August 2, 2018

 Cubs.com, Hamels impressive, victorious in Cubs debut https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cole-hamels-earns-win-in-cubs-debut/c-288426734

 Cubs.com, Kintzler makes scoreless Cubs debut on b-day https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/brandon-kintzler-added-to-cubs-roster/c-288433384

 ESPNChicago.com, New Cub Cole Hamels shines after getting early run support http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24260244/cole-hamels-picks-win-chicago-cubs-debut

 NBC Sports Chicago, Cole Hamels etches his name in Cubs history books with sparkling debut https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cole-hamels-etches-his-name-cubs-history-books- sparkling-debut-chatwood-no-hitter

 NBC Sports Chicago, Theo Epstein expects Cubs to take control of their own destiny https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/theo-epstein-expects-cubs-take-control-their-own- destiny

, Cole Hamels on adjustments needed after his Cubs debut: 'Things will get more routine' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-cole-hamels-adjustments- 20180802-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, A Cole Hamels back to his old self is just what Cubs need http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-cole-hamels-debut-sullivan- 20180801-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Demotion upset Cubs relief Randy Rosario, confirms http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-randy-rosario-20180801- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Joe Maddon discounts rumors, sticks to scouting report on Brandon Kintzler http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-brandon-kintzler-reputation- 20180801-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Occasional rest will be best for Kris Bryant, Cubs during 23-game stretch http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kris-bryant-20180801-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cole Hamels whiffs 9 in Cubs' debut and coasts to 9-2 victory over Pirates http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-cole-hamels-pirates-20180801- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, 3 things we learned from latest Cubs-Pirates series http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-three-things-20180801- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs considering alternate routes to Wrigley Field to avoid Thursday's anti- violence march http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-plan-for-protest-march- 20180801-story.html

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cole Hamels strikes out nine, beats Pirates in Cubs debut https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cole-hamels-beats-pirates-cubs-debut/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs new reliever Brandon Kintzler: `I don’t want my character being questioned’ https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-brandon-kintzler-clubhouse-issue/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Here’s hoping Yu Darvish returns to health soon and makes the haters pay https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-yu-darvish-injury-contract-haters-espn-alex- rodriguez/

 The Athletic, Cole Hamels leaves great first impression on Cubs: ‘He can be a tremendous difference-maker for us’ https://theathletic.com/455897/2018/08/02/cole-hamels-leaves-great-first-impression-on-cubs-he- can-be-a-tremendous-difference-maker-for-us/

 The Athletic, After being labeled as a bad clubhouse guy, Brandon Kintzler wants to clear his name and win in October with the Cubs https://theathletic.com/455656/2018/08/01/why-the-cubs-will-welcome-brandon-kintzler-into- their-clubhouse-especially-after-washingtons-whisper-campaign/

 The Athletic, Are Yu ready for some baseball? Because the Cubs are in for a possibly tough, possibly fun two months https://theathletic.com/454578/2018/08/01/are-yu-ready-for-some-baseball-because-the-cubs-are- in-for-a-possibly-tough-possibly-fun-two-months/

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Cubs.com Hamels impressive, victorious in Cubs debut By Carrie Muskat

PITTSBURGH -- Cole Hamels made a good first impression for the Cubs.

Hamels picked up the win in his Cubs debut, collected his first hit since 2016, and even got his first at-bat before he took the mound.

The Cubs gave the lefty a four-run cushion in the first inning, and Willson Contreras added a two-run homer in the eighth to post a 9-2 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park on Wednesday night.

"You want to be able to win a game for your new team and the guys here," Hamels said. "They've been playing outstanding baseball all season, and you kind of want to get in the mix. For them to put up the runs early, it made my job a little easier."

Contreras finished with three RBIs, while Javier Baez reached base in five consecutive at-bats and picked up an RBI in the first to raise his National League-leading total to 83.

But this game was about Hamels, and especially his . He got six of his nine on the pitch, tying for his most since his no-hitter against the Cubs on July 25, 2015.

"All year, my changeup has been horrendous," Hamels said. "That's been the focus I've had these past couple weeks is to get back to what I know I'm comfortable with. This is the reason I made the league when I was so young, is because of my changeup. That's what I had the most success on.

"Today, I was able to execute them and keep my mechanics the way I'm comfortable in doing to really let that changeup work."

Hamels even got an assist from first baseman Anthony Rizzo on hitting and pitching. The Pirates had runners at first and second with two outs in the first and catcher Contreras and Rizzo went to the mound. Contreras wanted to make sure they had the signs straight. Rizzo chimed in with pitch selection.

"I think all three of us were trying to call pitches," Hamels said. "It's good when you can get some good input from the first baseman. That's coming from a pretty good hitter when you think the same pitch and you're all spot on, it's a good feeling. He told me what to throw, and I'm on it."

In the fourth, when Hamels hit his infield single, who gets credit? Rizzo.

"Rizzo had a really nice bat there for me to choose, and I'm glad I chose right," said Hamels, who admitted his first two at-bats felt as if he were swinging underwater.

It was the lefty's first hit since July 17, 2016, when he did so for the Rangers against the Cubs in an Interleague game at Wrigley Field.

Chicago had acquired Hamels from the Rangers on Friday, and he scattered three hits and walked two over five innings, striking out nine. The only run off him was unearned. Hamels had not pitched since July 23, and he said the layoff affected his fastball command.

The fact that Hamels has postseason experience means he won't be wide-eyed as the Cubs head into the stretch run.

"He's definitely not going to be influenced or overwhelmed by anything," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Just conversationally, he's a pretty solid individual. Winning an MVP in a World Series, which I witnessed [in 2008], he's pretty good. He's kind of the right fit regarding ability and personality, demeanor, experience level. Look at his stuff, and I'm watching the video and I'm not seeing [anything] different from a couple years ago.

"I know he's excited, we're excited. He could be a tremendous difference-maker for us."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED First things first: While Hamels got his first at-bat in the first, Pirates starter Nick Kingham needed 51 pitches to get through the inning. The Cubs had runners at second and third, and a run scored on Jason

Heyward's groundout. Ben Zobrist, who was on base, then tallied on an error by second baseman Sean Rodriguez, who booted Baez's grounder. Ian Happ ended an eight-pitch at-bat by getting hit by a pitch.

Then Baez showed off his baserunning skills when he broke to steal third. Kingham's throw sailed for an error, allowing Baez to score. Kyle Schwarber added an RBI single that Rodriguez had trouble fielding to open a 4-0 lead.

"It's probably the first time in my career I've had two at-bats before the third inning," said Hamels, who struck out in the first and grounded into a fielder's choice in the second.

Relief: Brandon Kintzler, acquired from the Nationals on Tuesday, celebrated his 34th birthday and Cubs debut by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Instead of flying to Pittsburgh, Kintzler got in a car and took a 4 1/2-hour ride. It's only the second time this season he's pitched more than one inning. The other time was also at PNC Park on July 10. The right-hander's arrival was perfectly timed because it meant Maddon could give relievers Steve Cishek, Jesse Chavez and the night off.

"That's the value of Brandon tonight," Maddon said. "We needed him to do that tonight. We stretched him out, and I think he was good with it."

Said Kintzler: "It's part of the challenge with a playoff-contending team. You've got to stretch it out."

