May 8, 2017

Cubs.com, Cubs fall to Yanks in 18-inning heartbreaker http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/228916662/yankees-beat-cubs-in-18-innings-for-a-sweep/

Cubs.com, Rizzo puts $3.5M toward Children's Hospital http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/229008138/anthony-rizzo-donates-35m-to-kids-hospital/

Cubs.com, Schwarber goes into seats for thrilling catch http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/228919842/kyle-schwarber-goes-into-stands-for-catch/

Cubs.com, K-mazing: Yanks-Cubs sets strikeout record http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/228988920/yankees-cubs-game-sets-record-for-strikeouts/

Cubs.com, Arrieta opens set at Coors vs. Senzatela, Rox http://atmlb.com/2pTLI8t

Cubs.com, Cubs could use four-man rotation for now http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/228918786/cubs-have-options-with-brett-anderson-on-dl/

Cubs.com, Grimm, La Stella recalled; Anderson to DL http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/228900892/cubs-recall-two-place-brett-anderson-on-dl/

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs starters want more innings but must earn them first http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/44068/cubs-starters-want-more-innings-but-must-earn-them-first

ESPNChicago.com, Brett Anderson goes on DL with back issue after getting hit hard http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19332384/chicago-cubs-brett-anderson-heads-disabled-list-back-issue

ESPNChicago.com, Former Cub Starlin Castro pays Rizzo back in kind http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/96180/former-cub-starlin-castro-pays-rizzo-back-in-kind

CSNChicago.com, Weird Baseball: Cubs Fall To Yankees In 18, Teams Set MLB Record For Strikeouts http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/weird-baseball-cubs-fall-yankees-18-teams-set-mlb-record-strikeouts

CSNChicago.com, Cubs Vs. Yankees: Anthony Rizzo Survives Getting Hit With Aroldis Chapman’s 99-Mph Fastball http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-vs-yankees-anthony-rizzo-survives-getting-hit-aroldis-chapmans-99-mph-fastball

CSNChicago.com, Cubs-Yankees: Kyle Schwarber Creates Derek Jeter Moment With Diving Catch Into Wrigley Field Seats http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-yankees-kyle-schwarber-creates-derek-jeter-moment-diving-catch-wrigley-field-seats

CSNChicago.com, Cubs Vs. Yankees: The Differences Joe Maddon Sees In Starlin Castro http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-vs-yankees-differences-joe-maddon-sees-starlin-castro

Chicago Tribune, 'An epic strikeout performance:' Cubs-Yankees set plenty of records http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-yankees-mlb-records-20170508-story.html#nt=oft03a-1la1

Chicago Tribune, X-rays negative on Anthony Rizzo’s forearm after fastball from Aroldis Chapman http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-anthony-rizzo-aroldis-chapman-hbp-20170508-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs, Yankees set MLB record with 48 strikeouts; Yankees win 5-4 in 18 innings http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-yankees-spt-0508-20170507-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Kyle Schwarber’s catch almost lost in shuffle of Cubs’ 18-inning loss http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kyle-schwarber-amazing-catch-20170508-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Mike Montgomery or Eddie Butler in line for opportunity in Cubs rotation http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-brett-anderson-justin-grimm-tommy-la-stella-20170507-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs suffer sweep in 18-inning loss to Yankees http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-suffer-sweep-in-marathon-loss-to-yankees/

Chicago Sun-Times, With Brett Anderson out, Cubs rotation has options and questions http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/with-brett-anderson-out-cubs-rotation-has-options-and-questions/

Chicago Sun-Times, Joe Maddon hoping former Cub Starlin Castro sustains success http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/joe-maddon-hoping-former-cub-starlin-castro-sustains-success/

Daily Herald, Cubs' Maddon unsure who will fill Anderson's spot http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170507/cubsx2019-maddon-unsure-who-will-fill-andersonx2019s-spot

Daily Herald, Monday Morning Baseball: Yankees beat Cubs in 18 http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170507/monday-morning-baseball-yankees-beat-cubs-in-18

Daily Herald, Rozner: Cubs not lacking championship hunger http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170508/rozner-cubs-not-lacking-championship-hunger

-- Cubs.com Cubs fall to Yanks in 18-inning heartbreaker By Bryan Hoch and Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- It took 6 hours and 5 minutes, a record-setting number of strikeouts, more than 500 pitches from 15 pitchers, and a daring catch by Kyle Schwarber before the Cubs and Yankees settled matters Sunday night. Actually, it was early Monday morning when Aaron Hicks scored the game-winning run in the 18th inning, giving New York a 5-4 win and a series sweep. There will likely be a few bleary-eyed folks at work Monday after this one. With the game tied at 4 in the 18th, Hicks reached second after his bunt single and a throwing error by catcher Willson Contreras. Hicks moved up on Ronald Torreyes' sacrifice against Pedro Strop, and then scored on Starlin Castro's fielder's choice. Castro hit the ball to shortstop Addison Russell, who threw home, but not in time to get Hicks. "I'm excited. Exhausted, but excited that we put our team on top," Hicks said. "They're a great team. We're a good team, too. To come in and beat them is a plus for us."

Schwarber made the catch of the game for the second out of the 12th when he raced 116 feet, then dived over the wall along the left-field foul line and into the stands to grab Chase Headley's foul pop fly. As the inning ended, Schwarber was bear-hugged by teammates. "I'm going to play hard and try to make every catch," Schwarber said. "I guess I just stuck the glove out and it went in there." Said Cubs manager Joe Maddon: "How about that play? It was very Derek-esque [Jeter]." The Cubs forced extra innings when they scored three runs in the ninth against their former closer, Aroldis Chapman, who had given up one earned run over 11 1/3 innings this season but blew his first save situation since rejoining the Yankees. New York led, 4-1, in the ninth when Chapman entered, and he walked Russell and served up a single to Jon Jay. One out later, Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez each hit RBI singles before Chapman struck out Schwarber. Kris Bryant was intentionally walked to load the bases, and then Chapman hit Anthony Rizzo on the left forearm to force in the tying run. Tyler Clippard replaced Chapman and got Ben Zobrist on a groundout to send the game to extras. "To come back and get those [runs] against Aroldis, bully for us," Maddon said. "That was some really great at-bats right there culminating in a hit by pitch. That's not easy to do, to get three runs against that fella under these circumstances." The two teams combined for a Major League-record 48 strikeouts, topping the previous high of 43 that was set in a 20-inning game between the Angels and A's on July 9, 1971. The previous Wrigley Field high was 37, set May 31, 2003, between the Cubs and Astros. "For the most part, man, epic strikeout performance," Maddon said. This also was the longest Interleague game in Major League history by innings. It was a pitchers' duel for seven innings between Luis Severino and Chicago's Jon Lester, both of whom struck out nine. Lester, making his 30th career start against the Yankees, threw 120 pitches, the most since he threw 122 while with the A's on Aug. 7, 2014, against the Twins. Severino limited the Cubs to four hits and one run, on Baez's game-tying homer in the third inning. The game was still tied at 1 in the seventh when Castro reached base on a throwing error by Bryant. Then rookie Aaron Judge tripled off Lester to put the Yankees back on top. An inning later, Jacoby Ellsbury launched a two-run home run off Justin Grimm to provide the three-run lead New York took into the ninth. "It's a gritty performance by our guys," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We had the 4-1 lead and weren't able to hold it. We had some brilliant performances by guys out of the bullpen and stretched further than they normally go. It's a crazy game." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Yanks get started early: The Yankees tested Lester in the first. Ellsbury singled to lead off, but Contreras picked him off at first. Lester then walked Hicks and Matt Holliday singled. Both advanced on a double steal, and Hicks tallied on Castro's groundout to go ahead, 1-0. The Cubs now have given up 39 earned runs in the first inning in 31 games. Bye-bye Baez: It looked as if Baez might have to leave the game when he fouled a ball off the top of his left foot with two outs in the third. But he stayed in, and launched a 2-2 pitch into the left-field bleachers to tie the game at 1. Hicks never saw the ball, looking lost as he stood in left with his arms raised. It did go high into the night. According to Statcast™, the home run had an exit velocity of 104.5 mph and a launch angle of 39 degrees. It

