April 19, 2016 Chicago Tribune John Lackey in control in return to St. Louis, leads Cubs to 5-0 victory By Mark Gonzales A flat tire during his Monday morning bike ride near the Gateway Arch wasn't about to dampen manager Joe Maddon's spirits before the Cubs' much-hyped National League Central series against the Cardinals. Maddon preferred to revel in the opportunity to lead the Cubs against the team he adored as a youngster at the "Mecca of baseball at that time for me." "Seriously, what's better than that?" Maddon asked. For Maddon and the Cubs, the pitching and timely hitting of John Lackey was tough to top. With most of the emotion involving the return of right fielder Jason Heyward after one season with the Cardinals, Lackey, 37, dominated in his return Monday night, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out 11 in the Cubs' 5-0 victory before a dejected crowd of 45,432 at Busch Stadium. "He was on top of his game," Maddon said. "He threw quality pitches all night." Many Cardinals fans were relegated to booing Heyward, 26, who turned down more money to join the Cubs. But it was Lackey, who spent the previous 11/2 seasons with the Cardinals, who stifled their offense with a sharp slider and a fastball that tailed back over the inside part of the plate to left-handed hitters. "You've got to change things up because they know me very well, and I know them very well," Lackey said. Lackey has won his first three starts for the first time in his career. He was unaware he became the only active pitcher and the 16th in major-league history to earn at least one victory over every current team. Lackey, however, was familiar with his success at Busch, where he improved to 12-4. "It's by far the best place to pitch in this division, as far as size and not giving up home runs," Lackey said. Cubs starting pitchers have pitched at least six innings in each of the first 13 games — a feat they hadn't accomplished since 1910, when their starters pitched at least six innings in their first 14 games. "The bullpen is fresh because of that," Maddon said. "No one has been overworked." Visibly upset after issuing a leadoff walk to Matt Carpenter in the bottom of the first, Lackey retired 10 consecutive batters and 13 of the next 14 before encountering his only jam. With runners at second and third with one out in the fifth, Lackey struck out opposing pitcher Mike Leake and Carpenter to end the threat. While Lackey dominated the Busch Stadium reunion, Heyward chipped in on defense with sliding catches to rob Matt Holliday and Kolten Wong of hits.

Lackey finally was rewarded for his work in the sixth when Dexter Fowler led off with his third home run. Fowler was 2-for-5 after entering the game with one hit in his last 10 at-bats. Cubs' Joe Maddon discusses John Lackey's win over the Cardinals and preserving the bullpen due to quality starts. Meanwhile, Lackey continued to upgrade the offensive output of a Cubs pitching staff that batted .114 last season — only the Braves pitchers were worse (.097). He singled up the middle to score pinch runner Matt Szczur and cap a three-run seventh. Cubs pitchers are batting .207 (6-for-29). Including the 2015 playoffs, the Cubs have won nine of their last 13 against the Cardinals. Maddon believes they have caught their rivals in terms of experience, but Lackey wasn't about to say the tide has turned in the NL Central. "We think we've got a good team here," he said. "Expectations are high and we're embracing those and shooting high, so we're OK with that. But it's still early on." -- Chicago Tribune Jason Heyward OK with boos: At least fans 'were not happy to see me leave' By Paul Sullivan Before being booed all night Monday in his return to Busch Stadium, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward had nothing but nice things to say about the Cardinals organization, Cardinals fans and especially his former Cardinals teammates. "We were very tight," Heyward said. "You ask anybody that was in that clubhouse, even some of the guys that are gone now from the team. We really enjoyed that group, and it's a shame we didn't get to go further." Well, you can blame the Cubs for that. They're the ones who beat the Cardinals in the National League Division Series, then went out and signed Heyward and starting pitcher John Lackey, who committed the unpardonable sin of leaving St. Louis. Attention must be paid when a city feels slighted, so Heyward was ready to feel the burn. Before going 0-for-4 in the Cubs' 5-0 victory over the Cardinals behind Lackey's seven shutout innings, Heyward said he welcomed the boos because they meant the fans "were not happy to see me leave." As it turned out, the booing was relatively tame, at least by the standards of this 124-year-old rivalry. "I've seen boos," Lackey said. "Those ain't boos. That was a pretty soft boo." There was virtually no reaction in the right-field bleachers when Heyward took his position in the bottom of the first, though one fan stood with a sign that read, "Say Jason, you owe me a new jersey." Oh, the pain. "I know you can hear me, Heyward," the fan yelled at Heyward, who couldn't hear him and wasn't paying attention anyway. Afterward, Heyward said: "They don't boo too often, so it must be somebody important, or somebody doing something worth booing."

Heyward had already explained that his love of Chicago, day games and his new teammates were reasons for signing with the Cubs. He later suggested the media took his comments on the Cardinals' "aging core" out of context and he wasn't criticizing the team. Did Heyward explain that to his old Cardinals pals? "There's not a whole lot you can say," he said, "because the media is going to take it, and once it's taken and made what it is, then people are just going to read it and take it for whatever." Heyward said his former teammates supported him, even if the fans did not. "A lot of things got taken out of context," he said. "That's OK. I know me. They know me, my former teammates, and my (new) teammates now know me. "People that know me know that I'm never going to take a hit at anybody, never try to disrespect the game. I'm not bigger than the game. That's not me." Cubs manager Joe Maddon suggested before the game that Heyward should be immune from booing because of his upstanding character. "This is a wonderful young man, not just an OK young man," Maddon said. "This man is outstanding. And I'm certain that people, when he was here last year, loved having Jason Heyward in St. Louis. ... So if there is that certain group that may be vitriolic or not liking (him) or whatever, that's fine and that's why this is so entertaining." While Maddon was extolling Heyward's virtues during batting practice, Pachelbel's "Canon in D," the classical music standard often played at weddings, was blasting over the sound system. "This is really cool actually," said Maddon, who said he took a classical music appreciation class in college and enjoys listening to "Bach, Beethoven and all the dudes." When the classical music ended, there was no music at all in the empty ballpark. So the Cubs brought out a portable music player to the batting cage, plugged in an iPhone and cranked up "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Don't Stop Believin' " and other classics from Guns N' Roses, Journey and all the dudes. "We love the psychological entertainment warfare," Maddon said. Meanwhile, outside the gates, security was making some Cubs fans turn their "Try Not to Suck" T-shirts inside out, deeming them offensive. The mind games had begun, and it already feels like summer. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs catch Cardinals in experience, division titles next By Mark Gonzales In the seventh inning of the Cubs-Cardinals game Monday night, a critical error transformed a one-run game into a 5-0 victory. But unlike so many showdowns of past years, this was a Cardinals miscue that made a big difference as the Cubs capitalized on the way to a cozy win. The miscue was made by shortstop Alydmys Diaz, who booted a grounder by Jorge Soler before sailing his throw past first base and allowing Kris Bryant to score the second run of the game.