SOUND SMART Hamels did not give up an earned run and struck out nine in his debut while collecting a hit. According to STATS Inc., the only other to do that in their first games after switching teams were Nolan Ryan (1972 Angels), Roger Clemens (2004 Astros) and John Smoltz (2009 Cardinals).

"He's a great competitor like we had talked about," Maddon said of Hamels. "How about running to first base? The guy's a good athlete. I thought it was a great first start for him."

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Cubs center fielder Happ made a tumbling catch of Alex McRae's fly ball to open the Pirates' fifth and rob the pitcher of his first Major League hit. Happ had to collect himself after the play but stayed in the game. According to Statcast™, the play had a 34 percent catch probability.

HE SAID IT "This is why you put all the time in the offseason and -- it's to get an opportunity to win a championship. Sometimes when you're not on a team that's going that direction, it's nice to jump and be put in that situation. Being in that scenario, it's always going to be energetic, and your focus zones in a little bit more. Plus, when you don't have to speculate any more -- the [trade is] done, and this is the team, and this is what I'm planning on doing, and this is where I want to go in the postseason -- to get that out of the way keeps things more lively, but at the same time, gives a good direction." -- Hamels, on feeling invigorated coming to the Cubs

INJURY UPDATE Home-plate umpire Chris Guccione took a foul ball off his mask during Heyward's at-bat in the third inning. Guccione stayed in the game and Heyward doubled. But after Baez walked, Guccione left the game and second-base umpire Ed Hickox took over behind home plate. They finished the game with a three-man crew.

UP NEXT

Mike Montgomery will open a four-game series against the Padres on Thursday. Montgomery will be making his 12th start subbing for Yu Darvish, and so far he is 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA as a starter. In his last outing, he scattered a season-high 12 hits but said he felt good. He's 2-1 with a 4.93 ERA in 12 games at Wrigley Field. The Padres will counter with left-hander Robbie Erlin. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT from Wrigley.

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Cubs.com Kintzler makes scoreless Cubs debut on b-day By Carrie Muskat

PITTSBURGH -- Brandon Kintzler didn't want to deal with a possible delay at the airport, so he got in a car and was driven from Washington to Pittsburgh in time for the Cubs' game against the Pirates on Wednesday night. Chicago manager Joe Maddon didn't waste any time getting his new reliever in the game.

On his 34th birthday, Kintzler was inserted in the sixth inning, after Cole Hamels exited his own Cubs debut. Kintzler tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Cubs' 9-2 win over the Pirates, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out one.

"I figured, just get in a car and catch a ride," Kintzler said.

Acquired from the Nationals on Tuesday in exchange for a Minor League pitcher, Kintzler could be used in situations while Brandon Morrow continues his rehab from right biceps inflammation.

"This makes our bullpen really interesting, with [Morrow] hopefully getting back really soon," Maddon said. "To spread out the work in August and September, going into the playoffs, because the bullpen gets really worn down by that time, that gets interesting to me. Brandon [Kintzler] should take work off [Steve Cishek]."

Kintzler saved 29 games last season, and this year he appeared in 45 games with the Nationals and posted a 3.59 ERA over 42 2/3 innings, striking out 31. Opponents were batting .253 against him, including a .208 average by National League Central teams.

Kintzler didn't really know anyone on the Cubs, although he did rent Cishek's house in Florida for Spring Training. He was thrilled that the Cubs were interested in him.

"For any contending team to want you is a privilege," Kintzler said. "A couple years ago, I couldn't get a Minor League job, and now I get to be on two contending teams. You have to take that as you can. As I'm getting older, the window is getting shorter to be in a World Series."

The Cubs optioned Randy Rosario to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Kintzler on the 25-man roster.

"He was upset, and I know he was upset," Maddon said of Rosario, who was 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA in 26 games in relief. "[The move] took him by surprise. He did a great job. I thought in Spring Training, the big thing he had to overcome was command issues, strike throwing, and he got much better during the course of the season and got us out of some tough jams. He's going to be good for a while.

"Right now, we had to do something, and guys like him, until they're out of options, pay the price of having options. When they don't have any options, they get to stay. It's just the rules of the game."

Kintzler brings 'great teammate' reputation Maddon was aware of a story that painted an unflattering picture of the Nationals' clubhouse. In a radio interview, Kintzler denied being part of that, saying he'd never talked to the writer.

"I can tell you this, I'm confident that the due diligence that we did contradicts everything that was written," Maddon said. "I'm satisfied with that, and furthermore I'm looking forward to meeting Brandon.

"I have no idea what's going on there. That's their situation, not ours."

Maddon did not reach out to Nationals manager to check on Kintzler.

"I've heard [he's a] great teammate, really good teammate, great competitor," Maddon said of his new reliever. "His agenda is to win. It sounds like he's a Level 5 player. You look at his body of work and the guy goes out there a lot and throws ground balls. That's normally good for us playing at Wrigley. He kind of checks all the boxes."

On Wednesday, Kintzler said he appreciated that the Cubs were satisfied.

"I want to get my name clear," Kintzler said. "I don't want my character to be questioned. I work hard to be a good teammate. That's something I learned from Trevor Hoffman. I always take that serious. When I got questioned about it, I had to clear my name and make sure everyone knows I'm not part of that.

"It's nice that [the Cubs] did their due diligence. I respect that, for sure. It's good that people backed me up."

Injury updates • Kris Bryant has yet to resume hitting or any baseball activities since he went on the disabled list July 24 because of left shoulder inflammation. Maddon did not think it would take long for the third baseman to return once he gets the go-ahead.

"With him, it could happen quickly," Maddon said. "Once he gets to the point where they take the wrappers off and say, 'Let's go,' and if there's no setbacks, I think it could happen relatively fast. You just want to make sure he gets at-bats and is comfortable."

• Yu Darvish had no issues the day after throwing in the bullpen, and he will likely have his next session on Saturday at Wrigley Field. He's been out since late May because of right triceps tendinitis.

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ESPNChicago.com New Cub Cole Hamels shines after getting early run support By Jesse Rogers

PITTSBURGH -- It was the debut the were hoping for: Four-time All-Star Cole Hamels dazzled with his changeup on the way to a five-inning, nine- performance in the Cubs' 9-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. It helped that the Cubs offense staked him to an early, 4-0 lead.

"S---, four runs in the first inning and I hadn't even thrown a pitch yet," a smiling Hamels said after the win. "That's an incredible experience right there."

Hamels actually batted before he threw a pitch for his new team, but when he did take the mound, his pedigree emerged. His fastball was not at its best, but his curve and changeup were outstanding.

"His stuff was really good," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "His changeup was, as I remembered it."

Hamels struck out six batters on his changeup, the most since he threw a no-hitter against Maddon's Cubs in 2015, as a member of the .

"All year my changeup has been horrendous," said Hamels, who was traded to Chicago by the Texas Rangers on Friday. "That's been my focus these last couple weeks. To get back to what I know. It's the reason I made the league when I was so young, because of my changeup.

"It's nice to have off-speed stuff I can throw at any time. When you have good movement and throw strikes early you're able to make them chase later on."

Hamels went old school in a couple other ways, throwing his hardest pitch (96.4 mph) in over two years. In fact, according to ESPN Stats & Information, Hamels averaged 93.8 mph on his four-seam fastball, the fastest since facing the Cubs in another game in 2016. But it was that curve and changeup that made his night. He left after 95 pitches and with plenty of hope for him and the Cubs.

