June 5, Cubs.com, Cubs look back on Piersall fondly

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1 June 5, 2017 Cubs.com, Cubs get Happ-y, sweep Cards at Wrigley Cubs.com, Happ gets back into swing in first 2-HR game Cubs.com, Cubs look back on Piersall fondly Cubs.com, Butler looks to regain control vs. Marlins ESPNChicago.com, Grading Joe Maddon's in-game decisions CSNChicago.com, Cubs Motor Onto Sweep Of Cardinals Thanks To 'The Ian Happ Game' CSNChicago.com, How The Cubs Could Pair Bryce Harper And Kris Bryant In CSNChicago.com, How A Team Meeting In San Diego Helped The Cubs Hit The Reset Button And Sweep The Cardinals At Wrigley Field CSNChicago.com, Addison Russell, Javy Baez And The State Of The Cubs Shortstop Position Chicago Tribune, Jason Heyward continues to emerge as leader for Cubs story.html Chicago Tribune, Ian Happ homers twice as Cubs complete sweep of Cardinals Chicago Tribune, Albert Almora Jr. left out of Cubs lineups with Ian Happ's emergence Chicago Tribune, Jimmy Piersall remembered as '1 of smartest people around' Chicago Tribune, David Ross elevated to ESPN's No. 1 team for Sunday's Cubs-Cardinals at Wrigley story.html

2 Chicago Sun-Times, Ian Happ has his breakout moment as Cubs come back to sweep Cardinals Chicago Sun-Times, Kyle Hendricks takes another step back in rocky four-inning start Chicago Sun-Times, ESPN analyst Boone reflects on Wrigley s charm, Fowler and Schwarber Daily Herald, Cubs feeling good after another win over Cards Daily Herald, Imrem: Heyward's slump is looking up Daily Herald, Cubs' Maddon trying to find spot for Almora Jr. Daily Herald, Looking back on the life of Jimmy Piersall Daily Herald, Rozner: As a character, Jimmy Piersall was an all-timer Cubs.com Cubs get Happ-y, sweep Cards at Wrigley By Carrie Muskat and Scott Chasen CHICAGO Rookie Ian Happ hit a pair of home runs and knocked in four and pinch-hitter Jon Jay drove in the goahead run with an RBI single in the seventh Sunday to lift the Cubs to a 7-6 victory over the Cardinals and complete a sweep of the three-game series against their division rivals. The Cubs were able to score the go-ahead run thanks to heads-up baserunning by Jason Heyward, who also made a stellar catch in the first inning. The solid play over the last three games may have been sparked by a team meeting before the Cubs' game in San Diego on Wednesday. It wasn't another session like the get-together during the rain delay in Game 7 of the World Series, but it was a chance to get a read on the Cubs' heartbeat. "We all want each other to do well," Heyward said. "We want to make something happen for each other. Just checking in, hearing how we're doing, hearing what we think about this, what we think about that." "It was good stuff," Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks said of the players-only meeting. "It was just getting back to focusing on what we do inside the clubhouse, focusing on the guys and playing the game." On Sunday, Happ provided the power. Before the game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon backed the rookie, saying he was going to get hot again. Happ did just that, recording his first two-homer game. Happ hit a solo shot in the third that stayed just fair, and a three-run homer in the fourth. The Cubs' first-round pick the 2015 Draft, Happ had hit two home runs in his first three big league games, but was batting.114 in his last 11 games with one extra-base hit prior to Sunday. "I haven't barreled a ball in a while, so it was good to feel that," Happ said.

3 St. Louis starter Michael Wacha served up both of Happ's homers and was lifted after 4 1/3 innings. The Cardinals also forced an early exit for Hendricks, who gave up Stephen Piscotty's three-run homer and an RBI single by Paul DeJong in the fourth inning. "I felt really good with everything I had," said Wacha, who hadn't pitched past the fourth inning in either of his two last outings. "Just didn't make the pitches whenever I needed to tonight." The Cubs opened a 6-4 lead but the Cardinals tied the game in the sixth on a run-scoring groundout by DeJong and an RBI double by Aledmys Diaz against Hector Rondon. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Teamwork: With the game tied at 6 and one out in the Cubs' seventh against the Cardinals' Matt Bowman, Anthony Rizzo singled, and one out later, moved up on Heyward's single. Jay lined a single to left-center to drive in Rizzo, who scored while Heyward was being chased between second and third. Heyward was tagged out in the rundown. "[Heyward] had the awareness to stop and get in a rundown so Rizzo could score," Maddon said. Jay has become Mr. Clutch for the Cubs. "Jon Jay is just a valuable baseball player," Maddon said. "You can pop him in here, and it's like instant offense. He's almost like a really good sixth man in basketball." "It's a pro at-bat against a guy who has good stuff," Heyward said of Jay. "For [Rizzo] to get on base and keep the line moving, that's what we need to do as a team. A little here, a little knock here, little knock there, run the bases well, it goes a long way." Start me up: Hendricks faced the minimum over the first three innings but walked the first two batters in the St. Louis fourth to set up Piscotty's home run. Piscotty drove the first pitch he saw from Hendricks into the left-field bleachers to take a 3-1 lead. It was Piscotty's third homer this season and first since April 15. Jedd Gyorko, back from paternity leave, then singled and stole second, and two outs later, he scored on DeJong's single to center. Hendricks threw 43 pitches in the inning, which was his last of the game. "That was a real good inning for us," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "And one of those that we typically would hold on to. But like I said, when things started to go bad they went bad in a hurry." QUOTABLE "That's on me. They've been giving me a lead out there and I've just been serving it right back to them. That's not the way to go about it. Whenever we get a lead, that starter's supposed to go out there and, you know, keep that lead for us. And I haven't been doing that." Wacha on his recent outings GLOVEWORK Heyward perfectly timed a diving catch to rob Matt Carpenter of a potential extra-base hit in the Cardinals' first. Carpenter tipped his cap in recognition to Heyward. According to Statcast, there was a 14 percent catch probability. It was a five-star catch, but the Cubs players knew that already, and waited at the dugout for Heyward to come off the field to salute him. WHAT'S NEXT Cardinals: Right-hander Carlos Martinez will get the ball Monday for the Cards' series opener against the Reds. Martinez will be looking to make his eighth straight quality start, fresh off an outing against the Dodgers where he pitched eight innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 win. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is slated for 6:10 p.m. CT on Monday.

