August 3, 2017

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' winning streak ends at 3 games with 3-0 loss to Diamondbacks http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-diamondbacks-spt-0803-20170802-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon defends Willson Contreras after confrontation with umpire http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-willson-contreras-umpire-confrontation-20170803-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Jake Arrieta looking more like his old self: 'He's trending in the right direction' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-sullivan-spt-0803-20170802-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Alex Avila impresses in Cubs debut: 'He’s got a lot to offer' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-alex-avila-20170802-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Kyle Schwarber still has desire to get behind the plate http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kyle-schwarber-catching-cubs-notes-spt-0803-20170802-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs fall to D-backs, but Arrieta deals, promises ace down the stretch http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/jake-arrieta-deals-in-cubs-loss-to-arizona-promises-ace-down-stretch/

Chicago Sun-Times, Justin case for closer? Wilson gives Cubs strong option for 9th in ’18 http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/justin-case-for-closer-wilson-gives-cubs-strong-option-for-9th-in-18/

Chicago Sun-Times, MORRISSEY: A ring won’t change a thing about Bartman-like scapegoating http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey-a-ring-wont-change-a-thing-about-bartman-like-scapegoating/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs fans mourn the loss of their beloved Taco Bell, schedule protest http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-fans-mourn-the-loss-of-their-beloved-taco-bell-schedule-protest/

Daily Herald, Arrieta sharp, but Cubs get blanked by Arizona http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170802/arrieta-sharp-but-cubs-get-blanked-by-arizona

Daily Herald, Maddon: No more experiments this year for the Cubs http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170802/maddon-no-more-experiments-this-year-for-the-cubs

Cubs.com, Quintana set to duel Greinke in series finale http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/245984234/quintana-set-to-duel-greinke-in-series-finale

Cubs.com, Arrieta builds trust in first pairing with Avila http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/246133902/jake-arrieta-impresses-cubs-with-alex-avila/

Cubs.com, Cubs' bats cooled by D-backs; Arrieta sharp http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/246068860/d-backs-beat-cubs-arrieta-behind-godley-lamb/

Cubs.com, Schwarber hosts young fan's first Wrigley visit http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/246045164/cubs-kyle-schwarber-hosts-make-a-wish-fan/

ESPNChicago.com, Two games, two ballparks: One day in Chicago http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20230484/one-day-chicago

CSNChicago.com, Cubs may have lined up Wade Davis’ replacement with Justin Wilson move http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-may-have-lined-wade-davis-replacement-justin-wilson-move

CSNChicago.com, Joe Maddon getting Cubs into playoff mode: ‘You cannot be thin-skinned right now and win’ http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/joe-maddon-getting-cubs-playoff-mode-you-cannot-be-thin-skinned-right-now-and-win

CSNChicago.com, This Jake Arrieta means another big finish for Cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/jake-arrieta-means-another-big-finish-cubs

-- Chicago Tribune Cubs' winning streak ends at 3 games with 3-0 loss to Diamondbacks By Mark Gonzales There's a myth that the Cubs can't identify and draft major-league caliber starting pitching. As cold evidence, they watched one of their former draft picks throttle their offense in a convincing manner Wednesday night. Zack Godley limited the Cubs to three hits in six innings to help the Diamondbacks to a 3-0 victory at breezy Wrigley Field. The loss was only the fourth since the All-Star Break for the Cubs (57-49), who were blanked one night after amassing 16 runs but still maintained their 2 1/2-game lead in the National League Central. This marked the eighth time the Cubs have been shut out, but the first since the start of the second half. Godley, 27, was a 10th-round pick of the Cubs in the 2013 draft that netted them 2016 National League Most Valuable Player Kris Bryant and Triple-A Iowa left-hander Rob Zastryzny with their first two picks. Godley showed exceptional command of his sinker, cut fastball and deceptive curve as the Cubs chased pitches out of the strike zone. "I was impressed," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That was really well done." In the Cubs desire for catching upgrades over Welington Castillo, they traded Godley and fellow minor-league reliever Jeferson Mejia (now in the Athletics organization) for veteran Miguel Montero in December 2014. Godley, who posted a 1.80 ERA in 11 relief appearances for Class A Kane County before he was traded, has found his niche as a starter since joining the Diamondbacks organization. He worked at a brisk pace Wednesday as he didn't allow a runner to advance past second base and retired the final 10 batters he faced in extending his scoreless streak to a career-high 13 innings. During that span, Godley has allowed only seven hits and four walks while striking out 12. Godley's performance overshadowed another exceptional outing from Jake Arrieta, who matched zeros with Godley until Jake Lamb pulled a two-run double down the first-base line in the sixth. Arrieta equaled a season-high with his seven-inning effort and now has allowed two runs or fewer in four consecutive starts.

Arrieta worked well with catcher Alex Avila, who made his Cubs debut after being traded Sunday night from the Tigers. "I don't know if I shook him off more than two or three times all night," Arrieta said. "It was fun to work with him." Meanwhile, Maddon believed this might have been Arrieta's best start of the season, and his recent trend suggests he and his teammates remain on the upswing in their effort to secure their second division title. "I still feel like the majority of our guys, if not all our guys, our best outings or contributions at the plate or in the field, I think it's ahead of us," Arrieta said. Arrieta concurred with Anthony Rizzo's earlier comments that the Cubs have a positive vibe since they embarked on their 14-4 run. "It's something that's palpable in the dugout, clubhouse, on the field," Arrieta said. "We're in a good spot. We feed off each other. That's what championship clubs do." -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon defends Willson Contreras after confrontation with umpire By Mark Gonzales The Cubs avoided what could have been a precarious situation as Willson Contreras showed his displeasure with home plate umpire Rob Drake over a called-third strike in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. Contreras was pinch-hitting for Alex Avila with the Cubs trailing 2-0. Had Contreras been ejected, that would have left Kyle Schwarber as the lone available catcher, and Schwarber was playing left field at the time. "We’re working on it," Maddon said of Contreras' emotions. "He’s a very emotional young man. But I’ve spoken about this a little bit. My experience always has been I’d rather tone somebody down than try to infuse them with some kind of energy. "He’s emotional and involved. I love him. What you’re seeing there will dissipate over time. It’s just who he is. And it will eventually go away." Kyle Schwarber also will be fined after throwing some equipment after Drake called him out on strikes to end the game. -- Chicago Tribune Jake Arrieta looking more like his old self: 'He's trending in the right direction' By Paul Sullivan It was two years ago this week that Jake Arrieta began one of the greatest stretch runs the game has seen. In 13 second-half starts in 2015, from July 30 to Oct. 2, Arrieta went 11-0 with a 0.57 earned-run average, leading the Cubs to the postseason before tossing a shutout against the Pirates in the wild-card game at Pittsburgh. Every Cubs fan had complete confidence whenever Arrieta took the mound, matching Arrieta's staunch belief in himself.

