August 27, 2017

ESPNChicago.com, Anthony Rizzo nearly outshines his award-winning parents as Cubs roll http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45525/anthony-rizzo-nearly-outshines-his-award-winning-parents-as-cubs-roll

CSNChicago.com, The Cubs made sure everybody in Philadelphia went home with a souvenir http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-made-sure-everybody-philadelphia-went-home-souvenir

Chicago Tribune, Cubs hammer six home runs in 17-2 rout of Phillies http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-phillies-spt-0827-20170826-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon unsure whether Cubs will employ six-man rotation down the stretch http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-notes-six-man-rotation-spt-0827-20170826-story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp2

Chicago Tribune, Anthony Rizzo surprised, delighted over parents' Little League award http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-anthony-rizzo-little-league-20170826-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon: No changes in store yet for Cubs' late-inning duties http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-joe-maddon-20170826-story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp3

Chicago Sun-Times, Could big month by the Bryzzo Souvenir Co. be key to Cubs’ September? http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/could-big-month-by-the-bryzzo-souvenir-co-be-key-to-cubs-september/

Chicago Sun-Times, Game of feet? Could be matter of days before Russell returns from DL http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/game-of-feet-could-be-matter-of-days-before-russell-returns-from-dl/

Daily Herald, For Chicago Cubs, nicknames have always been a big hit http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170826/for-chicago-cubs-nicknames-have-always-been-a-big-hit

Daily Herald, Ostrowski: As October nears, just how much do the Cubs value defense? http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170826/ostrowski-as-october-nears-just-how-much-do-the-cubs-value-defense

Cubs.com, Lackey to face recalled Pivetta in finale http://atmlb.com/2xDljwL

Cubs.com, 'Tony,' 'KB' power Cubs' rout of Phillies http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/250740352/anthony-rizzo-kris-bryant-hr-in-win-vs-phils/

Cubs.com, 'Hendo' not left out of Cubs' offensive surge http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/250770776/kyle-hendricks-has-two-hits-two-rbis-in-7th/

Cubs.com, Rizzos are Little League Parents of the Year http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/250762830/anthony-rizzos-parents-feted-by-little-league/

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ESPNChicago.com Anthony Rizzo nearly outshines his award-winning parents as Cubs roll By Jesse Rogers PHILADELPHIA -- On the same day his mom and dad were honored as the Little League Parents of the Year at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit two home runs and drove in five during a 17-2 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Rizzo’s parents must have done something right in raising the 28-year-old, as he’s quietly having his most productive season. After hitting his 29th and 30th home runs of the year, he should easily surpass his career high of 32, achieved twice, including last season; this is all happening the week after Rizzo won Player of the Week in the National League. “Hit balls where they weren’t standing last week,” he said of the start of his run. “Just get a few knocks under your belt and you feel naturally better and it carries over.” Rizzo is usually short on explanations when it comes to his hot streaks, but he wasn’t shy when it came to talking about his parents. He wasn’t sure how they won the award, but knows they were deserving of it. “I think that was really cool,” Rizzo said. “They’re in Williamsport right now, having a great time." What’s also cool would be a hot finish by Rizzo and his good buddy, Kris Bryant. The Cubs could use it, as the two haven’t often been hot at the same time this season; Saturday provided a moment for almost everyone on the club to feel good, particularly coming off consecutive bad losses to last-place teams in Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Bryant was on base four times, including once via a home run, his 24th. Role player Tommy La Stella has come alive at the plate, as he homered twice for the first time in his big-league career while taking over the team lead in OPS (minimum 100 plate appearances) with a .983 mark. He drove in four. “Tonight was an awesome game,” La Stella said. “It’s not going to go like this all the time. It’s rare when you feel that comfortable at the plate. You go in and out of it, but I feel good right now.” Even starter Kyle Hendricks got in the action, becoming the first pitcher since 2015 to compile two hits in an inning as part of a seven-run frame in the seventh. He opened the inning with a single, then doubled home two runs later. By then the game was well in hand, as the Cubs notched a season high in runs and hit six out of the park. “I was thinking about [a second hit] then fell behind 3-0 and figured I’d take a walk,” Hendricks said. “Then [with the count] 3-1, I closed my eyes and got lucky, I guess. It happens.” What’s happened a lot for Rizzo lately is hitting home runs, as he reached 30 for the fourth consecutive season. It might sound strange, considering he’s a major face of a World Series-winning team, but his production kind of flies under the radar. He has become a perennial top-10 MVP candidate, but he has never broken through to be a finalist. He has 90 RBIs to go along with 30 home runs and a .275 batting average, but his most impressive stat -- and perhaps the most impressive in the whole game -- is his strikeout-to-walk ratio. After five months of baseball, Rizzo has walked one more time (73) than he has struck out (72). That’s nearly unheard of for a slugger in today’s game. “Really mature at-bats, uses the whole field, chokes up, moves the ball around,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s not up there just trying to hit home runs, but when he gets the opportunity, and they make a mistake, he’s got that good swing. Just maturing as a hitter.” Maddon’s hope is that other young Cubs might take on Rizzo’s persona in a couple years, but that might be selling him short. Those walk-to-strikeout numbers won’t be easily duplicated no matter how much experience others get. Rizzo has become that unique.