The Cubs added two more runs on a sacrifice fly by Addison Russell and a single by winning pitcher John Lackey. Despite the Cardinals’ dominance over the Cubs during the past five seasons, the Cubs have won nine of their past 13 games against their rivals – including winning three of four games in the 2015 National League Division Series. Although the Cubs haven’t won a division title since 2008, there’s a feeling that they’ve finally caught the Cardinals when it comes to experience and playing sound in key situations. “We’ve become more veteran, and it matters a lot in a ballpark like this, when you’re playing them here in an active crowd and a very good team,” manager Joe Maddon said. “You have to think properly in the latter part of the game, and I think we caught up experience-wise at the end of last season.” Maddon cited the added experience of Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist, combined with the maturity gained last season by Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. The next test will occur Tuesday night when they face Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia. While trying to pitch despite a bout of the flu, Garcia committed a throwing error that led to five runs in the second game of the National League Division Series and sparked the Cubs to three consecutive wins and eliminating the Cardinals. -- Chicago Tribune Monday's recap: Cubs 5, Cardinals 0 By Mark Gonzales Thanks to seven shutout innings by John Lackey, the Cubs rolled to a 5-0 victory Monday night over the Cardinals in the first game of their highly-anticipated three-game series at Busch Stadium. Lackey also helped his cause with an RBI single to cap a three-run seventh. At the plate Dexter Fowler led off the game with a double off Cardinals starter Mike Leake but was left stranded. But Fowler took matters into his own hands by ripping a home run off Leake to start the sixth. On the mound Lackey appeared to be upset at home plate umpire Carlos Torres on a 3-2 pitch that resulted in a walk to Matt Carpenter in the bottom of the first. But Lackey retired the next 10 batters in succession and possessed a sharp slider and tailing fastball throughout his seven innings. In the field Third baseman Kris Bryant threw across his body to retire Jeremy Hazelbaker on a grounder in the third. Key number 13 – Consecutive games Cubs starters have pitched at least six innings The quote “I don’t apply any more weight. I think it’s exciting to be here.” – Joe Maddon Up next

vs. Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Tuesday, 7:15, CSN+ -- Chicago Tribune Back end of Cubs' rotation seeks to extend innings streak By Mark Gonzales Cubs manager Joe Maddon has a pleasant problem 13 games into the regular season. With a 13-man pitching staff, Maddon is trying to find ways to get work for his relievers because the starting pitchers are pitching deep into games. That includes the back end of the rotation, which hopes to extend a streak of pitching at least six innings that now stands at 13 games following John Lackey’s seven shutout innings Monday night against the National League Central rival Cardinals. “With (Jason) Hammel and I, it will depend on us,” said Kyle Hendricks, who will pitch the final game of this three-game series Wednesday at Busch Stadium. “You’re trying to win series all year long. We have confidence in ourselves, and we’re looking to give us a chance to win.” The 1988 Houston Astros (22 games) and Cleveland Indians (17) were the last teams to have their starters pitch at least six innings in more than 13 consecutive games to start a season, according to STATS, Inc. Hendricks hopes the back end of the rotation, which fell under scrutiny late last season for his inability to pitch deep into games, can hold its own. “Maybe we’re not expected to go deep, but with our bullpen, the deeper we can go and save them for later in the year, it’s going to be beneficial,” Hendricks said. “Six is the number. We’d like to go seven or eight (innings). But six is OK. We’ll take it. If you go six, you’re still saving the bullpen. It’s those really short starts that you want to stay away from because it kills the bullpen.” Hendricks believes the offense and defense has influenced the starting pitching in a positive manner. “I think all of us have been aggressive instead of reacting,” Hendricks said. “We want to put pressure, knowing what’s behind us.” -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon: Kyle Schwarber to have surgery this week By Mark Gonzales Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber will undergo surgery this week to repair torn ligaments in his left knee, manager Joe Maddon confirmed Monday. Maddon declined to disclose details out of respect for Schwarber's privacy. Schwarber, 23, tore the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament April 7 in an outfield collision with center fielder Dexter Fowler while unsuccessfully trying to catch a drive by Jean Segura of the Arizona Diamondbacks that resulted in an inside-the-park home run. The delay in surgery was due to letting the swelling subside while Schwarber underwent more tests. Schwarber faces a lengthy rehabilitation that could last until spring training in 2017. Schwarber hit 16 home runs in 69 games for the Cubs in 2015 and five during the National League playoffs.

-- Chicago Tribune Jason Heyward says age, skill set explain his large contract with Cubs By Mark Gonzales Upon his return to Busch Stadium on Monday, Jason Heyward responded to discussion he saw on television about his decision to leave the Cardinals and sign an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs. Heyward was particularly amused to hear someone question if he was worth "$300 million." "I don't think I'm worth $300 million," said Heyward, who rejected more lucrative offers from the Nationals and Cardinals to sign with the Cubs. "I don't think I'd sell myself for $300 million or any amount. Teams are going to tell you what they feel, and you go from there. "I think age has a lot to do with my contract. Being 26 years old ... you see MLB trying to go younger, younger and younger. It's one thing to pay guys earlier in their career and not pay somebody who is 30 years old, even though I feel a lot of guys who are 30 have earned their contracts. But (MLB) wants to go younger. "So I'm kind of it, when it came to being a younger player who is 26 and can do a lot of the little things ... like run the bases, defensive stats — and I don't pay attention to them. I just try to go and do it." Heyward, who entered Monday batting .205 with only two extra-base hits in 12 games, also sensed critics contradicting themselves. "They emphasize all those things," he said, "and then say: 'Wait a minute. Here's a guy who has a contract, (but) we don't necessarily agree with it.' "That's OK. There's going to be people who don't agree, but I'm kind of what you're asking for in the line of things." Schwarber surgery: Kyle Schwarber will undergo surgery this week to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee, manager Joe Maddon confirmed. The delay was due to letting the swelling subside while Schwarber underwent more tests. Maddon wouldn't reveal any further details out of respect to the privacy of Schwarber, 23, who suffered the season-ending injury April 7 after colliding with center fielder Dexter Fowler while trying to catch a drive by the Diamondbacks' Jean Segura that went for an inside-the-park home run. "There's no devious plot behind it," Maddon said. "We're going to leave him alone and let him get his surgery done." -- Chicago Sun-Times Lackey, Heyward help Cubs set different tone vs. Cards this time By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. LOUIS – Six months after beating the rival Cardinals in their first postseason meeting, the Cubs on Monday rubbed it in. With former Cardinals starter John Lackey pitching seven scoreless innings, and former Cardinals right fielder Jason Heyward making two sliding plays to take away hits, the Cubs beat the defending division champs 5-0 in their first meeting of the year.

Last season, the Cubs lost six of their first seven games at Busch Stadium against a team that Lackey and Heyward helped win 100 games. It’s just the first of 19 meetings over a six-month season, but it seemed at least a message was delivered, if not a power struggle signaled as this year’s National League Central race gets underway. “We’ve got a long way to go,” said Lackey, who struck out 11, allowing just four hits and a walk in his 91-pitch outing. “We think we’ve got a pretty good team here, and our expectations are high. And we’re embracing those, and we’re shooting high. We’re OK with that. “But it’s still early on. Let’s just play some baseball and see what happens.” Lackey and others from both teams downplayed the significance of the matchup, but the tone suggested an elevated level of anticipation from both sides beyond the fans and hype-centric media. Cardinals fans were in full-throated boo mode every time Heyward went to the plate or handled the ball in the field – or took his position to start the game. “Oh, yeah, you hear it. But it’s fun,” Heyward said. “They don’t boo too often, so it must be somebody important, somebody doing something worth booing.” Enough Cubs fans were in attendance to dilute the intensity some. “I’ve seen booed,” Lackey scoffed. “And that ain’t booed. That was pretty soft booing.” Gamesmanship started with batting practice, when the dulcet, almost romantic, tones of Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major played from the Busch public address system as the Cubs batted. When the song ended, the PA system went silent. Minutes later, Cubs assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske ran onto the field with the Cubs’ own speaker and setting it next to the batting cage as it blared some 1980s Journey. At which point, the PA system picked up again, loud enough to drown out the Cubs’ tunes. “That’s beautiful,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We love the psychological entertainment warfare.” He loved the pitching of Lackey on this night even better. And the leadoff homer by Dexter Fowler in the sixth that broke through a pitching duel between Lackey and his replacement with the Cardinals, Mike Leake. As much as anything, the way the added experience has transformed this Cubs team since those days last May and June when they couldn’t overcome this place and this rival. “We’ve become more veteran, and I think that matters a lot in a ballpark like this,” said Maddon, whose front office added not only Lackey and Heyward as free agents but also Ben Zobrist. “When you’re playing them here, with a really active crowd and a really good team, you have to be able to think properly in the later part of the game.” Lackey scoffed at Maddon’s suggestion he tends to focus at an even higher level for games with added meaning but admitted beating his former team was gratifying, “maybe a little more, for sure.” Along the way, he became the 16th pitcher to beat all 30 current major-league teams (only one active). Lackey (3-0), the Cardinals’ Game 1 playoff starter against the Cubs last October, was in trouble just once when he had runners at second and third with one out in the fifth – before striking out Leake and All-Star Matt Carpenter back-to-back to escape.