No one expects him ever to repeat that stretch again, except perhaps Arrieta. After a disappointing first half of 2017, he began a turnaround in July and hasn't looked back. Working with newly arrived catcher Alex Avila on Wednesday, Arrieta was dominant over seven innings in a 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out eight. Arrieta now has a 1.85 ERA over his last six starts and has yielded six or fewer hits in his last 14. Is it possible for Arrieta to get on a second-half roll as he did in 2015 en route to his Cy Young award? "I don't see why not?" Arrieta replied. "I think it's possible for all our guys to elevate themselves and pitch at a really high level or compete on defense or at the plate on a level higher than they have currently. That's just having a lot of confidence in the guys that we have. We expect to do some really special things this season and we shouldn't think otherwise." Manager Joe Maddon said after the loss it was "pretty reminiscent" of the 2015 Jake. When I asked him beforehand if a 2015 repeat was possible he said it was "tough to imagine" anyone doing it again. "That was a unique situation," he said. "I don't even look for that quite frankly. That was so surreal in a sense, the way he nailed that whole thing down. "But anything close to that is still spectacular. He's trending in the right direction. Why? Because he knows where the fastball is going." Maddon said fastball command allows Arrieta to last longer in games and takes a lot of stress off the bullpen. He entered July throwing fewer than five innings in three of his previous four starts, but since then Arrieta has failed to last at least six innings only once in six starts. Cubs starters are a combined 11-2 with a 2.61 ERA in the first 18 games since the break, ending a prolonged stretch of mediocrity. Arrieta has been the catalyst for the upturn. He goes, they go. "Part of it is his confidence," Maddon said. "If you go out there knowing, 'I want to throw the ball there, and now I can,' it feels pretty good." Coincidentally or not, the resurgence coincided with the release of Arrieta's regular catcher, Miguel Montero, who called Arrieta out for not holding runners in a 6-1 loss to the Nationals on June 27 in which they stole seven bases. Maybe the criticism woke Arrieta up — just in time for free agency. Arrieta heads up a relatively weak group of free-agent starters next winter. Other than Yu Darvish and possibly Johnny Cueto if he opts out of his remaining three years and $52 million, there are no other Cy Young-caliber starters expected to be on the market. Back when Stephen Strasburg signed a seven-year, $175 million deal in May 2016, Arrieta was asked if he could top that. "I'll let you judge that," he replied. "Just look at the numbers." The updated numbers: Strasburg is 79-44 with a 3.18 ERA in eight seasons; Arrieta came into Tuesday at 84-53 with a 3.63 ERA in eight seasons, including 64-28 with a 2.76 ERA in five years with the Cubs. The Cubs can afford to re-sign Arrieta. But whether they would go seven years on a starter who will be 32 next year is unknown.

No one in Chicago seems to think he will be back, though the addition of Jose Quintana and his club-friendly contract gives President Theo Epstein more payroll flexibility down the road. "Quintana's contract is so reasonable it will allow us to entertain the notion of a free-agent pitcher this winter, hopefully Jake or, if not him, somebody else," Epstein said after the Quintana trade. Arrieta repeatedly has said he doesn't want to leave Chicago, but he understands it's a business and the Cubs are going to make their decision based on whether they believe he will be worth the investment, not on his 2015 performance. "If I have to leave, I don't want to leave without another ring," he said after starting off the second half in Baltimore. To get another ring, the Cubs are going to need the old Jake the rest of the way and deep into the playoffs. We may never see him that untouchable again, but a reasonable facsimile of the 2015 Arrieta would be just as welcome. -- Chicago Tribune Alex Avila impresses in Cubs debut: 'He’s got a lot to offer' By Mark Gonzales Alex Avila never played in a game at Wrigley Field until Wednesday night, but manager Joe Maddon and pitcher Jake Arrieta came away impressed with Avila's seamless transition in his Cubs debut. Specifically, Avila worked very smoothly with Arrieta in the Cubs' 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. Avila was familiar with Arrieta only from the times they faced each other when Avila played with the Tigers and Arrieta pitched for the Orioles until he was traded midway through the 2013 season. “We had a nice conversation (Tuesday)," Arrieta said as they reviewed the Diamondbacks' batters and had a brief meeting before Wednesday's game in which they went over signs and how Arrieta prefers his catchers to set up. "It was a pretty easy transition. And I told him whatever (signals) you throw down, regardless of whether I think something is the better pitch, I’ll trust you. "I don’t know if I shook him off more than two or three times all night. It was fun to work with him. He’s very knowledgeable and can bring a lot to our club. I think he’s got a lot to offer." Maddon came away impressed after checking with coach Mike Borzello, who handles much of the pre- and in-game strategy. "Alex went with the game plan," Maddon said. "He remembered everything they talked about pre-game. That's pretty impressive." Justin Wilson's debut wasn't as smooth, as the hard-throwing left-hander allowed a walk to David Peralta and an RBI double to Jake Lamb in the eighth inning. Maddon figured it was wise to employ Wilson even with the Cubs trailing, just to get him acclimated to Wrigley Field. "He'll be the first guy to tell you he was too quick," Maddon said. --

Chicago Tribune Cubs' Kyle Schwarber still has desire to get behind the plate By Mark Gonzales Kyle Schwarber is aware of the experience that newcomer Alex Avila brings to the Cubs, but Schwarber hasn't given up hope of catching this season. "I still want a game back there," Schwarber said. "It would be awesome. The role right now is focused on left field, but If I ever get called upon to catch, I know I can still do it. I just have to get little refreshers off the (pitching) machine to catch the ball." Since missing nearly all of last season because of knee surgery, Schwarber has caught only five innings covering three games. Schwarber is aware that he might not have many opportunities left to catch this season, given starter Willson Contreras, Avila's experience and rookie Victor Caratini expected to be recalled from Triple-A Iowa in September when 25-man rosters can be expanded. Schwarber started 15 games behind the plate during his rookie season in 2015. "I still go over the scouting reports," he said. "I'm still interested in that stuff. It's a fun way to keep the brain working and think along the game when you're in the outfield." A whiff of clutch hitting: Maddon is encouraged his hitters have cut down on strikeouts since he called them out Saturday for striking out 17 times against the Brewers. The Cubs collected four consecutive hits in the sixth inning of Sunday's victories, and Maddon was even more pleased after Tuesday's when they hit five home runs but also added seven more runs on three hits, an error, a groundout and sacrifice fly. "When I say I want to have it all, that's what I'm talking about," Maddon said. "There's no reason why you can't be that way. Hitters hit home runs, primarily on (favorable) counts and pitchers making mistakes. If you're trying to force a pitcher over the wall, it's just hard to do that. "So if he's only going to give you so much to work with, why do you want to attempt this one method of hitting a home run against a guy who is painting (the corners)? It makes zero sense." Right stuff: Maddon said he was considering starting more right-handed batters Thursday against Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke, whom he said was faring better recently against left-handed hitters. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs fall to D-backs, but Arrieta deals, promises ace down the stretch By Gordon Wittenmyer It’s impossible. It’s supposed to be, anyway. Unless you think like Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta. ‘‘It’s possible,’’ Arrieta said. ‘‘Yeah. I don’t see why not.’’ Arrieta was talking about replicating the historic finish he had in 2015 that led to his National League Cy Young Award, a feat he didn’t approach even during an All-Star season in 2016.

