July 28, "There's the scouting term, 'He's a maximum-effort guy,'" Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I don't see him being a maximum-effort guy.

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1 July 28, 2016 Chicago Tribune 3 Cubs homers, including Addison Russell slam, result in rout of White Sox By Paul Skrbina What began with 5 1/3 innings of no-hit ball from little-known White Sox starter Anthony Ranaudo ended with a 103 mph fastball from Aroldis Chapman to Avisail Garcia. In between, three baseballs disappeared into the blur of bodies in the left-field bleachers, egged on all the way by the roar of the ready Wrigley Field crowd Wednesday night during the Cubs' 8-1 victory against their foes from the South Side. Cubs fans, who were legion among the crowd of 41,166, knew before those landed what Kris Bryant had done. Javier Baez and Addison Russell too. And they appreciated what starting pitcher Jason Hammel did, going seven innings and allowing five hits, two walks and striking out seven to help end the Sox winning streak at four. They also showered Chapman, their controversial new closer, with chants of "Let's go, Chapman" as he unwound his powerful left arm during warm-ups in the ninth inning. "There's the scouting term, 'He's a maximum-effort guy,'" Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I don't see him being a maximum-effort guy. "He looks free and easy and the ball comes out of his hand well." And the ball came off the Cubs bats well too when they needed it to. Baez's two-run home run in the seventh afforded the Cubs a 3-1 advantage against Ranaudo, who an inning earlier watched his no-hit bid vanish into the seats on Bryant's 26th home run. By the time Baez appeared from the dugout for his curtain call, the curtain had closed on Ranaudo, the early star of the show. The right-hander exited stage left toward the dugout as fans serenaded him with the lyrics from "Hit the Road, Jack." Russell also took a bow after blasting the second pitch he saw from right-hander Jacob Turner into the bleachers after Sox rookie right-hander Carson Fulmer had walked the bases full before getting pulled. Hammel, well, he was trying to stay out of manager Joe Maddon's sights, in case he had any ideas of removing him from the game. "I was trying to hide in the dugout so he wouldn't take me out," Hammel said. "It was nice to be able to let go. I felt I got better as the game went on. Miggy (Montero) and I were on the same page." Hammel's only hiccup came when Ranaudo, a man who was no hitter but was throwing a no-hitter, notched his first major-league hit with a home run to right field.

2 Ranaudo is the first Sox pitcher to hit a home run since Mark Buehrle did so on June 14, 2009, against the Brewers. "I thought it got stuck in the ivy and I kind of pulled up at second base," Ranaudo said. "I looked back at home and realized it was a home run from the way everybody was reacting and stuff, and I had to finish out the jog." And then the Cubs finished the job. Chicago Tribune Cubs hope offense shows up early vs. Chris Sale By Mark Gonzales The Chicago Cubs offense has shown a knack recently for showing up later rather than sooner. That tendency will be put to the test Thursday night against White Sox ace Chris Sale. Hopefully we can keep it going somehow, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after watching home runs by Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Addison Russell transform a 1-0 deficit after 5 ½ innings turn into an 8-1 victory that snapped a two-game losing streak. In a game like (Thursday), you have to pitch well to beat them. You anticipate he s going to pitch well. To go into (Thursday s) game and not really swinging the bats well would have been much more difficult. The Cubs had scored only three earned runs in their past 32 1/3 innings against opposing starting pitchers until Bryant s home run with one out in the sixth snapped a no-hit bid by Anthony Ranaudo. The Cubs, in fact, scored all eight runs in their final three innings after getting blanked Tuesday for the first time since May 31. In Monday s 5-4 loss to the Sox, they scored all four runs in the final three innings. And they needed a five-run seventh to seize a 6-5 win at Milwaukee on Sunday. The Cubs also know they ll be facing an motivated Sale, a five-time American League All-Star who hasn t pitched since July 18 due to a five-game suspension. Sale, who pitched eight innings of one-hit ball at Seattle before the bullpen collapsed in the ninth, is 14-3 with a 3.18 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 129 innings. Of more concern to the Cubs is that Sale is 2-0 with an 0.56 ERA in four games (two starts) with 28 strikeouts and three walks in only 16 innings. Willson Contreras, who hasn t started the past two games and hasn t caught since Saturday, returns behind the plate to handle John Lackey. Chicago Tribune Cubs marvel over Aroldis Chapman's fastball, slider and overall command By Mark Gonzales Jason Hammel jokingly was disappointed with Aroldis Chapman's Cubs debut Wednesday night. "I'm not impressed," he said. "I thought we were getting a guy who could throw 105 mph. We only got 103. Not enough adrenaline." The Wrigley Field fans, however, supplied enough in giving Chapman a standing ovation as he took the mound before throwing a 101 mph fastball on his first pitch as a Cub to Jose Abreu before striking him out on a slider.