“It was a little weird at the beginning, warming up in the other bullpen, that sort of thing,” said Lackey, who, unlike Heyward, never was pursued as a free agent by the Cards. “But no hard feelings on that situation. They went a different direction, and I ended up in a great place.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Matheny on Cubs: ‘They can have all the hype they want’ By Steve Greenberg ST. LOUIS — There are two basic rules when it comes to hype. Rule 1: If you’re getting a lot of it, don’t let it mess with your head. Rule 2: If you’re getting none of it, pretend you didn’t want any, anyway. Rule 2 leads us to the St. Louis Cardinals, who for years — decades? — were the bane of the Cubs’ existence, yet now reside somewhere in the unfathomable recesses of the Cubs’ shadow. It’s a wonder the Cardinals have even bothered to suit up this year, you know? But that’s how massive and nonstop the hype surrounding the Cubs has been. “Talk is talk,” said Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty before Monday night’s season-series opener between the teams, a 5-0 Cubs victory. “It doesn’t mean squat.” Well, it must mean something, for goodness’ sake. Like, that the vast majority of the free world expects the defending N.L. Central champs to be bounced from their perch and onto their feathered duffs. “They can have all the hype they want,” said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. Because, really, who would want to be exalted from sea to shining sea? OK, perhaps we should take the Cardinals a tad more seriously. Sure, they lost to the Cubs in last year’s playoffs. No doubt, the free-agent defections of Jason Hayward and John Lackey from St. Louis to Chicago smacked of extra significance. But these are still the Cardinals. They know a thing or two about a thing or two. And they know a thing or two about Rule 1. They’ve never been hyped quite to the extent that these Cubs are, but — year after year — they show up to spring training knowing full well the rest of baseball expects them to contend for the World Series. Multiple members of the Cardinals offered the Cubs a few words of warning (friendly, we’re sure) about the danger of so much hype. “It can be a distraction,” Matheny said. First baseman Matt Adams was kind enough to elaborate. “All the baseball analysts, they can sometimes make way too big a deal out of how great you supposedly are. I don’t know how else to put it,” he said. “The Cubs are going to get all that buzz because they’re good, but you still have to go out and play. “Some people slap those big expectations on you, it can take a toll on a team, for sure.”

You’d better believe the Cardinals are hoping so. Upon signing with the Cubs, Heyward ruffled feathers across Birdland when he cut to the chase about how much older the Cardinals’ core players were. Yadier Molina. Matt Holliday. Adam Wainwright. Plenty of miles on those tires. “I felt like if I were to look up in three years and see it’s a completely different team, that would be kind of different for me,” Heyward said then. Who could blame the 26-year-old outfielder — who could’ve re-upped with the Cardinals for more money — from wanting to enter his prime with a bunch of guys his own age? In the St. Louis clubhouse, that was taken as a dismissal. Which has, of course, only added to the hype surrounding the Cubs as they attempt to grab the wheel of this rivalry with both hands. “We don’t care,” said Cardinals center fielder Randal Grichuk. “Keep the hype on them.” The Cubs will be only too happy to oblige. -- Chicago Sun-Times Sounds like an old story, but Heyward said comments not about age By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. LOUIS – Cubs right-fielder Jason Heyward has a strong opinion about – if not a message for – all those Cardinals fans booing him Monday night in his return to Busch Stadium. “People are going to do what they want to do. Everybody is entitled to their opinion,” said Heyward, who turned down a 10-year, $200 million deal from the Cardinals to take the Cubs’ eight-year, $184 million free agent offer last winter. “If somebody boos me here that means they were not happy to see me leave. So I kind of like that people weren’t happy to see me leave something. That’s a good thing.” Sort of. Judging by Twitter comments and the relentlessness of the vitriol Monday night, it seemed to have more to do with some of the perceived shots Heyward took at his one-time Cards teammates on the way to Chicago. “You’ve got to look at age; you’ve got to look at how fast the team’s changing and how soon those changes may come about,” he said during his introductory media conference in December after signing. “I feel you’ve got Yadi [Molina] who’s going to be done in two years maybe; you’ve got Matt Holliday who’s probably going to be done soon. There’s already been moves with Jon Jay gone and Tony Cruz. [Adam] Wainwright is probably going to be done in three or four years. I think that’s when his contract is up. “I felt if I were to look up in three years and see a completely different team, that would kind of be difficult for me.” Cards manager Mike Matheny and players subsequently bristled publicly at the comments. Heyward, who robbed Old Man Holliday of a hit with a sliding catch in the first inning, said the words were taken out of context and he didn’t mean to say the Cards were old as much as contract statuses would come into play. “We’re still friends,” said Heyward, who spoke glowingly Monday of his season in St. Louis. “Everybody’s still cool. There was nobody that supported me more than those guys when it came down to me having to make a decision.

“The only disappointing thing about the whole situation is a lot of things got taken out of context. And that’s OK. I know me. They know me. People that know me know that I’m not ever going to take a hit at anybody or ever try to disrespect the game. I’m not bigger than the game. That’s not me.” Note: Kyle Schwarber, who tore two ligaments in his knee during an outfielder collision April 7, is to have surgery this week. -- Daily Herald Lackey strong as Chicago Cubs beat Cards By Bruce Miles ST. LOUIS -- Jason Heyward wasn't the only player coming back to St. Louis as a former Cardinal. The Chicago Cubs sent right-handed pitcher John Lackey to the mound Monday night, and it was Lackey who stole the show. He worked 7 strong innings as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 5-0 before 45,432 at Busch Stadium. Lackey gave up 4 hits while walking one and striking out 11. Heyward played last year for the Cardinals, and Lackey pitched part of 2014 and all of 2015 for St. Louis. The 37-year-old Lackey always seems cool and unaffected emotionally by much of anything. "We talked about it before the game, the focus he was going to have tonight," said manager Joe Maddon, whose team is 10-3. "You saw it. He was on top of his game right there." Lackey improved to 3-0 with a 3.66 ERA. "I've been known to be able to focus a little bit," he said. "I guess I like this sort of situation. It was a little weird, warming up in the other bullpen. I had a great time when I played here. No hard feelings." The game was a scoreless duel between Lackey and Cardinals pitcher Mike Leake until the top of the sixth, when Dexter Fowler led off with his third home run of the season. The Cubs added 3 more in the seventh, with 1 coming home on a single by Lackey. They made it 5-0 in the eighth on a double by Ben Zobrist and a single by Kris Bryant. Heyward went 0-for-4 and was booed each time he came up. He made a pair of nice catches in right field. Lackey, who has pitched for the Boston Red Sox, was not impressed by the booing. "I've seen 'booed,' " he said. "That ain't 'booed.' That was pretty soft, really." For his part, Lackey has now beaten every team in the major leagues. He also crossed the 2,500-innings-pitched mark. This was his first career regular-season start against the Cardinals. Scoring runs somehow: The Cubs entered Monday second in the National League in runs scored despite their big hitters sporting low batting averages. However, they did rank third in on-base percentage and fifth in home runs. "That just means we're going to get a lot in return soon," said Joe Maddon. "It's just the ebb and flow of the season. The fact that we've been able to win while they're not at the top of their offensive game also speaks to the whole lineup. Whenever guys are -- I don't like to use the word 'slumping' -- not hitting like they can,