‘‘That’s tough to imagine,’’ manager Joe Maddon said. ‘‘That was a unique situation. That was so surreal the way he nailed that whole thing down. Anything close to that is still spectacular.’’ Then Arrieta went out Wednesday and pitched his best game of the season against the Diamondbacks. He allowed three hits in seven innings, rolling through the first five nearly untouched until shortstop Addison Russell’s throwing error contributed to a two-run sixth. ‘‘We were talking about a couple of years ago? That was pretty reminiscent,’’ Maddon said of a game in which Arrieta commanded a 93 mph sinker and a sharp curveball. ‘‘That was very close. He was outstanding.’’ Arrieta didn’t even win. Former Cubs farmhand Zack Godley beat his old organization 3-0. It was only the Cubs’ fourth loss in 18 games since the All-Star break. ‘‘That’s the kind of game you lose, and I have no issues, man,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘I have zero issues.’’ Left-hander Jon Lester this week said the Cubs look like a different team than the one that limped into the All-Star break with a losing record. First baseman Anthony Rizzo said ‘‘all the good vibes’’ from the last two seasons are back. Also back is Arrieta, if the last month is any indication. Since the start of July, he’s 3-2 with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP in six starts. His overall ERA has dropped from 4.67 to 3.88 during that span. Arrieta hasn’t pitched this well for a six-start stretch since the first two months of last season. He hasn’t pitched better for a longer stretch since the last four months of 2015. After a start last week, Arrieta said he thought his best games this season were still to come. ‘‘I still feel that way,’’ he said Wednesday. ‘‘I feel like there’s some things I can do a little better and more consistently. I have all four pitches at my disposal when I need them, and it feels like it’s trending in that direction. So it’s very positive not only for me but for the team, as well.’’ That’s the real bottom line. Arrieta’s Cy Young finish was the biggest reason the Cubs became a playoff team in 2015, and they wouldn’t have won the World Series last season without him beating the Indians twice in Cleveland, including a must-win Game 6. If he’s back? If he finishes even close to how he did two years ago? ‘‘Outstanding,’’ Maddon said. The Cubs’ starting rotation is 11-2 with a 2.61 ERA since the break after going 29-33 with a 4.66 ERA before it. Newly acquired catcher Alex Avila, who made his Cubs debut, said Arrieta was as good as advertised and compared him to former teammates such as Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Chris Sale. ‘‘He’s like those guys,’’ Avila said. ‘‘When they’re on the mound, you expect good outings, you expect consistency. You prepare for that.’’ Arrieta said to prepare for more — not just from him, but from the whole new-look team — and referred to Rizzo’s good-vibe comments. ‘‘It’s something that’s palpable in the dugout, in the clubhouse, on the field,’’ Arrieta said. ‘‘We’re in a really good spot. We feed off of each other, and that’s what championship teams do. And I think we’re going to continue to do so.’’ --

Chicago Sun-Times Justin case for closer? Wilson gives Cubs strong option for 9th in ’18 By Gordon Wittenmyer The trades the Cubs made for two pitchers and a catcher before the non-waiver deadline Monday already have had an impact on the field and in the clubhouse. But the full value of the deals won’t be realized until 2018, when left-hander Jose Quintana is slotted into the rotation for the full season and left-hander Justin Wilson shows whether he can help replace Wade Davis as the Cubs’ closer. ‘‘Obviously, he’s done it before,’’ manager Joe Maddon said of Wilson, who allowed a run, a hit and two walks in the eighth inning of his Cubs debut Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. ‘‘We’ll probably cross that bridge when we get to it.’’ Wilson, whom the Cubs acquired from the Tigers with catcher Alex Avila late Sunday, makes $2.7 million this season and has one more year of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent. With Davis a pending free agent after this season, the Cubs could go to spring training in 2018 and have three bona fide closer candidates — Wilson and right-handers C.J. Edwards and Hector Rondon — without adding anyone. ‘‘I don’t care when I pitch, how it goes,’’ Wilson said when asked about closing for the Cubs in the future. ‘‘I just want to win the game.’’ The hard-throwing Wilson was a setup man for the Tigers until taking over as their closer in May after veteran Francisco Rodriguez struggled. The Tigers released Rodriguez in June. Wilson, who converted 11 of his last 12 save chances and had 13 saves overall for the Tigers, said he felt comfortable as a closer. ‘‘I enjoyed it,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘When I got moved there, it wasn’t under the best terms because Frankie’s a buddy and was struggling. You don’t want to see that for anyone, regardless if you’re getting some kind of promotion or not. And he’d helped me a lot, so that was tough. I was hoping he’d get back on track and make the team a lot better. ‘‘I think it probably [accelerated] me getting traded a little bit more, and I’m completely happy with that.’’ Cubs president Theo Epstein was clear about the Quintana trade during the All-Star break being as much about the next three years of club control as it was about this season. The Cubs are anticipating losing right-handers Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to free agency after the season. But by the time Epstein made the deal with the Tigers, the front office was all in and focused on 2017. Epstein sidestepped talk of where Wilson might fit into the Cubs’ closer plans next season. ‘‘He’s shown — this year, especially — that he has the ability to do that,’’ Epstein said. ‘‘So it’s nice to have a number of options to close games now on days that Wade is down for hopefully having saved three in a row [down the stretch].’’ NOTES: Catcher Alex Avila made his first start for the Cubs with right-hander Jake Arrieta on the mound, mostly because manager Joe Maddon wants to start Willson Contreras in the afternoon series finale Thursday. † Left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber (.189, 17 homers) might be on the bench for four consecutive road games next week against the Giants and Diamondbacks if those teams’ rotations fall the way the Cubs think they might. Schwarber has sat against lefties since returning from a two-week stint in the minors, with Ian Happ and Jon Jay alternating with him in left. --

Chicago Sun-Times MORRISSEY: A ring won’t change a thing about Bartman-like scapegoating By Rick Morrissey While those of you who love tidy endings continue to feel good about the Cubs’ bestowal of a World Series ring upon Steve Bartman, I’d like to ask a question: If a fan reacted to a foul ball today in the same way and under the same circumstances as Bartman did 14 years ago, how would he or she be treated? Answer: The way Steve Bartman was treated. With hatred. With bile. With a scapegoating frenzy that has been around since time immemorial. Never again? Dream on. The problem is — what’s the word? — people. People can be very, very small. When small people gather in large groups, whether in a ballpark or on Twitter, they feel empowered by the shared anger and what they think is a shared anonymity. They act out. Often their rage is about something other than what they think they’re mad about. The resentment might stem from their lot in life. The same instinct that makes rioters set cars on fire after a loss in a championship game is the same instinct that made people turn on someone who tried to catch a foul ball in Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field. What would have happened if a Cubs fan had made a Bartman-like lunge for a ball in Game 6 of the NLCS last season against the Dodgers? Good Lord. I picture a mob carrying the guilty party to Graceland Cemetery for an immediate live burial. The idea that the shameful treatment of Bartman in 2003 and beyond somehow has changed human behavior is ludicrous. Social media was in its infancy 14 years ago. Facebook and Twitter weren’t even around yet. The ability to pile on has grown exponentially. Is there anything in the ugliness of social media that suggests sports fans have become gentler? No. Just the opposite. On Monday, the Cubs said they had given Bartman a 2016 World Series ring. The team apparently is trying to right a wrong, but it’s a wrong that can’t be righted. The bullet can’t be put back in the barrel. Bartman has lived a mostly hidden life for 14 years. A ring can’t bring back those years. A ring can’t rid the world of the losers who abused him, and it can’t stop them from reproducing. Bartman said in a statement that his ‘‘hope is that we all can learn from my experience to view sports as entertainment and prevent harsh scapegoating.’’ After the venom that was sent his way, he surely knows one gesture from a baseball team, no matter the motive behind it, won’t change how people act the next time. To this day, there remains a debate about whether Bartman’s attempt to catch a foul ball in front of left fielder Moises Alou was A) an innocent, natural reaction that most people would have or B) a baseball sin that no clear-thinking fan would commit. The answer, by the way, is A. The debate continues, which tells me that nothing has changed and that, in the heat of an important game, people again would turn on any poor slob who puts his hand out. Alou’s angry reaction to the play was the spark that lit the mob. It was clear almost immediately that Bartman had no chance going forward. That’s the other thing about human behavior in sports: Fans always will side with whomever they perceive to be the more important party. If Alou was mad, then they were going to be mad. If Alou thought it was Bartman’s fault, then thousands of doting Cubs fans were going to think the same thing. The embers are still there 14 years later. Bartman wants to live in peace, but his life changed the moment the crowd — inside the ballpark and out — directed its rage at him. The same will be true for the next victim who has to go into seclusion. A World Series ring doesn’t hide a scarlet letter, no matter how undeserved that letter is.