Good or not, his decorated parents never made winning or having success part of the Rizzo routine when it came to baseball. Win or lose, it was ice cream after games. Perhaps that’s one reason why they’re being honored in Williamsport. Of course, not much has changed for Rizzo, only where he eats his dessert these days. “Ice cream tastes better in the big leagues,” Rizzo said. Everything does after the night he had. -- CSNChicago.com The Cubs made sure everybody in Philadelphia went home with a souvenir By Charlie Roumeliotis There's no better way to bust out of an offensive slump than to launch baseballs out of the ballpark. That's what the Cubs did Saturday night, making sure every fan in Philadelphia went home with a souvenir. After allowing a pair of first-inning runs, the Cubs scored a season-high 17 runs — all unanswered — and smacked six homers en route to a victory over the Phillies. Anthony Rizzo had gone eight straight games without a homer, and decided to make up for that by going deep twice. It was also the second time this month he's registered five RBIs in a game. Tommy La Stella recorded his first career multi-homer game, Kris Bryant slugged his 24th of the season and Ben Zobrist added to the party with a two-run homer of his own in a pinch-hit role. Even Kyle Hendricks contributed on offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and picking up his first win since May 24. It was a complete effort for the Cubs, who look to take the rubber match Sunday at 12:35 p.m. on CSN. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs hammer six home runs in 17-2 rout of Phillies By Mark Gonzales As Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs offense reached a milestone Saturday night, it's tempting to wonder if their timing is perfect for a postseason push. Rizzo fueled that thought as he reached the 30-home run mark with 34 games left to lead the Cubs to a 17-2 victory over the Phillies. The Cubs set a single-game high in runs and tied their season-high with six home runs as Rizzo and Tommy La Stella hit two apiece. The potential for an even more formidable offense exists if Kris Bryant, who teamed with Rizzo to hit consecutive home runs in the fifth, can cope with his left hand ailments and produce more power in addition to continuing to reach base safely ahead of Rizzo. "It would mean a lot," manager Joe Maddon said. "Kyle (Schwarber) involved in that also would be very nice, too. (Ben) Zobrist wanted to pinch-hit right there and hits the home run (in the ninth)." The win kept the Cubs three games ahead of the Brewers and 4 1/2 in front of the Cardinals in the National League Central Division after both rivals also won Saturday.