"This team's awesome," he said. "They really have some great guys, the young personalities and the veterans keeping a good team morale. The energy is up and that's just something you thoroughly enjoy. When games matter, everybody's focused, everybody's having a good time."

It wasn't all perfect for Hamels as he grinded through the first couple of innings averaging 4.52 pitches per at-bat, the most in a start in two seasons. But he was always in control of the game, especially pitching with a big lead. The Cubs got the boost they needed for a much-maligned starting rotation.

"He's very capable of getting on a nice roll with high-end stuff," Maddon said.

Following Hamels on the mound was another new acquisition, righty Brandon Kintzler, who threw 1⅓ innings without giving up a run. Afterward, he was glad to address a story in , intimating he was a leak in the Nationals locker room, leading to his trade to the Cubs.

"I just want to get my name clear," Kintzler said. "I don't want my character being questioned. I work hard to be a very good teammate. That's something I learned coming up from [Hall of Fame ] Trevor Hoffman."

The Cubs claim they've heard nothing but good things about Kintzler and are glad to have him. He joins Hamels and Jesse Chavez as three July arms the team added, none bigger than the former World Series MVP who was on his game in his debut.

"You want to win a game for your new team," Hamels said. "You want to get into the mix."

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NBC Sports Chicago Cole Hamels etches his name in Cubs history books with sparkling debut By Tony Andracki

Cole Hamels' Cubs debut couldn't have gone much better.

The 34-year-old veteran picked up a win Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, tossing 5 innings and only allowing an unearned run in the Cubs' 9-2 victory. He struck out 9 batters and permitted just 3 hits and a pair of walks. He also even helped offensively, reaching on an infield hit out of his three at-bats.

The Cubs staked Hamels to a huge lead right off the bat, scoring 4 in the first inning and 2 in the second. In fact, he actually made his official Cubs debut as a hitter in the first inning before even throwing a pitch, which hasn't been done since 1947:

Christopher Kamka @ckamka I can't say with 100% certainty he's the last (prior to Cole Hamels) to get a plate appearance before taking the mound in his Cubs debut, but it's the last one I could find so farhttps://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1024812155210792961 …

Christopher Kamka @ckamka Freddy Schmidt appeared in one game for the #Cubs. 9/24/1947 - as a starting pitcher. He hit (a flyout to end the first inning) before he took the mound.

It was also his last Major League game.

7:21 PM - Aug 1, 2018 36 See Christopher Kamka's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Hamels also joined new teammate Jose Quintana on an exclusive list of pitchers who made their Cubs debut with at least 9 strikeouts and 0 ER allowed:

@ESPNStatsInfo Cole Hamels finished his @Cubs debut with 9 strikeouts and 0 ER.

Only 3 other Cubs pitchers have done that in their debut since ER became official in the NL in 1912.

H/T @EliasSports

Of his 9 whiffs, Hamels got 6 as a result of his fantastic changeup, which was actually the most strikeouts he's gotten on that pitch since he tossed a no-hitter against the Cubs at Wrigley Field July 25, 2015:

Jesse Rogers ✔ @ESPNChiCubs Update: Cole Hamels finished with 6 strikeouts with his changeup, his most in a start since July 25, 2015, his no-hitter at the Cubs. #Irony

All in all, it was quite the performance for Hamels after he posted an 11.12 ERA and 1.94 WHIP in four July starts for the Texas Rangers.

As an interesting footnote to Hamels' debut, Tyler Chatwood finished off the game by tossing a scoreless ninth inning. When the Cubs traded for Hamels last week, it was Chatwood who was bumped from the rotation to make room for the 12-year veteran.

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NBC Sports Chicago Theo Epstein expects Cubs to take control of their own destiny By Sean Sears

Theo Epstein joined NBC Sports Chicago's very own David Kaplan on his ESPN 1000 radio show speaking about the state of the Cubs with only two months to go before the season ends. First, Epstein addressed Darvish's promising rehab session today.

"Threw a really good side session, threw with some intensity especially towards the end of it," Epstein explained. "Came out feeling really good and looking forward to what’s next for him. Probably a sim game."

Kaplan squeezed Epstein, asking him whether he thought Darvish would be able to pitch and be impactful to the Cubs struggling rotation, who hasn't been able to pitch for the Major League club since May 20th.

"As far as do I expect him to pitch meaningful innings, yeah I do. He’s on the comeback trail, he threw really well Tuesday. He wants to come back. There’s no significant structural damage that would prevent him from coming back we believe, our expectations are if we take our time and handle the rehab the right way he can pitch effectively, meaningful innings for us."

The Cubs President of Baseball Operations gave a quick update on both closer Brandon Morrow and 3rd baseman Kris Bryant, who are both expected to spend a good chunk of time on the disabled list. However, Epstein was rather positive on both players but did say the club would be patient with both players rehab processes.

"I haven’t been around the club for a couple of days, I’ve been getting the update from the trainers because of the trade deadline. But we’re taking our time with both guys," said Epstein. "But we're very optimistic, it’s not something we're concerned about for the long haul at all."

With the deadline officially over, the Cubs came away with three pieces in relievers Jesse Chavez and Brandon Kintzler as well as starter Cole Hamels, but the Cubs were named in plenty of rumors as the season went on. Epstein acknowledged those rumors and spoke candidly about his thought process during this year's trade deadline.

"There hasn’t been a year we don’t entertain bigger trades or smaller trades, I think every team does that. Every single attractive target we pursued in some form or another," Epstein explained. "Yeah, we went after every significant target, but when you realize what’s coming and what’s going you’re in a better position by not making the deal and move on to the next target."

But now Epstein is focused on the players currently in tow, particularly the starting pitching, which he admitted has been disappointing thus far.

"I think the focus has to be from within. We are where we are, tied for first place, tied for the best record in the (National League), but I would say we haven’t really gotten going yet. There’s tremendous room for improvement for our major league roster - especially in the starting rotation," Epstein said. And that’s the focus, I think we’re going to go as far as our starting pitching takes us. I think that’s an area where we’ve underperformed so far and we have to get that right. "

With the addition of Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish getting closer to returning, the Cubs are still in position to take control of the division and set themselves up well for another deep postseason run.

"It’s right there for us, we have a tremendous opportunity for a year which we’ve been a little banged up and things haven’t all gone our way. It’s right in front of us and you couldn’t ask for anything more on August 1st then to control your destiny with a great group of guys."

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Chicago Tribune Cole Hamels on adjustments needed after his Cubs debut: 'Things will get more routine' By Mark Gonzales

After allowing only three hits Wednesday night in his Cubs debut, Cole Hamels was understandably happy — but sees room for improvement.

This was the first time Hamels had studied Cubs coach Mike Borzello’s intricate scouting report and had worked with catcher Willson Contreras. Other than some communication adjustments, there were no serious issues, but Hamels envisions an even smoother transition in his upcoming starts.

“I know we’ll have a lot more to work with,” said Hamels, 34, who struck out nine in five innings. “There are a few times where we’d shake off and try to get to certain pitches. But as time comes, we’ll get more comfortable and things will get more routine.”

After the 9-2 win, Hamels expressed the incentive of being in a pennant race after facing the last two months of a losing season with the Rangers.

“This is where all the time we put into the offseason and spring training,” Hamels said. “Sometimes you’re not on a team that’s going that direction. It’s nice to jump and be in that situation.”

Friday’s trade also ended any speculation as to where Hamels would finish the season.