3 That set the tone for a scoreless ninth, as Chapman and the Cubs secured an 8-1 victory over the rival White Sox with a called third strike on Avisail Garcia on a 103 mph pitch. "He's unusual," manager Joe Maddon said in amazement. "You just don't see that. I don't have any comparisons on that one. Maybe if Randy Johnson pitched out of the bullpen, you might have seen it on a consistent basis." After Chapman struck out Garcia to end the game, he calmly stared at catcher Miguel Montero as his teammates came out to celebrate what they believe will be the centerpiece to their World Series drive. Chapman, 28, arrived Tuesday amid controversy after the Cubs traded four players to the Yankees to acquire him and then experienced a mix-up over what he actually said to management in vowing to be a good citizen. He was under a 30-game Major League Baseball suspension to start the season with the Yankees as a result of a domestic abuse allegation that didn't result in charges. "(Chapman was in) somewhat of a difficult situation the last few days," Maddon said. "You don't know if he got rest, he was joining a new club, pitching in front of a packed house." "He was very composed, never in a hurry to throw the baseball. He grabbed some dirt. I liked that. It was good to see. Not only was it good, but his composure was good in that moment." Fans started to get excited when Chapman began to warm up as Hector Rondon entered the game with a 3-1 lead. Chapman sat down as the Cubs embarked on a five-run rally in the eighth before he resumed throwing and eventually entered the game. "It's a sight to see," said Hammel, who earned the victory after pitching seven innings and throwing 104 pitches. "I've never seen anything like it. I've obviously been on the other side, and he has saved a lot of games against me and the teams I've been on. That's impressive. "It's jaw dropping to see that kind of velocity with command. That's almost unfair to have a slider and off-speed pitches after that. He's a nice addition." Maddon sensed there is more to come. "He's a different kind of a pitcher," Maddon said. "You'll see it every 100 years or so. He's that good. "Everyone talks about the fastball. How about the slider? The slider is devastating. But I like his delivery and the way he throws strikes. Good for him." Chicago Tribune Aroldis Chapman's pitching comes through loud, clear in his Cubs debut By Paul Sullivan Shortly after electrifying Wrigley Field in his Cubs debut Wednesday, Aroldis Chapman temporarily turned on the mute button. The new Cubs closer entered in the ninth inning to get his feet wet in an 8-1 victory over the White Sox in Game 3 of the City Series, amping up the crowd with a fastball clocked as high as 103 mph. But after speaking with ESPN, Chapman told the media he wasn't talking. Was this going to be the start of a two-month feud between the newest Cubs star and the media, or was it just a reaction to the rough reception Chapman got Tuesday when he faced questions about his past?

4 "That's not my business," catcher Miguel Montero said as Chapman stalked off to the showers. "But he'll get back to it. Maybe he's got too much on him and wants a little bit of a break, which I understand. We have to let him be sometimes." When Chapman returned, Montero and one of Chapman's associates persuaded him to talk about his debut, and Montero served as interpreter. "The adrenaline was pretty good even though it wasn't a save situation," Chapman said. "It was fun to hear the crowd cheering for me.... The crowd kind of pumped me up a little more. I was pretty excited because it was my debut, so pretty pumped to go out and pitch." Asked if he felt burned by the media after his news conference Tuesday, Chapman replied: "It's over with. I've just got to move on. It happened. Don't want to go further with it." Chapman might not have much to say to the media, but he let his pitching speak for him. The crowd of 41,166 went wild when Chapman entered, the moment fans had been eagerly awaiting. That's what the Cubs brass expected when they made the controversial move to acquire him from the Yankees. All eyes were on the video board between pitches to check out Chapman's radar-gun readings 13 of 15 were in triple digits and love was in the air. Every pitch produced oohs and aahs like a Fourth of July fireworks show. It was a "high-pandemonium situation" according to Addison Russell, whose grand slam in the eighth allowed the Cubs to pull away. The City Series has always been a heated rivalry, but before the game Wrigley Field had turned into a lovefest. Former Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was seen hugging the future former manager, Robin Ventura, and then Cubs manager Joe Maddon. Former Cubs manager Rick Renteria, the Sox bench coach still being paid by his old team, was hugging old front-office friends not named Theo Epstein. The only one seemingly not in the mood for a bro-hug was Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts, who stiff-armed the media when asked to discuss the now-famous discussion that sealed the deal with Chapman. Truth be told, the City Series had lost that hateful feeling even before the Cubs' romp. Once this was a special time of the year, when Jose Valentin would imitate Sammy Sosa and A.J. Pierzynski would be booed at Wrigley just for being A.J. Pierzynski. But it's no longer an exercise in animosity. Guillen didn't even mention the proverbial Wrigley rats Wednesday when talking about the ballpark, and he said he joked to Ricketts that his criticisms of the unfriendly confines over the years paved the way for the Wrigley renovation. The Sox marketing department tries their hardest to let the Cubs know they don't particularly care for their Cubness. During the All-Star Game, the official Sox Twitter account tweeted about Chris Sale's pitching line while leaving out the little fact he served up a home run to Kris Bryant. The tweet was later deleted, but Bryant made up for the slight Wednesday with a game-tying home run off Anthony Ranaudo, breaking up a no-hit bid in the sixth. One night earlier, Bryant basically admitted the City Series had jumped the shark when asked if the Sox wanted to beat the Cubs more than the Cubs wanted to beat the Sox. "I don't sense that at all," he said. "I just sense that it's another baseball game to me. That's how we're treating it too."

