July 25, 2017 Lackey eyes further success vs. crosstown foes Hendricks glad to be back, aims to keep building

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1 July 25, 2017 Cubs.com, Lackey eyes further success vs. crosstown foes Cubs.com, Hendricks glad to be back, aims to keep building Cubs.com, Cubs' bats held in check by Chi-Town rivals Cubs.com, Cubs may eye catcher, but Caratini commended Cubs.com, Watch out, LA and DC: The Cubs are surging ESPNChicago.com, Who can Joe Maddon trust in the Cubs bullpen? CSNChicago.com, Kyle Hendricks Is Back, But Cubs Will Likely Have To Wait For Their Next Shot At Yu Darvish CSNChicago.com, Willson Contreras May Be The F Energizer Bunny, But Cubs Still Need To Get Another Catcher Before Trade Deadline CSNChicago.com, Was Hector Rondon Tipping Pitches During Late-Game Meltdowns With Cubs? Chicago Tribune, Cubs come up empty in clutch situations vs. White Sox story.html Chicago Tribune, White Sox get clutch pitching, home runs to beat Cubs, end nine-game skid Chicago Tribune, Willson Contreras the emotional catalyst behind Cubs' resurgence Chicago Tribune, Rick Renteria tried to downplay game vs. Cubs, but players knew how important it was to him

2 Chicago Tribune, Cubs' stretched bullpen could benefit from reinforcements story.html Chicago Tribune, Newly acquired Matt Carasiti serves as insurance for Cubs bullpen story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp3 Chicago Tribune, Hector Rondon latest reliever to benefit from Wade Davis' lessons story.html Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon doesn't need wake-up call for White Sox series Chicago Tribune, CTA offers free Red Line rides after Cubs-White Sox games Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs Willson Contreras is so good, he s well worth the occasional bad Chicago Sun-Times, Unhappy ending for Cubs in opener vs. Sox as Kyle Hendricks return Chicago Sun-Times, Miguel Gonzalez, Matt Davidson lead White Sox past Cubs 3-1 at Wrigley Chicago Sun-Times, Force multiplier Jason Heyward embraces turn in Cubs leadoff spot Chicago Sun-Times, Nine months later, Cubs to celebrate birth of World Series Babies Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs official urges city to allow 11 more night games at Wrigley Field Chicago Sun-Times, With his pitching dominance, Jose Quintana trade pays off for Cubs Daily Herald, Maddon: Cubs weren't looking past Sox Daily Herald, Rozner: White Sox can see future in Cubs' recent past Daily Herald, Is Cubs' Contreras one of NL's 'elite' catchers? Cubs.com Lackey eyes further success vs. crosstown foes By Scott Chasen John Lackey's last start was a step in the right direction. Now he'll look to take another.

3 One week after pitching five innings of one-run ball against the Braves, the righty will be back on the hill as the Cubs and White Sox finish off a two-game tilt at Wrigley Field before the series moves to the South Side. Lackey's last action against the Sox came on July 28 last year, when he gave up four hits and one run over six innings. That's how it has gone for the righty more often than not, as he's made five straight quality starts against the South Siders and has pitched at least six innings in 15 straight meetings. So as Lackey puts those streaks on the line, White Sox starter Carlos Rodon will have one of his own up for grabs. The lefty has only made one previous appearance against the Cubs, but he did not disappoint, allowing two hits over six scoreless innings. While Rodon looks to keep that mark intact, he'll also be looking for some growth of his own. The 24-year-old will be making just his fifth start of the season since returning from the disabled list in June, and he'll be looking to shake off back-to-back tough outings that saw him surrender a combined 11 earned runs. Things to know about this game Lackey has surrendered 2.17 homers per nine innings this season, which is the highest rate in the National League and more than double his career average. He has surrendered at least one home run in all but three starts this year. After struggling in the first half of the season and trading away several key pieces including Jose Quintana to the Cubs the White Sox are in jeopardy of not only hitting a club-worst mark for July, but also tallying their lowest season win total since However, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he rejects the idea that the Sox will make for an easy opponent. "I don't like [the narrative]," Maddon said. "I'd much rather play the '27 Yankees every night, I really would. I really like when that's the perception. I know the White Sox [have been struggling] I get it but they've done a wonderful job in reconstructing what they want to do. Their plan seems to be really solid.... There's a lot of talent over there, and you can't take anything for granted. I don't, believe me." Jason Heyward is the only active Cubs position player with a hit off Rodon. He is 1-for-2 against the lefty; he notched a two-out double against him back on July 21, 2015, when he was with the Cardinals. According to Statcast, Rodon has allowed five barreled balls (all homers) over his past two starts. His 17.2 percent barrels-per-batted-ball rate is fourth highest among pitchers who have generated at least 25 batted balls since July 9. Cubs.com Hendricks glad to be back, aims to keep building By Scott Chasen CHICAGO Kyle Hendricks was back on the mound on Monday, but it wasn't quite a return to normalcy. Making his first start back with the Cubs after an extended disabled-list stint, the right-hander worked 4 1/3 innings with one run allowed in a 3-1 loss to the White Sox at Wrigley Field. And while he said it was good to be starting again, Hendricks wasn't as pleased with how he threw, which fell back on the irregularity surrounding his outing. "Just too many innings today for the bullpen to cover, really. That's my fault," Hendricks said of the loss. "I think that's just a factor of me getting in my routine, getting in my bullpen routine, throwing again every day, just getting my legs back underneath me.