The guess here is that we’ve learned nothing. And now we’re loaded to the teeth with social media for ease of scapegoating. Enjoy the ring, Steve. You deserve so much more. So will the next guy. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs fans mourn the loss of their beloved Taco Bell, schedule protest By Madeline Kenney Cubs and taco fans will soon have to bid farewell to one of their favorite late-night spots in Wrigleyville. The Taco Bell at 1111 W. Addison Street will be closing its doors this year after West Addison Development purchased the property for $8.9 million in June, Crain’s Chicago Business reported Wednesday. The company is already looking for potential retailers to fill its planned building. Upon hearing the news, two friends felt obligated to do something about it. CJ Black and Zoe Burton, both 23, created a Facebook event to protest the Taco Bell closing. Black said the Taco Bell is a community staple. He also said he has made a lot of good memories there — although he declined to go into further detail. “Everyone has a few good stories about coming [to this Taco Bell] late at night or early in the morning,” said Black, who works in Chicago as a financial consultant. “This get-together we’re putting together is a time for people to express how they feel about losing this Taco Bell.” Black said he knows the event probably won’t stop the destruction, but it will bring the group together. “It’s about Taco Bell appreciation,” Black said. “We’re going to get together and eat some tacos and express to the public how much this Taco Bell means to us and how appreciative we are of it.” Black and Burton weren’t the only two Taco Bell fans who were upset about the news. Many people took to social media to express their disapproval of the new plans. -- Daily Herald Arrieta sharp, but Cubs get blanked by Arizona By Jerry Fitzpatrick Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta was on his game again Wednesday night, but former Cubs farmhand Zack Godley was his match in a 3-0 Arizona win at Wrigley Field. Arrieta turned in yet another quality start by a Cubs starting pitcher since the all-star break. He yielded 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks and struck out eight in a 95-pitch, 7-inning performance in front of 41,321 fans. The right-hander's strong outing lowered the ERA of Cubs starting pitchers since the break from 2.70 to 2.04, but it wasn't enough to knock off the NL wild card-leading Diamondbacks (61-46). Godley (5-4), who was shipped by the Cubs to Arizona in 2014 as part of the Miguel Montero trade, enjoyed a scoreless outing for the second time on the road trip. Coming off a July 27 win in which he held St. Louis scoreless for 7 innings on 4 hits, the right-hander blanked the Cubs for 6 innings on 3 hits and 2 walks and struck out 5. Not bad considering the Cubs had erupted a night earlier for 16 runs on 17 hits and 5 home runs, all season highs, in a 16-4 victory.

"He has good stuff," said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who went 0-for-3 with a walk. "The curveball, he was throwing it well and his cutter and his fastball. We just didn't string enough hits together to put more pressure on him than we could have." Arrieta (10-8) cruised through the first 5 innings. He struck out Arizona cleanup hitter Paul Goldschmidt on a curveball to end the fourth on his 40th pitch. He then struck out the side in the fifth inning, though it took 16 pitches due to a Chris Ianetta walk. Arrieta ran into his first real jam in the sixth when David Peralta singled with one out and A.J. Pollock reached on a throwing error by shortstop Addison Russell. After Pollock stole second, Jake Lamb, a left-handed hitter, chopped a 2-run double down the first-base line for a 2-0 lead. "I think the sixth got a little extended there," Arrieta said. "I threw more pitches than I would have liked, but going 7 strong tonight was nice. Their guy was just a little bit better. He featured a nice cutter-sinker-curveball combination and kept us off balance. But we're still in a position to come out and win the series." Lamb struck again in the eighth inning against new Cubs left-hander Justin Wilson, who made his debut following a Monday trade from Detroit. Lamb's opposite-field double to the left-field corner, which a sliding Kyle Schwarber was unable to cut off cleanly, allowed Peralta to score from first base for a 3-0 lead. Three Arizona relievers -- capped by Fernando Rodney, who earned his 23rd save -- frustrated the Cubs for 3 hitless innings, culminating in Rodney's strikeout of Schwarber to end the game. The Cubs maintained their 2½-game NL Central lead, however, thanks to St. Louis' 5-4 victory over second-place Milwaukee. "You lose that game, I have no issues, man. I have zero issues," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We played well, they played well. They're good, too. Their pitcher was outstanding also and their bullpen was very good, so there's nothing to lament there. That was a good baseball game." -- Daily Herald Maddon: No more experiments this year for the Cubs By Jerry Fitzpatrick The window for experimentation is closed for the season, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before Wednesday's game against Arizona at Wrigley Field. Asked how he intends to balance further development of his young players down the stretch against fielding the best possible lineup, Maddon said the Cubs have reached the point in the season where the need to win ballgames supersedes further experimentation. "You can't really worry about that as much right now," Maddon said of development. "I think we're at that point. So you may see us do some things a little differently, some different patterns possibly just based on that thought. "I think winning groups, winning teams, teams that are together, guys that get it, get it. They're not really concerned about 'Well, I got hit for tonight or somebody took me out when I thought I could get that guy out,' all that crazy talk that only ends up causing you a loss." Relaxed and regrouped: Kyle Schwarber said missing the All-Star Game was probably "a good thing" for Cubs position players. "They kind of got to step away and be able to just kind of relax," Schwarber said before Wednesday's game. "We didn't get much of a break in the off-season winning the World Series, which we wouldn't have any other way.

"But to be able to have those couple of days to step back, refocus and come here and worry about winning ballgames, we were really fortunate with where the division was at the time. Now, we just want to kind of just take off and run with it." Making contact: Joe Maddon said he was pleased to see his team limit its strikeout total to 6 in Tuesday's 16-4 win over Arizona in the wake of 19 strikeouts over the final two games of the Milwaukee series. "The last couple of games have been better," Maddon said. "That just takes time. It's always going to be the product of the starting pitcher also, how good that guy is, if he's got something that really is chaseable that we just can't lay off of. (Tuesday) I thought we did a really nice job of staying within ourselves, moving the baseball with two strikes. We drove in some runs with hits and not just homers, which was nice to see." -- Cubs.com Quintana set to duel Greinke in series finale By Scott Chasen Alex Avila won't be the one catching Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana in Thursday's series finale with the D-backs at Wrigley Field, but the recently acquired veteran knows all too well how special his former White Sox teammate can be. "Of all the pitchers I've caught, and I've caught a lot of good ones, he's probably one of the easiest pitchers, and that's a good thing," Avila said of Quintana. "He commands his pitches as well as anybody I've ever caught. I just caught his bullpen [on Tuesday], and I can catch him with my eyes closed, he's so precise. He's a great guy, a great teammate." Acquired by the Cubs in mid-July, Quintana (2-1, 2.37 ERA since the trade) has made three straight quality starts for his new club, including a July 16 debut at Baltimore where he struck out 12 and allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings. "He's another professional, and you don't have to worry about him," said Avila, who played for the White Sox alongside Quintana in 2016. "He's going to get his work in. That's something you don't take for granted." And given his opponent, a pitchers' duel could be in store. Facing off against Quintana will be D-backs right-hander Zack Greinke (13-4, 2.84 ERA), who cruised through July with a 2.12 ERA and 4-0 record, lasting at least seven innings in four of his five starts. Greinke hasn't faced the Cubs since April 2016, but he has dominated just about everyone else since then. Since that last start against the Cubs, Greinke has made 28 quality starts -- compared to just five outings in which he's allowed more than four earned runs. In 2016, Greinke's four-seam fastball yielded a .326 batting average. That's all the way down to .209 this year, and his .194 expected average with the pitch, based on the quality of contact against it, ranks third among starters who've had at least 100 at-bats end on four-seamers. Things to know about this game • Willson Contreras will make his return to the lineup -- sitting out the day before because of the night-game, day-game configuration -- which should give the Cubs' offense a boost. Contreras slashed .321/.400/.619 in July and got off to a good start in August, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the series opener against Arizona.