“The job is done, this is the team, and this is what I plan on doing, and this is where I want to go to the championship,” Hamels said. “To get that out of the way keeps things more lively. But at the same time, it gives a good direction.”

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Chicago Tribune A Cole Hamels back to his old self is just what Cubs need By Paul Sullivan

When Chris Archer was informed he had been traded to the Pirates, general manger Neal Huntington had but one request of his new ace.

“He said, ‘I want you on the mound against the Cubs,’” Archer said. “It’s important to us.”

A pitching matchup between Archer and new Cubs pickup Cole Hamels on Wednesday night would have been a match made in trade-deadline heaven. The Pirates’ bold move to trade top prospects for the talented, young Archer stood in stark contrast to the Cubs’ decision to bring in the struggling, aging Hamels for the stretch run.

But logistics prevented Archer from getting to Pittsburgh in time to prepare for a Wednesday start, ceding the spotlight to Hamels in his Cubs’ debut.

Handed a four-run cushion before throwing his first pitch, thanks to shaky Pirates starter Nick Kingham and a series of Pirates misplays, Hamels cruised through five innings, striking out nine and allowing only three hits and no earned runs in a 9-2 victory.

Though he lasted only five innings in his first start since July 23, the Cubs were geeked about Hamel’s first step.

“I’m really looking forward to this,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I think you’re going to see he’s very capable of really getting on a nice roll with high end stuff. He was 95-96 (mph) early in that game… When everything unfurls and it’s going where it wants to, then these other pitches get even better.”

Hamels, who has replaced Tyler Chatwood in the rotation, has to live up to the reputation he forged over his years with the Phillies to make the move worthwhile. Wednesday’s outing was a good indication he still has a lot left in the tank and could be rejuvenated by being back in the hunt for October.

“This team is awesome, they really have some great guys,” Hamels said. “The young personalities and obviously the veterans they have with (Jason) Heyward and (Jon) Lester, really keeping good team morale and the energy is up. That’s something you thoroughly enjoy the most, when games matter. Everybody is focused, having a good time. You lose, they know how to bounce back, keep it positive. And when they win, they make it that much sweeter.”

Four years ago Thursday, Jon Lester made his debut with the A’s after being dealt from the Red Sox at the trade deadline for Yoenis Cespedes. No matter how many years you have pitched in the majors, coming to a new team in the middle of a pennant race with the weight of the world on your shoulders is never easy.

“When you get traded it’s a difficult situation,” Lester said. “You’re coming in with guys who pretty much have been together six or seven months and we all have bonded together. We all have done team dinners and whatnot. Hopefully we can do those with him and catch up and he feels comfortable and we can make a push toward the end.”

If that push is coming, the rest of the rotation must step up as well because the Cubs are by no means on a roll. Cubs starters entered Wednesday’s game with a 3-6 record and 6.37 ERA since the break, the second-highest ERA in the majors. And you can’t blame any of that on Darvish, unless of course, you’re Alex Rodriguez.

Despite their renown as a second-half team under manager Joe Maddon, the Cubs headed back home with a 7-7 record in the first two weeks after the All-Star break with only one winning streak as long as two games.

Playing at a .500 clip isn’t going to cut it if they hope to win the National League Central, and anything less than that is unacceptable in what President Theo Epstein refers to as “the Golden Age” of Cubs baseball.

It’s doubtful Hamels’ arrival at Wrigley Field can match the anticipation of Archer’s debut Friday in Pittsburgh. A “welcome” video of Archer’s highlights played on the scoreboard during Hamels’ opening warmups, and the charismatic new Pirates ace vaulted out of the dugout to tip his cap to his new legion of followers.

“Based off social media and flying in today, walking through the airport, everybody knows who I am,” Archer said.

“People are very excited, and it’s energizing.”

The Cubs don’t need Hamels to energize Chicago. The buzz at Wrigley Field is self-generating, and always has been. All he has to do is be his old self, and hope the rest of the rotation follows his lead.

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Chicago Tribune Demotion upset Cubs Randy Rosario, Joe Maddon confirms By Mark Gonzales

Left-hander Randy Rosario learned the hard way that is a business, as he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa despite posting a 1.97 ERA in 26 appearances.

“I know he was upset,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It kind of took him by surprise, a little off guard. He did a great job.”

But the Cubs had to make room for new reliever Brandon Kintzler, and Rosario is the only reliever on the 25-man roster with minor-league options.

Among the other lefties in the Cubs bullpen, Brian Duensing, who has a 7.18 ERA in 41 appearances, is signed through 2019. Justin Wilson has a 3.24 ERA in 47 appearances but allowed a home run to Gregory Polanco in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss on Tuesday.

Maddon was pleased Rosario improved his strike throwing and worked out of jams during his stint.

“He’s calm and competes,” Maddon said. “There’s a lot to like about him. But with a new acquisition, obviously we had to do something.

“And guys like him, until they’re out of options, pay the price of having options. And when they don’t have any options, they get to stay because they don’t have options. It’s just the rules of the game.”

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Joe Maddon discounts rumors, sticks to scouting report on Brandon Kintzler By Mark Gonzales

Manager Joe Maddon didn’t feel the need to call former longtime aide Dave Martinez for a background check on newly acquired reliever Brandon Kintzler.

“I can tell you this,” Maddon said Wednesday in response to published allegations that Kintzler was a source for a story by Yahoo Sports that reported the Nationals clubhouse was in disarray. “I’m confident with the due diligence we did, and it really contradicts what was written. I’m satisfied with that.”

After pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his Cubs debut, Kintzler was glad to hear the Cubs did their homework.

“I don’t want my character questioned,” Kintzler said. “I work hard to be a good teammate. That’s something I’ve learned coming up from Trevor Hoffman (with the Brewers). I take that seriously. When I get questioned, I have to clear my name.”

Coincidentally, Kintzler rented the Florida house of new teammate Steve Cishek during spring training.

The Nationals also designated reliever Shawn Kelley for assignment, one day after he slammed his glove to the ground after surrendering a home run. The Nationals thought Kelley’s actions were disrespectful.

Martinez told the Washington Post that the Nationals needed a reliever who could throw more than one inning, so they promoted Wander Suero from Triple-A Syracuse to take Kintzler’s roster spot and believe while they still have enough late-inning support with Kelvin Herrera and Brandon Doolittle.

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Chicago Tribune Occasional rest will be best for Kris Bryant, Cubs during 23-game stretch By Mark Gonzales

Kris Bryant has yet to swing a bat, and manager Joe Maddon already faces a juggling act once his slugger returns from the 10-day disabled list.

Maddon believes it might not take Bryant much time to get ready once he and the Cubs medical staff believe his left shoulder has healed.

“It could happen quickly, once he gets to the point where they take the wrappers (off) quick and let him go,” Maddon said. At the same time, “when he comes back, you pick your spots.”

Unfortunately for the Cubs and Bryant, two of their days off – Aug. 9 and Aug. 13 – will probably occur when Bryant is still recovering.

And assuming that Bryant is ready by the time the Cubs start a stretch of 23 games without a day off on Aug. 21, Maddon understands he may need an occasional break.

One possible solution would be to use Bryant as the designated hitter during interleague games at Detroit on Aug. 21-22 and against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sept. 21-23.

Bryant hasn’t played since July 23 due to a recurrence of left shoulder discomfort that sidelined him for 16 games from June 23-July 9.

Maddon mentioned that he’s already given several players two consecutive days off recently, including Javier Baez and Addison Russell, to not wear down his players entering August.