registered a max height of 143 feet. Baez's home run tied Rizzo's blast on April 26 for the highest launch angle for the Cubs this year. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS This was the Cubs' longest game by innings since an 18-inning game Aug. 15, 2006, at Houston. INJURY UPDATE X-rays were negative of Rizzo's left wrist, where he was hit by the Chapman pitch. Baez was to be examined Monday after fouling a ball off his foot. Jason Heyward was not available because of a sore knuckle on his right hand. "Luckily, it's nothing significant," Rizzo said. "I thank my parents I drank my milk when I was a kid. I have some decent bones." QUOTABLE "A crazy game. It would have been nice to have won it. We lost two crazy games against these guys on this homestand. What are you going to do, man? Just move it forward." – Maddon WHAT'S NEXT Yankees: The Yankees travel to Cincinnati and will open a two-game Interleague series with the Reds on Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Masahiro Tanaka (4-1, 4.46 ERA) will try for his fifth straight win against Rookie Davis (1-1, 7.36), a former Yankees farmhand who was dealt to Cincinnati in the 2015 Aroldis Chapman trade. Cubs: Jake Arrieta will open the Cubs' three-game series in Denver on Monday night. The right-hander has posted three straight quality starts and is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three career starts vs. the Rockies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 CT. -- Cubs.com Rizzo puts $3.5M toward Children's Hospital By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo hit a home run Monday for kids and their families who are battling cancer. The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation announced a $3.5 million commitment to create two endowed funds at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. The Hope 44 Endowed Fund will provide grants on a case-by-case basis for families facing financial hardship due to unexpected needs resulting from a child's treatment for cancer. These expenses include but are not limited to: insurance copays, meals, parking, rent, utility bills and child care for siblings. The fund will enable oncology social workers to immediately assess a family's need for assistance, without restrictions on a patient's age or stage in diagnosis or the need for a formal application. A number of patients' families have benefitted from the Rizzo Foundation's Hope 44 Fund, which has already granted approximately $75,000 to offset these types of expenses. The second endowment, the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation Child Life Endowed Fund, will provide ongoing support for two oncology Child Life specialists. These integral members of a patient's healthcare team employ a variety of methods to reduce anxiety and normalize the hospital experience for both patients and families. Child Life specialist positions are funded entirely by philanthropy. With this commitment, Rizzo's foundation will have donated more than $4 million to the hospital.

The donation from Anthony Rizzo's foundation will go to two endowed funds.The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation Each year, more than 300 newly diagnosed patients with a wide range of childhood cancers are treated at Lurie Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Because the foundation's gift was made in the form of endowments, these resources will be available for patients and families for generations to come. "As a survivor of cancer myself, I know the emotional and financial strain the diagnosis of cancer can put on a family," Rizzo said in a statement. "I believe that an individual does not battle cancer alone -- his or her entire family does. That's why we've designated this money to go directly to help families on the front lines." The 18th floor waiting room will now be named the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation Waiting Room. Rizzo visits the area once a month to inspire patients battling cancer with his motto, "Stay Strong, Dream Big." -- Cubs.com Schwarber goes into seats for thrilling catch By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Kyle Schwarber played football in high school. He wasn't going to let a brick wall get in his way during the Cubs' 5-4 loss to the Yankees in 18 innings on Sunday night. The Cubs left fielder made an amazing catch of Chase Headley's fly ball for the second out in the 12th inning, diving headfirst over the wall and into the seats. Somehow, Schwarber held onto the ball. He had to run 116 feet to get to it. "I'm going to play hard and try to make every catch," Schwarber said. "I guess I just stuck the glove out and it went in there." Remember, he's coming back from having surgery in April 2016 after tearing two ligaments in his left knee. Schwarber is wearing a supportive brace, but it hasn't slowed him down. "If you're going to be aggressive, there's never going to be a question," Schwarber said. "You're never going to get questioned about the effort or something of that nature. If you're going 100 percent, you never know what can happen. Good things can happen. And a good thing happened." After he dived into the crowd, the fans signaled he had the ball, and third-base umpire Alan Porter concurred. "I was trying to check for the wall and I thought I was going to stop in time but I just fell over," Schwarber said. "Luckily, I landed on the flat ground and it was all good." Schwarber was bear-hugged by his teammates in the dugout when the inning ended. "How about that play? It was very Derek-esque [Jeter]," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm just worried about him hitting the wall. That's all I was worried about. Of course, you'd like to see the guy make the play, but you also want to see him walk back to his position. Tremendous play." -- Cubs.com K-mazing: Yanks-Cubs sets strikeout record By Bryan Hoch CHICAGO -- Home plate at Wrigley Field proved to be the windiest place in the city as the Yankees and Cubs made history during Sunday evening's 18-inning marathon, setting a Major League record with 48 combined strikeouts.

Austin Romine's strikeout facing Pedro Strop in the top of the 17th inning was the 44th between the two clubs, eclipsing the previous record of 43, set in a 20-inning tilt between the Angels and Athletics on July 9, 1971. The Yankees scored in the 18th and held on for a 5-4 win, as Chasen Shreve struck out Kyle Hendricks for the final out. "That was definitely the longest game I've ever been a part of, and one of the more exciting back-and-forth [games]," said Yankees reliever Jonathan Holder, who struck out three in three scoreless innings. Pinch-hitter John Lackey's swinging strikeout against Shreve in the bottom of the 16th tied the previous record. "For the most part, man, epic strikeout performance," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. Luis Severino and Jon Lester, the starters in Sunday's contest, each recorded nine strikeouts. Every pitcher to appear struck out at least one batter. "I think everything was working for me all night," Severino said. The Yankees set franchise single-game strikeout records for both pitching (26) and hitting (22). New York also had seven pitchers with at least two strikeouts, the most in Major League history for a single game. "I think a lot of guys played well tonight," Holder said. "The pitching staff, Shreve did a great job, [Adam] Warren, Sevvy dominated. All around, I think it was pretty awesome." Chicago batters set a franchise record with their 26 strikeouts, while the 22 strikeouts by Cubs pitchers marked the second-most in franchise history. They whiffed 24 in a 17-inning game on May 15, 2003, at Milwaukee. The previous Wrigley Field record for strikeouts in a single game was 37, set on May 31, 2003, against the Astros. "Their pitchers are good, but we have to do better than that at the plate," Maddon said. "We have to make adjustments. We were not making adjustments." -- Cubs.com Arrieta opens set at Coors vs. Senzatela, Rox By Owen Perkins The reigning World Series champion Cubs continue their stretch of playing first-place teams as they head to Colorado to take on the National League West-leading Rockies in a three-game series that begins Monday at Coors Field. The Rockies have held onto first despite having three rookies in their starting rotation, including two who had never pitched in the big leagues before this season. One of those two, Antonio Senzatela, takes the hill Monday on the heels of winning NL Rookie of the Month honors for his performance in April. "Drafting and developing your own talent, especially on the mound, is so important," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "It might be more critical [in Colorado] to build pitching, not only physically, but mentally. The mental toughness, the ability to handle adversity, chaotic innings, chaotic games, maybe the statistical line that for some pitchers from a selfish standpoint might get in the way of performance -- it's important." The Cubs counter with Jake Arrieta, who pitched his third quality start in six outings this season when he beat the Phillies on Wednesday. It was a good recovery from his worst outing of the year when he allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in Boston on April 28. Arrieta pinch-hit in the 14th inning of the Cubs' 18-inning loss to the Yankees on Sunday, striking out against Jonathan Holder.

Things to know about this game • The Rockies, both coaches and players, have marveled at Senzatela in large part because of his confidence and accuracy. The rookie has thrown 53.5 percent of his pitches for strikes, 10th highest in MLB entering Sunday, and he's limited batters to a .230 batting average and four homers combined over his six starts. With a growing sample size, the "Little Prince," as teammates have come to call him, has generated softer contact almost seemingly with each outing. In the span of his last three starts, from April 22 to May 3, Senzatela elicited the third-lowest exit velocity (82.9 mph) among pitchers who threw at least 200 pitches in that stretch. • Carlos Gonzalez is a .333 (3-for-9) hitter against Arrieta with a homer and two RBIs. • Jason Heyward is a .315 (45-for-143) career hitter against the Rockies with four homers and 17 RBIs. However, Heyward did not play Saturday or Sunday because of a sore right knuckle suffered Friday night while making a catch. His status is day to day. -- Cubs.com Cubs could use four-man rotation for now By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs are in need of a fifth starter, but then again, they may not be. Brett Anderson was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday because of a low back strain, creating an opening in the rotation. However, with an off-day on Thursday, the Cubs could go with four starters and not have anyone pitch on short rest. They do have two options to fill Anderson's spot: Mike Montgomery, who is in the bullpen now, and Eddie Butler, who is at Triple-A Iowa. "We're considering both options," manager Joe Maddon said Sunday about inserting someone or just going with a four-man rotation. "We haven't committed to anything yet, except that it would be one of those two guys." After Sunday's game against the Yankees, the Cubs have a three-game series against the Rockies in Denver, and Maddon said they want to see how that goes before deciding. Butler started on Saturday night for Iowa and would be able to pitch Friday against the Cardinals, which would've been Anderson's next scheduled start. Montgomery has appeared in 11 games, and his longest outing was 3 2/3 innings against the Phillies on May 1, when he threw 52 pitches. The Cubs began Sunday still in first place in the National League Central despite the rotation not being as sharp as one year ago. "Starting pitching drives the engine," Maddon said. "As we pitch better, we'll play better." Worth noting • Outfielder Jason Heyward did not start for the second straight game on Sunday because of a sore right knuckle injured when he was diving for a ball on Friday. before the game, Maddon said Heyward was available to play defense but wasn't sure if he could hit. Apparently, Heyward wasn't available because the Cubs didn't use him in the 18-inning game Sunday. "He was down," Maddon said. "We have to evaluate it to see moving forward. We played that entire game with three extra players."