4 "Being on five days [moving forward] I think suits me a lot better. It's just more normalcy in a way." While Hendricks noted he felt "great" health-wise, the Cubs still wanted to be careful not to tax him too much. Before the game, manager Joe Maddon said they'd take things on an inning-by-inning basis, and they would be careful not to leave him out too long. "I mean, I'm not going to just let him stay out there forever, but we'll just see how it goes," Maddon said before the game. Hendricks finished the fourth at 78 pitches. By that point he'd already run into a bit of trouble, having allowed six hits, but he'd also rung up four to keep the White Sox off the board. "We didn't have a real thick bullpen today," Maddon said. "I didn't want to press it too soon. If he was able to get through five, it would've really helped us a lot right there." In the bottom of the fourth, Hendricks' spot came up to bat. With one on and two out, the pitcher hit for himself, but he grounded out to opposing pitcher Miguel Gonzalez to end the inning. He returned for the fifth, when the White Sox finally broke through. Melky Cabrera led off with a single that crept into the outfield. Hendricks struck out Yoan Moncada for out No. 1, but he served up a 3-1 pitch right over the middle of the zone in the next at-bat to Jose Abreu, who knocked it into right for an RBI double. "It was fun being out there, fun playing, but it didn't really go the way I wanted it to go," Hendricks said. "Fastball command was terrible, and that's kind of where everything stems from for me." Hendricks allowed eight hits on the day, but only one run as Justin Grimm replaced him and notched the final two outs of the fifth. Hendricks noted there were some adjustments he needed to make, but that didn't mean the game was without any silver linings. "He was not what you would call 'on.' He'd be the first one to tell you that," Maddon said. "But he threw [92] pitches, which is good to get him stretched out moving into the next start. The fact that he got out of there with one run I was really pleased with that, too. It's just a good outing to build off of." Cubs.com Cubs' bats held in check by Chi-Town rivals By Carrie Muskat and Scott Merkin CHICAGO This year's Cubs vs. White Sox series means more than bragging rights for one side's fan base. The Cubs are trying to regain control of the National League Central, and they began the day tied for first place with the Brewers. But the White Sox spoiled their bid to open some ground in the division, posting a 3-1 Interleague win over their crosstown rivals on Monday afternoon. "Whoever we're playing doesn't matter we're just trying to get wins," the Cubs' Jon Jay said. Jose Abreu smacked a game-tying RBI double in the fifth inning, and Adam Engel and Matt Davidson each hit a solo homer to help the White Sox end a nine-game losing streak. The Cubs, who had made up 5 1/2 games in the standings in the past 10 days, lost for just the second time in 10 games since the All-Star break. "Yeah, double-whammy," said White Sox manager Rick Renteria, whose team won for the first time in the second half. "Nice to break the streak, and nice to do it against this team." White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez ended a personal four-game losing streak with the win, giving up one run over 7 1/3 innings.

5 "I've always liked this guy," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I saw him in the American League. He knows what he's doing out there. He knows how to get guys out and make them chase. He rarely, if ever, gives in to a hitter. He wiggled out of those situations, and it did not surprise me. I've seen it before." Gonzalez had to wiggle in the seventh. The first two Cubs batters reached, but Gonzalez retired the next two, then walked Kris Bryant to load the bases. The right-hander got Anthony Rizzo to fly out to center to end the threat. For the game, the Cubs went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12. "That ball to center field [by Rizzo] was hit really well that was probably our best chance," Maddon said. "The wind blowing in a little bit kept the ball in the ballpark." Engel connected in the sixth to go ahead, 2-1, while Davidson launched his 19th homer 476 feet, according to Statcast, and over the left-field bleachers onto Waveland Avenue leading off the eighth. Kyle Hendricks, making his first start since June 4 after being sidelined with inflammation in his right hand, took the loss and also drove in the Cubs' lone run when he grounded out with the bases loaded in the second inning. "Today, I don't know, maybe just being out there again for that first time on the mound quickened up on me a little bit," Hendricks said. "But I just wasn't staying over the rubber well on my backside. Hopefully [I'll] just make that adjustment this week, get back to my routine you know, I'm a big routine guy. So get back in that feel, and hopefully it'll roll from there." The White Sox now lead the intracity series, 58-51, and they improved to 14-8 in their past 22 games at Wrigley Field. This was the first of four games between the two teams, with one more game at Wrigley Field on Tuesday before the series shifts eight miles south to Guaranteed Rate Field. "I'm happy. I'm excited," Gonzalez said. "But then again, we want to keep winning ballgames. I think we're on the right track. We've been struggling here and there, but we can't give in. Keep working hard." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Home-field advantage: NL rules apply at Wrigley Field, and they were a factor Tuesday. With one out in the second, the Cubs loaded the bases when Ben Zobrist walked, Jay doubled and Javier Baez was intentionally walked. Zobrist then scored on Hendricks' broken-bat groundout. The rules hurt the White Sox in the second and fourth innings. They had two on and two outs in both, but Gonzalez was up both times and grounded out to end both frames. Cubs pitchers now have 13 RBIs in the crosstown series compared to three by White Sox hurlers. Seventh heaven: The Cubs had a perfect opportunity in the seventh. Jay and Baez both singled to open the inning, prompting Renteria to have a long chat with Gonzalez on the mound. Gonzalez stayed in the game and struck out pinch-hitter Ian Happ, then got Jason Heyward to fly out to center. Gonzalez fell behind, 3-0, to Bryant, and he eventually walked him to load the bases. But Gonzalez got Rizzo to fly out to center to end the inning. "[Renteria] said he was going to bring the lefty in, and I told him, 'I'm good. I'm fine. Let me go,'" Gonzalez said. "That's when he said, 'OK, let's do this.' He gave me the opportunity, and I was able to get out of that jam in that seventh inning." The Cubs also stranded two baserunners in the eighth and two more in the ninth. "We hit a lot of balls hard," Jay said. "That ball Riz hit to center field [in the seventh], the wind was blowing straight in. We had our chances and put pressure on them. It was just one of those days." QUOTABLE "A lot of emotion before the game. Ricky talked to his hitters and relievers. He wanted it just as much as us. To see the emotion in his face pushed us a little bit." White Sox catcher Kevan Smith, on Renteria, who managed the Cubs in 2014 and returned to Wrigley Field for the first time as the manager of the White Sox