"I just believe there's a lot coming in a positive direction soon." Maddon added that although the batting averages aren't high, the at-bats have been good. Schwarber surgery soon: Joe Maddon said catcher-outfielder Kyle Schwarber would be having surgery on his left knee "soon." Schwarber is on the disabled list with torn left-knee ligaments. That surgery could happen as early as this week. Starters going deep: Cubs starting pitchers have worked at least 6 innings in each of the Cubs' 13 games. No Cubs team's starting pitchers had done that since the 1910 team had its starters go at least 6 in each of the first 14 games. The effect of that is that Cubs relievers entered Monday with 28 innings pitched, tied with the White Sox for fewest in the major leagues. -- Daily Herald Heyward doesn't mind boos on his return to St. Louis By Bruce Miles ST. LOUIS -- Jason Heyward said he was ready for anything upon his return to St. Louis in a Chicago Cubs uniform. And what's wrong with getting a strong reaction? Isn't that what sports are all about? The old song goes, "We're gonna cheer and boo and raise a hullabaloo." As long as fans don't get personal or profane, it's OK to cheer and boo away. "Absolutely," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team opened a three-game series Monday night at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals. "It's about barroom banter. They're going to read whatever you guys write. It's going to be about what people see when they watch TV tonight. It's good stuff. "This is a wonderful young man. It's not just an OK young man. This guy is outstanding. I'm certain that when he was here last year, people loved Jason Heyward in St. Louis. He's a great part of any organization. He's a wonderful young man. He's 26 years old. He's going to keep getting better and better as a baseball player, but he's an even better person. "If there's that certain group that may be vitriolic or not liking or whatever, that's fine. That's part of why this is so entertaining." Heyward met with members of the St. Louis and Chicago media in the Cubs' dugout late Monday afternoon. He played last year for the Cardinals after being traded from the Atlanta Braves, with whom he spent the first five years of his career. The Cubs knocked the Cardinals out of the playoffs last fall in the National League division series. This past off-season, Heyward signed an eight-year, $184 million contract to play for the Cubs. Of course, that didn't sit well with many Cardinals fans. Perhaps it might have been different had Heyward signed with Washington or some other team, but having Heyward go to Chicago was hard for many in these parts to take, even though Heyward has had only good things to say about St. Louis, the Cardinals and his former teammates.

Heyward and Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey, who also came to Chicago from St. Louis, were booed during the pregame lineup announcement. Cardinals fans booed Heyward when he came to bat in the first inning, but there is always a good number of Cubs fans at Busch Stadium, and they cheered their new guy. "People are going to do what they're going to do," he said. "Let's be honest, if somebody boos me here, that means they were not happy to see me leave. So I'm kind of glad people were not happy to see me leave. Fans should enjoy it. We're going to enjoy it. It's great baseball. It's good for everybody, I think." Heyward was drafted by the Braves and traded to the Cardinals, meaning he had no choice of where he could play until he reached six years in the major leagues. He said he simply wanted to exercise the right of choosing his team when he opted for the Cubs. He called his decision to come to Chicago a "life decision." "Timing is everything," he said. "It's just weird how it happens. When it came down to making a choice, it just felt like, why not go try this city, Chicago? You don't know what's going to happen as far as World Series or playoffs. I do know that I always loved playing there, loved playing at Wrigley Field. "Why not go try that for 81 games in the regular season instead of coming in as a visitor? Go see what happens. I love day games. It's something new. "The most significant of my career I would say is that I have played for three different teams. Hopefully I don't have to go play for another team. But it's just been a lot of fun seeing the different cities, seeing the different vibes. "St. Louis was a special experience. It allowed me to step out and be myself again. Free agency is free agency. I had to make a decision." -- Cubs.com Lackey decks Cards as Cubs take opener By Jenifer Langosch and Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- When these two clubs last met in October, John Lackey took the mound on three days' rest, trying to will the National League Division Series back to St. Louis for a decisive fifth game. It took 189 days for Lackey to make that return to Busch Stadium, and this time he showed up in blue. He may have traded sides in the rivalry, but Lackey's dominance under the Arch continued. The right-hander stymied his former team to lift the Cubs to a 5-0 victory on Monday in the first of their 19 regular-season meetings against the Cardinals. "It was a little weird at the beginning, warming up in the other bullpen, that sort of thing," Lackey said. "I had a great time when I played here. No hard feelings on that situation. They went a different direction and I ended up in a great place." Lackey, who signed a two-year deal with the Cubs over the winter, struck out 11 and scattered four hits over seven shutout innings. It was a plenty familiar sight for the Cardinals, who watched Lackey notch quality starts in each of his 17 home outings last season. The Cardinals' best chance to nick Lackey was thwarted by an unsuccessful squeeze attempt when the game was scoreless in the fifth. "Guys were having trouble picking him up," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Lackey. "He had a good fastball. You could tell he was amped up, and the ball was coming out of his hand very well today. He was locating it, and he got us to expand the zone and got a lot of chases."

Mike Leake, who essentially plugged Lackey's vacancy in the rotation, stayed toe-to-toe with him until blinking in the sixth. A leadoff homer by Dexter Fowler put the Cubs ahead. A three-run seventh compounded by three hits and an Aledmys Diaz error then gave Chicago a comfortable four-run lead. Leake remains winless in his first three starts with the Cardinals, though he did finish seven innings for the first time this season. Stunted squeeze: The Cardinals missed a chance to strike first on a foiled squeeze attempt with Leake at the plate in the fifth. Leake missed on his bunt attempt as Kolten Wong raced down the third-base line. Wong was able to scurry back to third when Cubs catcher Miguel Montero held onto the ball too long in the rundown. But subsequent strikeouts of Leake and Matt Carpenter left Wong stranded there. "It was a tough pitch to try and get down," Leake said. "I probably could have put some bat on it if I get a little lower with my legs. I guess I'll try to practice some tomorrow." Fielding foibles: The Cardinals' defense continues to be an issue, with Diaz's costly seventh-inning error bringing the team's season total to 14. Thirteen of those have been committed by infielders, including four by Diaz in his first 29 chances. The rookie shortstop not only couldn't field Jorge Soler's hard-hit ground ball cleanly enough to try for a double play with two on and none out, but he airmailed a throw over the head of first baseman Brandon Moss once he recovered. "I don't feel good making four errors, but I think you have to keep working at this level," Diaz said. "Every game is another opportunity to make good plays for the team." Musical chairs: The Cardinals played games with the Cubs before the game actually started. Chicago players were greeted by classical music during batting practice, then silence. Assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske got a speaker, hooked up someone's smartphone, and boom, they had their own music. Said Cubs manager Joe Maddon: "We love the psychological entertainment warfare." Jason Heyward, who was booed every at-bat and every play, didn't even notice the lack of music. He did hear the fans boos. "They don't boo too often," Heyward said. "It must be somebody important or somebody doing something worth booing. It's good to know I'm not going through it alone. My teammates are there, my manager is there, friends and family are there. It's all good." Lackey wasn't impressed. "I've seen booing," he said. "That ain't booing." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS In his first regular-season start against the Cardinals, Lackey notched a few milestones. He needed six innings to reach 2,500 in his career, which he surpassed, and also picked up his 20th career double-digit strikeout game. For the first time in his career, the right-hander has won the first three starts of the season. And, he's also the 16th player to beat all 30 Major League teams. REPLAY REVIEW In the Chicago eighth, Montero was called out at first base after Moss' tag. The Cubs challenged whether Moss actually tagged Montero, and after a review, the original call stood. WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Jason Hammel, who has given up one earned run over 12 innings in his first two outings of the season, will start Tuesday in the second game of this three-game series. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in three starts last season against St. Louis. First pitch will be 7:15 p.m. CT from Busch Stadium.