• Cubs players found out about Matt Szczur being designated for assignment less than one hour before Saturday's game. It was tough to say goodbye to the outfielder. "It's the best thing for Matt," Anthony Rizzo said. "He loved being a Cub, and he embodied what being a Cub was all about. He wasn't selfish at all and knew his role. He came in every day with a good positive attitude." The Cubs have seven days to either place Szczur on waivers, trade him or release him. He was expected to draw interest from other teams. • The expectations are high for the Cubs this season, and the team hasn't gotten off to as quick a start as it did last year. Maddon was asked Sunday how he stays so calm. "I read the newspapers; I read the front pages," he said. "I have kids, grandkids. I have a foundation and we deal with a lot of people in very difficult situations. I see our guys do it daily. At the end of the day, it's a game. I want to win as badly as anybody and I hate when we lose, and I do carry it home sometimes. "Let's evaluate exactly what's going on here -- let's not get carried away. Hyperbole has no place here, but it has a tendency to creep in. For me, really, understand exactly what's going on and don't exaggerate your plight. What's going on? We should've won the first game [on Friday], and we did not. It should've been a four-game winning streak. Last night was a bad start. That's not any reason to blow anything up for me." Which means Maddon has a much calmer demeanor than most Cubs fans. "Believe me, I get upset," he said. "I don't like when we lose. ... But at the end of the day, it is a game." • On Sunday, fans in the Wrigley Field bleachers wore bright pink tees as part of Advocate Health Care's "Pink Out" to promote breast cancer prevention awareness while celebrating women everywhere who are survivors. Breast cancer survivors participated in ceremonial first pitches, singing the national anthem, forming a symbolic pink ribbon around the pitcher's mound and leading the seventh-inning stretch. The Cubs will be on the road when MLB honors breast cancer awareness on Mother's Day. -- Cubs.com Grimm, La Stella recalled; Anderson to DL By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs shuffled the roster Sunday, recalling right-handed reliever Justin Grimm and infielder Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Iowa, placing starting pitcher Brett Anderson on the 10-day disabled list and optioning lefty reliever Rob Zastryzny to Iowa. Anderson injured his lower back fielding a bunt single by Aaron Hicks -- the second batter of the game -- on Saturday night. He missed nearly all of last season after needing surgery for a herniated disc in March. Grimm began the season with the Cubs but was optioned on Friday because the club needed a fresh arm in the bullpen heading into the Yankees series. La Stella began the season with the Cubs before being optioned on April 22. With Iowa, La Stella hit .267 with a double, a home run and two RBIs in 12 games. He found out about the callup after homering in Saturday's game. "It's a little different approach, being down there [in the Minor Leagues] and getting four or five [at-bats] every night," La Stella said. "You take a little different approach than when you get the one [at-bat] in the seventh and you don't want to miss it. You want to establish yourself and get in the game flow."

Zastryzny was promoted on Saturday from Iowa, and gave up three runs in a career-high four innings. He has a 6.88 ERA in seven relief appearances with Iowa this season. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs starters want more innings but must earn them first By Jesse Rogers DENVER -- As the Chicago Cubs put Sunday's grueling 18-inning loss and a New York Yankees series sweep behind them and head to the thin air of Denver, everyone in the clubhouse agrees: The past week was a taxing one for the bullpen, and a few more innings from a veteran starting staff could help matters. At least two Cubs starters say they're ready to do exactly that, though their manager says they have to earn it first. “We definitely have used the bullpen quite a bit lately, but there’s various reasons for that,” John Lackey said on Sunday. “It’s not all on us.” Lackey didn’t elaborate who it’s on, but he might have simply been referencing back-to-back starts by Brett Anderson which totaled just 1 2/3 innings. Granted, the other four starters are not responsible for that, but it’s not like they’ve been lights-out, either. Or perhaps Lackey is trying to tell his manager he’s ready for more. Kyle Hendricks sounded the same horn. “There have been a lot of games where we could have gone deeper in games,” Hendricks said. “Pitch-count-wise, we were at 90 or even less than that. A lot of us. We’re getting into the sixth with decent pitch counts. If we go 100, 110, we’ll get six or seven innings.” Hendricks’ manager didn’t exactly agree with those sentiments, as pitch count isn’t usually a determining factor when he's deciding whether to pull a starter. Effectiveness is, however. And observers would be hard-pressed to say the Cubs starting staff -- even minus Anderson – has been all that effective. “I think they’ve been given all the opportunity to pitch as long as they should be pitching in these games to this point,” Maddon said. “As we pitch better, they’ll pitch longer into the game. It’s pretty simple stuff.” According to ESPN Stats and Information, the top four Cubs starters -- Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Lackey and Hendricks -- all average just fewer than six innings per start. It’s their pitches per start, based on those innings, that is interesting: Lester averages the most, 104.3; Lackey is at 99.2 pitches, followed by Arrieta at 95 and Hendricks at 93.5. That’s a lot of pitches without completing six innings. And it’s not like they’re passing the eye test, so Maddon might not be wrong in saying they have to earn it. Even Hendricks understands the need for more efficiency. “We need to start taking more of the workload and getting deeper into games,” Hendricks stated. “That starts with getting quicker outs, pounding the zone earlier.” Maddon has often had to push back against his veteran staff, as pulling guys such as Lackey, Lester and Arrieta can require some explaining. Sometimes, he simply needs to pinch-hit for them when the Cubs are trailing early in games (as has happened often this year), while other times the manager is reluctant to send his starter out for another inning in fear of a high pitch count forcing a mid-inning change with men on base. “I don’t want our guys coming into a bad inning,” Maddon said. If last week wasn’t rough enough -- the Cubs employed nine relievers in the bullpen on Saturday and then seven in Sunday's epic slog -- it only gets tougher for the starting staff over the next three days. They’ll spend it at Coors Field against a high-powered Colorado Rockies team that ranks third in the NL in runs scored at home and is capable of putting up a big number at any time. The Cubs' 11.32 first-inning ERA will be put to the test.

“Colorado is a tough place to pitch,” Lackey said. “It’s not ideal, but the other guy has to pitch there, too.” Hendricks added: “It’s definitely a little like Arizona. The ball doesn’t spin as much. Almost back off a little and be under control. "Keep the ball down. It’s not spinning as much, so you can’t get frustrated with it. You need to learn how to back off.” It would probably take a leap of faith from Cubs fans right now to believe the team will get three straight quality starts at Coors Field, whereas last year, a non-quality start at any point during the season was actually newsworthy. “We realize it,” Hendricks said. “We talk about it amongst us. Like I said, we have to pick it up a little bit, we haven’t gotten deep into games. There’s a lot more innings left out there. We talk about that, too. There are both sides to it.” Maddon might be now inclined toward using his rotation more no matter the pitch count -- Lester threw 120 pitches in Sunday night's loss to the Yankees -- while looking to rest a depleted bullpen. “Now, if you have a less rested bullpen, then you’re going to attempt to have your starter pitch more deeply into the game,” he said. “If you have a more rested bullpen, then of course you’re going to utilize your guys. Quite frankly, to this point, I think the numbers are right on.” He means, until Sunday, his starters have pitched exactly as much as they’ve deserved -- no matter what they say. “I don’t work off a number,” Maddon continued. “I work off effectiveness. I’m looking at your next start. I’m looking at your body of work. I am looking at where you’ve come from. “There’s a variety of things I look at. It’s not just a number. It’s not a 100-pitch exercise.” The historically good staff from a year ago can take matters into its own hands, starting with its biggest challenge yet: Nolan Arenado, the Rockies and Coors Field. That’s not to say the Cubs are in any kind of panic mode. Early to mid-May usually doesn’t elicit it, though improvement would be nice. “We have a long way to go,” Lackey said. “We have five months to go. We’ll be just fine in the end.” -- ESPNChicago.com Brett Anderson goes on DL with back issue after getting hit hard By Jesse Rogers Chicago Cubs starter Brett Anderson was placed on the disabled list with a lower back strain on Sunday, one day after getting rocked by the New York Yankees. Anderson, 29, has a history of back problems and was able to get only one batter out while giving up five runs Saturday. Over his past two starts the left-hander has thrown a total of 1 2/3 innings while giving up 12 earned runs. "It's two starts in a row, and he probably felt something in his back tonight, but we just can't continue on that path right now," Maddon said Saturday. The Cubs called up reliever Justin Grimm and reserve infielder Tommy La Stella from Triple-A, while also optioning left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny to Iowa. Zastryzny threw four innings and gave up three runs in relief of Anderson on Sunday. Grimm had been sent down a few days ago after struggling to start the season.