5 Bryant was then informed the Sox players don't treat it as "another game." "You have to ask them," he said. "I don't sense anything that they're celebrating crazy or not. Just another game." Just another game? That will be the day. Chicago Tribune Manager Joe Maddon maintains faith in struggling Jason Heyward By Mark Gonzales Manager Joe Maddon is steadfast in his faith that struggling right fielder Jason Heyward can get on track. Heyward worked with John Mallee for 30 minutes on the field before Wednesday night's game with the White Sox at Wrigley Field and the Cubs manager likewise supports the hitting coach and his drills. "I'm very patient," Maddon said. "I've done this for a bit. I've been a hitting instructor (in the Angels' organization). I know what it takes. You don't always get overnight results when you're trying to make some dramatic adjustments, and that's exactly what's going on. "I know people are going to get less patient with it than I will or he will. But the biggest thing is that Jason doesn't get impatient. If he doesn't give up on what he's doing, he's going to break through. And overall, he has hit some balls without any luck lately." Heyward worked on the same front flip drills with Mallee that he performed before Saturday's game against the Brewers. Mallee, behind a protective screen, flips balls with various movement and speed from about 40 feet. The Cubs hope Heyward, who dropped to seventh in the batting order for the first time this season, can improve his.315 slugging percentage last among the 159 players with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Heyward, a career.264 hitter, entered Wednesday batting.228. "I've been through it before with some good players," Maddon said. "He'll come out the other side because he's good and working at it, and I like the plan of attack he and John have going right now." Extra innings: Catcher Miguel Montero wouldn't led a reporter goad him into saying the Cubs might be upset with the White Sox celebrating their keeping of the Crosstown Cup on the field after their victory Tuesday. "To you guys, I don't know," Montero said. "But to me, not really. It's not that big of a deal to me to play the White Sox, Mets, Diamondbacks or Padres." Reliever Joe Nathan, 41, said his surgically repaired right arm has felt well after each of his first two outings, including his first appearance Sunday when he threw 29 pitches. Chairman Tom Ricketts declined to talk to reporters. "I think we've said enough this week," said Ricketts, who issued a statement Monday after acquiring the signing of controversial closer Aroldis Chapman. Chicago Sun-Times Front office made its move; now Cubs say, It s up to us to win By Gordon Wittenmyer Cubs right-hander Joe Nathan remembers all the positive vibes in the Detroit clubhouse two years ago when the Tigers landed the best pitcher on the market at the trade deadline: David Price. Two months later, the Tigers five-game lead in their division had shrunk to one as they eked out a playoff berth, before losing in the first round to Baltimore, despite Price pitching well in his playoff start.

6 Obviously, you ve still got to go get it done on the field, Nathan said, but when you see something on paper and see what it can be, it s pretty exciting. For all the non-baseball headlines Aroldis Chapman has made this week, that s where the players in the Cubs clubhouse are when it comes to the game-changing trade Monday for the 105-mph closer. He s a difference-maker, said starter John Lackey, a key member of eight playoff teams. It gives confidence to the clubhouse for sure. Huge, said catcher David Ross, praising the front office. They re making a statement. Next up and the most important part of the biggest acquisition of the summer trading season so far is how the team responds to that statement. The Cubs have made high-profile deadline trades in the past with exceptional results (Rick Sutcliffe won a Cy Young Award in 1984 in less than half a season) and fizzled results (Nomar Garciaparra in 2004 was a non-factor). Neither of those teams won the World Series, of course. The 2004 team didn t make the playoffs. Regardless, it s up to us, said veteran catcher Miguel Montero, whose Cubs lost three of four entering and 20 of 32 until Wednesday s 8-1 win over the White Sox. It s up to us to win this. We ve got to play better baseball. [The front office exec] don t play for us. They re not going to score runs for us. So it s up to us. Montero has lived both sides of the trade-impact spectrum. In 2008, his Diamondbacks made the splashy move to acquire Adam Dunn, who hit well down the stretch for a team that didn t get to the postseason. In 2011, Montero said under-the-radar acquisitions of infielders Aaron Hill and John McDonald were big parts of a playoff run because they fit perfectly. It s hard to see Chapman in a baseball sense as anything but a perfect fit the All-Star, shutdown closer that transforms a so-so bullpen into a potential force, with 97-mph closer Hector Rondon moving to the eighth inning, hard-throwing Pedro Strop to the seventh and so on. Once you put him at the back and kind of move the other guys down, everybody looks a little bit better in that other role, Lackey said. I think we re in a great situation right now. As long as Lackey and the rotation can trend closer to its early season performance than midseason performance, and Montero and the lineup can score more than three earned runs total they ve managed against starting pitchers the last four games (entering Wednesday). There s definitely no guarantees, Montero said. And in the playoffs it s whoever gets hot at the right time. Right now we re not even in the playoffs yet. We ve still got a long way to go. I don t want players to take anything for granted. From my own experience, playing against the Cardinals, they re a good team in August and September. That s when it really counts, because they carry it over to the playoffs. Same with the Giants. So you don t take anything for granted, Montero added. We have a good lead. But let s keep it up. And keep on going. No matter how much greater the assumptions or how much higher the expectations after adding Chapman. Expectations are whatever, Lackey scoffed. I m trying to win it all.