6 "It's not optimal, but we knew what was on the schedule. They came from Kansas City, and they weren't crying about that. You prefer the night game, but under the circumstances, we knew the situation going into it. That's not the reason we lost." Maddon, on having to play a day game on Monday after a night game WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Carlos Rodon makes his fifth start of the season since coming back from biceps bursitis when the White Sox and Cubs meet for the series finale at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. Rodon allowed four home runs over 3 2/3 innings in his last start against the Dodgers, marking the most homers allowed in his career in a single start. First pitch will be 1:20 p.m. CT. Cubs: John Lackey will start the second game of this home-and-home Interleague series on Tuesday. In his first start after the All-Star break, Lackey gave up one run over five innings against the Braves and picked up the win. He's given up 2.17 homers per nine innings this year, highest in the NL. Cubs.com Cubs may eye catcher, but Caratini commended By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Although Willson Contreras most likely would play every day, manager Joe Maddon knows the catcher needs a break now and then. Maddon acknowledged on Monday that the Cubs were looking for another backup catcher before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, but he also commended rookie Victor Caratini. "I really like [Caratini] a lot," Maddon said of the Cubs' No. 9 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. "He's still a young player, and I think he has a great future in the game, offensively and defensively. He's really solid, too. "We have a couple more days to put it all together," Maddon said of the Deadline. "Of course, that makes sense [to get a veteran backup] I can't deny that. I don't know if that will happen or not. That's not denigrating Victor. Victor is at a point in his development that you don't want him sitting around much." Since he was called up on June 28, Caratini has started three games. When he's not playing, he is on the bench talking to coach Mike Borzello about the pitchers. "When you get young guys like that, it's tough to watch them sit on the bench," Maddon said. Worth noting Hector Rondon threw a 100-mph fastball during his seventh-inning appearance on Sunday night. That's not normal for the right-hander. "Normal is 95, 96 [mph]," Rondon said. "I think my mechanics and effort help me a lot. I feel so comfortable." It's taken some time to get there. Rondon had a rough May (7.20 ERA in 11 games), but he has pitched well recently. "His stuff [Sunday] was as good as I've ever seen him," Maddon said. "... Throw that elite fastball where you want to, and heads up." But Rondon didn't learn how to reach 100 mph on his pitches from former Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman. "Chapman is a different human," Rondon said. Maddon and Jason Heyward talked about the possibility of the outfielder leading off in the second half. On Monday, Heyward did so for the third time. He entered the game batting.313 in July with a.365 on-base

7 percentage, and he was also playing well in right field although that's routine for the four-time National League Gold Glove Award winner. "He's making a stand as being among the leaders on the team," said Maddon, who has seen Heyward high-fiving the bat boys. "You need that unifying force. He's a force multiplier. That's what he does daily." White Sox television broadcaster Hawk Harrelson presented Maddon with one of his alarm clocks prior to Monday's Interleague game. Fans draw the line when it comes to who they root for in this intracity series. "The guy who works in our garage is a White Sox fan, but his daughters are Cubs fans," Maddon said. "He said he could not necessarily wish me luck today. I said, 'I don't want you to. I want you to root for the White Sox.' Even just getting your vehicle in the morning, I was infiltrated and touched by a White Sox fan. He's a good guy. By the time I was driving out, he said, 'Good luck anyways.'" Kyle Hendricks was activated from the disabled list to start Monday's game against the White Sox, and righthanded reliever Felix Pena was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Cubs.com Watch out, LA and DC: The Cubs are surging By Phil Rogers CHICAGO It's good to have hops. Jason Heyward showed his against the Cardinals on Sunday night, leaping straight up to spear a 102-mph liner from the Cardinals' Tommy Pham. His Cubs are likewise, showing their hops, even if they did lose to the White Sox, 3-1, on Monday in the first game of Chicago's crosstown series. "Sometimes you have to find another way,'' Heyward said. He was talking about his catch, but he could have been referencing his team. After burying the National League Central en route to 103 regular-season wins and a World Series championship last season, the Cubs bred optimism elsewhere by running in place in the first half of They're hitting stride now and believe they can return to familiar surroundings in October via a different route. "No two seasons are ever the same," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I've always believed that. I knew this year wasn't going to be like last year. We'd have to find a different path. We knew that in Spring Training, although we didn't know exactly what we'd face.'' It is looking like Theo Epstein's All-Star break acquisition of Jose Quintana could be a master stroke. Since Quintana joined the Cubs carrying a White Sox equipment bag, his new teammates are looking a lot like their old selves with an 8-2 record since the All-Star break. They passed the Brewers for first place by percentage points in the Central on Sunday gaining 5 1/2 games in seven days but slipped back to second when Miguel Gonzalez and the South Siders beat them Monday afternoon. Any team is going to have days like this, but we'll be once again talking about them as one of three super teams in the NL if they keep the arrow pointed upward a little longer. "We all understand in this clubhouse it's an exciting time,'' Heyward said. "It's the second half, we're playing for the playoffs and the division race is close. It's exciting. It's where you want to be. It's fun. Embrace that.''