The Cubs' bullpen has been taxed by an ineffective starting staff this season. The Cubs have a first-inning ERA over 11.00. Things have gotten so bad that catcher Miguel Montero threw an inning of relief on Saturday. The pitching staff's problems ultimately led to the Cubs designating reserve outfielder Matt Szczur for assignment so they could juggle hurlers up and down. La Stella gives the Cubs another bat off the bench. Anderson said he felt something in his back while fielding a bunt by Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, then he threw awkwardly toward first base, bouncing the ball past Anthony Rizzo. "Make kind of a weird play, then it stiffens up, and with my history of back problems and everything considered, I didn't want to make it worse on everybody," Anderson said. "Felt it was time to get out of there. Couldn't make the pitches I needed to. The last two starts here at home have been embarrassing from my perspective." Anderson has had two back surgeries in recent years and has been injury-prone since making it to the majors with the Oakland A's in 2009. The Cubs have some time before they need to replace him in the rotation, with off days on Thursday and the following Monday. Maddon mentioned two names as possible replacements. "[Mike] Montgomery, and [Eddie] Butler down at Triple-A is throwing the ball really well, so we definitely have good options," Maddon said. -- ESPNChicago.com Former Cub Starlin Castro pays Rizzo back in kind By Marly Rivera CHICAGO -- During much of Starlin Castro’s last four seasons with the Chicago Cubs, teammate Anthony Rizzo was there with words of encouragement. Upon Castro’s much-anticipated return to Chicago, it was his turn to return the favor. Rizzo has been in a slump lately (2-for-27 heading into Sunday night’s game). While the Wrigley Field faithful warmly welcomed Castro back to the Friendly Confines on Friday, later that same night, away from the cameras and the fanfare, the Yankees’ second baseman sat down with his old friend. Castro, 27, met with Rizzo, also 27, and repeated many of the words that the Cubs’ All-Star first baseman had told Castro on many occasions: “Remember who you are; there’s nothing to worry about.” “He always told me that he knew what kind of player I was; that I should trust myself,” Castro told ESPN.com. “Rizzo and I have always helped each other. I’m so happy to see him. We had a chance to talk, and he told me he’s having a little trouble at the plate right now. So I just reminded him to trust who he is. We all know how good he is.” When Rizzo was called up from Triple-A Iowa to make his Cubs debut in June 2012, Castro was on his way to making back-to-back All-Star appearances and becoming for a time the face of the Cubs franchise. Theo Epstein started his tenure with the Cubs that same year, leaving the Boston Red Sox to take his chances at bringing success to another team steeped in tradition and starved for a World Series championship. In 2013, Rizzo and Castro dealt with the Cubs’ third-straight season with over 90 losses. Together they braved suggestions that they weren't immune to demotion and questions about whether their respective long-term contract extensions would be worth the wait within the Cubs' rebuilding effort. And when Epstein acquired prospect Addison Russell from the Oakland Athletics to eventually take over at shortstop, Rizzo helped Castro deal with the fact that he was becoming the odd man out.

While Rizzo has gone on to become every bit the 30-homer anchor in the middle of the Cubs lineup that he was projected to be, Castro was dealt to the Yankees in December 2015 to put the finishing touches on what Epstein was always building: a World Series champion. It was bittersweet for Castro to not be at the finish line of a project he always believed in as the Cubs won the World Series last year. But he has said he was happy for his former teammates, especially for Rizzo. When Castro penned a heartfelt farewell to the Cubs on The Players' Tribune, he said the first thing he’d miss would be his “amazing teammates, like Anthony Rizzo.” Rizzo bid his friend a fond farewell in his first at-bat of 2016 by stepping up to the plate to Castro’s infectious “Ando en la Versace” walk-up song. This weekend, Castro reached out to other former Cubs teammates besides Rizzo. Castro also met with Pedro Strop on Friday and caught up with Javier Baez on Saturday night. “I spent a lot of time with those guys over there; they’re family,” Castro said of catching up with his old teammates. Castro’s performance this season with the Yankees has been a reminder of that 21-year-old Cubs shortstop who became the youngest player to lead the National League in hits, finishing the 2011 season with 207. He leads the American League with a .381 batting average and 43 hits. And he acknowledges that his success this season is based on the one thing he’d always talk to Rizzo about: trust. "I feel really good at the plate because I'm not trying to do much. I'm not trying to hit a home run every at-bat. I trust my hands and I trust myself,” Castro said. And despite Castro contributing to the Yankees’ 11-6 victory over the Cubs on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double, there’s no doubt that Rizzo is proud of his former teammate. -- CSNChicago.com Weird Baseball: Cubs Fall To Yankees In 18, Teams Set MLB Record For Strikeouts By JJ Stankevitz A frenetic rally against Aroldis Chapman, over 500 pitches, a major league record record 48 total strikeouts and six hours of play still conspired to end with the Cubs getting swept. Starlin Castro’s go-ahead infield single in the top of the 18th inning sent the Cubs to a 5-4 defeat to the New York Yankees Sunday night into Monday morning in front of 40,584, most of whom had left the frigid late-night conditions of Wrigley Field by the end of the game. The Cubs were equal parts disappointed and delirious after losing this two-day marathon. The game didn’t just border on ridiculous; it was ridiculous, and that was the sense as the clubhouse TVs read, almost laughably, “Bus at 2:15” for the team’s ride to the airport for their overnight flight to Denver. “We lost but you gotta try to have fun with it,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “… Games like this could definitely bring both sides together. I know they won, the Yankees, but both teams are I think going to be better off just coming together as a unit. And yeah, we came back, we battled back against one of the best closers in the game, we scratched through three runs off of him and made it interesting.” It was a game that didn’t appear destined for anything special for most of the evening, as the Cubs had just a four percent chance of winning (according to FanGraphs’ win expectancy) when Chapman took the mound with a 4-1 lead in the ninth.

The Cubs’ rally started with Russell drawing a leadoff walk and Jon Jay flipping a single into center. After Willson Contreras struck out, Albert Almora Jr.’s RBI single in the ninth inning off brought Baez to the plate as the winning run. Baez worked a solid at-bat against Chapman and lined a two-strike single to left to score Jay and bring the Cubs within one, and later took second to get in scoring position as the winning run. After Kyle Schwarber struck out, Bryant was intentionally walked after Chapman fell behind the Cubs’ third baseman 3-1. That brought up Rizzo, who feebly struck out as the tying run in the eighth inning against right-hander Dellin Betances and had two hits in his last 31 at-bats. But Chapman drilled Rizzo with a 98.9 mile per hour fastball on the first pitch of the at-bat, bringing the tying run to the plate. That gaffe knocked Chapman out of the game, and right-hander Tyler Clippard retired Ben Zobrist to keep the score knotted at four. “To come back and get it tied against Aroldis, bully for us,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Those were some really good at-bats right there. And then of course, culminating in a hit by pitch. That’s not easy to do to get three runs against that fellow in these circumstances.” From there, the game devolved into mostly strikeouts and popouts. The first 10 batters of extra innings all struck out, and a total of 25 batters whiffed or were called out on strikes from innings 10-18. Cubs players popped out five times, too. “I know they’re good, their pitchers are, but we have to do better than that,” Maddon said. “We have to make adjustments. We were not making adjustments. You’ve seen it before happen to us tonight, you’ve seen other major league games get into extra innings like that, guys have a tendency to try to do too much, and then you start not getting your hits and everybody’s trying to end the game with a home run. We just gotta try to piece it together.” The Cubs had a chance to end things in the 12th, with Rizzo leading that frame off with a double. He advanced to third on Miguel Montero’s deep flyout to left, but former Cubs right-hander Adam Warren struck out Russell and got Contreras to ground out to first to end the inning. The Yankees finally pulled ahead in the 18th when Aaron Hicks bunted and advanced to second on Contreras’ throwing error. Ronald Torreyes then bunted Hicks to third, and the speedy outfielder scored when a drawn-in Russell couldn’t hurry a throw home on Starlin Castro’s sharp ground ball. Pedro Strop took the loss. Baez grounded out, Schwarber struck out and after Bryant walked, Rizzo was intentionally walked to bring pinch hitter Kyle Hendricks to the plate. Hendricks, the third Cubs pitcher to pinch hit (along with Jake Arrieta and John Lackey), struck out to end the game. The previous high for combined strikeouts at Wrigley Field was set on May 31, 2003, when the Cubs and Houston Astros combined for 37 strikeouts. The major league record was 43 strikeouts between two teams, which was set in a 20-inning California Angels-Oakland A’s game in 1971. “A crazy game,” Maddon said. “It would’ve been nice to have won it.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs Vs. Yankees: Anthony Rizzo Survives Getting Hit With Aroldis Chapman’s 99-Mph Fastball By Patrick Mooney Aroldis Chapman’s 99-mph fastball smashed into Anthony Rizzo’s left forearm late Sunday night at Wrigley Field, the Cubs scoring the game-tying run, surviving a scary moment with a face-of-the-franchise player and forcing the New York Yankees to play into Monday morning.