7 Chicago Sun-Times Cubs rout Sox as Chapman makes triple-digit Cub debut By Gordon Wittenmyer The Cubs big eighth inning turned Wednesday night s victory into an 8-1 rout, but that didn t seem to diminish the drama surrounding the debut of controversial closer Aroldis Chapman as he entered to pitch the ninth inning against the White Sox at Wrigley Field. A smattering of boos could be heard amid a much louder chorus of cheers. And the boos turned to oohs (and aahs) when his first pitch registered a 101 reading on the scoreboard radar display. Second pitch: 101. Third pitch: 102. By the time pinch-hitter Avisail Garcia struck out looking at a 103 mph fastball to end the game, Cubs history had come full circle, from Three Finger Brown to Three Digit Chapman with the same World Series expectations attached. It s just entertaining to watch the gun, beyond everything else, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. Of course, you re looking to get the win, but it s different, man. He s a different kind of pitcher. You don t see that [but] every 100 years or so. I don t have any comps on that one. I don t think anybody does. Chapman got off to a rocky start with Chicago media Tuesday over a series of non-answers to questions about his domestic-violence suspension this year, and on Wednesday initially refused to talk with media after the game, visibly upset. Eventually, with the help of some bridge building by catcher Miguel Montero, Chapman took a few questions. The adrenaline was pretty good even though it wasn t a save situation, Chapman said, with Montero translating from Spanish. It was fun to hear the crowd cheering for me. Chapman, pitching for the first time since Saturday, was in line for the save until the Cubs scored five in the eighth, capped by 22-year-old Addison Russell s first career grand slam, the Cubs third homer of the game (also Kris Bryant and Javy Baez). Russell is the youngest Cub to hit a grand slam since 1962 (Nelson Mathews, 20). It was almost good that it wasn t a save situation, Maddon said, just to allow him to get his feet on the ground. There were a lot of positives out of that moment right there. I give the guy some credit for going out there in somewhat of a difficult situation based on the last couple days, Maddon added. I don t even know how much rest he s gotten. Chapman, who said the crowd helped lift his adrenaline, was asked a suck-up question at the end of the postgame session about whether he felt taken advantage of by the media Tuesday. It s over with, he said. I ve just got to move on with it. It happened. I don t want to go further that that. As for the promise of triple-digit ninth innings the rest of the season? It was very cool, Maddon said. I ve seen it on the wrong side. It s nice to have it on your side. For almost six innings it was the White Sox debut of Anthony Ranaudo that provided much of the drama.

8 All Cubs Maddon knew about Ranaudo before the game was what the manager saw on some video from a minorleague game. I saw some pitches up, Maddon said. A few hours later, so did Bryant and Baez. Bryant s solo homer with one out in the sixth not only tied the game, but also broke up Ranaudo s no-hit bit. Until then, the right-hander also accounted for the game s only run, with a homer off Jason Hammel leading off the fifth. It was the first career hit for Ranaudo, 26, who was acquired from the Rangers for Matt Ball in May. Hammel (10-5) pitched seven strong innings to win his third straight start out of the All-Star break, tying his career high in wins for a season. He struck out seven, walked two and pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth by getting former Cub Dioner Navarro to fly to center and striking out Monday night s hero Tyler Saladino. He was outstanding, Maddon said. Hammel has a 2.00 ERA in his three starts since taking doctor s advice at the All-Star break to start eating more potato chips to solve a cramping problem he had experienced in two starts during the first half. It makes sense. Potatoes are a good source of potassium, and carbs, and salt, said Hammel, who received a fourbox supply of Utz potato chips last week in the clubhouse. It s obviously not the breakfast or any type of meal of champions. But there are quirky things I guess for everybody. Chicago Sun-Times 5 days after showing off his best cutter, Sale takes on Wrigley By Gordon Wittenmyer When word of Chris Sale s uniform-slashing tantrum Saturday night filtered through the Cubs clubhouse Sunday morning, some were privately rooting for a throwback-jersey event on his scheduled day to pitch this week, just to see what would happen. One joke making the rounds that morning went like this: You know what the White Sox did with all the other throwback jerseys that didn t get cut, right? No, what? They put them on Sale. Even manager Joe Maddon got in the act when he mentioned in one of his answers to the media that morning how something cuts across the fabric of what you re trying to do, no pun intended. Then he spent several seconds regaining his composure before completing his answer. Sox officials were said to not be amused. All of which leads to Sale s start Thursday at Wrigley Field, where he returns from a five-game suspension for destroying those throwback unis in the clubhouse Saturday night and where he can expect the first, and maybe the worst, of what s expected to be two months of boisterous jersey-related catcalls from grandstand cutups.

9 Yeah, people may crack on it for a little while, Cubs pitcher Joe Nathan said of what he expects Thursday night, and the fans will probably give it to him a little bit here and there. But I think that would just die down. I would imagine. For what it s worth, Sale got sympathy from some in the Cubs clubhouse. To be honest, those uniforms are brutal, veteran Ben Zobrist said of the White Sox ugly, 1976, big-collared jerseys. Who would want to wear a collar on their game uniform? Especially if it s a pitcher that s throwing and every motion they re going to feel something different. I wouldn t have cut up the jerseys over it, but I understand that he wouldn t want to wear that pitching. Said Nathan: I guess they were really uncomfortable. That s all I can say. Heyward struggles As Jason Heyward s season-long struggles at the plate near August, the $184 million outfielder took his daily batting cage work with hitting coach John Mallee into the sun Wednesday for another intense session a few hours before the game. This guy s hit into some bad luck, said Maddon, who said the goal is to get him to hit the ball into the air more. Yeah, there s been some ground balls. But he s had a lot of well struck balls that have been caught, and with that goes your confidence. Heyward is 4-for-28 over the past week after a 1-for-3 Wednesday, his season average at.229 Star gazing Among the luminaries attending Wednesday s Cubs-Sox game at Wrigley were just-retired Bear Peanut Tillman (doing stretch duties), Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh (first pitch), former Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and actor Gabrielle Union (and her husband, Dwyane Wade). Guillen, who routinely ripped the disrepair, rats as big as pigs, and outdated amenities at Wrigley Field ran into Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts before the game. He said look what you made me do here, Guillen said, gesturing to the video boards and other updates. Talked out Ricketts, by the way, wasn t as talkative with media, declining an interview request. I think we ve talked enough this week, said Ricketts, whose talking to Chicago baseball media this week consisted of a prepared statement about looking into Aroldis Chapman s domestic-violence past before signing off on Monday s trade. Daily Herald Chicago Cubs go from no hits to big blasts in win By Jerry Fitzpatrick Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Ranaudo was enjoying a special night Wednesday at Wrigley Field until some mighty swings by second-year sluggers vaulted the Chicago Cubs to an 8-1 Crosstown Series victory.

