to run hard (he also has such long legs/strides that allows him to glide around the outfield grass and cover a lot of ground quickly) and is not the type of outfielder who is diving all over the grass like Albert Almora Jr. But as for any internal conversations the Cubs may have had with Fowler, Maddon wasn't biting when asked about it. "That's up to [the Cardinals], not me," Maddon said, before adding when pressed again, "That's St. Louis, not me." Fowler was a beloved teammate with the Cubs, famously making a surprise return to the team in spring training 2016, energizing the entire squad to address their "unfinished business" of winning a World Series and ending a 108-year championship drought. Cubs fans will always remember him as the "you go, we go" leadoff hitter who began Game 7 with a homer off Corey Kluber. Effort questions aside, Fowler averaged 140 games a season with the Cubs, scoring 186 runs total with a.367 on-base percentage. His defense also greatly improved in his second year in Chicago after the Cubs asked him to start playing deeper in center. "I love Dexter," Maddon said. "He is effervescent. He is gregarious. He always lit up the room when he walked in. That's how I see Dex. He and I had great conversations all the time. "I don't have any idea what's going on there in St. Louis. I just know my personal relationship with him is outstanding." Chicago Tribune Cubs score another comeback, run win streak to 5 with 5-3 win against the Tigers By Mark Gonzales