Since the All-Star break, the Cubs lead the majors with 240 runs with an NL-best 70 homers. Bryant has reached base safely in his last 20 starts, posting a .484 on-base percentage during that span. But he's hit only four home runs since straining his left pinkie on July 19. Meanwhile, Rizzo is batting .426 (20-for-47) with four home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 12 games. The last time Rizzo reached the 30-homer mark this soon was on Aug. 26, 2014, but he missed the next 3 1/2 weeks because of back spasms. "There are still a lot of good things going on, but to get those two guys (Bryant and Rizzo) right simultaneously would be kind of neat," Maddon said. Rizzo needs three more home runs and 20 RBIs to achieve career highs. "It's (near) the end of August," Rizzo said. "Your body is in kind of in that period to get to that next couple weeks, and adrenaline starts taking over." The offense enabled Kyle Hendricks to cruise to his first victory since May 24. Since his last victory, Hendricks was 0-2 despite a 3.86 ERA. Hendricks took advantage of a hapless Phillies lineup, with the exception of Rhys Hoskins. The rookie phenom became the fastest player in the modern era to hit 10 homers with his two-run shot in the first in his 57th career at-bat. Maddon said Hendricks' velocity ticked upward to 87 mph, which made his changeup and curve more effective and enabled him to strike out a season-high eight while walking none. "I feel more connected with my mechanics," Hendricks said. "It's been a process the last four or five games, and it's starting to click." Hendricks also hit a single and two-run double during a seven-run seventh, becoming the first Cubs pitcher with two hits in an inning since Carlos Zambrano on July 28, 2003 in Miami. "I closed my eyes and got lucky," Hendricks said. "It happens." -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon unsure whether Cubs will employ six-man rotation down the stretch By Mark Gonzales As the Cubs were coasting to a National League Central title exactly one year ago, manager Joe Maddon predicted many teams would employ a six-man rotation in the second half to give their starting pitchers extra rest. This year's Cubs might not go with six starters due to injuries and the schedule. Even with Jon Lester returning to the rotation perhaps as soon as next weekend, Maddon doesn't know whether the Cubs will use a six-man rotation during their current stretch of 20 games in 20 days that ends Sept. 10. "It's going to be a combination of evaluating each guy at that point, and then making our best call," Maddon said. "The position we're in might determine all that. As of right now, we have not had that conversation. "I know we talked about it all year, but there's been built-in rest, just based on injuries and those kinds of things." Maddon hasn't seen signs of fatigue from Jake Arrieta, who has thrown a team-high 152 innings, or John Lackey, who has been kept on a count of 90 to 100 pitches.

The Cubs have used eight starters this season, three fewer than in 2016, when five pitchers — Trevor Cahill, Adam Warren, Rob Zastryzny, Brian Matusz and Jake Buchanan — made one start apiece. Lester is scheduled to pitch a simulated game Monday that likely will determine whether he rejoins the rotation or remains on the 10-day disabled list. The Cubs' final scheduled day off is Sept. 18, followed by a 10-game trip and a three-game home series against the Reds to end the regular season. Russell's routine: Addison Russell's "moderate" routine consisted of fielding grounders that required him to throw off his right foot, which has sidelined him for 3 1/2 weeks. It is perhaps the shortstop's final test before he starts a minor-league rehab assignment this week. Maddon said Russell's rehab could last four or five days, including a final test of playing back-to-back games. Reliever Justin Grimm (right index finger infection) said he will start a rehab assignment Monday at Triple-A Iowa. -- Chicago Tribune Anthony Rizzo surprised, delighted over parents' Little League award By Mark Gonzales Anthony Rizzo had an amusing reply Saturday when he learned that his father said his son eats more ice cream now than after his Little League games. "Ice cream is better in the big leagues," Rizzo replied. Rizzo was delighted that his parents John and Laurie were honored this weekend at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., where they received the 2017 George and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year Award. “I had no idea how it came about," said Rizzo, who said his parents will stay for Sunday's title game between Japan and Texas. "They helped me out throughout my life, especially when I was playing Little League, and how they sacrificed everything for us to go play. "They gave my brother and I opportunities. It’s cool they won that award and are appreciated." John Rizzo coached his sons, while Laurie served as a volunteer parent bringing snacks and organizing the other parents. -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon: No changes in store yet for Cubs' late-inning duties By Mark Gonzales Pedro Strop has allowed seven runs on eight hits in his last four outings, yet Cubs manager Joe Maddon has no plans to replace him for the late-inning duties. “I think Strop is throwing the ball great,” said Maddon, reminding reporters that Strop was dominant in July and the early part of August. “It’s about pitch selection and execution. Stuff-wise, he might be throwing as well with us since I’ve been here.