Cardinals: Tuesday's start will be Jaime Garcia's first since his one-hit shutout over the Brewers last Thursday. Garcia, who took a no-hit bid into the sixth in that outing, hasn't faced the Cubs in a regular-season game since 2012. -- Cubs.com 30, rocked: Cards the last club Lackey needed to beat By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- John Lackey joined a select group of pitchers who have beaten all 30 Major League teams, and he did so at one of his favorite ballparks to pitch in, Busch Stadium. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, he was pitching for the rival Cubs. Lackey struck out 11 and held St. Louis to four hits over seven scoreless innings in Chicago's 5-0 win Monday night. He's now 12-4 in his career at Busch Stadium, which was his home turf from July 31, 2014, through last season. "It's a good pitchers' ballpark, especially for this division," said Lackey, who also contributed an RBI single in the seventh inning. "I feel by far it's the best place to pitch in the division as far as size and not giving up homers, that sort of situation." The right-hander signed a two-year deal with the Cubs last December, and Monday marked his first career regular-season start against the Cards. With the win, he's now the 16th pitcher to beat all 30 big league teams. "I didn't even know that," Lackey said. The 37-year-old Texan is the only active pitcher who has accomplished the feat and the first since Tim Hudson did so on July 26, 2015. The list also includes Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and former Cubs Terry Mulholland, Jamie Moyer and Dan Haren. Al Leiter was the first to do it, back in 2002. Where does that rate among Lackey's accomplishments? "I guess not that high," he said. Lackey also became the 245th pitcher in Major League history with 2,500 or more innings -- he's third among active pitchers -- and he notched his 20th career double-digit strikeout game. "That's what I've seen the last couple years out of him," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. The Cardinals did try to keep Lackey, and they made a qualifying offer last November. But he rejected it. And that, Lackey said, was the last he heard from St. Louis. "I had a great time when I played here," Lackey said. "No hard feelings on that situation. They went a different direction, and I ended up in a great place." A key moment came in the fifth inning. St. Louis had runners at second and third with two outs and Matt Carpenter up. After a long conversation with catcher Miguel Montero about pitch selection, Lackey struck out Carpenter to end the inning. "You've got to change things up," Lackey said. "They obviously know me pretty well, and I know them pretty well. "[The Cards have] a good lineup for sure. You've got to stay ahead of them. You make mistakes, they're going to hit it. They're good." So was Lackey. He downplayed whether Monday's win was a sign that the power has shifted in the National League Central to the Cubs.

"We've got a pretty good team here, and expectations are high, and we're embracing those and we're shooting high," Lackey said. "It's still early. Let's play some baseball and see what happens." -- Cubs.com Heyward back in St. Louis on other side of rivalry By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- Jason Heyward wasn't sure what to expect as far as how Cardinals fans would welcome him back to Busch Stadium, but he did want to make one thing clear: He enjoyed his time with the team and would've stayed. It simply came down to taking advantage of the opportunity to choose where he could play. "I had a decision to make," Heyward said Monday prior to the Cubs' 5-0 victory over the Cardinals. "There's a lot of familiar faces with this group in Chicago, some guys I played with who are coaching now, some guys I saw in high school before I got to professional ball, some guys I played with my first three years in the big leagues. Timing is everything. "It's just weird how it happened. When it came down to making a choice, I felt, why not go try this city, Chicago? You don't know what's going to happen as far as a World Series, playoffs, but I do know I always loved playing there, loved playing at Wrigley Field. Why not go try to play there for 81 games?" Heyward, 26, took advantage of free agency, and signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs in December. He said the Cardinals offered similar money and perks, such as a no-trade clause. The decision wasn't the contract, Heyward said. "It's the first time in my life having a choice," he said. And Heyward's comment at his introductory news conference that he would "rather grow up with a bunch of guys and make them family and be able to cherish that without feeling like I had to restart," wasn't referring to the age of the Cardinals players. He was talking about their contracts. "I felt like Chicago will give me a great opportunity to be with these guys for the majority of my contract," he said. "St. Louis was a special experience. It allowed me to go step out and be myself again. Free agency is free agency. I had to make a decision." With the Cubs, Heyward can grow up with players such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber. "He left a great organization here, coming off a 100-win season," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Moving forward, we're more than happy he chose us. He fits in so perfectly. ... He fits anywhere. He doesn't just fit in Chicago, he fits anywhere. ... He is pretty much the poster child for a five-tool baseball player." One season with the Cardinals did convince Heyward that he wanted to stay in the National League Central. "When I think about baseball, the way I learned playing it growing up is old-fashioned -- you want to get dirty, play the game the right way, you want to do little things," he said. "Big things are fun, home runs are fun, web gems are fun, but a team game is really emphasized in this division." So, what if fans boo him at Busch Stadium? "People can do what they want to do," Heyward said. "Everybody's entitled to their opinion. ... If somebody boos me here, that means they were not happy to see me leave. I'm kind of glad people weren't happy to see me leave. That's a good thing."

Heyward, who went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers when he stepped to the plate in the first inning. -- Cubs.com Happ swats two homers at Class A Advanced By Mike Rosenbaum Monday night was one of many firsts for Ian Happ. Batting third for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, the Cubs' No. 3 prospect (No. 74 overall) powered the Pelicans to a 6-4 win over Winston-Salem, hitting a pair of home runs and driving in four runs while finishing 4-for-5. The two home runs and four hits marked new career-highs for the 21-year-old second baseman, who also stole his third base of the season, and he's now hitting .313 with 11 RBIs through his first 12 games. After he had singled in his first at-bat, Happ connected on his first home run of the season in the top of the third inning, when he took Winston-Salem starter Matt Cooper deep over the right field wall for a solo shot. In the fifth, Happ delivered an RBI single to center field -- his third knock off of Cooper -- while his two-run home run in the top of the seventh extended Myrtle Beach's lead to 6-1. "I'm feeling comfortable at the plate," Happ told MiLb.com. "Settling into the rhythm of the season and even into the first road trip is helping a lot. I'm just trying to stick with the process and trust in what I have to do every day to be successful." Selected by the Cubs with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, Happ made an immediate impact last summer after he signed, hitting .259/.356/.466 with nine home runs, 30 extra-base hits and 10 steals in 67 games between Class A Short Season Eugene and Class A South Bend. After playing the outfield exclusively in his professional debut, including 35 starts in center field, the Cubs opted to move Happ back to second base, where he played during his amateur career at the University of Cincinnati, before the start of the 2016 season. Happ has had his ups and downs at the position so far, evidenced by his four errors in 10 games, although that was to be expected with an aggressive assignment to the Carolina League for his first full pro campaign. Yet, while Happ's transition to the keystone remains a work-in-progress, it hasn't detracted from his hitting ability, as Monday's multi-hit performance was already his fourth of the season. -- Cubs.com Cubs provide own tunes for BP in Busch By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon likes his music, and so do the players, who crank up the volume during batting practice at Wrigley Field. On Monday, the Cardinals welcomed the Cubs to town by playing "Canon in D Major" by Johann Pachelbel when the Cubs started to hit, and then turned off the music entirely. "This is really cool," Maddon said when he heard the classical music. "This is the kind of stuff that you have to bring your own speaker. ... I think it's great." Assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske took care of the tunes and got a portable speaker from the Cubs clubhouse so the players had their own playlist. The Cardinals then played music that they picked. Worth noting