10 Making his Sox debut, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound right-hander spent the first 5-plus innings rewriting the team manual on how to excel on your first day. Recalled Sunday from Class-AAA Charlotte, the 26-year-old New Jersey native not only held the Cubs hitless for the first 5⅓ innings, he provided his team's only offense when he roped a solo home run to the right-field bleachers off Cubs starting pitcher Jason Hammel in the top of the fifth. It was Ranaudo's first major-league hit. Then the Cubs' offense awoke in a big way. His team trailed 1-0 with one out in the sixth when Kris Bryant, who had 5 hits in his previous 23 at-bats, brought the frustrated Wrigley faithful to their feet by launching a typical Bryant home run, a towering shot to the bleachers in left-center. It was the first hit of the game for the Cubs, and it was Bryant's first home run since July 16. His 26th home run of the season matched the total of his 2015 rookie-of-the-year campaign. Javier Baez put the Cubs ahead to stay an inning later when he laced a 3-2 curveball from Ranaudo into the leftfield bleachers, prompting a curtain call from most of the 41,166 in attendance. "I'm just living the dream, to hit a go-ahead homer," Baez said, smiling. "It was one of my dreams today in the game, and there it is." Before Bryant's home run, Ranaudo had retired 14 of 15, interrupted only by a fourth-inning walk to Miguel Montero. "Definitely something I'll remember the rest of my life," Ranaudo said of the experience. "The way the game kind of turned, that kind of took a bad turn for us. Definitely a great experience. The atmosphere was electric and I thought we played really well for most of the game." Ben Zobrist gave the Cubs a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth when the cleanup hitter doubled to center, scoring Bryant. Addison Russell delivered the knockout blow one batter later, a no-doubt-about-it grand slam that staked the Cubs to an 8-1 lead. It was Russell's first career slam. "It's kind of surreal just rounding the bases, the pandemonium of the fans," said Russell, who also took a curtain call. "Stepping on home plate was awesome. To greet my teammates right there was pretty sweet." Aroldis Chapman made his Cubs debut by pitching a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation. He struck out Jose Abreu on a 91-mph slider after throwing back-to-back 101-mph fastballs and finished the game by striking out Avisail Garcia on a fastball clocked at 103. The Sox slipped to overall as their four-game winning streak came to an end. Meanwhile, the Cubs (60-40) snapped a two-game skid and became the first team in baseball to 60 wins. Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' Heyward getting extra hitting work By Bruce Miles Struggling Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward took his extra hitting work outside Wednesday, about five hours before the start of the game against the White Sox at Wrigley Field.

11 Heyward entered the game with a line of.228/.315/.315 with 4 homers and 28 RBI. Since the all-star break, he was at.108/.175/.135. Heyward worked with hitting coach John Mallee, taking swings on pitches "soft-tossed" to him. Manager Joe Maddon said Heyward and Mallee had been working on the same things inside in the batting cage as well. Maddon was asked what the work was aimed at achieving. "To get the ball in the air a little bit more, specifically," he said. "And they have. His groundball rate compared to last year is significantly better, actually. I think if you break it down, the batted ball in play (average) has been really unlucky this year. "I've been through this before with some really good players. He'll come out the other side because he's good. He's working at it, and I really like the plan of attack he and John have going right now. "I'm very patient. I've done this for a bit. I was a hitting instructor myself. I know what it takes. You don't always get overnight results when you're trying to make some dramatic adjustments, and that's exactly what's going on. "I know people are going to get less patient with it than I will or we will. The biggest thing is that Jason doesn't get impatient. The actual player himself, you just don't want to give up on what he's doing. If he doesn't, he's going to break through." According to FanGraphs, Heyward's groundball percentage was 48.7 entering Wednesday, down from last year's His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was.273. League average is about.300. Another for Montero: Miguel Montero made his third straight start at catcher Wednesday. David Ross started Sunday's series finale at Milwaukee. Willson Contreras got his most recent start last Saturday. Joe Maddon said the idea is to give rookie Contreras a break. "It's not hard to do," Maddon said. "You've got to look at a kid and understand that he might need a little bit of a break right now. He's not played this much, and he's not going to play as much as he's going to late into September and October. We've got to be mindful of that. I just thought it was the right time to give him a break. "I also believe Miggy looks better at the plate. Miggy's been working some really good at-bats. He looks kind of fresh to me right now, and I like his at-bats." Maddoneadded that Contreras would catch John Lackey in Thursday's finale with against the White Sox. Maybe again? Joe Maddon said he would welcome back reliever Clayton Richard, who was designated for assignment Tuesday to make room for Aroldis Chapman. Richard, an important part of the pen last year, had a rough go this season, going 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA. "This guy is one of the best you're ever going to find in a clubhouse," Maddon said. "He's just a solid human being, a professional. Absolutely would love to have him back."