8 The Cubs' first half is going to make it difficult to get beyond 90 wins, but their presence alongside fellow NL powerhouses in the Dodgers and Nationals could set up a riveting postseason. The NL Central champ will almost certainly face one of those two teams in the NL Divisional Series, with the other team lurking in the NL Championship Series. While the Brewers have stumbled since reaching a high-water mark of 11 games over.500, they are plenty dangerous. Milwaukee general manager David Stearns knew there would be valleys ahead for his young team, and the Brewers slid into one just as the Cubs were getting a lift from the acquisition of Quintana. It's likely the Brew Crew will bring in pitching reinforcements, but the moves won't be based on the Cubs' surge. "Just because something changes one day doesn't mean we're going to have a knee-jerk reaction to anything," Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold told MLB.com Sunday. "We're not going to try to overcorrect. That's one thing we have to be aware of in all of this, is to make sure we don't overcorrect to short responses." Blessed with an abundance of health and across-the-board production in 2016, the Cubs were a mess for most of the first half. But they hit stride sweeping the Orioles in Baltimore and the Braves in Atlanta, and they followed it up by winning two out of three against the Cardinals over the weekend. Wrigley Field has been buzzing with sellout, short-sleeve crowds, with seemingly nine out of every 10 fans wearing World Series gear. "We're spoiled every night and every day with our fans here at Wrigley,'' said Heyward, who lately has been taking his turn in the revolving leadoff spot. The Cubs have outscored the opposition in 10 second-half games, with the run differential reflecting what they had last season. They've hit 19 home runs, but the most impressive improvement has been the run prevention. The Cubs' starting rotation has a 2.39 ERA in the second half, and the lockdown defense has returned, too. Despite early problems, especially with their outfield defense, the Cubs have moved up the board to No. 4 in MLB.com's Defensive Efficiency ranking of all 30 teams. Heyward points to shortstop Addison Russell as the biggest key to the improved consistency in the field. Russell started only 65 of 88 games in the first half, but he was there for eight of the first nine games in the second-half surge. "It's just good to be comfortable out there defensively,'' Heyward said. "It's good to know, to have reps with who you're playing next to, things like that. Having [Russell] back at short after his time out makes a difference for us.'' Getting starters Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey off the disabled list has also provided a lift. Hendricks wasn't great on Monday in his first start since June 4, but he was able to use his fingers for the grips he uses to manipulate pitches, feeling no ill effects from the injury to his middle finger. Along with the Quintana trade, the return of Hendricks and Lackey gives Maddon the best rotation he's had in his three seasons with the Cubs. Nobody is going to want to run up against Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Quintana and Hendricks in a postseason series. Not even the Dodgers or Nationals. ESPNChicago.com Who can Joe Maddon trust in the Cubs bullpen? By Jesse Rogers