“I want to get Koji (Uehara) out there, but I’m not taking moments away from Stropie. His stuff has been that good.” Uehara hasn’t allowed a run in his last two outings since returning from the 10-day disabled list, although his scoreless outing Friday was in a low leverage situation. Nevertheless, the use of the setup relievers bears watching because of the volatility of the performances of Strop, Hector Rondon, Uehara and Carl Edwards Jr. -- Chicago Sun-Times Could big month by the Bryzzo Souvenir Co. be key to Cubs’ September? By Gordon Wittenmyer PHILADELPHIA — Before the Cubs’ 17-2 victory against the worst team in baseball turned into a rout in the seventh inning, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo offered a glimpse of their combined stretch-drive potential. Trailing 2-0 Saturday after Phillies rookie sensation Rhys Hoskins’ home run in the first inning, the Cubs got one back in the second, then Bryant was hit by a pitch in the third with one out and one on, just ahead of Rizzo’s go-ahead three-run homer. In the fifth inning, they hit back-to-back homers to make it 6-2. By the time Bryant walked to load the bases in the big seventh and Rizzo followed with a single, Bryant had reached in every trip to the plate, and Rizzo had nine total bases and five RBI. “You can’t really control when and where and what time you get hot,” Bryant said. “But sure it would be cool to kind of hit a bunch of homers at the same time and score a bunch of runs.” Nearly five months into the season, the Cubs lead the National League Central by three games, and their core middle-of-the-order hitters have strong numbers. But Bryant and Rizzo, who finished first and fourth in the league’s MVP voting last year, haven’t been hot together for a sustained stretch yet. If something like that were to start now? Manager Joe Maddon said he sees a lot to like already with his hitters. “But it goes without saying that if those two guys were to get simultaneously going, it would be kind of nice for us,” he said. Already, their 2015 Cy Young winner, Jake Arrieta, is on a 10-start hot streak like he hasn’t had since at least early last season. And after seven strong innings against the Phillies, Kyle Hendricks picked up his first victory since May 24 and has put together a three-start stretch of commanding outings (2.37 ERA). He appears to be all the way back from a monthlong finger injury and looks a lot like the pitcher he was when he led the majors in ERA last year. “It’s been a process the last four or five games,” said Hendricks, who also became the first Cubs pitcher in 14 years to get two hits in an inning (the seventh). “It’s really started to click more and more every game.” Next?

That might be Rizzo, who has followed his NL Player of the Week performance by going 8-for-19 (.421) with two homers, four walks and six RBI in the first five games of a six-game road trip. “It’s the end of August, so the body’s kind of in that period of just [needing] to get to the next couple of weeks, and the adrenaline starts taking over,” said Rizzo, whose 29th and 30th homers put him only two short of his career high with 34 games to play. “I try to be as consistent as I can be the entire year. I expect nothing different in September going forward, just being consistent.’’ For Bryant, the season got a lot more challenging the sixth game out of the All-Star break when he suffered a sprain in the crease between the pinkie and ring finger on his left hand. Bryant said it has “gotten a ton better” since then, but he has been told by the training staff that he likely will deal with discomfort the rest of the season, and he gets maintenance treatment daily. But he makes no excuses, and it hasn’t prevented some big games at the plate in recent weeks. “I’m in a perfectly fine place,” Bryant said. “There’s always things that you battle through each year, and this year it happens to be my hand. “That’s OK. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’ve used this whole season as a big learning experience, just how to handle certain things like that. I feel like I’ve learned a bunch from that.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Game of feet? Could be matter of days before Russell returns from DL By Gordon Wittenmyer PHILADELPHIA — By the time the Cubs visit Pittsburgh on Labor Day to start their next road trip, Addison Russell could be back at shortstop for the first time in a month. Russell has battled injuries and off-the-field issues during a rough season. But after a weekend of work, Russell’s ailing right foot is pain-free, and after a day to rest Sunday, he’ll be evaluated Monday to determine if he’s ready to start a minor-league rehab assignment. “It’s trending in that direction,” manager Joe Maddon said. “There’ve been no setbacks. Everything’s been moving forward.” Maddon said a “perfect world” rehab stretch would be no more than five days, allowing for at least one day off in the mix. He said Russell will be eased back into the lineup at that point, with Javy Baez sharing time with him at short until Russell has rebuilt stamina and shown his foot can handle the daily pounding again. Baez, who has started in Russell’s place this month, entered Saturday’s game hitting .306 with a .933 OPS in August. Sixth sense? Maddon doesn’t expect to use a sixth starter the rest of the way even after talking much of the season about the likelihood of doing that to mitigate workloads.