4 Cubs: Eddie Butler will open the Cubs' three-game series against the Marlins on Monday. The right-hander is coming off a loss to the Padres in which he gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings. First pitch will be 7:05 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Cubs.com Happ gets back into swing in first 2-HR game By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Cubs center fielder Ian Happ stumbled a bit before catching Dexter Fowler's fly ball to open the Cardinals' first inning. Right fielder Jason Heyward was there to back up the rookie and razz him a little. "I said, 'You've got two left feet,'" Heyward said of the good-natured joking. "My main goal is to catch every one of them," Happ said. "It may be ugly, but as long as I catch it, [it's OK]." The rookie's other goal is to contribute to the Cubs offensively, and he did just that Sunday night, hitting a pair of home runs in a 7-6 victory over the Cardinals. It was Happ's first career multi-homer game and he finished with four RBIs, also a high. "He's going to continue to do a better job of knowing what to not swing at," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Happ. "He doesn't have to do mechanical adjustments, he doesn't have to spend 1,000 hours in the batting cage. It's a focus thing. He has a good idea of the strike zone. When he really refines it here, heads up." Happ hit a solo shot in the third that stayed just fair, and a three-run homer in the fourth. The Cubs' first-round pick of the 2015 Draft, Happ had hit two home runs in his first three big league games, but was batting.114 in his last 11 games with one extra-base hit prior to Sunday. "It's a process," Happ said. "You're going to go through ups and downs. It's a long season, but I've felt good about where my swing is." So far, 10 of Happ's 16 hits have been for extra bases. He's the first Cubs leadoff hitter to record a multi-homer game since Matt Szczur did so last Aug. 12 against the Cardinals. "He does what he can to help us, and that's what I feel like everybody's done a great job of," Heyward said. "He handles it like a professional, he's the same guy every day." Happ did laugh at Heyward's joke about his footwork. Having a four-time Gold Glove Award winner playing next to you has helped Happ progress defensively. "His baseball IQ is unbelievable," Happ said of Heyward. "I can't say enough about how much I've learned from him." In his first eight games in the big leagues, Happ batted.357 with two home runs, four doubles, one triple and five RBIs. The rookie never thought his struggles would prompt the Cubs to send him back to the Minor Leagues. "No, I'm going one day at a time and trying to help the club every day," Happ said. Cubs.com Cubs look back on Piersall fondly By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Less than two weeks ago, Hall of Famer Billy Williams spent some time with Jimmy Piersall talking baseball.

5 "We had a lot of fun," Williams said Sunday of their conversation. "We were just talking baseball, bringing back old stories, and that kind of livened him up." Piersall's wife called Williams the next day to say how much she appreciated that. On Sunday, Piersall passed away. He was 87. Williams and Piersall were hired by then Cubs general manager Dallas Green in February 1986 as a hitting coach and Minor League outfield coach, respectively. At the time, Piersall issued a warning to the Cubs outfielders: "Tell them not to bring their golf clubs. We plan to do a lot of work." The Cubs had a moment of silence before Sunday night's game to honor Piersall. One of the young players Piersall tutored was current Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez. "He really did know the outfield," Martinez said Sunday. "He taught me well. He was really good. He said, 'You need to learn how to dive for balls.' For 20 minutes, I was out there diving for balls. He was really into it. "He taught me little things, what to look for, always anticipating the ball being hit to you," Martinez said. "As a young kid, I enjoyed listening to him and learned a lot." Martinez also remembered that he took care of Piersall's Shar Pei dog during Spring Training. "This morning, I was bringing up some of his stuff on the computer to show my daughter," Williams said. "[Piersall] was a good banquet speaker because he kept the people laughing. He said, 'I've got a certificate to be crazy.' He was a lot of fun. He was a good baseball player and hit about.270 and won three or four Gold Gloves. He was a great outfielder." Manager Joe Maddon remembered meeting Piersall at the Cubs' former Spring Training complex, Fitch Park, in Mesa, Ariz. "My dad always talked about what a great player he was, how entertaining he was," Maddon said. "My only exchange was watching him coach and talk and having a boisterous time at Fitch Park." Worth noting Rookie Ian Happ's regular playing time has meant Albert Almora Jr. is spending more time on the bench than in the Cubs' lineup. Maddon said he's trying to find games to give Almora a start. "When we designed this at the beginning of the year, it was not with the intent that Ian would be here this soon or that Ian would play center field as well as he has," Maddon said. In his first eight games in the big leagues, Happ batted.357 with two home runs, four doubles, one triple and five RBIs. Since then, Happ was batting.114 in 11 games with one double. Maddon said the outfielder is a streaky hitter. "I saw it in Spring Training," Maddon said. "I saw he was swinging and missing a lot... and then he hit a line drive to right field [against the Angels], and he took off again. "He's going to get hot again," Maddon said. "That's who he is, it's his DNA. If you're concerned about him, don't be. It's just a birth certificate situation. "The guy's got tools, and he's got a good baseball mind. Yeah, he's going to strike out and look bad sometimes, but when it all comes together, look out."