After X-rays didn’t reveal a fracture, Rizzo took some Tylenol and played through another nine innings in a 5-4 loss that lasted six hours and five minutes and ended at 1:14 a.m. “Luckily, there’s nothing significant,” Rizzo said. “I thank my parents I drank my milk when I was a kid and have some decent bones.” Chapman – the superstar closer who preferred to work one clean inning at a time until Cubs manager Joe Maddon forced the issue during last year’s playoffs – created his own bases-loaded mess this time and couldn’t protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning. By about two inches, Chapman’s 36th and final pitch missed directly crashing into Rizzo’s left wrist and inflicting what might have been a devastating injury for the defending World Series champs. Rizzo – a left-handed slugger who crowds the plate – got hit by 30 pitches in 2015 to lead the National League. But the All-Star first baseman has been extremely lucky, durable and productive, playing in 160 games that year and 155 last season, plus six playoff rounds during that time. This comes at a time when the Cubs aren’t hitting on all cylinders and Rizzo hasn’t delivered his usual middle-of-the-order force. Until Chapman’s out-of-control, first-pitch fastball, Rizzo had struck out in his previous three at-bats. Rizzo felt good enough to line an Adam Warren fastball into right field for a leadoff double in the 12th inning, giving him only his second extra-base hit in his last 10 games. Looking ahead to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, a reporter asked: So you’re planning to play tomorrow? “You mean in a few hours?” Rizzo said. “Yeah, I’ll be in there.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs-Yankees: Kyle Schwarber Creates Derek Jeter Moment With Diving Catch Into Wrigley Field Seats By Patrick Mooney For a guy who spent so much time and energy trying to make it as a big-league catcher – and missed almost the entire regular season last year after a brutal collision that destroyed his left knee – Kyle Schwarber still plays the outfield with the aggressiveness that made him a second-team All-Ohio linebacker in high school. That’s why the Cubs have such an organizational man crush on Schwarber and never would have traded him to the New York Yankees for Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman last summer, viewing his infectious personality as an essential part of their clubhouse culture. It helped turn Schwarber into a World Series legend before his 24th birthday. Schwarber created his own Derek Jeter moment late Sunday night against the Yankees at Wrigley Field, charging over from left, tracking the ball Chase Headley lifted into Bartman foul territory and tumbling headfirst over the brick wall and into the seats to make a spectacular catch in the 12th inning. For a moment, all you could see of Schwarber was the bottom of his Nike cleats and his glove thrown up in the air to show he had the ball. “It was amazing,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said after a 5-4 loss that took 18 innings and ended on Monday morning. “That’s the type of team we are – we play balls to the wall, no matter what.” Rizzo – who has made highlight-reel catches/Olympic balance-beam tributes on the tarp and wall on the other side of the ballpark – lifted his left arm and raised his index finger in the air. Center fielder Albert Almora Jr. hugged Schwarber from behind when they reached the dugout while Jason Heyward slapped him on the back. Even if Schwarber isn’t as smooth as those Gold Glove-caliber defenders, he doesn’t want to be viewed as the weak link and works hard at that part of his game.

“If I’m going to make a mistake, it’s going to be an aggressive mistake, not a passive mistake,” Schwarber said. “That’s just the way I feel like baseball should be played. You’re not ever going to get yelled at if you’re going balls to the wall trying to make a play. “No one can second-guess you on that. So that’s what I do. I just want to go out there and play the game 100 percent every day and try and make every play possible and go from there.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs Vs. Yankees: The Differences Joe Maddon Sees In Starlin Castro By Patrick Mooney Dale Sveum – the third of five Cubs managers Starlin Castro played for – once downgraded the All-Star shortstop as a “hit collector” and dropped him to eighth in the lineup for a 96-loss team in 2013. From the window to contend slamming shut on the win-one-for-Tribune-Tower group to Theo Epstein taking over baseball operations, Castro worked with at least seven hitting coaches between 2010 and 2015. Throughout that cycle of hiring and firing and laying the foundation for a championship team, Cubs officials tried to project Castro as an offensive force, hoping for sharper focus, some patience and more explosive power. The New York Yankees believe certain players can handle the bright lights and the big city and will raise their game while wearing the pinstripes. That faith in Castro – plus the financial muscle to absorb $38 million guaranteed and the Cubs needing to make room at second base for future World Series MVP Ben Zobrist – drove the deal at the 2015 winter meetings. Always a streaky hitter, Castro woke up on Sunday – the seven-year anniversary of his 6-RBI debut in Cincinnati – leading the American League with a .381 average and living up to the batting-title potential he flashed as a rookie. The guy who never hit more than 14 homers in a season with the Cubs already has six after the Felix Pena pitch he launched on Saturday night landed near the top of Wrigley Field’s left-field bleachers. “He’s really inside the ball right now,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “Even the home run, he just hit a hanging slider. If he was trying to hook that ball, he would not have kept that fair. He’s really staying inside the ball well. You saw a lot of balls up the middle, opposite field. That’s when he’s at his best. “He looks like he’s in better shape. He’s running really well. I like the guy a lot – not a little bit. I’m hoping that he sustains it all year. You’re seeing Starlin at the top of his game. “But I think, for me, physically, he looks better. He looks like he is in better shape. I don’t know if that’s true or not. He just looks better and he’s moving really well. And that’s, I think, part of why you’re seeing him swing the bat so well.” Castro’s 0-for-8 on Sunday night/Monday morning included two RBI groundouts, including the 96-mph Pedro Strop fastball he hit in the 18th inning to drive in the game-winning run in a 5-4 win that became the exclamation point to a sweep of the defending World Series champs. Castro will never become the type of grinding hitter who defined those old Boston Red Sox teams, but being a “hit collector” is still extremely difficult at a time of Big Data, defensive shifts, video libraries and specialized bullpens. Castro already has 15 multi-hit games this season, with at least one in 23 of his last 26 games. “He’s had a lot of big hits for us,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He loves to play the game. Those are the kind of things you can see sometimes from afar. But there’s a toughness there with Starlin that I’ve seen that impresses me.”