“I’m not seeing fatigue among anybody,” Maddon said, noting disabled-list stints this year for Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey and Jon Lester have amounted to plenty of rest for 60 percent of his rotation. He left open the possibility of an exception to that: perhaps leaving Mike Montgomery in the rotation for a turn even when Lester (lat/shoulder) returns from the DL, probably next week. Lester is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday, then have his status evaluated. The Cubs are six days into a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. Babe Rhys Almost lost in the avalanche of Cubs runs that buried the Phillies was the continuing record pace of Phillies rookie slugger Rhys Hoskins. Since making his big-league debut Aug. 10, Hoskins has 10 home runs, including a two-run shot in the first inning. It was his second in as many games against the Cubs and tied Ryan Howard’s 12-year-old Phillies rookie record for homers in a month. And this: He’s the first player in major-league history with 10 homers in his first 20 games. And Saturday was only his 17th game. This and that When Kris Bryant was hit by a pitch in the third inning, the Cubs tied the Pirates for most hit batters in the majors this season (71). The Cubs are the only team with three players in double figures: Anthony Rizzo (20), Bryant (12) and Jon Jay (11).

◆ Hendricks, who led off the Cubs’ seven-run seventh with a single and capped the scoring with a two-run double, became the first Cubs pitcher since Carlos Zambrano in 2003 to get two hits in an inning.

◆ Jose Quintana, who gave up six runs in the first two innings of a loss Friday, is only 3-3 with a 5.31 ERA in seven starts since a brilliant Cubs debut in Baltimore on July 16. One big difference has been the command of a curveball that was unhittable in Baltimore and especially inconsistent this month. -- Daily Herald For Chicago Cubs, nicknames have always been a big hit By Bruce Miles I'm standing on a windswept platform waiting for a Big Train or an Iron Horse to come rumbling in. I'm scanning the plain hoping to see the Wild Horse of the Osage. I'm digging on the days of Dizzy, Dazzy, Daffy and Ducky. Yes, I am longing for some cool old baseball nicknames. This weekend, Major League Baseball celebrates "Players Weekend," when those who play the game will sport nicknames on the backs of their jerseys. The baseball nickname isn't what it used to be, not that there aren't a few good ones around. But most are just a lengthening or a shortening of a player's name, much the way it's done in hockey. On the Cubs, Anthony Rizzo is often "Riz," John Lackey is "Lack" and Pedro Strop is "Stropie."

During his forgettable one-year tenure as Cubs manager, Mike Quade was the Sultan of the Sobriquet, dubbing his players "Lopey" (Rodrigo Lopez), "Cassie" (for both Starlin Castro and Welington Castillo, and "Los" (Carlos Pena). For this coming weekend, the back of Rizzo's jersey will read "Tony," which is what many of the players call him in the clubhouse. That's OK if not overly inspiring, but I do like "Carl's Jr." for Carl Edwards Jr., the reliever formerly known as "CJ." I also like "El Mago" for infield magic man Javier Baez. But I loved the multilayered nicknames of yore, such as the aforementioned Wild Horse of the Osage, the sub-nickname of Pepper Martin, whose given name was Johnny Leonard Roosevelt Martin, a pretty cool given name at that for a mainstay of the St. Louis Cardinals Gashouse Gang. Better yet were the nicknames that had you looking up the players' real names, in the Baseball Encyclopedia back in the day or on Baseball Reference today. Dizzy, Dazzy, Daffy, Ducky and Sparky were Jerome, Charles, Paul, Joe and George, respectively. In thinking about similar nicknames in Cubs history, Turk Wendell is Steven, Tuffy Rhodes is Karl and Gabby Hartnett was Charles. You could look it up. I did. Along those lines, the Cincinnati Reds' Scooter Gennett is wearing "Ryan" on his back this weekend. You guessed it. Ryan is his real name. The Cubs of my youth in the 1960s had the most-fitting title of all, "Mr. Cub," for the one and only Ernie Banks. Billy Williams was and still is "The Sweet Swinger," "Sweet Swinging Billy," or "Whis," short for his hometown of Whistler, Alabama. Also in the '60s, Chuck Hartenstein was "Twiggy," and Bill Hands was "Froggy." Speaking of hands, but not of Hands, Mordecai Brown of early 20th Century fame was "Three Finger," the result of a farming accident. Maybe Antonio Alfonseca could have visited baseball Valhalla and lent Brown a hand, or a finger or two. Alfonseca was known as "El Pulpo" (octopus) because he was born with an extra digit on each hand. The biggest throwback team I covered was the 1998 wild-card winning Cubs. Many in that group would sit around after games, crack open a cold one, light up a smoke and talk baseball. That group had "Shooter" (Rod Beck), "One Dog" (Lance Johnson), "Oh Henry" (Henry Rodriguez), "The Rat" (Gary Gaetti) and "The Dandy Little Glove Man" (Mickey Morandini, with credit to analyst Steve Stone for that one). Tom Gordon, no flash in the pan, was "Flash." He was listed as "Tom" in the 2001 Cubs media guide. In 2002, he wanted it changed to "Flash." But when he ended up with the White Sox in 2003, he said he didn't know where that idea came from. Flash, er, Tom, was like that. The Cubs have soared with a "Hawk" (Andre Dawson) and a "Vulture" (Phil Regan) and waddled with a "Penguin" (Ron Cey). It's not known whether "Vulture's" favorite player was onetime White Sox catcher Camilo "Cam" Carreon. Sorry. Every dog, they say, has its day, and in addition to the "One Dog," the Cubs have unleashed the "Crime Dog" (Fred McGriff) and the "Mad Dog" (Greg Maddux). Speaking of mad, Lou Novikoff was "The Mad Russian" in the early 1940s. But we want to end this on a happy note, or for today, a Happ-y note. Last weekend, the Cubs' Ian Happ batted against the Blue Jays' J.A. Happ, who pronounces the "J.A." as "Jay," by the way. This weekend, both players will wear "Happer" on their uniforms. Strictly by happenstance, I'm sure.