In other medical news, Maddon said Yu Darvish (right triceps) felt fine one day after throwing a 35-pitch bullpen session and will throw another session this weekend.

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Chicago Tribune Cole Hamels whiffs 9 in Cubs' debut and coasts to 9-2 victory over Pirates By Mark Gonzales

Had it not been for three errors, Cole Hamels might have been allowed to provide quantity as well as quality Wednesday night in his Cubs debut.

But with reinforcements such as Brandon Kintzler to fortify a fatigued bullpen, the Cubs gladly accepted a nine-strikeout performance from Hamels in only five innings.

Possessing a fastball in the mid-90 mph range and an effective changeup, Hamels provided the Cubs with much-needed optimism as they coasted to a 9-2 victory over the Pirates.

“A great first start,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

He added Hamels’ changeup and curveball looked as sharp as they did when he beat Maddon’s Rays in the 2008 World Series and when he pitched a no-hitter at Wrigley Field in 2015.

Hamels will pitch on bigger stages than the PNC Park mound, but the sharpness on many of his pitches validated the observations President Theo Epstein and his staff made before deciding to surrender two pitchers and a player to be named or cash to the Rangers for Hamels on Friday.

“All year my changeup has been horrendous,” said Hamels, who was 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts with the Rangers. “I think that was the focus I had these last couple of weeks, to get back to what I know was comfortable. The reason I made the league when I was so young, was my changeup.”

Hamels’ changeup more than compensated for a 95 mph fastball that occasionally lacked command, but the Cubs envision more polished starts after Hamels cooled off a Pirates team that lost for only the fifth time in its last 21 games.

“We got some thoughts from watching him,” Maddon said. “He’s really easy to speak to. I’m looking forward to this. I think you’re going to see he’s very capable of getting on a nice roll with high end stuff.”

Hamels allowed three hits, his second lowest total this season, and his nine strikeouts were his most since he struck out 11 in five innings against the Athletics on April 3 in his second start.

Shortstop Addison Russell’s throwing error on Pirates leadoff man Jordan Luplow in the the first led to Francisco Cervelli’s two-out RBI single during a 27-pitch inning. But Hamels pitched at a brisk tempo the rest of the way.

“This team is awesome,” said Hamels, who was the beneficiary of a four-run first. “They have some great guys, the young personalities, and the veterans keeping a good team morale, and the energy is up.

“That’s something you fully enjoy. When games matter, everybody is focused and having a good time. You lose, they know how to bounce back and keep it positive, and when they win, it’s much sweeter.”

Kintzler, acquired from the Nationals an hour before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, hired a personal driver to take him 41/2 hours to PNC Park, and Maddon didn’t hesitate to use him for 11/3 innings.

“For any contending team to ever want you is a privilege,” Kintzler said. “I don’t take that lightly, either. A couple of years ago I could barely get a minor-league job, and now I’ve been on two contending teams.

“As I get older, the window gets shorter to get in the World Series, so I’m here to do whatever I can and play my part.”

The large lead enabled Maddon to employ demoted Tyler Chatwood in relief, and Chatwood gave up a single and a walk in pitching a scoreless ninth.

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Chicago Tribune 3 things we learned from latest Cubs-Pirates series By Mark Gonzales

Here are three things we learned from the Cubs-Pirates series — in which the teams split their two- game series:

1. Cole Hamels still has a few extra ticks on his fastball.

One reporter relentlessly asked Hamels and manager Joe Maddon about the effectiveness of Hamels’ changeup that produced a majority of his nine strikeouts.

But the velocity on Hamels fastball — in the mid-90 mph range, made his changeup more effective. This was only the second start for Hamels since June 13, so it’s understandable that he experienced some command issues with his fastball. But he should regain better control now that he will pitch in more of a regular routine.

2. Willson Contreras seems ripe for a hot streak.

Contreras quietly has a six-game hitting streak, but he seems on the verge of a major breakout after a 3- for-4, three-RBI performance with a home run. Contreras won’t hit 20 home runs his season, but his run production can help compensate for the loss of Kris Bryant for an indefinite period.

3. No rust for Tyler Chatwood.

The seven-run cushion represented a good time to use Chatwood in the ninth. Chatwood threw only six of 13 pitches for strikes, but inducing Starling Marte to ground into a game-ending double play can only help Chatwood’s confidence if he can throw strikes with a semblance of regularity and rely on his defense.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs considering alternate routes to Wrigley Field to avoid Thursday's anti-violence march By Paul Sullivan

Cubs manager Joe Maddon and some players were unaware of the planned anti-violence march to Wrigley Field on Thursday that will shut down a part of Lake Shore Drive.

Since Maddon and several players live downtown, it could impede their ability to get to the park for the 7:05 p.m. game against the Padres. Most arrive at the park several hours early, but they could be affected by the closing of Lake Shore and the march up Clark Street.

After learning of the protest, Maddon said he was considering riding his bike to Wrigley, and at least one player said he might just take the “L” train.

The protest is planned to begin in the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive at Briar Place at about 4 p.m. and head north to Belmont Avenue, where marchers will exit and head west to Clark Street before turning north and heading to Wrigley.

One reporter came up with the idea of putting up players at the Hotel Zachary across the street from Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, but it’s too late to do that.

Cubs spokesman Julian Green advised fans last week to seek alternate routes to the game to avoid Lake Shore Drive.

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Chicago Sun-Times Cole Hamels strikes out nine, beats Pirates in Cubs debut By Gordon Wittenmyer

PITTSBURGH — Chris Archer, the most coveted pitcher traded at Tuesday’s MLB deadline, was spotted in the Pirates’ dugout in the middle of the first inning of Wednesday’s game against the Cubs — his image immediately put across the giant video board in left field.

It drew the loudest cheer of the night from the sparse crowd, prompting a curtain call for the All-Star starter the Pirates hope will be the key to a two-month sprint that catches the Cubs.

Until then, the Cubs own the National League Central, remaining in first place with Wednesday’s 9-2 victory and moving seven games ahead of the third-place Pirates.

And while Archer got the curtain call — and a doff of the cap from former Rays manager Joe Maddon — it was the Cubs’ new guy, Cole Hamels, who owned this night.

Hamels, the former Phillies and Rangers ace who has struggled for much of the past two seasons, struck out nine without allowing an earned run in five innings in his Cubs debut to set the tone for his new team.

“This is why we put in all the time in the offseason working out and in spring training, to get an opportunity to win a championship,” said Hamels, who was acquired from the last-place Rangers late last week. “Sometimes when you’re not on a team that is going that direction, it’s nice to be able to kind of jump and then be in that situation.

“Being in that scenario, it’s always going to be energetic, and your focus kind of zones in a little bit more.”

That was the Cubs’ vision in acquiring the playoff-tested 34-year-old to help them survive another pennant drive after four months of problems with their starting pitching.

“He can be a tremendous difference maker for us,” Maddon said.

But not because he was pitching like a frontline, hotly pursued trade chip at the deadline.

The Cubs know they aren’t getting the Hamels who won World Series MVP honors for the Phillies against Maddon’s Rays in 2008.

“I’m really betting on the person,” team president Theo Epstein said after getting Hamels for Eddie Butler and minor leaguers.