No doubt, all those experiences in Chicago shaped Castro, who hit cleanup for a first-place team that led the AL in runs scored, homers, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. “They’re playing as good as they can right now,” Maddon said. “They have a lot of guys having a career year right now for the first month, guys that the back of their bubblegum card does not necessarily match up to what they’re doing right now. But that doesn’t say that they can’t sustain it. There are some really interesting players (who) have made adjustments at the plate.” -- Chicago Tribune 'An epic strikeout performance:' Cubs-Yankees set plenty of records By Paul Skrbina Like a broken record, the game between the Cubs and Yankees went on and on Sunday night, all the way into Monday morning. And there were plenty of records broken during the 6-hour, 5-minute, 18-inning marathon that ended with the Yankees victorious by a 5-4 score. The teams combined to strike out 48 times, most in a game in baseball history and five more times than the Angels and A’s struck out during a 20-inning game in 1971 Seven players struck out at least three times, and 14 struck out at least twice as the teams’ pitchers combined to throw 583 pitches At one point, 10 straight hitters struck out during the longest interleague game, by innings, in baseball history Seven Yankees pitchers struck out at least two to set another major-league single-game record The Cubs struck out 22 hitters, second most in franchise history, while the Yankees set franchise records for strikeouts in a game by their pitchers (26) and their hitters The Yankees' 26 strikeouts also tied an MLB-record for one team “An epic strikeout performance,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I know they’re good ... but we have to do better than that at the plate.” Maddon said he set another record by using starting pitchers as pinch-hitters three times during the game. All three — Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Kyle Hendricks — struck out, the latter to end the game in the 18th. “A crazy game,” Maddon said. “It would have been nice to have won it.” After the game, Maddon met with his coaches to talk about the bullpen, and some more possible roster moves. Cubs relievers have thrown 46 innings in the team’s last seven games, including 11 Sunday. Reliever Justin Grimm said on Twitter the loss was “on him” after he allowed three hits and two runs in two innings on the same day he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. “It was an incredible thing to watch,” Maddon said. “It was just frustrating, exasperating, but you’ve got to play (Monday) night.” -- Chicago Tribune X-rays negative on Anthony Rizzo’s forearm after fastball from Aroldis Chapman By Paul Skrbina

The hurt, when it happened, was not so good. But Anthony Rizzo’s left forearm didn’t feel bad enough for him to leave Sunday’s game after he was hit with a 98.6 mph Aroldis Chapman fastball to force in the tying run in the ninth inning of what turned out to be an 5-4, 18-inning loss to the Yankees at Wrigley Field. X-rays were negative and Rizzo said he planned to play “in a few hours” Monday night in Denver against the Rockies. “Luckily there’s nothing significant,” Rizzo said of his forearm. “I thank my parents — I drank my milk when I was a kid and have some decent bones.” Rizzo winced in pain when he absorbed the pitch but said he wasn’t sure how serious it might be because he’s never broken a bone. That’s somewhat surprising given Rizzo has been hit by 81 pitches in his career, including a major-league high 30 in 2015. He’s been hit a baseball-high eight times this season. Second baseman Javier Baez also suffered a scare when he fouled a ball off the top of his left foot in the third inning. The ball rolled all the way to Yankees third baseman Chase Headley as Baez lay on the ground. Baez hit the next pitch 358 feet for a home run that tied the score 1-1. He, too, played the entire game. Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward, though, did not play at all. He missed his second straight game with a bruised knuckle on his right hand. The injury occurred Friday night when he was diving for a ball. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said the Heyward will be re-evaluated Monday. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs, Yankees set MLB record with 48 strikeouts; Yankees win 5-4 in 18 innings By Paul Skrbina Anthony Rizzo knows pain and he knows gain. Rizzo stepped into the left-handed-batter's box against former Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman with the bases loaded, his team down by one and his struggles evident in his 2-for-31 skid at the plate. His left forearm then absorbed a 98.6-mph fastball to tie the score 4-4, driving in the team's third run of the inning after Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez contributed RBI singles. The comeback led to a marathon, which the Yankees won 5-4 in 18 innings on former Cub Starlin Castro's RBI fielder's choice, completing a three-game sweep. The 18 innings played were the most in a single interleague game in MLB history. When Pedro Strop struck out Yankees catcher Austin Romine to start the 17th, major-league history was made. Romine was the 44th out recorded via strikeout, breaking the record for combined strikeouts set during a 20-inning game in 1971 by the Angels and A's. By the end of the 18th, the teams had combined for 48 strikeouts. The game also was the first to go at least 17 innings at Wrigley Field since Aug. 11, 1993, when the Expos beat the Cubs 3-2 in 17.

Jon Lester threw 120 pitches, a season high for him, or any other Cubs starter, in the game that never seemed to want to end. The left-hander also lasted seven innings, the first in the team's rotation to reach that mark since Lester did it April 16 against the Pirates. Nine of Lester's pitches resulted in strikeouts, three in hits and two in walks against the Yankees. Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber made a diving catch that carried him into the seats in foul territory down the left-field line on Chase Headley's pop-up in the 12th. A familiar culprit — the first-inning run — struck again against the Cubs, who after allowing the Yankees one more Sunday saw their season total run to 41, including 39 earned, allowed in the first in 31 games. The Yankees' first run came on Castro's groundout. They scored again in the seventh after Kris Bryant's errant throw put Castro on second base before Aaron Judge tripled him home for a 2-1 lead. The first inning could have been worse if not for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. After Jacoby Ellsbury singled to start the game, he practically was standing halfway to second, daring Lester to try to pick him off. Lester, though, deferred to Contreras, who promptly fired to Rizzo, who tagged out Ellsbury. Before the game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Lester's problems throwing to first have been "overblown." He pointed to the two pickoffs he has this season, not to mention the help he's had from his catchers. "You have to have a strong-armed catcher. … Quite frankly, I think it's much harder to steal a base against Jon than a lot of the other pitchers on our team," Maddon said. After Ellsbury was picked off, Lester walked Aaron Hicks and allowed a single to Matt Holliday. The pair's double steal set up Castro's run-scoring out. The Cubs' offensive struggles briefly were forgotten in the third inning, when, in one minute, Baez was down in the right-handed-batter's box and the next the baseball was out of the playing field. The agony of Baez's feat — not to mention his right foot — was worth a 1-1 tie for the Cubs and Baez, who moments after writhing in pain after fouling a ball off the top of his left foot, hit a solo home run over the left-field fence. Ellsbury's two-run home run off reliever Justin Grimm, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day, cleared the right-field wall for a 4-2 lead in the top of the eighth. -- Chicago Tribune Kyle Schwarber’s catch almost lost in shuffle of Cubs’ 18-inning loss By Paul Skrbina The Cubs lost to the Yankees 5-4 in 18 innings Sunday night. Well, Monday morning, really. But there was a catch.

Kyle Schwarber didn’t quite run through a brick wall to make it. He more tumbled over it and into the stands down the left-field line during the 12th inning to catch Chase Headley’s foul ball in what is commonly referred to as “Bartman” territory. Schwarber’s shoes pointed toward the sky as he lifted his left hand to show that he’d made the catch. “It was amazing,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “That’s the type of team we are — we play balls to the wall no matter what.” The Cubs trailed 4-1 in the ninth inning before scoring three runs off their former closer, Aroldis Chapman, to set off the marathon game, which is the longest in interleague play history. -- Chicago Tribune Mike Montgomery or Eddie Butler in line for opportunity in Cubs rotation By Paul Skrbina Mike Montgomery finished last season by recording the biggest out in Cubs history when he induced the Indians' Michael Martinez to ground out in the 10th inning to end Game 7 of the World Series. Before long, the long-relief specialist could find himself in a new role — starting pitcher — thanks to his performance this season, and thanks to Brett Anderson's lower-back strain. The Cubs placed Anderson on the 10-day disabled list Sunday, a day after he lasted one-third of an inning and allowed five runs and five hits against the Yankees. Manager Joe Maddon said either Montgomery or Triple-A Iowa's Eddie Butler will take Anderson's spot in the rotation. Somewhat to the Cubs' dismay, Montgomery has been preparing for this role thanks to the struggles of Cubs starters. "Bad games," Maddon said of how to stretch out a reliever just in case. "You get to throw them a little too often. ... Moments you don't look forward to, but you look to grab that silver lining." Montgomery has allowed four hits and four walks while throwing 97 pitches over 62/3 innings of his last two appearances and is 0-2 with a 1.29 ERA, 15 strikeouts and 13 walks in 21 innings overall. Butler is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 302/3 innings for Iowa. Montgomery, who last season said he thought he might be playing in Japan, said he has adapted well to being a long reliever, but that he prefers starting. "I was in the bullpen (last year) and it helped me," Montgomery said during spring training. "I didn't let it get me down. I enjoy both roles." More moves: Right-handed reliever Justin Grimm was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace left-hander Rob Zastryzny, who was called up Saturday. Zastryzny allowed three runs, three hits and four walks in four innings during the Cubs' 11-6 loss to the Yankees. Grimm is 1-0 with a 7.30 ERA in 121/3 innings with the Cubs this season. The team also recalled infielder Tommy La Stella from Iowa, a day after designating Matt Szczur for assignment. La Stella is 1-for-4 with an RBI and two walks in six games this season. Heyward out again: For the second straight game, right fielder Jason Heyward was not in the starting lineup.