-- Daily Herald Ostrowski: As October nears, just how much do the Cubs value defense? By Joe Ostrowski How much do the Cubs value defense in October? A lot can happen in five weeks of baseball, but I asked Theo Epstein about their strategy as the games become more crucial in a 670 The Score interview on The Mully and Hanley Show. Epstein said, "You can look at last year's postseason and a lot of the decisions we made you maybe slightly tilt that balance a little bit more heavily in favor of defense. It becomes increasingly important as you get deeper in the season, but not everything." Alright. Let's take a look at how the Cubs handled their 2016 playoff lineups at second base and the corner outfield spots. Every other position was locked in. Javier Baez started all 17 postseason games at second after 97 starts in the regular season. Ben Zobrist began 16 games in left field and one in right. Five different players drew starts in RF. Jason Heyward was benched in six games, three times against lefties and three against righties. So it's settled. Baez at second every time means they care more about defense in October. Not so fast. Epstein added, "You're always weighing all the different variables building your lineup for the opposing starting pitcher, for the ballpark, for the weather conditions, for your starting pitcher, the defensive alignment you want to have out there for how you anticipate late game strategy going, what you might want available on your bench, how you're going to counteract the opponent's bench." It's also more complicated this season with a deeper roster. Kyle Schwarber wasn't cleared to play until the World Series and was never cleared to play the field. Ian Happ was just a minor leaguer. Jon Jay was in San Diego. The stat Defensive Runs Saved for the outfield has Heyward plus-16, Albert Almora 0, Happ minus-2, Schwarber and Zobrist minus-4, and Jay minus-5. Heyward's offensive improvement is enough to warrant a start every playoff game with his stellar defense. His batting average is up 24 points and slugging percentage up 52. Not his career norms, but better. His on-base percentage against southpaws is about the same as last year, but he's hitting .265 instead of .207. Zobrist's August includes a .265 average and .359 on-base, but he's hit only 1 homer since returning from injury on July 1st. Almora is in the lineup every time against a lefty for good reason. His .344 average, .422 OBP, and .944 OPS. Happ's .889 OPS against righties is second best on the team. Schwarber is likely to be in left field those games. Would Maddon risk Happ in center field or even second base? Baez has a .736 OPS vs RHP. Epstein is right. A lot of variables. All fun to think about, but there's still five weeks. --