9 CHICAGO It's a game almost every manager plays at some point in the regular season: Who do you trust in your bullpen? It's a game that has found its way to Chicago Cubs skipper Joe Maddon's office as he attempts to map out a strategy with his relievers that won't blow up in his face. With a collective 5.76 ERA and 1.65 WHIP for his relief staff since the All-Star break, Maddon hasn't exactly been winning at that game lately. But whom can he trust? It doesn't look like it's righty Justin Grimm, at least right now. Grimm served up his ninth home run of the season Monday in just his 38th inning pitched. "The stuff is good, just making mistakes with his fastball," Maddon said after the 3-1 loss to the White Sox. "If you look at those nine home runs, I would bet they're almost all on fastballs." Eight of those nine home runs have been against Grimm's fastball, including Adam Engel's tie-breaking homer in the sixth inning Monday. Grimm says he is feeling really good, but until the results come, it's hard for Maddon to win the "Whom do you trust?" game with Grimm on the mound. His ERA is 5.40 after the loss. "In the big picture of things, I think it's the long ball this year that makes [my ERA] look worse than it really is," Grimm said. What about 42-year-old Koji Uehara? Can Maddon trust him? Uehara was the clear set-up man during the first half, but Maddon will use the right-hander only in certain situations, especially when a team is susceptible to high fastballs. But Uehara has given up a home run in two of his past four appearances including a solo shot to Matt Davidson on Monday after surrendering only one long ball in the first half. "He knows he has to be sharper," Uehara said through his interpreter. "There's nothing especially wrong, just needs to be better." Uehara has an 8.10 ERA in the 3 1/3 innings he has pitched since the second-half began, so cross him off for now as well. Even closer Wade Davis is having his moments, despite a perfect record in save opportunities. He has a 4.50 ERA with four walks in four innings pitched since the break, but if Maddon can't trust a guy who is 2-0 and 20-for-20 in save chances, whom can he trust? Davis should and will get the ball every chance Maddon has to give it to him. Perhaps Maddon can turn to an old face who has actually burned him in the past in the trust game. Righty Hector Rondon is all of a sudden hitting triple digits on the radar gun and looking like a former version of himself, one that dominated as a closer for the Cubs in portions of 2015 and 2016, though he had his trying moments in between. "My mechanics are good," Rondon said before Monday's game. "I feel really good. Coming in the other day with the bases loaded [and giving up runs,] that pissed me off. So I came in [Sunday] and was more aggressive." According to ESPN Stats & Info, Rondon's average fastball velocity before the break was 95.8 mph. It's up to 97.4 since then, and his off-speed pitches are looking better as well. He's a risk to trust, but Maddon needs someone to pitch those middle innings. Actually, the manager might need someone to pitch the later innings too, as Carl Edwards Jr. is another one who is being tested. He gets out of jams more often than not, but he continues to get into them as well. Six walks in four innings since the break begin to tell his story. The two most trusted arms in the pen right now might be Brian Duensing and Pedro Strop. Strop moves back and forth from the "do not pitch" category, but Duensing has been as steady as anyone, as evidenced by his 2.57 ERA and just 10 walks in 42 innings pitched. There's one conclusion Maddon can make from playing the trust game: He can trust the front office to help him out down the stretch. With less than a week left before the non-waiver trade deadline, Maddon's bosses need to give him a better chance to win the game and, subsequently, the division. Either a righty or lefty would work, but the bigger need seems to be coming from the right side someone Maddon can plug into innings 6 through 8 if need be.

10 Otherwise, perhaps Grimm can work his way back into the trust category. He says his stuff is good, but it needs to show up on the mound as the Cubs battle for a third consecutive playoff appearance. "For the most part, that's probably the best I've felt, control-wise, since a couple years," Grimm said. "On the bright side, that's a positive note. There [are] things I've been working on the past couple of days to get on top of the baseball. Today I saw that really play out in a positive manner, for sure. "If I do that over the next two months every time out, the results will take care of themselves. I thought I was really dominant today, other than one pitch." Can Maddon trust him? CSNChicago.com Kyle Hendricks Is Back, But Cubs Will Likely Have To Wait For Their Next Shot At Yu Darvish By Patrick Mooney Within the first several weeks of the Theo Epstein administration, the Cubs finished second in the Yu Darvish sweepstakes, though nowhere close to the $51.7 million the Texas Rangers bid for the exclusive rights to negotiate a six-year, $60 million deal with the Japanese superstar. The Cubs will probably have to wait a few more months for their next shot at Darvish, who is unlikely to move before the July 31 trade deadline, a source monitoring the situation said Monday. Darvish means enough to the franchise s bottom line as a box-office draw and magnet for corporate sponsors that the Rangers would be reluctant to trade a player with global appeal and potentially jeopardize that relationship heading into free agency this winter. Beyond the possible impact on re-signing Darvish, that would also mean foreclosing on a season where Texas is only 2.5 games out of an American League wild-card spot, making this final week critical to the buy-or-sell decision. The Cubs would obviously prefer to stay out of the rental market after shipping two top prospects to the White Sox in the Jose Quintana deal. Quintana s reasonable contract almost $31 million between next season and 2020 once two team options are picked up creates financial flexibility for a free-agent megadeal (Darvish?) or the next big-time international player. But the cost of doing business with the White Sox probably means the Cubs wouldn t have the super-elite prospect to anchor a trade for Darvish, anyway. That would be another obstacle in any possible deal for Sonny Gray, with an AL source saying the New York Yankees are going hard after the Oakland A s right-hander (and have a deeper farm system and a greater sense of urgency after missing on Quintana). All that means Kyle Hendricks could function as the trade-deadline addition for the rotation, with the Cubs instead trying to shorten games and deepen their bullpen by July 31. After spending more than six weeks on the disabled list, the Cubs activated Hendricks for the start of this week s crosstown series, watching him pitch into the fifth inning of Monday s 3-1 loss to a White Sox team that had lost nine straight games. Hendricks is a rhythm/feel pitcher who blossomed from an overlooked prospect in the Texas system into a piece in the buzzer-beater Ryan Dempster deal at the 2012 deadline into last year s major-league ERA leader. Hendricks clearly isn t locked in yet. He gave up eight hits, but minimized the damage against the White Sox, allowing only one run while putting up five strikeouts against zero walks.