• Kyle Schwarber, who tore both the ACL and LCL in his left knee April 7, will have surgery this week, Maddon said Monday. Schwarber suffered the season-ending injury in a collision with teammate Dexter Fowler at Chase Field. • Ben Zobrist grew up in nearby Eureka, Ill., and the majority of his family were die-hard Cardinals fans. On Monday, his father, Tom, a pastor at Liberty Bible Church, was at Busch Stadium wearing a Cubs jersey with his son's No. 18 on the back. Ben Zobrist was planning a family trip in August when the Cardinals play the Cubs at Wrigley Field, but for now, friends are on their own. "They have all season to find me," Zobrist said. • Where did Cubs infielder Javier Baez get the teal-colored glove? It actually was the idea of his brother, Gady, who likes the bright color. "He's in love with it," Javier Baez said. Baez honors his brother and sister Noely by having both of their names stitched on the glove. -- Cubs.com Hammel matches up with Garcia in rivalry series By Carrie Muskat What will Jaime Garcia do for an encore? The Cardinals lefty is coming off a one-hit shutout of the Brewers in which he struck out a career-high 13 batters and walked one. Garcia will face the Cubs' Jason Hammel in Game 2 of this three-game series, the first between the two National League Central rivals. Garcia has not faced the Cubs since 2012. Hammel, on the other hand, was 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in three starts last season against the Cardinals, and also faced them in Game 4 of the NL Division Series at Wrigley Field. In that postseason game, he lasted three innings, giving up two runs in the first, but the Cubs rallied to win that game, 6-4, and the series. Cubs manager Joe Maddon -- whose club won the series opener, 5-0 -- doesn't get caught up in the Chicago vs. St. Louis rivalry. "If we're playing Milwaukee tonight, if we're playing Arizona tonight, if we're playing St. Louis -- for me, it matters the same, and I really mean that," Maddon said. "Let's win a game in April. April's almost over, let's have a good April. I don't apply any more weight. I think it's exciting to be here, absolutely. I think there will be a great response from the crowd." St. Louis manager Mike Matheny expected the crowd to be pumped for the first of six series between the teams. "Whatever it is that keeps people coming and sitting in these seats, that's what drives and pushes this game," Matheny said. "We know that we're going to have some Cubs fans here, but there are going to be an awful lot of people wearing red. I know they have been looking forward to this. There has been a lot of hype. Our angle on that is that it'll be fun to get out and not talk about it but actually play the game." After ousting the Cardinals in the NLDS, Maddon said the Cubs can expect to have a target on their back this season. "It doesn't really matter," Matheny said. "We can't control it, whether it's a lot of attention for or against or for somebody else. That's really out of our hands. I think we have some young players who might be overlooked for what they've been able to do for a short period of time. I like what our guys are doing. I focus on our team and not so much on everybody else.

"They can have all the hype they want. It can be a distraction. And I think if they focus on what another team is potentially going to do, that can be a distraction to. So there are always challenges, whether it's positive or negative." Things to know about this game • Jason Heyward boasts a career .296 average at Busch Stadium in 91 games prior to this series. Heyward was greeted by a mix of boos and cheers from the Busch Stadium crowd on Monday in his first game back after signing an eight-year contract with the Cubs. • Ruben Tejada, activated from the disabled list Monday, will be used in a utility role as the Cardinals stick with Aledmys Diaz at shortstop. • Randal Grichuk will likely be back in the Cardinals' lineup in center. St. Louis is trying to mix and match with the outfielders to keep several guys involved. Grichuk was the odd man out on Monday. • The game can be seen live as MLB.TV's Free Game of the Day or on MLB Network. -- ESPNChicago.com Jason Heyward hears the boos but is unfazed in Cubs' win By Jesse Rogers ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward heard boos every time he touched the baseball or stepped into the batter’s box. His former fans turned on him after he turned his back on St. Louis in signing an eight-year deal with the Cubs, who took Game 1 of the three-game series 5-0 on Monday night. Win or lose, the negativity wasn’t going to get to Heyward. “You hear it,” Heyward said after the game. “It’s fun. They don’t boo too often. It must be someone important or someone doing something worth booing.” Heyward went 0-for-4 at the plate, dropping his batting average to .188. He more than made up for it on defense, though, where he hit the ground several times to make sliding catches in support of another former Cardinal, John Lackey. “I've seen booed, that ain't booed,” Lackey said, smiling. “That was pretty soft boo.” Heyward heard it all night from the fans in right field. He claimed it’s not like he was listening for the trash talk, but it was hard to ignore standing out there for nine innings. “Who didn’t say anything?” Heyward laughed. “Obviously people are going to say something, but there are a lot of Cubs fans here supporting us.” Heyward and some of his teammates also got a kick out of his old team playing classical music while the Cubs took batting practice before the game. It’s not the usual pregame sounds you might hear at the ballpark. “If you’re thinking about it that much to play something different, then do your thing,” Heyward said. The Cubs ended up using a wireless speaker of their own to provide a more appropriate music setting for BP. The music didn’t faze them, and neither did the booing later in the game. “It’s good to know I’m not going through it alone,” Heyward said. “My manager is there, my teammates are there, my friends, family is there.”

And the Cubs won, which was the ultimate payback for all the noise. “It was fun,” Heyward reiterated. -- ESPNChicago.com Lackey again dominates at Busch Stadium By Jesse Rogers ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs pitcher John Lackey says there were no hard feelings in his return to St. Louis on Monday, even though his former team wasn’t interested in retaining him for more than the qualifying offer they extended last winter. Still, Lackey wasn’t exactly treating this like any other game. “I’ve been known to focus a little bit,” Lackey said after shutting out the Cardinals for seven innings in a 5-0 Cubs win. “I had a great time playing here. No hard feelings with that situation.” Coincidence or not, Lackey saved his best game of his young Cubs career for his former teammates, who were baffled by the 37-year-old. Lackey struck out 11 while giving up just four hits and a leadoff walk to Matt Carpenter. He didn’t have to be reminded that he throws well at Busch Stadium, considering he produced a 1.93 ERA here last season. “Not bad, huh?” Lackey asked rhetorically. “It’s a good pitchers' ballpark, especially as far as the division.” The National League Central is up for grabs this season. The Cardinals have owned it the past few years. OK, more like the past few decades, but the Cubs are the favorites this year. Having said that, no one really believes the Cardinals are going anywhere. Last year at this time, they had the experience factor on the Cubs, though manager Joe Maddon believed his team had the talent to compete. Now the Cubs have what they need in all facets to challenge the Cardinals -- including two of their own from last season. Former Cardinal Jason Heyward helped Lackey with several sliding catches in right field, while the pitcher took care of the rest with his arm. “He was on top of his game right there,” Maddon said. “Real quality pitches all night long. … Everything was working. Fastball velocity and command was very good. The ball was moving late.” Lackey got late movement on arguably his best pitch of the night, a changeup to Carpenter, which he swung through to end the fifth inning with two men on. It was a beauty. “I was fortunate to make a couple pretty good pitches and get out of it,” Lackey said nonchalantly. “You have to change things up. They know me pretty well and I know them pretty well. It’s a chess game in that regard, for sure.” Though Lackey was consistent last season in a career-type year for the Cardinals, he has the feel of a big-game pitcher. Monday was as close as you’ll get to a big one in April, as it remained scoreless for five innings. But once the Cubs broke through for a run on a Dexter Fowler long ball, Lackey never looked back. How big of a win was it? “We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves on that one,” he said. “We have a long way to go.” But it did have meaning for him. He didn’t deny that. “Maybe a little bit more, for sure,” Lackey said. For his new team, it's getting a huge boost if this is the Lackey we’ll see moving forward -- big games or not. Remember, he came into the contest with a 5.68 ERA, though he was 2-0 thanks to tremendous run support. “The first couple of games maybe not as sharp,” Maddon said. “He had his sharpness tonight.”