“You acquire somebody in the middle of a pennant race in a market like Chicago, I think you have to pay attention to makeup,” Epstein said, “because the first time they walk onto the mound at Wrigley and they have the hopes of 24 teammates on them and the whole organization and 45,000 people and the huge market — you want someone who feels good about that opportunity and who’s going to embrace it and knows they can rise to the challenge.”

Eight years since his last playoff win, two years since his last All-Star selection and nine days since he threw his last pitch, Hamels took the mound with a four-run lead after a big Cubs first aided by two Pirates errors.

Despite shaky command of his mid-90s fastball, he didn’t allow a hit after the first inning. And his breaking ball and changeup danced and tantalized enough that he got swings and misses for eight of his nine strikeouts.

“He’s definitely not going to be influenced or overwhelmed by anything, I don’t think,” Maddon said. “He’s kind of the right fit regarding ability, personality, demeanor and experience level.”

The Cubs and Hamels hope to see six innings more often than five going forward.

“It’s just good being able to kind of get it out of the way,” said Hamels. “You want to be able to win a game for your new team. And the guys have been playing outstanding baseball all season. You just want to get in the mix.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs new reliever Brandon Kintzler: `I don’t want my character being questioned’ By Gordon Wittenmyer

PITTSBURGH — A snitch? A clubhouse problem?

“I don’t know where that came from,” newly acquired Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler said of the apparent rationale the Nationals used for dumping the former All-Star closer for a minor-leaguer on Tuesday.

“I don’t want my character being questioned,” Kintzler said when asked about the fallout of a Washington Post story suggesting the Nats believed Kintzler was an anonymous source for a Yahoo Sports report describing the Nats clubhouse as “a mess.”

“I work hard to be a very good teammate,” he said. “That’s something I’ve learned coming up from Trevor Hoffman: always worry about being a good teammate. I always take that serious. So when I got questioned about it, I’m going to have to clear my name and make sure that everyone knows I wasn’t part of that.”

Cubs bosses say their background work on Kintzler tells a story far different than what the Post insinuated.

“I’ve heard the exact opposite from good sources,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I’ve heard he’s a great teammate, great competitor and his agenda is to win. And if you look at his body of work, he’s not a strikeout guy obviously, but he throws a lot of ground balls.

“He checks all the boxes.”

Team president Theo Epstein said Wednesday during his weekly ESPN radio show appearance that the writer of the original story, Jeff Passan, called him to say he had never talked to Kintzler on the record or off. Kintzler said the same thing during a radio interview in Washington.

“That’s cool of that guy, the fact that he wanted to go out there and set it clear for me,” Kintzler said Wednesday after pitching a scoreless debut for the Cubs a few hours after driving to Pittsburgh from Washington. “It affected a lot of people I’m sure.”

Said Epstein: “We spoke to a number of teammates who shared the clubhouse with him over the years and everyone feels strongly that he’s a big positive in the clubhouse.”

Kintzler said he’s ready now to move on with a team he remembered being relentless against the Nats in last year’s playoffs.

“These guys know how to win games, that’s the thing,” he said. “And that’s what I’m happy to be a part of, guys that know how to win and they win as a team. They play together.”

Next for Darvish: Saturday

Right-hander Yu Darvish, who hasn’t pitched since May 20 because of elbow pain and a subsequent setback during rehab, reported feeling good playing catch Wednesday, the day after a 35-pitch bullpen session.

Darvish plans to throw in the bullpen again Saturday at home, a session to be broken up into two “innings” with a five-minute sit-down in between.

Mission impossible?

One of the reasons the Cubs were especially intent on getting pitching help before Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline was because it could become potentially harder this year than most to add after August.

“It’s something that came up in our room a fair amount, thinking about where we are in the waiver wire,” general manager Jed Hoyer said after the team landed three pitchers in the final 13 days before the deadline. “We’re aware that we have much less control than some teams would, especially when it comes to players.”

The Cubs started August with the best record in the National League. The way the waiver-trade period works is that if multiple teams make a waiver claim on a player, the claim is awarded based on reverse order of team records, going first through the player’s league, then the other league.

Any NL opponent can block the Cubs with a claim, and any AL team can block them from an AL player before the process reaches the NL.

“You never know,” Hoyer said. “We’ll continue to look to upgrade the team through August.”

Not fair, but no other options

Rookie left-hander Randy Rosario, who earned increasing trust from Maddon since joining the bullpen in May, was optioned to Class AAA Iowa to make room on the 25-man roster for Kintzler.

Rosario, who was claimed off waivers from the Twins in November last season, has a 1.97 ERA with the Cubs, and opponents are 4-for-27 against him in “close and late” situations.

“He was upset. It caught him a little bit off guard,” Maddon said. “He did a great job. Guys like him, until they’re out of options, pay the price of having options. I know it leveled him a little bit, but he’ll be back.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Here’s hoping Yu Darvish returns to health soon and makes the haters pay By Rick Morrissey

I hope Yu Darvish gets to make his critics look like the blathering fools they are.

I hope the Cubs right-hander comes back this season and lights the world on fire. I hope he makes Alex Rodriguez and whomever has been whispering in A-Rod’s ear eat their words. I hope Darvish gets the chance to say to people, A) “What part of ‘I’m injured’ didn’t you understand” and, B) “See how good I am when my arm doesn’t feel like it’s been hit 50 times by a mallet?”

Until Rodriguez offered his comments on ESPN about what he sees as the pitcher’s pariah clubhouse status, Darvish had only been the scapegoat for the failings of the Cubs’ rotation. Now, thanks to Rodriguez’s criticisms, Darvish is a national spectacle, a soft, weak-minded man who shouldn’t be poisoning the team with his presence.

Except that he has been injured. He has been sick and injured. When the topic is Darvish, all sorts of things get thrown into the equation – his massive contract, his terrible struggles in last year’s World Series, his reputation for being temperamental, etc. – but he has been injured.

One question stops all the nonsense that has been said about him and all the accusations that have been thrown his way: Why wouldn’t he pitch if he physically could? There is no reasonable answer.

No one in his right mind would want to spend weeks rehabbing a triceps injury if it weren’t necessary. No one would want to marinate in a pot of idleness.

Baseball is what Darvish does. He’s a four-time All-Star who has been dominant at times in his career. To suggest that someone who already has had Tommy John surgery is soft because he feels pain in the same area that led to that procedure is ridiculous.

But that’s where we are, with A-Rod recently adding to the contamination. He might have been a monumental steroids cheater as a player, but he has rehabilitated his image enough to be able to go on national TV and impugn someone else’s character. What a country.

Say this for A-Rod: He gave voice to the ugly whispers that have been around Darvish all season. It’s a wonder anyone has been able to see the pitcher at all this season, what with the way people have piled on him via social media.

While Tyler Chatwood, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana have struggled to varying degrees this season, Darvish has taken the brunt of the abuse for being injured. Cubs starters are ninth in the National League with a 4.17 ERA. Apparently, Darvish is to blame for that, too.

He might be sensitive, as the knock against him goes. If he is, it makes him like about half of all major- league ballplayers. It’s why, when the Cubs’ sports psychologist died last month, players took the loss hard. They had gone to him to deal with stress and to talk about their self-doubts. It’s called being human.

We haven’t left any room for Darvish to be human.

Earlier in the season, teammate and friend Chris Gimenez told the Sun-Times that Darvish thought Cubs fans hated him. Darvish later said he didn’t feel that way, though it was hard to blame him if he did. You don’t need an interpreter to understand civic disappointment or, worse, disgust. It’s easy to say a veteran should be above worrying about what outsiders think, but it’s not easily done.