12 Cubs.com Aroldis leaves Cubs in awe with perfect debut By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO The 41,166 fans at Wrigley Field weren't the only ones eager to see the radar-gun readings from Aroldis Chapman in his Cubs debut. The Cubs' players and manager Joe Maddon were peeking, too. Chapman didn't disappoint, striking out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to preserve the Cubs' 8-1 Interleague win over the White Sox on Wednesday night. It may not have been a save situation, but everyone in the lower seating bowl of the ballpark was on their feet as soon as the left-hander entered. "I'm not impressed," Cubs starting pitcher Jason Hammel deadpanned. "I thought we were getting a guy who threw 105 [mph]. He only hit 103." Hammel then grinned. "It's a sight to see," he said. "It's jaw-dropping. To see that type of velocity and that command, it's almost unfair to have a slider and offspeed pitches after that, too. He's a nice addition." Said Addison Russell: "It was awesome. Standing behind him throwing is a whole different story." Chapman was happy with the outing, if not with what has transpired the last 24 hours in Chicago. "The adrenaline was pretty good even though it wasn't a save situation," he said. "It was fun to hear the crowd cheering for me." The left-hander had a difficult introductory news conference on Tuesday and was so upset that he did not want to talk to the media on Wednesday. Catcher Miguel Montero acted as arbitrator and also interpreter. "It's over with, I have to move on," Chapman said. "I don't want to go further than that." Chapman's presence in the Cubs' bullpen definitely is a game-changer. Maddon used Hector Rondon, the former closer, in the eighth, and he needed seven pitches to retire the side. Montero then greeted Chapman on the mound for the ninth, and the pitcher put his arm around the catcher's shoulders as they talked. Montero caught Chapman in the 2014 All-Star Game, and they have a good relationship. "I know what he's got," Montero said. "We didn't talk about signs.... I said, 'Hey, how do you like this crowd? It's a little louder than where you were, right?' He was laughing." Other teams aren't smiling at how the Cubs have improved their postseason chances. "Any time you can trim the game to six innings, five innings is good, and we have a strong-enough bullpen to shut down," Hammel said. "That's a confidence-booster for us. For the other side, it has to be black clouds 'Oh man, we can't let the bullpen get in there.'" Russell, who hit his first career grand slam, one of three Cubs homers, said the acquisition of Chapman sends a strong message from the front office to the players. "They want to win," Russell said. "He's a different kind of pitcher," Maddon said. "You see that every 100 years or so. Everyone talks about the fastball, but his slider is devastating. He was very calm in the moment and he was able to get through the last couple days."

13 Cubs.com Cubs power up with 3 HRs to surge past Sox By Carrie Muskat and Scott Merkin CHICAGO Cubs manager Joe Maddon's doorman won't have to take any grief from his White Sox friends, at least for one day. Kris Bryant hit a solo homer, Javier Baez smacked a tiebreaking two-run blast in the seventh and Addison Russell added his first career grand slam in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman had an impressive debut to lift the Cubs to an 8-1 Interleague victory over the White Sox on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Anthony Ranaudo gave White Sox fans something to cheer about in the fifth when he collected his first career hit and home run off Cubs starter Jason Hammel. Ranaudo threw five no-hit innings, which Bryant ended with his blast with one out in the sixth. "I set the bar pretty high for myself," Ranaudo said. "I don't want to say I knew I was going to go out there and hit a home run or throw five no-hit innings or whatever, but I have high expectations for myself." Chapman entered in the ninth, and his first pitch was a 101-mph strike. He struck out Jose Abreu on a slider, got Todd Frazier to ground out and struck out Avisail Garcia in a perfect inning. Chapman's last pitch registered at 103 mph. "It's entertaining to watch the gun," Maddon said. "You're looking to get the win, but it's different. He's a different kind of pitcher. You see that every 100 years or so. Everyone talks about the fastball, but his slider is devastating." Both Baez and Russell made curtain calls in front of the crowd of 41,166 at Wrigley Field. The White Sox lead the crosstown series, 2-1, with one more meeting on Thursday at Wrigley Field. Maddon said this showdown has been tough on his doorman as far as bragging rights in the city. This was the Cubs' 60th win of the season in their 100th game, and it's the quickest they've reached 60 since 1977, when they did so in their 99th game. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Surprise, Surprise: Ranaudo made his first Major League hit count, as he gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead with a lined shot into the right-center-field stands leading off the fifth. Ranaudo's long ball was the first by an American League pitcher this season and the first for a White Sox pitcher since Mark Buehrle in Milwaukee on June 14, Ranaudo was 0-for-7 with five strikeouts previously in his career and became the first White Sox pitcher to homer against the Cubs in Interleague Play (four Cubs pitchers have homered against the White Sox). "I thought it was a double at first. I thought it got stuck in the ivy and I kind of pulled up at second base," Ranaudo said. "I looked back at home and realized it was a home run, from the way everybody was reacting and stuff, and I had to finish out the jog." Big hits: The Cubs' offense has stalled since the All-Star break, and Ranaudo cruised through five innings before Bryant smacked his 26th home run of the season into the left-field bleachers. The 26 blasts match his 2015 total. Jason Heyward walked with two outs in the seventh to set up Baez's homer to left on a 3-2 pitch. Russell's slam spoiled a save opportunity for Chapman, but the Cubs will take it. "It was kind of surreal, just rounding the bases and trying to remember the pandemonium of the fans," Russell said. "To greet my teammates at home was pretty sweet." Start me up: Hammel scattered five hits over seven innings and struck out seven for the win, his 10th, which matches a career high. He's reached that number five times: 2009, '10, '14, '15 and this season. In three starts since the All-Star break, he has a 2.00 ERA and has struck out 18 over 18 innings. "I was trying to hide in the dugout from Joe so he wouldn't take me out," Hammel said. "I felt I got better as the game went on. As long as we keep the game close, the offense, the potency, we can put up runs pretty quick."