6 Cubs.com Butler looks to regain control vs. Marlins By Joe Frisaro The Marlins gained some traction over a successful homestand, which included Saturday's no-hitter thrown by Edinson Volquez. But the task gets considerably tougher on Monday as they open a three-game series against the defending World Series champion Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are also starting to heat up in June, but momentum usually begins with the starting pitcher. Chicago is hoping to see more consistency from Eddie Butler, who is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two starts at Wrigley Field this season. Command, however, has been a bit spotty as the 26-year-old has seven walks and four strikeouts in eight innings. Looking to set the tone for Miami is Dan Straily, the club's most consistent starter. The right-hander is riding a three-game winning streak, posting a 3.57 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings in those outings. Straily has some history facing the Cubs, going 1-1 with a 6.11 ERA in four games (three starts). The last time the Marlins visited Wrigley Field, they opened the series nine games over.500 on Aug. 1, 2016, but they were swept in three games. Things you need to know Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has some impressive numbers against Straily. In seven at-bats, the 2016 National League Most Valuable Player Award winner has four hits (.571 batting average) with one double, two home runs and six RBIs. The Marlins are waiting for Christian Yelich to heat up, but the 25-year-old center fielder has a nice track record against the Cubs. In 19 games, his slash line is.360/.402/.560 with four home runs and nine RBIs. The back end of the Marlins' bullpen is a bit unsettled. Kyle Barraclough, who has routinely worked either the seventh or eighth innings, has struggled with control. Before Sunday's perfect sixth inning, he had 21 walks and 23 strikeouts in 22 1/3 frames. Manager Don Mattingly intends to use Barraclough in lower-leverage situations until he gets back on track. ESPNChicago.com Grading Joe Maddon's in-game decisions By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO The World Series tested Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon's decision-making abilities, but Sunday's 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals might not be far behind. Of course, there's a lot less meaning in an early June game, but that doesn't mean the judgement calls come any easier. From the fourth inning on, Maddon had to make the right decisions on his pinch hitters as well as his bullpen. One mistake could have made the difference between the Cubs' first sweep of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field since 2006 and their seventh loss in their last ten games. "It was a very active game," Maddon said afterward. Let's examine and grade each decision: Pulling Kyle Hendricks

7 Grade: A+ The Cubs' offense has been stuck in neutral for over two months, so when there's a chance to capitalize, they need to jump on it. Hendricks had just given up four runs in the top of the fourth inning, having thrown a career-high 43 pitches to get through it. With two on and two outs Maddon sent Albert Almora Jr. to the plate to hit for Hendricks with the Cubs trailing 4-1. "Kyle wasn't himself," Maddon said. "Things weren't working in his favor." Almora promptly singled to right, but an error allowed him to get to third as two runs scored on the play. "I had already done my routine," Almora said. "I didn't care when my name was called. I was given a chance and came through." Maddon added: "The big thing we've been trying to do is use the opposite field. That's a big part of what you do when you get into a rut. The fact that he went to right field was even better." Pulling Justin Grimm Grade: A Grimm was making his second appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa, using 22 pitches to get through the fifth. Should he have come out for a second inning? In hindsight, it's an easier call as Hector Rondon allowed the Cardinals to tie the game. Maddon explained the one-inning philosophy. "Part of that is if a guy is struggling at all, get him in, get him out," he said. Remember, Grimm had a 6.61 ERA coming into the game having pitched a clean inning in San Diego earlier in the week. Believing in him for a second inning was a risky proposition, as Maddon figured getting one good inning out of him was more than enough. Hindsight doesn't work here. Not when the guy who replaces him has an ERA two runs lower. Hector Rondon Grade: C+ Going to Rondon wasn't the issue. The Cubs had a two-run lead and he was pitching the sixth inning not the eighth or ninth. Rondon has a paycheck to earn as well, but Maddon may have stuck with him too long. It took a hit, walk, wild pitch, RBI ground out and then run-scoring double before Maddon brought in Pedro Strop. "I thought, based on what I've been seeing lately with Ronny, this was perfect," Maddon said. "That part of the batting order for Ronnie." Pulling Rondon any time before the Cardinals tied it seemed like the safer call, hindsight or not. Pedro Strop Grade: A+ Strop was the only reliever to pitch more than an inning, as he came in for Rondon in the sixth and then pitched a clean seventh. It only took him only nine pitches to end the Cardinals' threat and keep the game tied 6-6. After that, he needed only seven more pitches to get through the seventh. "He was the linchpin of that victory tonight," Maddon said. Jon Jay pinch hitting