• Since entering the D-backs' starting lineup on July 24, J.D. Martinez has tallied five home runs and 13 RBIs (entering Wednesday), with the most recent blast coming on July 29 against the Cardinals. Of those five home runs, two were hit with an exit velocity of at least 109 mph, according to Statcast, while the July 29 shot was the second farthest he's hit since Statcast began tracking the data in 2015 (projected distance of 466 feet). • This won't be the first start for Quintana against the D-backs this year. The left-hander allowed eight hits and eight runs in 4 1/3 innings against Arizona on May 24. That start, one of two he's made against the D-backs in his career, also featured the only home run he's surrendered to the lineup -- a two-run shot from Jake Lamb in the fifth inning. -- Cubs.com Arrieta builds trust in first pairing with Avila By Scott Chasen CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta's prep work for his Wednesday start involved a couple of extra chats. On Tuesday, Arrieta met with newly acquired Cubs catcher Alex Avila for 20 to 30 minutes to talk through the D-backs' hitters and the approach they wanted to take. They talked one more time on Wednesday ahead of the Cubs' 3-0 loss, and the pitcher gave Avila an early vote of confidence. "Whatever you throw down, regardless of whether I think maybe something else is a better pitch, I'll trust you," Arrieta told the catcher, making his first start with the Cubs. "I don't know if I shook him off more than two or three times all night." That trust showed on the field. Arrieta cruised through 5 1/3 innings, needing just 60 pitches to work through the order twice. To that point, the only damage against the right-hander had been a Chris Iannetta single and walk, both left stranded. "That might have been his best all year. That was really that sharp," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I thought he looked outstanding." A big part of that outing, Arrieta said, was the guy behind the dish. While both Arrieta and Avila noted their comfort with one another after the game, Arrieta was especially complimentary of Avila's knowledge of the hitters around the Majors. Avila, though, didn't take too much of the credit for himself. After making his Wrigley Field debut, the catcher credited his pitcher for getting through the opposing lineup effectively and efficiently. "I tried to do my homework as far as their team and Jake and watching his starts and what he likes to do," Avila said. "It's really all about him. If he doesn't command pitches, you don't get the results. He did a great job." Unfortunately for the Cubs, it was not a perfect ending. With one out in the sixth, Arrieta allowed a single to David Peralta and was dinged for two runs (one earned) after A.J. Pollock reached on an error and Jake Lamb hit a soft double down the right-field line -- Statcast™ gave the play a 26 percent hit probability -- to plate both runners. Arrieta settled back in, inducing an inning-ending double play and working through the seventh without allowing another run. "It's good to play behind him. It's unfortunate we didn't get him any runs today for how well he pitched," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "But that's the game of baseball. You have your ups and downs. We scored 16 last night and get shut out today."

-- Cubs.com Cubs' bats cooled by D-backs; Arrieta sharp By Carrie Muskat and Steve Gilbert CHICAGO -- Jake Lamb broke out of his hitting funk with a pair of doubles and three RBIs to back Zack Godley and lead the D-backs to a 3-0 victory Wednesday night over the Cubs. "Even though we lost that game tonight, if you play that [kind of] game on a consistent basis, you'll win a lot of them," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "They just out-pitched us. Give them credit." Lamb had one hit in 21 at-bats over his previous eight games and was 0-for-2 before a two-run double in the sixth. He added another RBI double in the eighth. The D-backs took advantage of an error in the sixth to score all the runs Godley needed. The right-hander was the Cubs' 10th-round pick in the 2013 Draft, then dealt to Arizona in the Miguel Montero deal. He scattered three hits over six scoreless innings, walking two and striking out five to stymie the Cubs, who had scored a season-high 16 runs on Tuesday in the series opener. It's the second straight strong start for Godley, who threw seven scoreless innings in a win over the Cardinals in his last outing. "It's the fastball command, attacking, getting ahead of hitters, some early count outs, different shapes on the breaking balls," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said of Godley's success. "It's an interesting combination of pitches, and it looks like nobody is very comfortable against him. Every time he needs a big out, he goes and executes and gets the job done." The win was Arizona's fifth in the last 11 games, while Chicago lost for the fourth time in 18 games since the All-Star break but maintained a 2 1/2-game lead over Milwaukee in the National League Central. The Cubs had been averaging 5.9 runs per game in the second half, and it's the first time they were shut out since the break. Jake Arrieta struck out eight over seven innings, giving up three hits and two walks. It was his 11th quality start and fourth in as many outings since the break. The right-hander's performance was reminiscent of two years ago when he won the NL Cy Young. Could Arrieta repeat that second half of the '15 season when he went 12-1 with a 0.75 ERA? "Yeah, it's possible. I don't see why not," Arrieta said. "I think it's possible for all of our guys to elevate themselves and pitch at a high level or compete on defense or at the plate at a level higher than they have currently. That's having a lot of confidence in the guys we have. We expect to do some special things this season and we shouldn't think otherwise." Andrew Chafin, Archie Bradley and Fernando Rodney each pitched a clean inning to follow Godley's lead, as the D-backs retired the final 19 Cubs in a row. Rodney struck out two and recorded his 23rd save of the year. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Sixth sense: Chris Iannetta was the only batter to reach against Arrieta over the first five innings, with a single leading off the third and a walk with two outs in the fifth. In the sixth, David Peralta singled with one out and reached third on shortstop Addison Russell's throwing error when his one-hop throw to Anthony Rizzo pulled the first baseman off the bag. A.J. Pollock, who was safe at first on the error, then stole second. Both baserunners scored on Lamb's double down the right-field line. "It wasn't the best swing, but it got the job done," Lamb said. "They were playing back, so I was just trying to get one run in, knowing that [Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez] are going to get the next guy in. It got down the line and scored two."

Welcome: Alex Avila and Justin Wilson, both acquired from the Tigers at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, made their Cubs debuts. Avila started the game at catcher and was 0-for-2 but did guide Arrieta through five efficient innings. Wilson took over in the eighth and gave up one run on one hit while striking out one and walking two. "It was a perfect slot and I thought it was a great time to get him out there at Wrigley," Maddon said of Wilson. "If there's any kind of nerves, let's get them out of the way now. He'll tell you he was too quick and could not slow himself down." As for Avila, he appeared to match up perfectly with Arrieta, who said he may have shook off the catcher three times. "He stuck the landing, didn't he?" Maddon said of Avila, making his first career appearance at Wrigley. "He looked really good back there." QUOTABLE "What are you going to do? Whine about it and focus on the day before? They kicked our butt. We've done that to people and come out the next day and lost, too. It's just one game. We did a good job of that today." -- Lamb, on bouncing back from Tuesday's 16-4 loss "It's unfortunate we didn't get [Arrieta] any runs today for how well he pitched, but that's the game of baseball. You have your ups and downs. We scored 16 last night and get shut out today." – Rizzo SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The last time the D-backs shut out the Cubs was April 29, 2009, when they won, 10-0, in Arizona. WHAT'S NEXT D-backs: Zack Greinke gets the start for Thursday's series finale (11:20 a.m. MST). It is Robbie Ray's day to start, but the left-hander was hit in the head by a line drive in his last start and is on the concussion list. With Monday's off-day, the D-backs were able to bump Greinke up on normal rest. Cubs: Jose Quintana will make his second start at Wrigley Field since joining the Cubs. He is 2-1 with his new team and has struck out 25 over 19 innings in his three starts. Willson Contreras is expected to catch. First pitch will be 1:20 p.m. CT. -- Cubs.com Schwarber hosts young fan's first Wrigley visit By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- In Spring Training 2015, Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber met Campbell Faulkner, and the two became friends. On Wednesday, Faulkner, a spunky 11-year-old battling a rare form of mitochondrial disease, got to see where Schwarber plays for the first time. Faulkner and his family were at Wrigley Field for the Cubs' series against the D-backs, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Schwarber, who has worn a bright green bracelet embossed with "Campbell's Crew" since he met the boy, had talked to the Faulkner family this spring about possibly going to the Cubs' season opener in St. Louis. But Faulkner chose Wrigley Field. "He sent me the email that he chose coming here," Schwarber said. "At the time, I was in the Minor Leagues. He said, 'If you're still in Triple-A, we're going to go to Chicago and then go to Texas or wherever you are to watch