It showed on the mound, as Lackey kept his former team off-balance with a “good mix.” In doing so, he accomplished a rare feat: Lackey has now beaten every team in the majors. As per his laid-back style, he wasn’t very impressed when asked where that ranked in his career. "I didn’t even know that,” he said. “I guess not that high.” -- ESPNChicago.com Joe Maddon: Kyle Schwarber to have surgery on left knee 'soon' By Jesse Rogers ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber will have surgery on his left knee this week, though the team isn't revealing the exact day or time. "We're anticipating soon," manager Joe Maddon said Monday afternoon. "Part of the concern is having too much information out there and getting a response in his direction that might inundate his phone. We don't want to do that. We don't want to reveal it." In other words, the Cubs want Schwarber to have his operation quietly and begin rehab without much fanfare. He tore two ligaments in his knee April 7 in the third game of the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks, in which he and centerfielder Dexter Fowler collided while going for a ball in the outfield. Doctors wanted to wait for swelling to go down before performing surgery, and the Cubs speculated it would be one to three weeks after the injury. Thursday marks two weeks since Schwarber went down. He hopes to return for spring training next year. "It's all to protect him," Maddon said of keeping Schwarber's surgery date a secret. -- ESPNChicago.com New Cub John Lackey shuts down former team with masterful performance By Jesse Rogers ST. LOUIS -- While Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward was the player with a crowd of reporters around him before the game, it was the other former Cardinal, John Lackey, who stole the show in Monday night's 5-0 Cubs victory. Lackey pitched seven scoreless innings while giving up just four hits and a walk, which came in the first inning to leadoff man Matt Carpenter. Later, Lackey struck out Carpenter swinging with two men on to end the fifth. It may have been his best pitch of the night, as it resulted in one of 11 strikeouts by the righty, one short of his career high. Maybe Lackey’s performance shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his home ERA at Busch Stadium last season was 1.93, but he had been a little shaky in his first two outings with the Cubs -- though he won both games rather easily thanks to a lot of run support. In fact, this was Lackey’s best start if for no other reason than it came in a tight game. The Cubs didn’t score their first run until the sixth inning. In the end, both Lackey and Heyward helped their new team beat their old one as Heyward made several sliding catches in right field and Lackey even contributed an RBI single in a three-run seventh inning. But it was Lackey’s arm, not his bat or Heyward’s glove, that will be remembered from Game 1 of 19 between the division rivals this season. The Cardinals came in having scored the most runs in baseball, 85. They left with the same total.

-- ESPNChicago.com Jason Heyward chose Cubs because core will be together longer By Mark Saxon ST. LOUIS - Jason Heyward, visiting Busch Stadium for the first time since he left the St. Louis Cardinals to sign with the rival Chicago Cubs, took great pains Monday to clarify some of his December comments, which he thinks were misconstrued. At his introductory news conference in Chicago, Heyward said he would "rather grow up with a bunch of guys and make them family and be able to cherish that without feeling like I had to restart." Because Heyward brought up the names of Adam Wainwright, Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina, the Cardinals' championship holdovers, all of whom are in their early to mid-30s, most people viewed that as commentary on the team's aging core. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny took exception to Heyward's comments at the time. Heyward said Monday that he wasn't talking about the players' ages -- he was talking about their contracts. If the Cardinals decline Holliday's $17 million option for next season, he could be a free agent in November. Wainwright is signed through 2018. Molina is signed through 2017 with an option for 2018. "In Atlanta my first three years, I felt like we had a special group, some guys who did some special things in this game and are still doing special things in this game. Some guys have moved on," Heyward said. "It was kind of a heart-breaking experience for me that the business broke us up that quickly. Dealing with the process of figuring out where I'm going to go, free agent-wise, I just felt like Chicago's going to give me a great opportunity to be with these guys for the majority of my contract." Many Cardinals fans were hurt or angry that Heyward chose the Cubs, and many elected to boo the outfielder at the game Monday. Heyward said prior to the game that he was prepared for that and welcomed it. "If somebody boos me here, that means they were not happy to see me leave," Heyward said. "I'm kind of glad that people weren't happy to see me leave. The fans should enjoy it, and we're going to enjoy it." Although fans might hold a grudge against Heyward, several Cardinal players remain close friends with the slick-fielding outfielder. Randal Grichuk called Heyward the smartest player in the major leagues when ESPN polled him in spring training. "We would have all loved to have Jason back and playing in here," Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal said over the weekend. Matheny had nothing but nice things to say about Heyward on Monday, but he noted that he didn't actively recruit Heyward during the free-agency wooing period. "If I didn't give him enough over eight-and-a-half months of having to look at me every single day, what more am I going to tell him over the phone that he hasn't seen up close and personal?" Matheny said. "I made myself available if there were any other questions. I kept that door open. What am I going to say? As much as we talk already, he knows what I'm all about, he knows the expectations here, he knows what the city is about. He had all the information he needed about the St. Louis Cardinals. "Just because he knows all that stuff doesn't necessarily mean he likes it, whether it's me or any of the other things we just talked about. That's not the whole story, either. Sometimes you make a decision because you feel it's the right season. I can't fault him for any of that." --