8 Grade: A+ Perhaps it was obvious to some, but with two on and two outs in the seventh inning it wasn't a total slam dunk to go to Jay in a 6-6 tie. Maddon could have used Javier Baez, perhaps saving Jay for more of a contact situation where a base hit wasn't necessarily needed. But Jay came through against righty Matt Bowman, singling home the winning run. "He's the sixth man here," Maddon said. "You can pop him in there and it's instant offense." Koji Uehara over Carl Edwards Jr. in the ninth Grade: B- Maddon had made up his mind that each reliever would get an inning and Uehara would be the closer considering Wade Davis was unavailable having pitched Friday and Saturday. But Edwards has been lights out this season save a moment or two where he has walked some batters, as he did Friday. But he only threw 12 pitches in a eighth inning, so letting him start the ninth seemed like a possibility. Not for Maddon, who went to Uehara knowing he has had issues in the second game of back-to-back outings. The opposition was 5-for-8 with two walks and six runs off him in those situations. Edwards, meanwhile, had a 0.87 ERA coming in and was used for 2/3 of an inning Friday. "I had in my mind to go one [inning]," Maddon said. "Wade was not available, so I was going to go one inning." Uehara had a ninth inning, but that doesn't mean it was the right call. If Edwards is a future closer, why not let him and that sparkling ERA close things out? Maddon uses the term outcome bias a lot, so you can't be swayed by the ending. Next time, it would be nice to see Edwards for two innings. CSNChicago.com Cubs Motor Onto Sweep Of Cardinals Thanks To 'The Ian Happ Game' By Tony Andracki Before Sunday night's game, Joe Maddon had a simple message on Ian Happ: "Let's see what happens tonight. He's gonna get hot again. That's just who he is. That's his DNA. "If you're concerned about him, don't be." The rookie backed up his manager's vote of confidence, leading the Cubs to a sweep of the Cardinals with a 7-6 victory that could go down as "The Ian Happ Game." Happ gave the Cubs the lead with a homer just inside the foul pole in the third inning. After the Cardinals came right back with four runs of their own, Happ took matters into his own hands and gave the Cubs the lead again with his second homer in as many innings. This one was a two-out shot into the right-field bleachers and sent the 39,868 fans at Wrigley Field into an absolute frenzy. The only louder cheer than the response to Happ's second homer was when he was pushed out of the dugout by his teammates and responded to the crowd's demand for a curtain call. Happ stroked 842 feet worth of homers, averaging 109 mph off the bat between the two blasts.

9 "The guy's got tools, man," Maddon said. "He's got tools and he's got a good baseball mind. Yeah, he's gonna strike out and yeah he's gonna look bad sometimes, but man, when it all comes together, you're really gonna enjoy it." Three of Happ's four big-league homers have come against the Cardinals and he raised his OPS nearly 100 points on the evening (from.748 to.839). Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr. chipped in off the bench with pinch-hit RBI knocks to account for the rest of the Happ-less (not hapless) Cubs offense. The Cubs' sweep was their first of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field since April CSNChicago.com How The Cubs Could Pair Bryce Harper And Kris Bryant In 2019 By Tony Andracki Imagine Bryce Harper smashing balls onto Sheffield Ave. and battling the tough sun in right field in afternoon games at Wrigley Field. The 24-year-old superstar will hit free agency in a year and a half (after the 2018 season) and the bidding frenzy will be unlike anything we've ever seen before. So will the Cubs be in on that bidding war for Harper? Longtime baseball writer Peter Gammons is in Chicago this weekend as part of Theo Epstein's Hot Stove Cool Music festival and Gammons hopped on 670 The Score to discuss the possibility of Harper reuniting with fellow Vegas product Kris Bryant on the North Side. "I have people tell me that Bryce Harper really would prefer to play for the Cubs," Gammons said on the Mully and Hanley Show Friday. "Somehow, I don't think that it's gonna be affordable to see Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant on the same team. "It's a great idea; I'd love to see it, 'cause I respect them both so much personally and professionally. But I don't think it's ever gonna happen." Gammons has a point. Harper is still more than a year away from free agency and there have already been reports that he and agent Scott Boras are seeking a $400 million deal. The New York Yankees don't have many long-term, big-money contracts left, so they'll be flush with cash for the winter of when maybe the best free agent class ever hits the market. And anytime the Yankees are in the mix, the price will go through the roof. Keep in mind, too, Harper and his camp have a clear advantage to creating a link with the Cubs given that association alone will drive the price up expontentially. So how could the Cubs reasonably afford Harper in 2019? It won't be easy, that's for sure. The Cubs currently have $ million committed in 2019 to Jason Heyward, Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo and Pedro Strop's buy-out will be Bryant's second season in arbitration and don't expect him to sign a team-friendly deal like Rizzo's given Boras is also Bryant's agent and almost always lets his players hit free agency to drive up the price on the open market.