Cubs.com Lackey to face recalled Pivetta in finale By Stephen Pianovich Nick Pivetta will be back with the Phillies and back on the mound against the Cubs in Sunday's 1:35 p.m. ET series finale as the teams wrap up the inaugural Players Weekend. Pivetta (4-9, 6.73 ERA) was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after struggling in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday against the Marlins. The right-handed rookie allowed six runs on seven hits and was pulled after throwing 64 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. "If he starts commanding his fastball or starts being able to pitch backwards, or if he can throw a breaking ball on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded to get a guy out, that's what determines how successful that player is going to be," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Pivetta. "It's all those things combined, there's not one thing you can put your finger on." Sunday's start will be the 20th of Pivetta's career. It will be the 440th of John Lackey's. Lackey (10-9, 4.90) has won his last five decisions and was aided by his offense in his latest start. Lackey (aka "Lack" on Players Weekend) gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings against the Reds on Tuesday, but the Cubs rallied for a 13-9 win. Three things to know • Lackey has a 2.77 ERA and 1.215 WHIP in 10 career starts against the Phillies. He gave up three runs on nine hits and struck out six in five innings against the Phillies on May 4 of this season. • Rhys Hoskins homered for the seventh straight day on Saturday, his 10th homer in his first 17 big league games. Hoskins is the fastest to 10 HRs in big league history, since at least 1913. • Kyle Schwarber homered Friday night, marking his fourth homer at Citizens Bank Park in his first four games at the stadium. He's only the third Cub to hit at least four home runs in his first four games at a visiting ballpark. The feat was also accomplished by Lee Walls at the Los Angeles Coliseum and Aramis Ramirez at Washington's RFK Stadium. -- Cubs.com 'Tony,' 'KB' power Cubs' rout of Phillies By Ben Harris and Stephen Pianovich PHILADELPHIA -- The Cubs weren't going to stay down for long. After scraping across three runs combined in Thursday's series finale against Cincinnati and Friday's series opener against the Phillies, the Cubs broke out for a season-high 17 runs and tied a season high with six homers to beat the Phillies, 17-2, and even the series at Citizens Bank Park. Chicago's six hits and seven runs in the top of the seventh tied season highs for both in an inning. Anthony Rizzo (aka "Tony" for Players Weekend) clubbed a pair of homers and drove in five runs to raise his season totals to 30 and 90, respectively. It was part of a 3-for-5 night for Rizzo, who is hitting .426 with 19 RBIs over his past 12 games. "It's the end of August, so your body is coming into that period of getting to the next couple weeks and adrenaline starts taking over," Rizzo said. "At the plate, you're just trying to put good swings on the ball. Not more complicated than that."

The Cubs' lead over Milwaukee in the National League Central remained three games after the Brewers' win against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Tommy La Stella also hit two homers for the Cubs -- the team's first in the second inning and its fifth in the ninth. It was the first career multi-homer game for La Stella, who has five homers this season, and a career-best four RBIs. "It's not going to go like this all the time," said La Stella, who has seven RBIs in his last two starts. "It's rare when you feel like this at the plate, but I feel good up there right now. I want to keep it going." Phillies phenom Rhys Hoskins hit his seventh homer in as many days, his 10th in his first 17 games, a Major League record dating back to at least 1913. Kyle Hendricks ("Hendo") allowed Hoskins' homer in the first inning, but kept the Phillies quiet after. The Cubs' righty struck out eight in seven innings and allowed just the two runs on six hits. Hendricks' bat also made an impact. He collected two hits in the seventh, including a two-run, two-out double. Phils rookie starter Ben Lively struggled keeping the ball in the yard, allowing four of the Cubs' six homers, as many as he had surrendered in his 48 2/3 innings entering Saturday. According to Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, the Phillies' internal report on Lively's outing counted missed locations on 29 of his 74 fastballs. Missed locations, according to Mackanin, are pitches supposed to be in one zone and end up in the opposite -- inside instead of outside, not just missing location by a few inches. "My fastball was fine," he said. "It was tough to be on the same plane with [catcher Jorge Alfaro]. … I wanted to throw more in, we just weren't on the same page, and my curveball was crap early and I tried to fix it early, but too late." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Bryzzo go back-to-back: Kris Bryant ("KB") and Rizzo totaled 846 feet of home run distance when they went back-to-back in the fifth inning. Bryant smacked a 422-foot homer to left field, and Rizzo followed and bested his teammate by two feet, hitting a 424-foot blast into the Phillies' bullpen. "It goes without saying, but if those two guys would get going simultaneously, that'd be nice for us," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Bryant and Rizzo. "Parkman" breaks it open: Alex Avila ("Parkman") was at the heart of the Cubs' seven-run seventh. Avila sent a double to the center-field wall to make it 9-2 with one out. Avila ended up scoring on a La Stella single. "We were in it for six innings, still had a chance," Mackanin said of the Phillies' 6-2 deficit at the time. "The pitching let us down today." WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: John Lackey will head to the mound in Sunday's series finale at 12:35 p.m. CT in Philadelphia. Lackey (10-9, 4.90 ERA) has won his last five decisions. He has a 2.77 ERA in 10 career starts against the Phillies. Phillies: Nick Pivetta (4-8, 6.25 ERA) is slated to return to the Phils for Sunday's series finale at 1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park. August has been rough for Pivetta -- his 14.49 ERA in four starts this month is the highest for any starter in baseball with at least five innings pitched. -- Cubs.com 'Hendo' not left out of Cubs' offensive surge By Stephen Pianovich