Heyward injured one of the knuckles on his right hand while diving for a ball Friday. Maddon said Heyward would be available as a defensive replacement Sunday, and could possibly bat. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs suffer sweep in 18-inning loss to Yankees By Brian Sandalow There was an early deficit, good work from a starting pitcher, a hiccup with the bullpen and a late rally. If you’re looking for one game to sum up the 2017 Cubs, their 5-4 marathon loss to the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field that ended early Monday morning would be a good place to start. That is, if it hadn’t lasted 18 historically long innings and six hours, five minutes with an MLB-record 48 combined strikeouts. Starlin Castro’s run-scoring fielder’s choice was the difference as the Yankees earned a three-game sweep. “It was an incredible thing to watch,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It just was frustrating, exasperating, but you’ve got to play tomorrow night.” The Cubs are just 16-15 and 7-9 at home. But the most memorable thing about the game was how long it went. With the Cubs trailing 4-1 in the ninth, Albert Almora singled against Aroldis Chapman to drive in Jon Jay, and Javy Baez followed with an RBI single of his own to cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-3. Chapman recovered to strike out Kyle Schwarber and went to a 3-1 count before intentionally walking Kris Bryant. With two outs and the bases loaded, Chapman hit Anthony Rizzo on the left forearm to tie the score. Rizzo had an X-ray during the game that came back negative and expects to stay in the lineup for the game Monday — or, as Rizzo quipped, “in a few hours” — in Denver. “It’s just one of those games where, I know we lost, but you’ve got to try to have fun with it,” Rizzo said. After Rizzo was hit, Tyler Clippard replaced Chapman and got Ben Zobrist to ground to second to keep the score tied. In the 12th, Schwarber made one of the plays of the year when he barreled into the stands where the old bullpen was to catch Chase Headley’s pop-up. The game went on and on and on, mercifully wrapping up at 1:15 a.m. after the teams’ bullpens traded zeros. It was the Cubs’ longest game by innings since 2006, at Houston and their longest by innings at Wrigley since 1986. There were almost 600 pitches, and even a “JOE WEST SUCKS!” chant at the prominent home-plate umpire from the few fans who stayed. “For the most part, an epic strikeout performance,” Maddon said, bemoaning that the Cubs fanned 26 times. “I know they’re good, their pitchers, but we have to do better than that at the plate.” The Yankees got to Pedro Strop in the 18th. Aaron Hicks led off with a bunt single and reached second on Willson Contreras’ throwing error. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt, Hicks scored when Addison Russell’s throw home on Castro’s grounder was wide and late. In the bottom of the inning, the Cubs had two on, but Chasen Shreve struck out pinch hitter Kyle Hendricks to end the game. Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey all pinch-hit in extras. They were needed because Jason Heyward (right hand) wasn’t available. “We have to evaluate it to see, moving forward,” Maddon said.

Something else the Cubs have to evaluate is how often they fall behind early. Castro’s run-scoring groundout in the first against Jon Lester gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was the 41st first-inning run allowed by the Cubs. “As a pitcher, you want the lead, and that’s the same with position players. You always want to be within striking distance of the lead, and we usually are,” Rizzo said. “Playing from behind is good for us to come together as a team, but at the same time, we also want to just boat race and score runs right from the get-go. A win’s a win no matter how it comes, and every day is different.” The Cubs tied it at 1 in the third on Baez’s homer to left off Luis Severino, but they fell behind in the seventh when Aaron Judge’s RBI triple drove in Castro. Jacoby Ellsbury’s two-run homer off Justin Grimm in the eighth made it 4-1. “Games like this definitely bring both sides together,” Rizzo said. “I know they won, the Yankees, but both teams I think are going to be better off after this game, just coming together as a unit.” Lester went seven innings and allowed two runs (one earned). With a series starting Monday night against the Rockies, the Cubs might need to make some bullpen moves. They definitely need to sleep fast to recover. “I think first priority is get some sleep and second priority get a rain man,” Maddon said, “and a third priority is actually try to play the game.” -- Chicago Sun-Times With Brett Anderson out, Cubs rotation has options and questions By Brian Sandalow The Cubs have some options for their rotation, but they also have questions. As expected, the Cubs put struggling left-hander Brett Anderson (strained lower back) on the 10-day disabled list and called up reliever Justin Grimm. With Anderson out, the Cubs have a hole in their rotation and could plug it with either left-hander Mike Montgomery or Class AAA starter Eddie Butler. Or, with two days off coming up, they could go with four starters. “We could do a lot of different things,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Just watching these guys pitch the next three days, then does anybody need an extra day? Do you want to pop a sixth guy in there?” If Montgomery is next, he won’t need to be stretched out much. He has a history of starting and has thrown 97 pitches over his last two outings, which is a silver lining from the short outings by the starters he has relieved. “He’s not far off number-of-pitches-wise” Maddon said. “He probably can go 80 pitches if we were to start him next time out, 75-80 easily. If you’re looking to do something like that, that’s exactly what happens. You put him in the game and just let him ride for a little bit if you can, but normally it’s under a bad situation.” And Maddon wouldn’t want to keep Montgomery in the bullpen just to eat up innings. “I want to believe the trend is going to go in the right direction with the starters,” Maddon said. “If it doesn’t, it’s going to be difficult for a long period of time.” The Cubs haven’t gotten many long outings from their starters. Anderson left in the first inning Saturday, Kyle Hendricks lasted 5⅓ innings Friday, John Lackey went five Thursday and Jake Arrieta went six on 85 pitches Wednesday.

“I think they’ve been given all their opportunity to pitch as long as they should be pitching in these games to this point,” Maddon said. “As we pitch better, they’ll pitch longer into the game. It’s pretty simple stuff.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Joe Maddon hoping former Cub Starlin Castro sustains success By Brian Sandalow Cubs manager Joe Maddon praised the Yankees before the series finale Sunday night, saying their hitters are working to stay inside the ball and aren’t in chase mode. Former shortstop Starlin Castro is a big part of that. Castro entered the game hitting .381 with a .421 on-base percentage and .584 slugging percentage. Maddon said Castro looks like he’s in better shape, which could be leading to his increased production. Maddon also said Castro is at his best when he’s hitting balls up the middle and to the opposite field. And that’s what he’s doing now. “I’m hoping that he sustains it all year,” Maddon said. “You’re seeing Starlin at the top of his game, but I think for me physically, he looks better.” Szczur gone, not forgotten The Cubs aren’t thrilled to lose Matt Szczur, but they are happy he likely will get a chance for more playing time. On Saturday, the team designated Szczur for assignment to make room for reliever Rob Zastryzny. Szczur was hitting only .211 but was a key member of the Cubs’ locker-room culture. Szczur expects to get more playing time with his next team, and Anthony Rizzo knows he’s ready. “He loved being a Cub. He’s really embodied what being a Cub is all about,” Rizzo said. “He wasn’t selfish at all. He knew his role. Came every day with a good, positive attitude and didn’t really try to bring anything down.” Rizzo, who famously borrowed Szczur’s bat during the playoffs last season, said he left behind some lumber to use. “We’ll see if we can bust them out,” Rizzo said. La Stella returns Zastryzny’s stay with the Cubs was brief as he was optioned back to Class AAA Iowa to make room for Tommy La Stella. La Stella hit .267 in 12 games while playing second and third base at Iowa. “The thing I was focused on, I just wanted to make sure I was getting back into the flow of the game a little bit,” La Stella said. “It had been awhile, it had been a few years really since I was able to play consistently every day and get four or five [at-bats], so just kind of establishing myself and a little different approach, but it felt good.” This and that Jason Heyward didn’t start for the second straight day after hurting a knuckle on his right hand Friday. • The Cubs were featured on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Maddon was interviewed during spring training and said it was a good experience to be part of the program, though it was a “time labyrinth of sorts.” --