CSNChicago.com John Lackey Will Add More Fuel To Cubs-Cardinals Rivalry By Patrick Mooney ST. LOUIS – Standing on the mound in front of a sellout crowd at Busch Stadium, John Lackey is a new scowling face of the Cubs, glaring at hitters and punctuating plays with a “F--- yeah!” Standing in front of his locker surrounded by reporters, Lackey speaks softly in a Texas twang, which becomes harder to hear when the Cubs are pumping the dance music in the visiting clubhouse after a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Monday night felt like a rivalry changing, even if the Cardinals won 100 games last year and still have 11 World Series banners flying above the video board in right field. It certainly wasn’t as dramatic as the Cubs eliminating the Cardinals from the playoffs and making them look like a team running on fumes last October. But the Cubs wanted Lackey’s edgy personality and big-game experience, grabbing him and Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward away from the Cardinals as part of a spending spree that almost hit $290 million. That made Lackey’s response to Heyward’s reception in St. Louis – “I didn’t really notice it” – so classic. “I’ve seen booed,” Lackey said. “That ain’t booed. That was a pretty soft boo.” Yes, Lackey pretty much heard it all with the Boston Red Sox, coming back from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow to reshape his outside-the-clubhouse image and help beat the Cardinals in the 2013 World Series, part of a late-career renaissance that got him a two-year, $32 million deal this winter. “Honestly, I never heard from them” during the free-agent process, Lackey said, except for getting a qualifying offer from the Cardinals. “They went in a different direction. And I ended up in a great place.” Lackey (3-0, 3.66 ERA) didn’t give up a hit until the 12th batter he faced and needed only 91 pitches to zoom through seven scoreless innings, finishing with 11 strikeouts in a game that lasted only two hours and 32 minutes. The Cubs got on the board in the sixth inning when Dexter Fowler drilled a Mike Leake pitch an estimated 439 feet into the right-center field seats. The Cardinal Way is all about fundamentals and a next-man-up philosophy, but St. Louis looked shaky in the seventh, with Aledmys Diaz’ throwing error and Lackey’s RBI single contributing to a three-run inning. Manager Joe Maddon – who compared the Cardinals to “The Sopranos” and called for Simon the Magician to rally the troops after a three-game sweep in St. Louis last summer – framed it as the young Cubs needing to learn how to win and get over the mental block in St. Louis. “In the beginning of (last) year, they out-experienced us,” Maddon said. “I said from the beginning: I thought we were as good as them, but they had a greater amount of experience than we did, and that really showed. “The addition of Jason and ‘Zo’ (Ben Zobrist) – and guys like (Anthony) Rizzo having a year under his belt, and (Kris) Bryant having a year under his belt – we’ve become more veteran. “That matters a lot in a ballpark like this. When you’re (facing) a really active crowd and a very good team, you have to be able to think properly in the latter part of the game. “And I think we eventually caught up with them experience-wise by the end of last season.” Is that getting in their heads in St. Louis? While the Cubs took batting practice, the Busch Stadium sound system played classical music – “Canon in D Major,” a piano song you’d hear at a wedding ceremony – before going silent.

So assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske went inside and ran back out onto the field holding a portable speaker playing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Three minutes later, the pregame music suddenly turned back on, and the psychological tactics ended for the moment. Welcome back to Cubs-Cardinals. Not that Lackey ever pays attention to the noise. He didn’t care that he’s now the only active pitcher with a win against every current major-league franchise. He didn’t wonder about the new balance of power between the Cubs (10-3) and Cardinals (7-6). Because he keeps score with World Series rings. “We’re getting too far ahead of ourselves on that one,” Lackey said. “We got a pretty good team here. Expectations are high. We’re embracing those and we’re shooting high. We’re OK with that. But it’s still early on. Let’s just play some baseball and see what happens.” -- CSNChicago.com Once Cubs Got In The Picture, Sounds Like Cardinals Didn’t Have A Shot With Jason Heyward By Patrick Mooney ST. LOUIS – The boos started during pregame introductions on Monday night, even with stretches of empty red seats throughout Busch Stadium. It only took the public-address announcer mentioning Jason Heyward’s name and his image appearing on the big video board in right-center field framed by the Gateway Arch. If The Best Fans in Baseball still feel jilted after The Decision – or tired of all the hype surrounding the Cubs – know that the St. Louis Cardinals probably couldn’t have done anything to change Heyward’s mind. A 5-0 win highlighted why Heyward switched sides in a rivalry that’s becoming the Midwest version of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, signing an eight-year, $184 million contract for the chance to play at Wrigley Field, experience Chicago and win the franchise’s first World Series since 1908. “Everybody is entitled to their opinion,” Heyward said. “If somebody boos me here, that means they were not happy to see me leave.” Heyward – who got traded from the Atlanta Braves after the 2014 season and has spent less than 19 percent of his big-league career in a St. Louis uniform – got booed before his first at-bat. A sellout crowd of 45,432 cheered when Heyward (0-for-4) struck out looking against Mike Leake. Heyward also got booed again after making diving catches in right field, showing off his Gold Glove defense to take away hits from Matt Holliday and Kolten Wong in the first and seventh innings. Heyward’s comments during his welcome-to-Chicago press conference in December struck a nerve in St. Louis, where he saw the core of catcher Yadier Molina, pitcher Adam Wainwright and outfielder Matt Holliday eventually splitting apart. “A hundred percent” that was blown out of proportion, Heyward said. “It wasn’t about age for me. It’s just about the fact that some guys’ contracts will be coming up. Some guys will not be here for 10 years. “In Atlanta, my first three years, I feel like we had a great core group with some guys that did some special things in this game and are still doing some special things in this game. “It was kind of a heartbreaking feeling/experience for me that the business broke us up that quickly. And dealing with the process of figuring out where I’m going to go free agent-wise, I just felt like Chicago was going to give me a great opportunity to be with these guys for the majority of my contract.” The exact figures are unclear, but both the Cardinals and Washington Nationals were believed to have made offers in the neighborhood of $200 million, with Heyward leaving bigger guarantees on the table. Heyward framed his

opt-out clauses after the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a compromise once the Cubs only agreed to give him full no-trade protection through the first three years of his contract. “Absolutely, absolutely,” Heyward said, the Cardinals were willing to do whatever it would have taken to get a deal done. “They had their intention (of) keeping me here. They said that – and they followed through with their actions. That’s all anybody can ask for. “It didn’t come down to contracts, whether it was opt-out (clauses), whether it was full no-trade (rights) or what have you. It just came down to taking the opportunity – to be where I wanted to be and for the first time in my life having a choice.” Heyward described playing in St. Louis as an “awesome experience,” called his former teammates “my boys” and predicted his old team won’t fade away anytime soon. The Cubs will face the Cardinals 18 more times this season and what a rematch this would be in October. “They don’t really rebuild in St. Louis,” Heyward said. “There’s a lot to be said about teams like the (San Francisco Giants keeping) certain groups together for a long time. I feel like I was a little bit late to the party (with) this St. Louis group. “Some guys are going to be moving on soon. It’s nothing to do with their age. It’s not me saying they can’t go out and hit a fastball or they can’t go make a play or Yadi can’t do anything behind the plate. “It’s got nothing to do with that. It’s just I’m not going to be there physically with them, bonding with them, jelling with them for the majority of a 10-year contract term.” Or as Alfonso Soriano – who used to shrug off the weight of having the biggest contract in franchise history with a huge smile on his face – liked to say: “They don’t boo nobodies.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs: Kyle Schwarber’s Knee Surgery Scheduled For This Week By Patrick Mooney ST. LOUIS – While the Cubs reignite their rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals, Kyle Schwarber is preparing for surgery this week and what will be a long, difficult rehab process after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Manager Joe Maddon declined to get into specifics before Monday’s game at Busch Stadium, putting up a privacy shield for the popular player responsible for “The Schwarber Ball” that landed on top of a Wrigley Field video board last October, helping the Cubs eliminate the Cardinals from the playoffs. “Part of the concern is just getting too much information out there,” Maddon said, “and having a great response going in his direction that might inundate his phone when we don’t want to do that. “It’s all to protect him. There’s no devious kind of plot behind this whole thing. It’s just we’re going to leave this guy alone and get his surgery done.” Schwarber set a franchise record with five homers in nine postseason games last year. What would have been his second full season in professional baseball ended in the second inning of Game 3 when he crashed into Dexter Fowler trying to make a catch in the left-center field gap. A best-case scenario for the Cubs would probably be having Schwarber all systems go in 2017 when pitchers and catchers report to Arizona for spring training. --