10 In 2019, the Cubs will also be done with rookie contracts on a host of other guys, dealing out arbitration to Kyle Hendricks, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Javy Baez. (Willson Contreras, Albert Almora Jr. and Carl Edwards Jr. will still be on rookie deals in 2019.) Arbitration/rookie deals for all those guys will bring the Cubs past $100 million for 2019 a lot of money committed to only 12 players (assuming all the guys listed so far remain a part of the picture). That also only takes care of three pitchers, leaving nine to 10 spots on the pitching staff to allocate money to. It's worth noting Lester will be 35 in The Cubs will need to pour a ton of resources into the pitching staff this offseason and beyond. But then again, if the Cubs can win another World Series this year or next, it would presumably leave them entering the 2019 free agency class in a great spot financially. By then, Wrigley Field and the surrounding area could also be completely finished with all the renovations, making it the premier place to play in all of baseball and certainly an attraction for free agents. Just dreaming on it for a second: Bryant-Harper-Rizzo would be an absolutely ridiculous heart of the order that would certainly rival the Hall of Fame trio of Ernie Banks-Billy Williams-Ron Santo in Cubs lore. And of course, it will be awfully difficult to find a way to retain Bryant's services once he hits free agency following the 2021 season with Harper already on the payroll, but that's another problem for another time. CSNChicago.com How A Team Meeting In San Diego Helped The Cubs Hit The Reset Button And Sweep The Cardinals At Wrigley Field By Tony Andracki It wasn't quite a rain delay before extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series, but the Cubs had another crucial team meeting last week and they've once again found immediate success after. Prior to the final game on an 0-6 road trip, the Cubs players all got together in San Diego and hashed some things out. Of course, the Cubs wound up losing to the Padres that day, but they've since stopped the bleeding and put the finishing touches on a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday night at Wrigley Field. "We just talked," Kyle Hendricks said. "It was good stuff, just getting back to focusing on what we do. Inside the clubhouse, focusing on the guys and playing the game." Jason Heyward was the leader of that now-infamous Game 7 weight room meeting. He downplayed the San Diego meeting as standard regular maintenance. "We're not gonna dwell on it," Heyward said. "It's just checking in. You gotta check in. You gotta be on the same page, regardless of how things are going. "That's something we're going to continue to get better at and do a great job of. Not to say it's a lack of this and that. It's just nice to be on the same page. It's nice to hear how everybody's doing. "Everybody just kinda saying whatever you need to say. If you feel like you need to say something, voice it. You just want to hear each other. You just want to check in and say, 'Hey, what we got, guys?'

11 "... Regardless of what our coaches tell us, regardless of whatever kind of work you put in, if you're not on the same page as a team, you're not gonna go anywhere." The Cubs scored just nine runs in six games on the road trip, but put up 15 on the board in three games against St. Louis over the weekend. One of the main issues on the West Coast last week was a lack of timely hitting, but the Cubs went 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position Sunday night, including Ian Happ's three-run homer in the fourth inning and pinch-hits from Albert Almora Jr. (third inning) and the game-winner from Jon Jay (seventh inning). "It's always good to just slow things down and just talk," Jay said. "That's what we did slowed things down, talked a little bit and just reminded ourselves how good we really are. "You look around, you look at a lot of guys' baseball cards here. They've done a lot of good things. The younger guys, they've done stuff and they're gonna continue to get better. That's kind of how the season is. There's 162 games for a reason." Jay also downplayed the meeting as "nothing big. Just reminding ourselves what we really can do. We all have each other's backs." Prior to Sunday's game, Joe Maddon spoke about how he stands on the top step in the dugout every night to get a feel for his players. And the Cubs manager noticed a difference in his team this weekend at Wrigley Field compared to the West Coast trip, citing a certain "believability" that has returned. Hendricks has noticed the same thing. "There has been a little mindset change," Hendricks said. "I don't know what to attribute it to, honestly. The guys kinda got together and talked amongst ourselves. Maybe it's just that team confidence that's back. "Everybody's just a little bit more relaxed, focused on ourselves and what we're doing moreso than what's coming from the outside. It's just what we needed to get back to playing our brand of baseball." CSNChicago.com Addison Russell, Javy Baez And The State Of The Cubs Shortstop Position By Tony Andracki Addy or Javy? There isn't quite a position battle brewing at shortstop for the Cubs and Joe Maddon didn't go all Lovie Smith and say something like, "Addison Russell is our shortstop." But it's also clear who the Cubs' long-term answer is at short, even despite Javy Baez's recent success and Russell's season-long struggles. Right now, Maddon is just simplifying everything at the shortstop position, rotating the two players on a daily basis. For the last week (following a string of five straight Russell starts at shortstop), Maddon has penciled in Baez at short one day and Russell the next. "It hasn't been complicated," Maddon said. "I've just been going back and forth with them.... I've just been trying to not run either one into the ground. I've been trying to get them both playing."