11 He wasn t as normal, manager Joe Maddon said. The velocity was still down a little bit. There was not a whole lot of difference between his pitches. He was not what you would call on. He would be the first one to tell you that. He looked fine delivery-wise, but the ball just wasn t coming out as normal. Hendricks described his fastball command as terrible, called his secondary pitches OK and ultimately came to this conclusion: Health-wise, everything felt great, so we ll take that. Just got to get back (to my routine). The biggest takeaway is Hendricks didn t feel any lingering effects from the right hand tendinitis that was initially classified as a minor injury in early June. Meaning the Cubs (51-47) are just about at full strength and have another week left to upgrade the defending World Series champs. CSNChicago.com Willson Contreras May Be The F Energizer Bunny, But Cubs Still Need To Get Another Catcher Before Trade Deadline By Patrick Mooney A National League scout called Willson Contreras the most dangerous hitter in the Cubs lineup right now, marveling at the young catcher s enthusiasm and the relentless way he plays the game: He s the f Energizer Bunny. But the Cubs also understand that the law of diminishing returns will kick in with Contreras, who has played in 20 of the 21 games since Miguel Montero talked his way out of the clubhouse and got shipped to Canada in what was supposed to be an addition-by-subtraction trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. That chemistry experiment still left the Cubs without a real insurance policy behind the plate, essentially looking for the same kind of veteran catcher as Montero. Except this guy won t have the same loose-cannon personality and will cost farm-system talent on top of the roughly $7 million owed Montero. As bright as Victor Caratini s future may be, the Cubs don t have any other catchers on the 40-man roster (except Kyle Schwarber in an emergency situation) and can t realistically expect a 23-year-old rookie to learn an entire pitching staff on the fly and become an everyday player in the middle of a pennant race. That makes catcher an obvious area for Theo Epstein s front office to upgrade before the July 31 trade deadline. We have a couple more days to try to put it all together, manager Joe Maddon said before Monday s 3-1 loss to the White Sox at Wrigley Field. I know the boys are trying to figure that out. Of course, that makes sense. I can t deny what you re saying makes sense. But I don t know if that s going to happen that way or not. Contreras barking at Angel Hernandez and smashing his bat into the ground after the home plate umpire walked away from him became the snapshot of frustration in a crosstown game where the Cubs went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Contreras breaking his bat into two pieces in front of a crowd of 40,849 became the exclamation point after looking at three straight fastballs from White Sox reliever Anthony Swarzak clocked between 93.2 and 96.2 mph. The called strike three to end the game came on a check swing with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo on base, but it still doesn t really change the trade-deadline calculus for a team that has won eight of 10 games since the All-Star break. The most logical targets appear to be Alex Avila and Jonathan Lucroy, with the Detroit Tigers clear sellers and the Texas Rangers in a holding pattern and on the fringes of the American League wild-card race. Avila (11 homers,.902 OPS) could be the left-handed hitting complement to Contreras, a steady backup and a good clubhouse presence. Avila s father, Al, works as Detroit s general manager, overseeing what has been a difficult teardown after four straight division titles between 2011 and 2014 and the death of owner Mike Ilitch in

12 February. (The Cubs are also believed to be interested in lefty reliever Justin Wilson, who has a 2.82 ERA and 12 saves for the Tigers this season.) Lucroy has been described as someone who needs to play regularly to be effective, which might partially explain his.636 OPS this year. Whatever slippage may show up on the defensive metrics now, the Cubs had long admired the way Lucroy ran a game and handled pitchers with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs had interest last summer but got the strong sense that the Brewers would never trade a homegrown All-Star player to a division rival 90 miles away. At one point, the emergence of Contreras plus Montero s peace summit with Maddon at an Italian restaurant during spring training made it look like Caratini could become a trade chip this summer. Caratini hit.341 with eight homers, 20 doubles and 54 RBI in his first 69 games at the Triple-A level. But what if Contreras does break down after a foul tip or in a collision or from exhaustion? Again, that s not denigrating Victor, Maddon said. Victor is at the point in his development that you don t want him sitting around this much. As a developmental guy, it bothers me to see him there. He s in a great mood every day. He s ready every day. He s a part of the group every day. He sits with (catching/strategy coach Mike) Borzello, wants to know what s going on every day. Beautiful stuff. But when you got young guys like that, it s really tough to watch them sit on the bench, because you know how important that year is to them. So, moving forward, I know there s different things we have discussed, but I m not sure exactly where it s at. One idea that Maddon has scratched to keep his cleanup hitter fresh: Occasionally moving Contreras (15 homers, 52 RBI) to the outfield or a corner-infield spot. Maddon already has enough playing-time issues while trying to manage the egos in the clubhouse. With the roster construction right now, I don t think it s necessary, Maddon said. If something were to happen people were unavailable then it might become more attractive to do something like that possibly. A lot of these guys deserve to play, but it s hard to get them active or involved. I don t want to just (carve) out a spot and give it to (Willson when) guys that need to play are not. That could infiltrate or impact your room negatively also, which I don t want to do. I m really wary of all those different things. It goes beyond: Yeah, Willson is playing well, you want him in the lineup, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you want to keep the room good, too. And to keep the room good, you got to keep everybody involved. CSNChicago.com Was Hector Rondon Tipping Pitches During Late-Game Meltdowns With Cubs? By Tony Andracki Hector Rondon may be the most polarizing figure in the Cubs bullpen, if not the entire roster. When he comes into games right now, a huge population of Cubs fans freak out on Twitter with some combination of annoyance, frustration or WTF reactions. Look at the responses to this Tweet when he was called upon to pitch the seventh inning of Sunday night's win over the St. Louis Cardinals. But how is that possible? Exactly a year ago, he was the dominant closer for the best team in baseball with a 1.95 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 18 saves in 22 chances.