you.' I said, 'That's perfect.' And I said, 'Hopefully, I'll see you up here.' Luckily, I'm back up. It's his first time at Wrigley, and it'll be fun for me to share it with him." On Wednesday, Schwarber took Faulkner out to left field to stand near the ivy during batting practice. After their time together, Faulkner presented Schwarber with a donation to his Neighborhood Heroes Program. Campbell's parents, Carrie and Shane, and his brothers, Clayton and Carsten, and sister, Sage, were all part of the traveling party. They were handing out green bracelets on their flight from Phoenix to Chicago on Tuesday. Schwarber often points out his knee injury is minor compared to what Faulkner is dealing with. Schwarber tore two ligaments in his left knee in April 2016. Faulkner, a resident of Queen Creek, Ariz., has had difficulty walking and standing, and has struggled to gain weight. He wears a backpack to carry his feeding tube. On Wednesday, none of that mattered. Campbell couldn't stop smiling. "[If you go 0-for-4] what do you have to complain about?" Schwarber said. "The way he carries himself with the big smile on his face every day, and I'm sure he's not feeling 100 percent every day but he's living to the fullest. It's a prime example of how you should approach a sport like this where you have to grind through a season." Faulkner has spoken at public events to raise awareness for his rare disease. "I'm just happy to be a small part of his life and be a friend," Schwarber said. -- ESPNChicago.com Two games, two ballparks: One day in Chicago By Bradford Doolittle It's not exactly scaling Mount Everest, but this is a day that doesn't come around too often in Chicago. For obvious reasons, the astute schedule-makers at Major League Baseball do what they can to make sure the White Sox and Cubs aren't in town at the same time. Unless, of course, they are playing each other. But it happens a handful of times each season, and on very rare occasions, you have a day like Wednesday. There were games scheduled on both ends of town, one day game and one at night, meaning that enterprising types could attend both games. On such a day, the rich tapestry of baseball history in Chicago is hung out for all to examine. It was warm and mostly sunny, and not humid if you've ever lived in Kansas City. It was the best possible way to spend a summer day. The White Sox and Cubs are on polar opposite sides of the competitive spectrum right now. The North Siders are the reigning champions, as we all know. And the White Sox have entered into their first full-blown rebuild in years. Perhaps the two situations aren't entirely coincidental. What better time for the South Siders to drop out of contention than when they are buried deeper in the Cubs' shadow than ever before? With the Cubs dominating the present, and the Sox trying their best to sell their fans on what does appear to be a promising future, it creates a certain lopsided dynamic between the teams. Things have been tense between Cubs and White Sox fans for a long time. I always think of one of my favorite Chicago writers, Nelson Algren, who as a child made the arduous move from the South Side to the North Side. On his first day in the new neighborhood (where "all streets -- and alleys, too -- led to the alien bleachers of Wrigley Field") he came upon a group of young toughs. Like a wizard guarding a bridge, the leader asked, "Who is your favorite player?" The young Algren answered with blasphemy: "Swede Risberg." The tough responded, "It got to be a National Leaguer."

There aren't a whole lot of true-born Chicagoans who root for both teams. This has always amazed me. At a very fundamental level, they not only share a city, but a public transit line. I live in the South Loop, about 3.1 miles from Guaranteed Rate Field and about 5.6 miles from Wrigley Field. There are only a couple of train stops between my neighborhood and 35th Street, where what I'm going to call Sox Park is situated, so it's a much quicker trip for me to get there. The southbound train, even during rush hour, is rarely overly crowded. The first thing you notice when you get off at the Sox-35th Street stop is that the train platform is smack in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway -- roughly 14 lanes of traffic, including local lanes. This means more than you might think. A big reason the neighborhoods north of the Loop have largely retained their traditionally urban character is that they were never bifurcated by the freeway system, or at least the areas nearest to the lakefront were not. This was not the case on the South Side, where the Ryan divided neighborhoods and sealed one side of the highway off from the other, as happened all over America in the 1950s and '60s. The road also served to isolate the ballpark itself. Both the old Comiskey Park and the new version have always resided in an iconic urban neighborhood -- Bridgeport -- just like Wrigley Field. But the White Sox play in a venue surrounded by the freeway on one side, commuter rail tracks on the other, and sprawling surface parking lots elsewhere. When you are at Sox Park, it feels like that's all there is. Still, the White Sox have called Bridgeport home longer than the Cubs have existed in Lakeview, the official designation of their neighborhood, of which Wrigleyville is a subset. The old Comiskey opened in 1910 and stayed open for 80 years, until it was quite literally falling down. Shoeless Joe Jackson played in the same cavernous ballpark as Ozzie Guillen. The pregame scene outside of Guaranteed Rate Field is similar to what you might find in Milwaukee, or Kansas City, just to name a couple of other cities. People veer off the freeway into the amply-sized parking lots. Many of them set up tailgate spreads, or just sit near their car in folding chairs while dipping into a cooler. There is a sports bar, built just a few years ago, across the street from the stadium. To the more savvy and experienced, there are a handful of neighborhood spots within reasonable walking distance. Outside the main gates of the park are live bands playing, though not many seem to watch. Fans pose for pictures in front of the sculpture celebrating the White Sox's 2005 title, which features Paul Konerko, Joe Crede and others. Above the main entrance, the White Sox remind everyone of their three championship seasons: 1906, 1917, 2005. That's the same number of titles as the Cubs. The White Sox were playing the Blue Jays on Wednesday, making the contest one between last-place clubs. There was a good crowd on hand -- just under 21,000 -- considering the early start and the relative meaninglessness of the game. The largely empty upper-level and bleacher seats had patches of neon, the T-shirt colors of the different groups of kids from various summer camps. It was also $1 hot dog day, and you could tell that was a popular promotion from the lines at the concession stands. The White Sox have done a great job of building up the in-stadium experience over time. When the new Comiskey opened in 1991, it was a dreary place. The upper levels felt impossibly steep. The backdrop was a little dismal, if only because of the burned-out high-rise projects that have since been torn down. The seat colors were an odd blue. It's a lot better now, with the backdrop built up in a more attractive way, vegetation grown on the outfield walls, and different fan amenities mixed in throughout. Statues of franchise greats populate the concourse behind the bleachers.