12 Maddon also pointed to the recent play of Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ as determining factors affecting the shortstop spot. With the Cubs seeing so many right-handed pitchers lately, Maddon has gone with Happ in center, Jason Heyward in right field and Kyle Schwarber in left, meaning Zobrist has been relegated to second base a lot lately. That's freed Baez up to play more shortstop over the last week. While he likes how things are playing out right now, Maddon acknowledged the daily shortstop rotation won't stick that way in the long term. "Once Addy really gets his whole approach going back together again, then everything will come back into place," Maddon said. Russell has taken a step back offensively this season. He broke out for 21 homers and 95 RBI in his age-22 campaign last year but entered his Sunday night start with a.211 average and.635 OPS. There is definitely a component of luck to those numbers. Russell's batting average on balls in play is only.260, below league average and below the.277 mark he posted last season and.324 BABIP as a rookie. Russell has also improved on his weak contact, dropping from soft contact 23.7 percent of the time last season to only 14.9 percent in However, he's also seen a dip in hard-hit balls from 29.3 percent in 2016 to 23.1 percent in two months so far this year. Overall, Russell's peripheral numbers are right in line with his career marks or better. Earlier in the season, Maddon said he would count 2017 as a success for Russell if the young shortstop could cut down on his strikeouts and draw more walks. The Cubs manager thought the rest of the numbers would follow if the plate discipline was good. Russell's walk rate is down slightly (9.2 percent to 8.7 percent), but he's also cut down on his strikeouts for the second straight season and is only whiffing 21 percent of the time right now. Against the Cardinals Friday, Russell worked himself into a hitter's count in the fifth inning before striking out and then lined out to right field his next time up in the seventh. "Keep doin' it," Maddon said. "That's the whole thing like Schwarbs hitting the grand slam. That's nice; let's do it again. Let's have another couple good at-bats. Just continue to do that." Meanwhile, Baez is on a tear, hitting.412 with a OPS, four homers and 11 RBI over the last 11 games. But even with those numbers, Baez still has only a.299 on-base percentage for the season and is on pace for just 18 walks compared to 117 strikeouts. Of course, Baez is also on pace for 27 homers and 75 RBI and his versatility, baseball IQ and age (24) give the Cubs dynamic depth at shortstop until Russell rights the ship. "It's unusual that we can do that to have two shortstops that you like to play and that you feel really good about, not many teams can say that," Maddon said. "And that's part of why we can do it. "If I didn't feel as good about one or the other playing there, the other guy would be playing and you'd just have to wear it if he's having a hard time offensively. But I think Javy's benefitted; Javy's been really good lately.

13 "And I think I'm seeing better out of Addison also. So let's just keep going. Lotta season left and I think if we do it this way, they're both going to be very fresh at the end of the year." Chicago Tribune Jason Heyward continues to emerge as leader for Cubs By Paul Skrbina Jason Heyward is a full-time Gold Glove right fielder and part-time between-second-and-third-base coach for the Cubs. Heyward played the role of the latter while caught in a rundown Sunday during his team s 7-6 victory that finished a three-game sweep of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. He stopped in his tracks long enough to wave Anthony Rizzo to the plate with what turned out to be the winning run before he was tagged out near second base to end the seventh inning. Heyward, who also earned a tip of the helmet from Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter in the first when his sliding catch robbed Carpenter of extra bases, was trying for third on Jon Jay s pinch-hit single when he intentionally put himself in the pickle. It s one of the things you gotta think ahead on, Heyward said. Knowing the situation, time of the game, who s running, all that stuff. Heyward said first-base coach Brandon Hyde often reminds baserunners of such scenarios, not that Heyward wasn t already thinking about it. With one of last year s leaders, David Ross, in the right-field stands calling Sunday s game for ESPN, Heyward showed again that he s worthy of such a label for this year s team. Cubs manager Joe Maddon agreed. I think he is. I felt that last year, though, Maddon said. Watch him on the field. Watch all the little things he does coming off the field, in the dugout, bumping into guys, tapping them on the back. He s always there to support everybody. Always. Not sometimes. He s definitely got the qualities and the characteristics, and he played well last year but he s hitting better right now. Ian Happ, the rookie who hit two home runs that accounted for four RBIs Sunday, said playing next to Heyward in the outfield has been a blessing. You saw what he did when Rizzo scored and he stopped, Happ said. His baseball IQ is unbelievable. Chicago Tribune Ian Happ homers twice as Cubs complete sweep of Cardinals By Paul Skrbina No more room service for Ian Happ. The Cubs rookie has moved into his own apartment after spending the first part of his big-league career staying in a hotel. He also has moved to the top of the Cubs lineup.

14 Happ is comfortable in both new places three weeks after making his debut. His comfort showed Sunday, when he hit home runs in the third and fourth innings during a nerve-racking 7-6 victory against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field that completed a three-game sweep. "It's nice to have a place to go home to and not be living out of a suitcase," Happ said. "I'm just focused on trying to win baseball games. "I love Chicago, love the city." And, it appears, the city loves him back at least those who back the Cubs. Happ's second home run, and his fourth of the season, was a three-run blast that highlighted a five-run fourth inning. It was followed by a curtain call that did nothing but give Cubs fans an excuse to adore him again. "Awesome moment," Happ said. Happ's boss didn't disagree after he said he was concerned about how well Cardinals starter Michael Wacha was pitching to that point. "When he hit that second ball the concern kind of dissipated," Maddon said. "That had a second gear on it." The Cubs scored all five of those runs with two out and quickly put to rest the four-run fourth the Cardinals used to chase Kyle Hendricks from the mound. Responsibility for the victory, which put the Cubs above.500, hardly was Happ's alone. Jason Heyward made a pair of slick plays in right field, including a sliding catch on Matt Carpenter's sinking liner in the first that was met with a respectful tip of the helmet from Carpenter. Heyward also allowed Anthony Rizzo to score the go-ahead run with almost three outs in the seventh. Heyward wisely put himself in a rundown between second and third base long enough for Rizzo to score on Jon Jay's pinch-hit single before Paul DeJong tagged him out. "Regardless of whether he's hitting or not, I think he's an outstanding baseball player," Maddon said of Heyward. "And we're seeing the best of him right now." The Cubs didn't see the best from some of their mound-goers Sunday, though. The sixth inning was on the brink of getting so out of hand for the Cubs that Maddon pulled his pitcher and his catcher at the same time. Right-hander Hector Rondon had allowed a leadoff single to Yadier Molina, who then stole second off Rondon and catcher Miguel Montero to become the third Cardinal to steal a base in five-plus innings. Rondon then walked Tommy Pham. Both advanced 90 feet closer to home on Rondon's wild pitch, and Molina scored on a groundout to shortstop. Finally fed up after Aledmys Diaz doubled off the ivy in center to score Pham and tie the score 6-6, Maddon make his move Pedro Strop to the mound and Willson Contreras behind the plate. Maddon showed a little more patience with starter Hendricks, but not much. The first hit Hendricks allowed resulted in three runs.