14 Fulmer struggles: The learning process will be a gradual one for Carson Fulmer, the White Sox top prospect per MLBPipeline.com. Fulmer pitched one-third of an inning, allowing four runs on two hits and one walk, while hitting Bryant. Fulmer has a ERA since joining the White Sox bullpen from the Double-A Birmingham rotation. "There's going to be some bumps in the road, but stuff-wise, person-wise, confidence-wise, it's going to get there," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "He has the stuff to do it." QUOTABLE "The ball is jumping out of the zone. I just have to stay through the ball a little bit better and get my pitches where I want them. And obviously more reps will fix that. It's a matter of time before it clicks." Fulmer, on his struggles "I know what he's got. We didn't talk about signs. I was a little funny on the mound. It was a good time." Cubs catcher Miguel Montero, on how he greeted Chapman in the ninth SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Russell's grand slam was the fourth by the Cubs this season. Bryant hit one on April 21 at Cincinnati, Matt Szczur did so on April 29 against the Braves and Baez connected on June 28 at Cincinnati. Russell (22 years, 186 days) is the youngest Cubs player to hit a grand slam since Nelson Mathews (21 years, 57 days) did so on Sept. 16, REPLAY REVIEW The White Sox challenged a second-inning call that Frazier was picked off first base. Video replay overturned the call and Frazier stayed at first, although the White Sox did not score in the inning. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Chris Sale returns to the mound Thursday after serving a five-game suspension handed down to the ace hurler Saturday. Sale's last outing against the Cubs featured 15 strikeouts and one hit allowed over seven innings on Aug. 16, 2015, at U.S. Cellular Field. Cubs: John Lackey will close the intracity Interleague series, making his team-high 21st start. Lackey is 0-4 with a 6.38 ERA in his last six starts after opening the season 7-3 with a 2.78 ERA in his first 14 outings. First pitch will be 7:05 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Cubs.com Sale returns from suspension to face Cubs By Scott Merkin Chris Sale returns to the mound Thursday night at Wrigley Field, facing a Cubs team he notched 15 strikeouts against over seven innings while allowing one Dexter Fowler single in a victory last Aug. 16. But even with the excitement built in to this crosstown matchup, the focus will be more on Sale than possibly even the game result. Sale returns from a five-game suspension, handed down Saturday after Sale's dispute over wearing 1976 throwback jerseys resulted in insubordination, violation of team rules and destroying team equipment. Sale explained his thought process during an exclusive interview with MLB.com on Monday, with his focus being winning above all else, including jerseys. These past actions aren't as much front and center now as the reaction from his teammates and manager Robin Ventura when he returns. Based on comments made Wednesday at Wrigley Field, there doesn't seem to be much of an issue.

15 "Open arms. He's our teammate. He's our guy," White Sox right fielder Adam Eaton said. "All of the things that are swelling around about his character, who he is as a player, he's my brother and I enjoy every second with him on and off the field. Can't be a better person. I'll be excited to see him and I'm sure he'll be in the same form he's been the entire year - go out and perform and be Chris Sale." "Mine's going to be fine," said Ventura of his reaction. "He's going to come in and pitch. Again, I don't see our clubhouse being an issue." Ventura has not spoken to Sale, but will when he arrives at the ballpark on Thursday. He didn't feel that Sale needed to say anything to his teammates, with the group talking among themselves without anything formal. "Listen, I do a lot of things and say a lot of things, [but] I never say something to hurt someone or anything like that," said White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, who praised Sale as a good kid with a good heart. "But when I do, I feel bad about it, because I know I probably did something and I shouldn't have hurt somebody. So I'm the first one that wants forgiveness. With the conversations we've had with Chris, it's easy for me to forgive and move on." John Lackey makes the start for the Cubs, who won for the first time Wednesday at Wrigley in this four-game matchup. They broke out in the sixth, seventh and eighth, after scoring in just two innings in the previous two games against the White Sox. The Cubs had not held a lead in the three games until the seventh inning Wednesday. Things to know about this game White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has hit in 29 of his 40 career games played. The White Sox are all time during Interleague Play. Willson Contreras will catch Lackey on Thursday, taking over for Miguel Montero behind the plate. Cubs.com Rondon supports Chapman taking over as closer By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Manager Joe Maddon talked to Hector Rondon, and the right-hander was just fine with relinquishing his role as the Cubs' closer so Aroldis Chapman could finish games. The Cubs acquired Chapman on Monday from the Yankees for four players, including top prospect Gleyber Torres, and the hard-throwing lefty will now anchor the bullpen. "I think this opens [Rondon] up to just pitching and not trying to throw 97 [mph] on the edge all the time and being concerned if he makes a mistake with his slider," Maddon said Wednesday. "I think this will free him up a little bit. You may see a better level with Ronny. He was all for it and liked the idea." Rondon was 18-for-22 in save situations and had a 1.95 ERA entering Wednesday. Maddon wasn't sure if he'd get Chapman into Wednesday's game. The lefty joined the Cubs on Tuesday and last pitched on Saturday for the Yankees. He was 20-for-21 in save opportunities with a 2.01 ERA in New York. Worth noting Jason Heyward was on the field Wednesday, doing drills with hitting coach John Mallee, which has become part of his regular pregame routine. The Cubs are hoping Heyward sticks with it, because it's been a tough first season in Chicago.