The Cubs gave Darvish a six-year, $126 million contract in the offseason, and they allowed fan favorite Jake Arrieta to go to the Phillies. That’s part of the problem here. Workout fanatic Arrieta on one side, injured Darvish on the other. Cy Young Award winner and World Series champ Jake over there, and do- nothing Yu over here. Who’s going to win that perception battle?

It’s hard to feel sorry for someone who will make $25 million this season. Probably close to impossible for many people. There’s no doubt the money is being held against him. If A-Rod has a source in the clubhouse who fed him the nonsense that an injured Darvish is in teammates’ way, you can bet the huge contract is driving the animosity.

It is possible to pitch with a sore arm. Possible and very, very stupid. There must be a purpose in wanting him to gut through an injury and throw against big-league hitters, but, for the life of me, I don’t know what it would be.

No one is questioning Cubs closer Brandon Morrow, who is out with an arm injury and has also been plagued by injuries throughout his career. Darvish gets all the questions.

Here’s a question for the haters: What are you going to do if he comes back healthy and carries his team into the postseason and beyond?

Answer: You won’t have time to deny everything. You’ll be too busy cheering.

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The Athletic Cole Hamels leaves great first impression on Cubs: ‘He can be a tremendous difference-maker for us’ By Patrick Mooney

PITTSBURGH — Cole Hamels doesn’t have to be the same pitcher who got the “Hollywood” nickname, two Sports Illustrated covers, Cy Young Award votes in four different seasons and a 2008 World Series ring with the Philadelphia Phillies.

But what if Hamels just really needed a change of scenery, getting away from a last-place team, a hitter- friendly ballpark and all the trade rumors and back into the pressure of a pennant race. Deals with the Texas Rangers already helped the Cubs fill out one championship pitching staff and Hamels won’t be afraid of pitching in October.

For one night at least, the Cubs pretty much saw their realistic best-case scenario come to life. Handed a four-run lead before he threw his first pitch as a Cub, Hamels shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates during Tuesday’s 9-2 win at PNC Park, showing he still has something left at the age of 34.

Hamels displayed a vintage changeup and a sharp curveball while trying to harness a mid-90s fastball, allowing one unearned run in five innings, putting up nine strikeouts and looking like the stabilizing force this 62-45 team needs to keep up in the National League Central race.

“All the time that we put into the offseason working out, [going through] spring training, it’s to get an opportunity to win a championship,” Hamels said. “When you’re not on a team that is going that direction, it’s nice to be able to jump and then be put in that situation. Being in that scenario, it’s always going to be energetic.

“Your focus kind of zones in a little more. Plus, you don’t have to speculate anymore. The job’s done and this is the team and this is what I’m planning on doing and this is where I want to go to the postseason. To kind of get that out of the way, it just really keeps things more lively.”

Playing for the Cubs isn’t for everyone. Performing in Chicago isn’t easy. But Hamels grew up professionally in Philadelphia on some hard-edged teams that won five straight division titles between 2007 and 2011.

“He’s definitely not going to be influenced or overwhelmed by anything,” said manager Joe Maddon, who watched up close when Hamels dominated his Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. “He’s a pretty solid individual. Winning an MVP in a World Series that I witnessed is pretty good. He’s kind of like the right fit regarding ability and personality, demeanor, experience level. Looking at the stuff, I’m watching the video, I’m not seeing different than a couple years ago.

“We’ll see how all this plays out. I know he’s excited. We’re excited. He can be a tremendous difference- maker for us.”

Of course, the Pirates feel the same way about Chris Archer after Tuesday’s surprising trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, getting an established cost-controlled starter and giving their clubhouse a shot of adrenaline. Before Hamels threw his first pitch, an announced crowd of 18,600 gave Archer a warm ovation and saw his smiling face on the video board, another reminder that the Cubs don’t have an express lane to the playoffs.

The same general concerns about Jon Lester’s regression or decline phase also apply to Hamels, a pitcher he would usually study on video to get a better idea of how to attack hitters.

Hamels was born on Dec. 27, 1983, selected by the Phillies out of high school in the first round of the 2002 draft, in the big leagues by May 2006 and signed to a $144 million extension.

Lester was born on Jan. 7, 1984, selected by the Boston Red Sox out of high school in the second round of the 2002 draft, in the big leagues by June 2006 and signed to a $155 million deal.

At the same time, the Cubs couldn’t keep handing Tyler Chatwood the ball every fifth day and waiting for Yu Darvish to get healthy and hoping Kyle Hendricks and José Quintana would pitch better. Even Lester admitted it’s a little surreal to look at the next locker and see Hamels.

“It’s cool,” Lester said. “We were compared for so long. I’ve watched from afar, especially being left- handed. Guys like him and Cliff Lee when they were going at it in Philly together and doing their thing — that was impressive to watch.”

Hamels also doesn’t have to be the ace anymore or the guy who threw a no-hitter in his last start in a Philadelphia uniform before getting traded to Texas. Look at the lineup from July 25, 2015 at Wrigley Field to get a sense of how far the Cubs have come:

Dexter Fowler, CF Kris Bryant, 3B Anthony Rizzo, 1B Jorge Soler, RF Chris Denorfia, LF Starlin Castro, SS David Ross, C Jake Arrieta, P Addison Russell, 2B

“This team’s awesome,” Hamels said. “They really have some great guys, the young personalities and the veterans like [Jason] Heyward and Lester keeping a good team morale. The energy is up and that’s just something you thoroughly enjoy.

“When games matter, everybody’s focused, everybody’s having a good time. You lose, they know how to bounce back. They know how to keep it positive. And when you win, they make it that much sweeter.”

This is the Cubs betting on Hamels because he has guts and experience (and because they didn’t have many other good options internally or on the trade market). What do they have to lose? Wipe away the 4.72 ERA with Texas. Surround him with great defenders, a strong offense and a clever game-planning system and see what happens. So far, so good.

“You saw the high-end stuff,” Maddon said. “He’s very capable of really getting on a nice roll.”

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The Athletic After being labeled as a bad clubhouse guy, Brandon Kintzler wants to clear his name and win in October with the Cubs By Patrick Mooney

PITTSBURGH – After all the buzz leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, the held onto their big-league assets, hoping for a hot streak that sparks a playoff run and trying to send the message: We still believe in this team. Except for Brandon Kintzler.

That’s what it felt like inside the Washington spin zone after the Nationals shipped Kintzler to the Cubs bullpen in a salary-dump trade for a Class-A reliever. A group of widely respected, well-sourced Washington Post reporters characterized it as an addition-by-subtraction move, describing Kintzler’s reputation within the Nationals organization as someone who leaked clubhouse secrets and created friction with rookie manager Dave Martinez.

During a post-deadline interview with ESPN 1000, Cubs president Theo Epstein even volunteered this nugget of information: Yahoo! Sports columnist Jeff Passan called on Wednesday morning to say that he’s never spoken with Kintzler, ruling out the reliever as a source for a recent story that outlined Washington’s dysfunctional culture.

“I just want to get my name clear,” Kintzler said after getting four outs in Wednesday night’s 9-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. “I don’t want my character being questioned. I work hard to be a very good teammate. That’s something I’ve learned coming up from Trevor Hoffman. I always take that serious, so when I got questioned about it, I’m going to have to clear my name and make sure everyone knows I wasn’t part of that.”