15 The right-hander walked Dexter Fowler and Carpenter to lead off the fourth inning before Stephen Piscotty dotted an offering over the wall in right-center for a three-run home run and a 3-1 lead. Hendricks allowed two more hits and another run that inning before he was yanked in favor of pinch-hitter Albert Almora Jr. Hendricks allowed five runs in five innings of his last start. But Maddon is confident last year's baseball ERA leader will bounce back. Just like he was confident Happ would after a fast start and a slump that dropped his average to.222. "Being 21, 22, that's where he's at," Maddon said of Happ before Sunday's game. "He'll be fine. He's gonna get hot again. That's just who he is. That's his DNA. "If you're concerned about him, don't be. It's just a birth certificate situation. That's all." Chicago Tribune Albert Almora Jr. left out of Cubs lineups with Ian Happ's emergence By Paul Skrbina Albert Almora Jr. tossed a pair of white batting gloves to an unsuspecting young boy after batting practice Sunday. He was repaid with a wide smile and an "Oh, my gosh!" from his new fan for life. But Cubs backers haven't seen much of Almora lately. Ian Happ's arrival has turned the center fielder into "The Forgotten Cub." Manager Joe Maddon acknowledged as much before his team's game against the Cardinals. "He has," Maddon said when asked whether Almora had been left out. "I've been lookin', lookin', lookin'. I have an idea or two maybe coming up soon." Maddon found a way to use Almora on Sunday, pinch-hitting him for struggling starter Kyle Hendricks in the fourth inning. Almora came through with an RBI single that skipped past Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty, allowing another run to score and Almora to reach third in part of a five-run inning. After center field mainstay Dexter Fowler departed for the Cardinals, Almora, whose heady baserunning allowed him to score the go-ahead run in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the World Series, had been part of a planned platoon in center field with Jon Jay. But the 23-year-old Almora, a second-year player, had just 10 at-bats in the team's last 10 games before Sunday. "With Ian in town, that's made it turn out differently," Maddon said. Almora kept to himself and uncharacteristically turned down a request to talk before Sunday's game. Almora said during spring training, before Happ was in the major-league picture, that he was fine with any role. "It's about the Cubs, so whatever fits best for that," he said. "You might think that's kind of a quote-unquote right answer, but that's the way it is for me." Almora was batting.257 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and a.678 OPS in 101 at-bats going into Sunday. Maddon said both he and President Theo Epstein have had "open conversation" with Almora about his role since Happ's arrival.

16 "He's fine," Maddon said. He's back: David Ross was behind the plate again at Wrigley Field on Sunday. But only during batting practice. The retired catcher had ditched his baseball gear for a gray sport coat in preparation for his broadcasting debut at his old home park, where he was part of an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew calling the game from the right-field stands. He filled in for Jessica Mendoza as a color commentator. Ross played catch with Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward from the stands between the second and third innings. Chicago Tribune Jimmy Piersall remembered as '1 of smartest people around' By Mark Gonzales If Ned Colletti needed to find a minor league outfielder during spring training in Mesa, Ariz., the former Chicago Cubs' executive knew where to go. It was often in a dining room where Colletti would find a group of outfield prospects listening to outfield instructor Jimmy Piersall, who served as an outfield instructor for 14 seasons after a 17-year playing career. "Jimmy Piersall was one of the smartest people around," Colletti said Sunday of Piersall, who died Saturday at a care facility at Wheaton at 87. "He has a great passion for young players. He loved to talk and teach the game to them." President Dallas Green thought so highly of Piersall's skills that he hired him in years after Piersall hit his 100th career home run off Green and ran around the bases backwards. Colletti, a senior adviser to the president with the Los Angeles Dodgers after serving as an executive with the Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Dodgers, marveled over Piersall's willingness to make young players better. "Jimmy would take the outfielders out to dinner in spring training and talk and teach the game on his own dime," Colletti recalled. "There are three words that Jimmy told his outfielders that I use on telecasts ball, wall, ball. When an outfielder goes back on a ball, he picks the ball up. Then he grazes to find the wall, and then he goes to the ball. "You think about all the thing he went through, and it never stopped his passion for the game." In addition to Ted Williams once calling him the best center fielder he ever saw, one of the highest compliments for Piersall came from a lady who called him over to the front row seats at Yankee Stadium during his playing days ( ). "My husband would have loved to have been your teammate," the lady told Piersall, who played for the Boston Red Sox for eight seasons before he was dealt to the Indians. The woman, according to Colletti, was Ruth's widow Claire. Chicago Tribune David Ross elevated to ESPN's No. 1 team for Sunday's Cubs-Cardinals at Wrigley By Phil Rosenthal