Walking around the ballpark during the game, I couldn't help but feel like there was a lot more happening on the concourses than on the field, which I suppose is par for the course this time of the year when two out-of-the-running teams are competing. The White Sox lineup offered little to stir fan interest, especially with touted rookie Yoan Moncada out. What little happened in the game happened for the Blue Jays, who won 5-1 behind a sharp outing from J.A. Happ. Josh Donaldson and Steve Pearce hit the only home runs, to the delight of a pretty sizable contingent of Toronto fans. There are always plenty of baseball tourists around in the Chicago summer, even on the North Side, even if on the Cubs' end of the city, you can't always pick out who the tourists actually are. The atmosphere of the game was jovial, like you might find walking around the Lincoln Park Zoo. The game, and its outcome, felt almost beside the point. With one game down, I bypassed the postgame availabilities for the best reason there is: There was another game to go to. I joined the fans in meandering out of the park, and watched people split off into the parking lots to the north. I followed those headed for the train station, many of whom were Blue Jays fans presumably headed back to their downtown hotels. These postgame processions move slowly, so I slipped around the whole bunch and hit Wentworth Avenue just as the traffic directors started waving pedestrians through, and made the train turnstiles without getting hung up in line. It pays to know where you're going, and to have a transit card to wave at the scanners. It's a long ride on the Red Line to go from Sox Park to Wrigley Field, not helped by the density of humanity on every train car. However, I found a seat and read baseball news from my phone, while the train emptied of Sox and Jays fans, and filled back up with commuters -- it was rush hour -- and Cubs fans headed to the park. The commuters are never happy at these times. The train dips underground for several stops before reemerging as you reach Lincoln Park and the Fullerton Stop next to DePaul University. Two stops later, you're at Addison. The ballpark is plainly visible outside the windows here and about 75 percent of those crammed onto the train spill out onto the platform. Yet I've still seen tourists argue about whether or not they are at the right stop, and in a couple of cases, fail to get off the train. You just can't help these people. Immediately you are aware of an entirely different vibe. It's tangible. The music spills out of bars and from the park itself. The smell of grilling meat wafts through the street. People are everywhere, walking in every direction. The patios are packed with people enjoying pregame libations. Sheffield and Waveland Avenues are both blocked off for pedestrians, giving the scene a festival-like flavor. Down on the South Side, 35th Street is pretty wide-open and people drive on it as such. Battling the city on that kind of thing is always rough in Chicago, but I've always felt like the Sox should push to make that street more pedestrian-friendly. The Cubs have long dominated their neighborhood, which seems obvious considering the district around the ballpark carries the informal name of Wrigleyville. However, the area continues to transmogrify into Cubs Disneyland, a process that shows no signs of abating. This year, the Cubs opened a new outdoor park area adjacent to Wrigley Field on a spot that used to be surface parking. There is a new building on one end that houses a bar -- of course -- but also a premium coffeehouse, where I stopped for some cold brew. The manager at the coffeehouse insisted that I try a new shake made out of cold brew, chocolate ice cream and bitters. It is highly recommended. As at Sox Park, a band was playing, this one in the new park area. However, this band had a lot of eyeballs on it, as fans sprawled out on the grass and watched from the upper level of the new bar across the way, and even from the exterior deck of the ballpark itself. There were so many watching, I thought they might actually be famous. Heck, maybe they were. I'd be the last to know. Across Clark Street is the burgeoning Hotel Zachary, a team-owned property that has been steadily rising since before the season. It is scheduled to be open for business by next season. South of the park is another new

development, with hotel space, residences, retail and a bowling alley, I have heard. This week, it was also reported that the improbable auto body shop across Addison and the sports merchandise store next to it have finally sold and will be redeveloped in the near future. So, too, will the Taco Bell just down the street -- long a hot spot of late-night shenanigans in the neighborhood. By the time all of this is completed, the ballpark section of Wrigleyville will be all but unrecognizable from what it was when I lived here in the 1990s, fresh out of college. Yet for all the complaints many locals have about the Cubsification of the neighborhood, local landlords have little problem finding tenants to fill their increasingly pricey rental area. When it comes to the bottom line, the Cubs remain the rising tide that floats everybody's boat. Still, it's the ballpark that remains the star of the show. The concourses are narrow, the walkways steep and exhausting, the bathrooms tend to get overrun, and you might end up sitting behind a pole. But once you step out of the tunnels and lay eyes on the vista before you -- the old scoreboard, the bleachers, the neighborhood intertwined with all of it, the elevated train snaking behind the building across Sheffield Avenue, Lake Michigan shimmering on the horizon -- you can't help but feel like you've entered a place where baseball was meant to be played. The game itself was a much more promising matchup than the one on the other side of town, with Jake Arrieta going for the champs and Zack Godley throwing for the playoff-contending Arizona Diamondbacks. The stands were, as usual, filled to capacity, with an announced crowd of 41,321. Cubs fans get a lot of guff -- well, at least from White Sox fans -- because of a perceived indifference to the actual game on the field. This might be the case in down times, just as it seems to be now at Sox Park. But nowadays, if anything, the fans at Wrigley are possibly too into the games, often overreacting to trivial moments. But there is always a steady murmur in the stands and deafening roars when the situation warrants it. The pitching duel turned out to be a good one, though the weather threatened to disrupt the proceedings at times, with lightning flashing over Lake Michigan and the rumble of thunder apparent in the middle innings. The seventh-inning stretch ritual starred former Cubs announcer and big league manager Bob Brenly, who now does games for the Diamondbacks. The crowd sang along enthusiastically; they don't care who is up there. They get just as excited at the games where they simply roll back an old video of Harry Carey. One night after being bludgeoned for 16 runs by the surging Cubs offense, Godley and three relievers put up a shutout, 3-0. Jake Lamb drove in all three runs for the Diamondbacks with a pair of doubles and has now driven in 83 runs on the season. It was a snappy game between two teams with higher aspirations. And it was a wrap on a two-game day in Chicago, with both home teams taking a loss. I prepared to head to the Red Line again to join the late-night exodus from Wrigleyville, when the train cars tend to be populated by the over-served. As I passed out of the park, the usual crowd of adoring Cubs fans were huddled around one of the gates, where they can catch a glimpse of the players as they pass from the clubhouse into the corridor that leads to their vehicles. Every time one emerges, the fans scream in unison until the player disappears from sight. All of this might seem unfair to the White Sox, who pull out all the stops for their fans and the media alike. It's always a first-rate experience to go there and, from a working standpoint, it's actually a heck of a lot easier. At Wrigley Field, when the game is over, you have to dash down the concourse before the fans start emptying out from the seats, or else you get caught in a pedestrian jam of impenetrable proportions. More than one sportswriter has cracked over this issue, though you get the feeling that on the long list of renovations the Cubs continue to execute, a press elevator isn't a high priority. It's clear that these are simple byproducts of where the franchises are at this point in time. The White Sox will always suffer by comparison when it comes to venues; their neighborhood simply has a different character, and no one in any city can match the iconic status of Wrigley Field. The Sox do what they do, and they do it very well.