16 Entering Wednesday, Heyward was batting.108 since the All-Star break, and overall, had a.315 slugging percentage, last in the Majors among 159 qualified players. "He's probably struggling a little bit," Maddon said. "It's not easy to go through what he's going through right now.... We're just trying to get the ball in the air more consistently." Heyward has hit the ball hard, but right at defenders quite a bit. His batting average on balls in play is.273. "He'll come out on the other side because he's good and he's working at it, and I like the plan of attack that he and John have going," Maddon said. "You don't always get overnight results. I know people will get less patient than I will or he will. The biggest thing is that Jason doesn't get impatient. You never want him to be the guy to give up on what he's doing. I have a lot of faith in him. I think he's hit some balls really well without any luck lately." Clayton Richard was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Chapman. Richard was 0-1 with one save and a 6.43 ERA in 25 appearances for the Cubs. "He's just a solid human being and professional," Maddon said. "We'd love to have him back. He never arrived at that level that we saw him at last year." ESPNChicago.com Chapman looks like a game-changer in Cubs debut By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO The cheers in the ninth inning Wednesday at Wrigley Field came with a delay. That s because after each of new Chicago Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman s pitches, the sold-out crowd had to wait a split-second before the number appeared on the scoreboard. Then the buzz built. 101 mph 102 mph 103 mph Chapman didn t make it over 103 in his Cubs debut, but only one of his 13 fastballs thrown to the Chicago White Sox clocked in under 100 mph. He pitched a ninth inning and struck out two in a blowout 8-1 win. In the process, he electrified fans and new teammates alike. It s a sight to see, winning pitcher Jason Hammel said after the game. I ve never seen anything like it. That s impressive. It s jaw-dropping. Hammel joked that he wasn t that impressed, considering the fastest Chapman threw Wednesday was a couple miles per hour off his season high. Of course, Chapman had to generate his own adrenaline because he was pitching with a large lead. But the crowd must have helped. The fans were standing for every pitch as Chapman kept firing away. It was a pretty exciting moment, Chapman said through catcher Miguel Montero, who interpreted for him. The crowd pumped me up a little more. The Cubs' revamped bullpen looked dominant in its first outing with former closer Hector Rondon taking over the eighth inning. He too set the White Sox down in order, looking every bit as good from the right side as Chapman did from the left other than those velocity numbers, of course. Those three-digit numbers separate the lefty from the rest of the human species.

17 It s just entertaining to watch the [radar] gun, manager Joe Maddon said. He s a different kind of a pitcher. You see that every 100 years or so. Actually, baseball has never seen anything like Chapman, who is throwing harder than ever. His new teammates are already in awe. I remember when we first met. I told him, You can throw as hard as you want to me. Just don t hit me, second baseman Javier Baez said with a smile. Shortstop Addison Russell said: It was awesome. Standing behind him throwing is a different story. It s pretty huge to know if we get in any trouble in the ninth, he can come in and minimize things. Chapman allows Maddon to pitch some of his better arms in key spots earlier in the game. On Wednesday, Rondon was warming up in the seventh inning, when the score was tied 1-1. That would never have happened a few days ago. Chapman s presence lengthens the bullpen to a point we haven t seen with the Cubs in a long time if ever. It s a huge lift for everyone, newcomer Joe Nathan said. We all know we can cover some ground down there. It helps when you can throw that hard. You can get away with a lot of mistakes. There were no mistakes from Chapman on Wednesday. He threw almost all fastballs, except for a 91 mph slider that struck out Jose Abreu to lead off the inning. That seems almost unfair. Better them than us, the Cubs say. Sooner or later down the line, we [would] have to face him, so it s good that we got him, Russell said. I don t have to turn around [to see the radar gun] because there is another one right there [in front], but I m definitely keeping up with the mph. Fans won t be leaving games at Wrigley early any time soon. If they re on their feet for every pitch in a blowout, what will it be like in a close game? Where will Chapman s adrenaline go for that? How will the opposition combat a rabid fan base supporting their newest bullpen toy? Chapman has been called a game-changer, and he might very well change everything about the Cubs and their bullpen for the next two months or longer. That s a confidence-booster for us and a morale kick for anyone out there, Hammel said. And for the other side, it s got to be black clouds. ESPNChicago.com Better late than never, Cubs' offense busts out again By Bradford Doolittle CHICAGO For five innings the Chicago Cubs were on track to be an integral part of some history, and not in a good way. Then, as has happened so often this season, the offense exploded just in time. Unsung Chicago White Sox starter Anthony Ranaudo, a breaking ball pitcher who entered the game with 28 career strikeouts to his credit, along with 32 career walks, baffled the Cubs through five no-hit frames, with no ball was particularly well struck. But young as they are, the Cubs don't panic about such things and outlasted the White Sox in what became an 8-1 rout. "Just stay in your approach, wait for your pitch, and stay confident," shortstop Addison Russell said. "We can't help what [pitches] are being thrown, what inning it is. If we don't try to do too much with what the pitcher is giving up, then we'll be OK."