13 Rondon struggled down the stretch last season after the Cubs sent four players to New York for Aroldis Chapman and Rondon also had a triceps injury that limited him to just 11 games from Aug. 2 on. In that span, the veteran right-hander struggled to get right with an ugly ERA, allowing a.415 average and OPS to opposing hitters. Rondon was better in the postseason (4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP), but was pitching in low-leverage spots and was not one of Joe Maddon's trusted options in the World Series. Could it all be because he was tipping his pitches? Rondon acknowledges how the triceps issue could've affected his mechanics, but he actually thinks he was telegraphing his pitches too much and that was something he's had to work on correcting over the last year. "I feel like we fixed the mechanics because we felt like last year, I was tipping some pitches," Rondon said, pointing to the way opposing batters hit him as the main reason for his line of thinking. "Sometimes you can throw a really nasty pitch and they hit it and there's no reason to think they'll hit that pitch in that location. So you start to think that way. I think that's what it was." Rondon admitted he feels really good right now, and the radar gun is showing it. He's throwing harder in July than he ever has before and hit 100 mph on the radar gun Sunday night. Rondon hasn't hit 100 in a couple seasons and the last time he did so, he tipped his cap to his fellow relievers in the Cubs bullpen. But he's not settling just for 100 now. "My goal is to hit 101 mph this year and then I'll tip my cap to them again," he said, smiling. Rondon's confidence has also been a big factor ever since the Chapman move and it's something Maddon has been particularly focused on this season. Rondon was pitching at a high level, then was demoted from closer for Chapman, then bypassed for the closer's role again this offseason as the Cubs traded for Wade Davis. Not to mention the clear lack of confidence Maddon had in Rondon last fall. So when Maddon turned to Rondon with the bases loaded and nobody out in that disastrous eighth inning Friday afternoon and the end result was cringeworthy, the Cubs manager instantly took the blame for that. "I immediately went up to him and I told him, 'I put you in a bad spot, brother. Please throw that one away,'" Maddon said. "I wanted him to know, 'Listen, you're throwing the ball way too well to worry about that moment.'" With a two-run lead in the seventh inning of the rubber game against the Cardinals Sunday night, Maddon again called on Rondon and despite a walk and an infield hit, Rondon escaped the inning unscatched for his career-high eighth hold. "He came out and I got right in his face in that moment and said, 'Man, that is IT. Now I just want you to focus on making pitches and believe that you're gonna make the pitch that you want to make,'" Maddon said. "His stuff [Sunday] was as good as I've ever seen it. Ever. "You stand [in the dugout] that close to the hitter, you can really see that jump at home plate with guys with the really elite fastballs. And that's what I saw [Sunday] night. Now throw that elite fastball where you want to and heads up. 'Cause the slider's back." Even with Friday's performance (four earned runs without recording an out), Rondon is sporting a 3.86 ERA since June 14 with 19 strikeouts in 14 innings.

14 Take that Friday game out of it and Rondon's numbers look like this for the last five weeks: 1.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP. Rondon has also been chatting a lot with Davis, a wise former starter who has morphed into one of the most dominant relievers on the planet for the last half-decade. One of the things the two veterans have been discussing is how to harness the elite-level stuff Rondon possesses. "It's a good relationship and I'm glad to hear that specifically because that's exactly what Ronnie needs to do go out there with a plan, as opposed to just going out there, winding up and throwing a pitch and hoping it doesn't get hit," Maddon said. "[He needs to be focused on hitting spots.] 'I want it there. I want it there.' When he does that, heads up, because it's gonna be lights out." Chicago Tribune Cubs come up empty in clutch situations vs. White Sox By Mark Gonzales A large foundation of the Cubs' 8-2 start to the second half is their clutch hitting, particularly with two out. But after facing a stiff wind from the northeast and the crafty pitching of Miguel Gonzalez, the Cubs were left to hope for home runs during the key seventh inning of their 3-1 loss Monday to the White Sox. After putting the tying and winning runs on base with no outs in the seventh, manager Joe Maddon was summoned pinch hitter Ian Happ and was asked about his strategy after the game. "A three-run home run," Maddon said before pausing, "would have been really nice." The rally started to dissolve when Happ struck out and Jason Heyward flied to center. With two out and the bases loaded, Anthony Rizzo ripped a drive to the warning track in center, but Adam Engel caught up with the help of the wind. That was the Cubs' best chance as they stranded 12 runners and were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and wasted a 4-for-4 performance by Jon Jay. "We hit a lot of balls hard," Jay said. "We had our chances and put pressure right there (with Rizzo's drive). It was just one of those days." Roster crunch: Maddon said Kyle Schwarber likely will handle the designated hitter duties when the City Series shifts to Guaranteed Rate Field. Maddon has virtually scratched the thought of putting catcher Willson Contreras in the outfield because of his other options. "A lot of these guys deserve to play, but it's hard to keep them active or involved," Maddon said. "I don't want to auger out a spot and give it to Willie. "That could impact your room negatively." Extra innings: Left-hander Brian Duensing extended his streak of scoreless appearances to 13 after throwing a scoreless ninth.... Pedro Strop hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 11 games.... A decision is expected soon on left-hander Brett Anderson, who is on the 60-day disabled list but is approaching the end of a 30-day minor-league rehab assignment for Double-A Tennessee.... Reliever Felix Pena was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for pitcher Kyle Hendricks.