17 The way things have gone for David Ross since last fall, no one should wonder how the TV newbie has made it to ESPN's top baseball announcing team less than three weeks after his debut as a analyst. Better to ask what took so long. Since retiring in November after he helped the Cubs win the World Series, Ross has become a best-selling author, prime-time dancer, cereal-box spokesman and front-office intern. And now he has been slotted to join play-by-play man Dan Shulman and fellow analyst Aaron Boone on June 4 when "Sunday Night Baseball" returns to Wrigley Field for the Cubs-Cardinals game. It's supposed to be a one-shot deal for Ross, filling in for regular analyst Jessica Mendoza, who's scheduled to work the college softball World Series that weekend. One potential plus for the former catcher is he'll have thousands of Cubs fans behind him: Shulman, Boone and Ross plan to call the game from Wrigley's right-field bleachers. Ross did show signs of promise in his May 17 analyst debut on ESPN. It's hard to know just how much, however, as Boone and play-by-play announcer Jon Sciambi kept circling back to talk about "Dancing With the Stars" rather than the Red Sox-Cardinals game. Chicago Sun-Times Ian Happ has his breakout moment as Cubs come back to sweep Cardinals By Steve Greenberg Move over, Sandberg Game. Happ Game, anyone? OK, let s all take a breath. There s no need to compare what 22-year-old Ian Happ did in the Cubs 7-6 victory Sunday against the Cardinals blast long balls into the very good night, essentially to the breakout game of a 24-year-old Ryne Sandberg in It s kind of fun to do it, though. Like Sandberg, Happ introduced himself to a national-tv audience with two huge home runs against the Cardinals. In June. At Wrigley Field. Can you feel the similarities mounting? Also like Sandberg, Happ is a second baseman on the rise except that manager Joe Maddon once again started him in center field. That growing defensive versatility is a necessary skill for Happ, the Cubs first-round draft pick in 2015, who s trying to entrench himself on their big-league roster. Whatever it takes for me to help this team is the way I figure it, Happ said. You have to be as complete a player as you can if you want to be here. Of course, if Happ continues to show this kind of potential offensively, who s going to dare ask him to leave under any circumstances? In the third inning, Happ pulled a two-out pitch 443 feet just inside the foul pole in right to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Then with the Cubs trailing 4-3 in the fourth, he hit a screaming three-run liner 400 feet into the stands in right-center. The second one had that extra gear on it, Maddon said. With that came Happ s first Wrigley curtain call. He called the moment awesome and the fans unbelievable.

18 Not surprisingly, Happ was the first player out of the Cubs dugout to take the field for the fifth. Who could blame him? The adoring masses in the center-field bleachers were ready to fall in love. I love Chicago, he said. I love the city. This field, playing in this atmosphere every day with these fans, it s unbelievable. I can t say enough about that. Happ is no Jason Heyward in the outfield, but he traded nice plays with the right fielder early. Former Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler led off the game with a drive over Happ s head in center, but he scrambled back and set his feet in time to haul it in. Yadier Molina hit a nearly identical ball in the next inning. Happ staggered a bit but got there again. Heyward, meanwhile, was all-out diving for one beautiful gem and pirouetting in the well in deep right for another. But he s a master craftsman; Happ is more of an outfield apprentice. My main goal is just to catch every one of them, Happ said. It might be ugly, but as long as I can do that. This was a big victory for the Cubs, who secured their first home sweep of the rival Cardinals in a three-game series since On a night when starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks was off his game, a bunch of guys picked him up. With closer Wade Davis unavailable, relievers Pedro Stop, Carl Edwards Jr. and Koji Uehara were stellar. Outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who has lost much of his playing time to Happ, got a big two-out pinch hit in the fourth that resulted in two runs (thanks to an error by right fielder Stephen Piscotty) to cut the Cubs deficit to 4-3. Almora is batting.429 as a pinch hitter. Fellow outfielder Jon Jay is doing even better. He s at.450 after coming off the bench to single home the tiebreaking run in the seventh. It takes a whole team, Jay said. Team game. Happ Game. Whatever works. Chicago Sun-Times Kyle Hendricks takes another step back in rocky four-inning start By Steve Greenberg In his previous turn in the rotation, Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks had given up more than four runs for the first time in 49 starts. But manager Joe Maddon maintained it was a solid outing for Hendricks, who entered the game Sunday against the Cardinals with a 2.81 ERA in his last seven starts. I think he s very close to what he did last year, Maddon said of the pitcher who led all major-league starters in ERA in So much for that, it seems. Hendricks barely made it through four innings against the Cardinals, allowing four earned runs. The big blow was a three-run home run by Stephen Piscotty that was absolutely crushed. Hendricks was lucky it wasn t a lot worse. Four of the first five hitters he faced hit balls that were ticketed for extra bases but instead turned into hard-luck outs. Matt Carpenter s drive to the well in right field in the first would ve been a sure homer on a less gusty day. With a 4.09 ERA nearly double what he posted a season ago Hendricks clearly isn t his best self. His velocity has improved a bit in the last month, but the pinpoint control he displayed as a Cy Young contender hasn t fully returned.