PHILADELPHIA -- The biggest inning in the Cubs' best offensive game of the year was bookended with hits from an unlikely source. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had two hits in the frame, including a two-run double which was the final blow in a seven-run seventh inning for the Cubs in their 17-2 win over the Phillies on Saturday. Hendricks (aka "Hendo" on Players Weekend) was sharp on the mound, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking nobody in seven innings. But he will remember this game more for what he did with the bat. Hendricks started the seventh by grounding a base hit off Phillies reliever Drew Anderson through the left side. It was his second hit in as many games and his fourth on the season. He was just getting started. Nine batters and five runs later, Hendricks came to the dish again, this time with two runners on and two outs against Jesen Therrien. Hendricks got ahead in the count, 3-0, before lining a 3-1 fastball into the right-center gap for a two-run double -- just the second extra-base hit of his career and first since 2015. It put the Cubs up, 9-2, and elated the bench. "I was thinking about [the possibility of getting two hits in an inning]," Hendricks said. "I fell behind, 3-0, and I thought I could take the walk maybe. Then, 3-1, I just closed my eyes and got lucky, I guess. It happens." Hendricks ended up getting plenty of run support, but he did fall behind early. Phillies rookie Rhys Hoskins, the hottest power hitter in baseball, sent a low, 1-2 changeup from Hendricks into the left-field seats in the first inning to put the Phillies up, 2-0. In the six innings after the homer, though, Hendricks allowed only four hits and no Phillie got beyond second base. "He might've had a two-hit shutout for the whole game, other than [Hoskins]," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Kyle was really good." Hendricks appears to be hitting his stride in August. Over his last five starts, the 27-year-old has a 2.64 ERA and has pitched at least six innings in four of the outings. "I just feel so much more connected with my mechanics," Hendricks said. "It's been a process the last four or five games, it just started to click more and more every game. Today was more of the same." -- Cubs.com Rizzos are Little League Parents of the Year By Mike McCormick WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Ice cream if you win. Ice cream if you lose. That was the philosophy to which the Rizzo family held firm during Anthony Rizzo's Little League days. John and Laurie Rizzo were honored in Williamsport on Saturday as the Little League Parents of the Year. Long before Anthony became a World Series champion, his mom and dad juggled career and parenting duties to help coach his Parkland (Fla.) Little League teams. "We're nobodies. We know we're just representatives of all the parents of Little League teams," John said. "We're lucky enough to have a kid in the pros. Otherwise, we're nobody special." Having fun was priority No. 1 in the Rizzo household.

"I wanted the boys to know if we won, we had ice cream," Rizzo said of raising both Anthony and his brother John Jr. "If you went 0-for-5 and we lost, we'd still have ice cream. "Anthony is still eating ice cream before and after games now. A lot of it." Anthony's mom, Laurie, also spent plenty of time at the youth ballfields. "With all the work of being a mom, it was great to spend time with the kids at the field," she said. "It was cute to watch them when they were small." She didn't know it at the time, but her husband had a secret practice facility -- the inside of their home. "When I was growing up, I was never allowed to play ball in the house," John said. "I always said that I would let my kids [play ball in the house]. When Laurie would leave the house, all the gear came out, we played, lamps broke ..." Both parents agreed that their biggest advice to other Little League parents -- aside from protecting their lamps -- is to stay close to your kids and have fun. "It sure [went] fast," John said of his boys' childhoods. "I'm most proud of the people our sons have become," Laurie added. "They're both good men." Before heading out to the field to receive the 2017 George and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year Award at Lamade Stadium during the Little League World Series, John revealed one more Anthony Rizzo secret. "Whenever I beat him [at a sport], I'd put my hands up, Muhammad Ali-champion-of-the-world style," he said. "So whenever he puts his hands up like that, like he did after the last out of the World Series, that's what he's saying." --