15 Chicago Tribune White Sox get clutch pitching, home runs to beat Cubs, end nine-game skid By Paul Skrbina Adam Engel hit a baseball over the left-center-field wall during the sixth inning Monday at Wrigley Field. The White Sox center fielder then caught one five feet in front of the wall in the seventh to help preserve his team's 3-1 victory against the Cubs and put to rest its nine-game losing streak. It was the Cubs' second loss in 10 games since the All-Star break. The ball Engel hit afforded the Sox a one-run lead in the first of four meetings this week between the teams. The one Engel caught traveled 395 feet at 100 mph, courtesy of Anthony Rizzo's bat, with the bases loaded against Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez. "It felt good to put us ahead," Engel said of his third home run. "Anytime you get the lead, you give your bullpen a chance to shut things down." Before Anthony Swarzak did that, earning his first save in the 44th game he has finished during his eight-year career, Matt Davidson added another home run for good measure 476 feet, according to Statcast in the eighth. Davidson's 19th home run, which landed on Waveland Avenue, came against reliever Koji Uehara and was the longest hit at Wrigley this season. It gave the Sox, losers of 12 of 13 going into the game, a two-run cushion. "Those two homers were big for us," manager Rick Renteria said. "All the guys really enjoyed the atmosphere, coming down and competing against the crosstown rivals." And knocking them from first place at least temporarily in the process. On Sunday the Cubs (51-47) pulled into a tie with the Brewers atop the National League Central, the first time they had been there since June 6. The Sox, meanwhile, have the worst record (39-57) in the American League. Gonzalez allowed a run, seven hits and three walks in 7 1/3 innings. His counterpart, Kyle Hendricks, made his first start since June 4 after being on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right hand. Hendricks lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowed eight hits and struck out five on 92 pitches. He drove in his team's lone run on a groundout to second base in the second. "It didn't go the way I wanted it to go," he said. "Fastball command was terrible, and that's where everything stems from for me. Luckily, my secondary stuff felt OK. I even threw a few good curves. Healthwise, everything felt great. So we'll take that." Cubs catcher Willson Contreras couldn't take the ending, though. Strike two struck a nerve with Contreras with two out and two on in the ninth, enough that he barked at plate umpire Angel Hernandez. A called strike three to end the game struck another nerve and prompted Contreras to argue once more before he broke his bat in frustration. The Cubs went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Jon Jay had four hits, and three times he was stranded in scoring position.

16 "They pitched better than us, primarily," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We didn't play bad. We just couldn't get a hit with runners in scoring position. We've been doing a great job with that recently, and today we just couldn't do it." Chicago Tribune Willson Contreras the emotional catalyst behind Cubs' resurgence By David Haugh As the Chicago media corps surrounded the city's most exciting player this month before Monday's Cubs-White Sox game at Wrigley Field, Willson Contreras widened his bleary eyes to adjust to the bright lights of the cameras. The Cubs catcher better get used to the glare. It only will intensify if Contreras keeps playing like the most valuable member of a team that finally looks familiar. The Cubs' post-all-star-break surge has been fueled by Will power. Since proclaiming the Cubs were back after sweeping the Orioles, Contreras has backed up his bold words and emerged as an emotional catalyst. "It's not about me, it's about the team," Contreras insisted. Sure, but at this rate, the Cubs could become Contreras' team one day soon. Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester command the most respect in the clubhouse, and Kris Bryant remains the Cub most likely to pose for a magazine cover, but the impact of Contreras, 25, figures to sharpen the Cubs' edge over time. Catchers naturally evolve into leaders by virtue of the position, and the role suits the Venezuelan's vibrant personality. Whether yelling around first base after a home run, as Contreras did Sunday night against the Cardinals, or pumping his fist after a successful pickoff throw, his authentic enthusiasm injects intensity his teammates have come to appreciate. "It's huge," outfielder Jason Heyward said of Contreras' energy. "Somebody's got to do it." Doing the job in the clutch this season defines Contreras, who leads National League catchers with 15 home runs and the Cubs with 14 go-ahead RBIs, including eight game-winners. He struck out with the tying runs on base to end Monday's 3-1 loss, an exception to the rule in July. The Cubs designated veteran Miguel Montero for assignment June 28, and Contreras has responded to the absence of his mentor by hitting.328 this month with six home runs. "It changed everything, to be honest," Contreras said of Montero's departure. "Now I know I'll be playing every single day and have nobody looking at me the whole time." With the baseball world watching Sunday night on ESPN, Contreras appeared to kiss both biceps as he crossed the plate after his home run perceived by some as a flamboyant, look-at-me form of taunting. As Contreras clarified Monday, he was kissing his "flags," the compression sleeves on his arms decorated like the Venezuelan flag as a tribute to family and friends back home enduring hardship under the current government. "I am playing for my country every single day; we're having a tough time down there," Contreras said soberly. Daily news reports provide enough reality checks for Contreras to keep the highs and lows of the Cubs season in perspective. Veteran pitchers such as reliever Hector Rondon who rely regularly on Contreras to keep a level head have noted how he has matured since the Cubs called him up June 17, "Amazing difference especially what he's done with our starting pitchers to gain more respect," said Rondon, also from Venezuela. For example, Rondon credited Contreras for improving where he sets up behind the plate before each batter and how he calls a sequence of pitches, depending on game situations and hitters. But Rondon has detected the most