So in order to win a fair share of the more nonpartisan members of the Chicago baseball community -- not to mention their share of media attention -- the White Sox have to out-compete the Cubs on the playing field. That's not going to happen for a while. If there is only so much energy that can exist in one city at one time over a sport, then now more than ever, a larger portion of that energy is circulating around the North Side. But the White Sox are working hard to transfer as much of that energy as they can. And if the prospects they have dominating the rankings lists turn into household names like Rizzo, Bryant, Schwarber, etc., then days like this will be truly electric. The flow of energy will be more balanced. As it was, the day was special enough, if you love baseball. Two games, four teams, two parks, one city. This is why I am here. When it comes to summer and baseball, there is no place like Chicago. -- CSNChicago.com Cubs may have lined up Wade Davis’ replacement with Justin Wilson move By Patrick Mooney The Detroit Tigers kept Justin Wilson in the loop enough that he brought two suitcases for the team’s Sunday night flight to New York, where he had dinner with his representatives from ACES and learned that trade talks with the Cubs were heating up. Wilson flew back to Detroit on Monday morning, checked in with his family and picked up his car to drive to Chicago, where he will loom as another late-game weapon out of Joe Maddon’s bullpen and audition to be next year’s closer. “Obviously, he’s done it before,” Maddon said. “We’ll probably cross that bridge when we get to it. Yes, one eye’s on the present, and one eye’s been on the future. What a great way to do business. To be able to fulfill needs with that kind of a quality player – with those contract benefits – that’s what our guys do.” This is how Theo Epstein’s front office operates: The Cubs once used a Rule 5 pick to coach up and develop a 30-save closer during the rebuilding years. Hector Rondon got bumped out of the ninth inning last summer when Epstein saw Aroldis Chapman as the missing piece to the World Series puzzle and sacrificed elite prospect Gleyber Torres in a blockbuster deal with the New York Yankees. The Cubs viewed Chapman only as a rental, rated Jorge Soler as a diminishing asset and flipped the inconsistent outfielder to the Kansas City Royals at the winter meetings for one full season of Wade Davis. Davis is now positioned to hit the free-agent market after a record-setting winter for closers – the Yankees gave Chapman five years and $86 million guaranteed – and an All-Star season where so far he’s been healthy, perfect in save situations (22-for-22) and a good influence on the rest of the bullpen. “I don’t think it would be appropriate to get into that now,” Epstein said. “We hope every good player we have now is back. But that’s a discussion for another day.” For now, Wilson is another left-handed option who allows Maddon to unleash Carl Edwards Jr. earlier in the game, pick his spots with Pedro Strop and rest Davis when necessary. Wilson is making $2.7 million this season and has one more year in the arbitration system before he can become a free agent. Saving 13 games for the Tigers – while putting up a 2.68 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 40.1 innings – enhanced Wilson’s marketability. “Obviously, he’s shown this year especially that he has the ability to do that,” Epstein said. “It’s nice to have a number of options to close games now on the days that Wade is down, hopefully from having saved three in a row.” All that matters to Wilson now is going from a team that was nine games under .500 to the defending World Series champs.

“I just want to pitch – it doesn’t really matter when to me,” Wilson said. “I don’t anticipate anything. I pitch when my name’s called.” -- CSNChicago.com Joe Maddon getting Cubs into playoff mode: ‘You cannot be thin-skinned right now and win’ By Patrick Mooney Joe Maddon might be the most hands-off manager in the game, letting the coaches do their jobs and allowing the players to run the clubhouse while he focuses on big-picture strategy, in-game decisions and the public aspects of the job. But the Cubs also understand that Maddon’s free-flowing nature begins to change in August. You knew it two years ago when Maddon benched Starlin Castro and made Addison Russell the everyday shortstop going forward. Maddon managed like it was already October during that four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants, giving Jason Hammel the quick hook and sensing a young team needed to make a statement against the franchise that won World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. “You cannot be thin-skinned right now and win,” Maddon said before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. So don’t expect to see Kyle Schwarber hit against lefties. Maybe Maddon doesn’t have the same patience for Ian Happ’s rookie learning curve and the hernia swings from Javier Baez. We know Maddon doesn’t like to take the ball from John Lackey, but he could get the Hammel treatment. Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta always seem to think they could pitch deeper into games. At what point does Wade Davis start getting four-out saves? “The fact that we’ve been through this the last couple years, guys know if we have to do something during the course of the game, please don’t throw a tantrum about it,” Maddon said. “Maybe it’s a pinch-hitter, or taking you out of the game as a pitcher. It’s just in this moment, somebody might have a better skill set for this particular situation. “You can’t really worry about that as much right now, so you may see us do some things a little bit differently, different patterns, possibly, just based on that thought. “Winning groups, winning teams, teams that are together – guys that get it – are not really concerned about: ‘Well, I got hit for tonight.’ Or if somebody took me out: ‘I thought I could get that guy out.’ All that kind of crazy talk that only ends up causing you a loss.” The immediacy on Twitter, the magnitude of a World Series Game 7 and the spotlight on this team forced Maddon to take so much heat and answer rounds and rounds of questions about how he handled his bullpen during last year’s playoffs. But that doesn’t take into account Maddon’s influence on the Cubs becoming a championship organization, how he seamlessly incorporated young talent, deflected attention and gave the clubhouse a new sense of confidence. Maddon absolutely deserved to be the National League’s 2015 Manager of the Year, taking over a 77-win team and pressing the right buttons during a 19-9 August that led to 97 wins and the NL Championship Series. Maddon knows the rest of 2017 no longer revolves around player development, worrying about hurt feelings and playing the same long game of rest/recovery. “You do test the waters a little bit,” Maddon said. “You’re a little bit more patient. You’re maybe more willing to absorb a loss, based on finding some things out. But then it gets to a certain time of the year.”

-- CSNChicago.com This Jake Arrieta means another big finish for Cubs By Patrick Mooney Alex Avila worked with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer during Cy Young Award seasons with the Detroit Tigers – and caught Chris Sale and Jose Quintana last year on the South Side – so he knows what an ace looks like. Avila’s first impression of Jake Arrieta became the biggest takeaway from Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs saw flashes of their 2015 Cy Young Award winner and what that could mean this October. “A big horse,” Avila said. “He’s like those guys. When they’re out on the mound, you expect good outings. You expect consistency. You prepare for that. He was pretty much everything that I had heard, as far as the way the ball moves, the way he can use his sinker on both sides of the plate, the effectiveness of his breaking balls.” The Good Jake/Bad Jake narrative has faded away during what’s becoming a strong Boras Corp. push (10-8, 3.86 ERA) toward free agency. Working with Avila for the first time, Arrieta allowed one hit through five innings against a tough Arizona lineup anchored by All-Stars Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt and trade-deadline addition J.D. Martinez. If not for shortstop Addison Russell’s throwing error in the sixth inning – and Lamb’s two-run chopper that went by first baseman Anthony Rizzo and up the right-field line in the next at-bat – Arrieta might have completely shut down the Diamondbacks (61-46). Either way, Arrieta didn’t hesitate when asked if he could approximate the 2015 finish that turned him into the hottest pitcher on the planet and transformed the Cubs into playoff contenders. “Yeah, it’s possible,” Arrieta said. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. I think it’s possible for all our guys to elevate themselves and pitch at a really high level, or compete on defense or at the plate at a level higher than they have currently. “That’s just having a lot of confidence in the guys that we have. We expect to do some really special things again this season, and we shouldn’t think otherwise.” Arrieta still didn’t outpitch Zack Godley, an under-the-radar prospect the Cubs traded away in the Miguel Montero deal during the 2014 winter meetings. The night after the offense exploded for 16 runs, the Cubs managed only three singles and two walks in six innings against Godley (5-4, 2.86 ERA), the kind of homegrown pitcher the Theo Epstein regime hasn’t developed yet. If Montero could have kept his mouth shut last month – or at least softened his public criticism of Arrieta’s issues holding runners on base – the Cubs (57-49) wouldn’t have needed to acquire Avila in a package deal with lefty reliever Justin Wilson before the July 31 deadline. But Arrieta and Avila met for about 30 minutes on Tuesday to review the game plan and go over Arizona’s hitters and spoke again briefly before Wednesday’s start. Arrieta tied a season-high by pitching seven innings and finished with eight strikeouts against two walks, allowing those two runs (one earned). Arrieta said: “I told him: ‘Whatever you throw down, regardless of whether I think maybe something else is the better pitch, I’ll trust you.’ I don’t know if I shook him off more than two or three times all night.” “To be honest with you, I thought it was going to be a little bit more of an adjustment,” Avila said, “as far as getting used to the way he throws and the movement on his pitches behind the plate. But I ended up feeling really comfortable.”

Do the Cubs have a new Arrieta whisperer or another personal-catcher situation? It’s too soon to go there – the Cubs had questions about Avila's defense – but Arrieta isn’t getting questions about his velocity or his mechanics or the walk-year pressures. “I heard Rizzo allude to the fact that it’s a different feeling in the clubhouse,” Arrieta said. “It’s something that’s palpable in the dugout, in the clubhouse, on the field. We’re in a really good spot. I think that we feed off each other. And that’s what championship teams do.” --