Daily Herald Cubs' Maddon unsure who will fill Anderson's spot By Bruce Miles The Cubs don't have to do anything right away about an open spot in their starting rotation, but it looks like they will go one of two ways. They placed left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson on the 10-day disabled list Sunday because of a strained lower back. Anderson injured himself during the first inning of Saturday night's 11-6 loss to the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field. Manager Joe Maddon indicated the Cubs would either move lefty Mike Montgomery out of the bullpen to take Anderson's spot, or they would recall right-hander Eddie Butler from Class AAA Iowa. The Cubs have an off-day Thursday between series at Colorado and St. Louis. They have another off-day next Monday. "We can do a lot of different things," Maddon said. "Just watching these guys pitch the next three days, does anybody need an extra day? Do you want to pop in a sixth guy in there? There are so many different ways to look at it because of the Thursday, Monday (off-days) coming up. So we haven't committed to anything yet except that it would be one of those two guys." The Iowa shuttle: To replace Brett Anderson on the roster, the Cubs recalled right-handed reliever Justin Grimm from Iowa. He had been sent to Iowa this past Friday. The Cubs also recalled infielder Tommy La Stella from Iowa and optioned left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny to Iowa. Zastryzny worked 4 innings Saturday night upon being called up. La Stella opened the season on the big-league roster. "I'm feeling OK," he said Sunday. "It's a little bit of a different approach being down there and getting 4 or 5 ABs every night. You take a little bit of a different approach. When you get your 1 (at-bat) in the seventh and you get your pitch, you don't want to miss it. "I just wanted to make sure I was getting back into the flow of the game a little bit. It had been awhile. It had been a few years since I was able to play consistently every day and get 4 and 5 ABs. Just kind of establishing myself, a little bit different approach." Missing Matt: The Cubs are hoping outfielder Matt Szczur can land on another major-league roster after he was designated for assignment Saturday. Joe Maddon called the move "excruciating," adding that Szczur "is everything you want in a teammate." Szczur was a fifth-round draft pick of the Cubs in 2010, and he made his major-league debut in 2014. "He's been prepared for this for a while," said first baseman Anthony Rizzo. "It's the best thing for him personally. He loved being a Cub. He's the embodiment of what being a Cub is all about. He wasn't selfish at all, knew his role, came in every day with a positive attitude." Added Tommy La Stella: "Not just me, we're all going to miss him. He's a great guy, an awesome teammate. He's going to get a shot wherever. I'm sure he'll make the most of hit. So I'm happy for him there. He and I spoke yesterday after it happened. It's bittersweet because hopefully he's going to get an opportunity to take on a little bit more of an expanded role somewhere else. We're definitely going to miss him around here."

-- Daily Herald Monday Morning Baseball: Yankees beat Cubs in 18 By Bruce Miles Sunday Night Baseball? How about Monday Morning Baseball? The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees played 6 hours and 5 minutes Sunday night into Monday morning, with the Yankees prevailing 5-4 in 18 innings. The Cubs had rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning against their World Series teammate, Aroldis Chapman. That rally tied the game at 4-4. The tying run came when Chapman hit Anthony Rizzo on the left forearm with a pitch, forcing in the run. Rizzo stayed in the game but later had an X-ray, which initially revealed no fracture. This game had it all. The two teams combined for 48 strikeouts, the most in major-league history. This was the longest interleague game in major-league history by innings. The Cubs used three pitchers to pinch hit: Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Kyle Hendricks. Outfielder Jason Heyward was not available because of a knuckle injury. "A crazy game," said manager Joe Maddon, whose defending world champions fell to 16-15 as they got swept in three by the Yankees. "It would have been nice to have won it. We lost two crazy games against these guys on this homestand. What are you going to do, man? Just move it forward. "It was incredible thing to watch. It was just frustrating, exasperating. But you've got to play tomorrow night." The Cubs were getting set to fly to Denver in the wee hours of the morning. As for Rizzo, he said he was OK. "Luckily it's nothing significant," he said. "I thank my parents I drank my milk when I was a kid. I have some decent bones. "It's just one of those games where I know we lost, but you've got to try to have fun with it -- 18 innings, both sides. We didn't win. We came back in the ninth, which shows us who we are again. We lost." Javier Baez fouled a ball off his foot but stayed in the game. The game also featured a highlight-reel fielding play by Kyle Schwarber, who caught Chase Headley's foul fly and tumbled into the stands. Schwarber was OK. "I'm going to play hard and try to make every catch," he said. "I guess I just stuck the glove out and it went in there. If you're going to be aggressive, there's never going to be a question. You're never going to get questioned about the effort or something of that nature. If you're going 100 percent, you never know what can happen. Good things can happen. And a good thing happened." Maddon was impressed. "How about that play?" he said. "It was very Derek-esque (Jeter). Great play. I"m just worried about him hitting the wall. That's all I was worried about. Of course you'd like to see the guy make the play, but you also want to see him walk back to his position. Tremendous play." The Cubs had been struggling with their starting pitching, but not Sunday. Jon Lester did all he could do -- and then some -- to will the Cubs to a possible victory.

The ace of the Cubs pitching staff worked 7 innings and threw a season-high 120 pitches, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned. In doing so, he became the first Cubs starting pitcher to work at least 7 innings since he did so on April 16. The Cubs are going to need more of that, and Maddon knows it. "Starting pitching drives the engine, for me," he said before the game, repeating a familiar refrain of his. "When you're doing that right, everybody else has a better opportunity or chance. Defense gets bigger. Contact is not as hard. Hitters don't have to battle from behind all the time. There's more pressure on the other side. All those things are interconnected. As we pitch better, we'll play better." The Cubs still managed to fall behind as the Yankees scored a run in the first inning. In first innings this season, the Cubs have been outscored 41-21. Things got bad on the back end of the game for the Cubs. They tied it at 1-1 in the third on a home run by Javier Baez. The Yankees scored an unearned run against Lester in the seventh as Kris Bryant's throwing error put Starlin Castro on second base to lead things off. Aaron Judge followed with a triple over the head of center fielder Jon Jay, but Lester gutted his way through the rest of the inning. Justin Grimm, fresh off his recall from Class AAA Iowa earlier in the day, gave up a 2-run homer to Jacoby Ellsbury in the eighth. Cubs batters didn't do much in this series until the ninth. "Great comeback," Maddon said. "Listen, incredible game. Jonny Lester was really, really good. So was their kid. The starting pitching was really good. To come back and get those (runs) against Aroldis, bully for us. That was some really great at-bats right there culminating in a hit by pitch. That's not easy to do, to get 3 runs against that fella under these circumstance. "For the most part, man, epic strikeout performance. Their pitchers are good, but we have to do better than that at the plate. We have to make adjustments. We were not making adjustments.” -- Daily Herald Rozner: Cubs not lacking championship hunger By Barry Rozner The Cubs could have called it a night at about 10 o'clock. That was Sunday night, by the way. They were down 3 runs and facing Aroldis Chapman, just the most intimidating closer in the game. They were on the verge of being swept at home. But they had no intention of going quietly. Addison Russell drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth. After Jon Jay singled and Willson Contreras struck out, Albert Almora drove home the first run of the inning to make it 4-2. Next was Javy Baez, who should have been out of the game. He had fouled a ball off the top of his foot and then homered in the same at-bat in the third inning. Baez singled home a run.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Anthony Rizzo tied the game in the worst way possible. Chapman hit him in the arm. Rizzo should have left the game as well. But he didn't. It's just not what the Cubs do. Baez and Rizzo both played 18 innings. Six hours, five minutes. When it ended at 1:15 a.m. Monday, with Kyle Hendricks striking out, the Cubs acted as if they had lost an important game. The way they fought in extras was evidence that it was an important game. The way they celebrated each time they made it through the top of an inning in extras was amazing. The way Rizzo played with one arm and Baez played on one foot was ridiculous. The way Kyle Schwarber went over the bricks to catch a foul ball was absurd. The point is you can end all talk of a hangover. A team with a hangover is sluggish, maybe even lazy. A team with a hangover quits in games that seem out of reach. A team with a hangover loses its hunger. There was none of that in this nonsensical marathon to the point where you wondered why they care so much. No, the Cubs haven't played great baseball, certainly nothing that compares to last year. But you can stop comparing last year to anything that happens this year or any other year. The Cubs ran roughshod over the National League in 2017 and that's not likely to happen again. No, they haven't gotten hot yet and they haven't hit consistently. They've scored more than half their runs in less than a third of their games. People like to use the word "flat," but flat is how you look when you're starting pitcher gets pounded in the first inning every night and you're constantly chasing the game. No, the Cubs haven't played great baseball, but mostly it's been a combination of sporadic hitting in miserable weather, and poor starting pitching. Going into Sunday's start -- when Jon Lester pitched well -- the last three outings for every starter except for Hendricks has been ugly. Hendricks has a 1.04 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in his last 3 starts, but the Cubs have scored just 5 runs. John Lackey has a 6.35 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in his last 3 starts. Brett Anderson has a 15.26 ERA and a WHIP of 3.28 in his last 3 starts. Lester, before Sunday, had a 6.61 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in his previous 3 starts.

And Jake Arrieta went into Monday night with a 6.61 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP in his last 3 starts. So there's your answer. It's not all that complicated. Poor starting pitching, an exhausted bullpen -- which has done its job admirably -- and a group of hitters that have yet to catch fire. That will happen. You can be sure of that. It's only been 31 games. Hey, maybe the Cubs won't repeat. Maybe they won't find that magic this year. History is not on their side when it comes to World Series champs in the last two decades. But it won't be because of a hangover and it won't happen because they don't care as much as they did last year. The hunger remains in place. Even in defeat, Sunday night -- and Monday morning -- was proof of that. --