Kintzler spent his part of his 34th birthday riding in a car from Washington to Pittsburgh, getting to the ballpark around 5:30 p.m. Kintzler may never find a more open-minded manager than Joe Maddon or a more relaxed workspace than this clubhouse. The Cubs also aren’t in the mood to listen to anonymous sources after ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez attacked Yu Darvish’s reputation on national TV.

“I just heard something via airwaves,” Maddon said. “You always have to consider the source. I could tell you this: I’m pretty confident that the due diligence that we did really contradicts everything that was written. I’m satisfied with that. And furthermore, I’m looking forward to meeting Brandon and just developing our relationship here.

“Everything I’ve heard is kind of like the opposite of everything written.”

Washington’s issues run much deeper than Kintzler, the All-Star closer acquired from the at last season’s July 31 trade deadline and then signed to a two-year, $10 million guaranteed deal as a free agent.

The Nationals have won four division titles in the last six years – and zero playoff series – while employing three different managers. Washington fired Dusty Baker after winning 192 games across the last two seasons and then hired Martinez – Maddon’s longtime bench coach – to manage a star-studded team with World Series-or-bust expectations.

The subtle differences between the Cubs and Nationals could be seen in pivotal moments during last year’s playoff series, when the defending World Series champs relied on big-game experience and attention to detail to beat an opponent with home-field advantage and perhaps more raw talent.

“That was a crazy series last year,” Kintzler said. “That Game 5, I’ve never seen anything like that before. But you knew that they were always going to fight and they came and punched us in the mouth the first game and gave us a good wake-up call.

“We just couldn’t recover. I think these guys know how to win games. That’s the thing and that’s what I’m happy to be a part of – guys that know how to win and they win as a team and they play together. That’s what I’m going to have fun with.”

The underachieving Nationals are now 54-53, potentially wasting Harper’s last year in a Washington uniform and another Cy Young Award-caliber season from Max Scherzer.

The Nationals DFA’d veteran reliever Shawn Kelley on Wednesday morning, responding to Tuesday night’s temper tantrum and trying to shake up the clubhouse again. Pitching in the ninth inning with a 24-run lead over the , Kelley slammed his glove to the ground after giving up a home run and stared into the home dugout, which was interpreted as a sign of disrespect toward Martinez.

“Listen, I have no idea what’s going on there,” Maddon said. “That’s their situation. It’s not ours. I’m sure when you talk to Brandon, he’s going to be very happy to be here, as we are happy to have him here.”

Maddon said he didn’t ask Martinez for a scouting report on Kintzler.

“This makes our bullpen really interesting,” Maddon said. “To spread out the work in August and September going into the playoffs – because the bullpen gets really worn down by that time – that’s the part that’s interesting and fascinating to me.

“I think Theo and Jed [Hoyer] have done a nice job of adding good names. You don’t run away from these guys. You feel good about them coming into the game.

“Regarding all that other stuff, I’ve heard the exact opposite from good sources.”

To be fair, the Washington Post coverage also portrayed Kintzler as a trusted sounding board for teammates and a kind of assistant coach for pitchers struggling with their mechanics and confidence.

“I’ve heard beyond that,” Maddon said. “Great teammate. Great competitor. His agenda is to win, so it sounds like he’s a Level 5 player, man. You look at his body of work – the guy goes out there a lot and he throws ground balls. He’s not a heavy strikeout guy, obviously, but a lot of balls on the ground, so that’s normally good for us, playing at Wrigley with the wind blowing out. With our normal infield defense, that could be a good thing also, so it kind of checks all the boxes.”

The Cubs and Nationals have already been great theater. Add Kintzler as bullpen savior/clubhouse snitch to the list of juicy storylines if these two teams clash again in October.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Kintzler said. “That’s cool to see that [the Cubs] want to do their homework, know who they were getting. I respect that, for sure. It’s good that people back me up. That shows that everything I’ve done in this game over the years has paid off.”

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The Athletic Are Yu ready for some baseball? Because the Cubs are in for a possibly tough, possibly fun two months By Jon Greenberg

The NFL season begins Thursday when the Bears head to Canton, Ohio for the always unwatchable Hall of Fame Game. But the baseball season is just beginning.

*Extremely Hank Williams Jr. voice* Are you ready for some National League division races?

The Cubs are, and given the moves they made in the last few days, they are going to be a tough out, but not quite tough enough to eliminate suspense going into the next two months of baseball.

With the additions of Cole Hamels and Brandon Kintzler, along with the earlier acquisition of Jesse Chavez, the Cubs made the trades you would expect them to make by the non-waiver deadline, supplementing an already successful bullpen and adding an insurance starter who may or may not appear in a postseason game but would help ensure the Cubs make it there.

While the Cubs are a first-place team with the best record in the National League, they’re a first-place team with a host of questions and a slim edge in winning percentage over Milwaukee (.575 to .573) after their 5-4 loss to surging Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

There is no rest for the wicked or the Cubs in the final two months. Could the front office have done more to improve this team?

“Did we do enough?” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said to reporters in Pittsburgh. “Yeah, I think we added three quality pitchers to our team and we’re excited about all three.”

Sorry to every texter to ESPN 1000 and The Score and my wife’s cousin Chuck who really, really wanted the Cubs to trade Ian Happ, David Bote and any minor leaguer for Jacob deGrom. It wasn’t going to happen.

Given the Cubs’ offseason moves, the financial and realistic limitations they caused and their paucity of high-caliber prospects available for dangling, Chavez, Hamels and Kinztler was a pretty successful haul. Hamels’ performance — he starts for the first time Wednesday — will determine just how effective it was, but even just adding Chavez and Kintzler could pay big dividends come October. As could rehabbing pitcher Drew Smyly, who is scheduled to throw another simulated game in the next week.

In case you haven’t heard Hawk Harrelson over the last decade or so, baseball is a battle of the bullpens. Kintzler gives the Cubs a closer if Brandon Morrow can’t return soon, or gets hurt again. At the very least, Kintzler is a reliable reliever who walks fewer hitters than the Cubs’ bullpen’s average and garners a lot of ground balls.

Here is what Sahadev Sharma wrote about him:

As a group, Cubs relievers have allowed an MLB-worst 11.9 percent walk rate. Kintzler limits free passes (his 7.4 percent walk rate this season is solidly below league average and he’s delivered a 5.8 percent walk rate since 2016) and leans heavily on his , while occasionally going to his changeup and and even a four-seamer at times. Kintzler has found success in recent years despite not having a history of missing bats. His 17.7 percent strikeout rate this year is actually up from the previous two seasons, but ranks 154 out of 175 in that category among relievers who have tossed at least 30 innings this season.

Being a sinkerballer has led to a high ground-ball rate in the past, including when he was above 60 percent in both 2015 and 2016. That number dipped to a still-strong 54.9 percent in 2017 and is down to 48 percent this season, still about four points above league average for relievers. Even with that number dropping, Kintzler has still managed to keep the ball in the park this year, with a tiny 5.6 percent HR/FB rate.

Aside from low strikeout numbers — not a problem for Carl Edwards Jr., Chavez, Justin Wilson, Steve Cishek, etc. —Kintzler is a perfect addition.

We’ll see if there are early returns with Hamels Wednesday, but starting Tyler Chatwood every five days was unsustainable and while Yu Darvish is feeling better these days, the Cubs aren’t sure if they can count on him just yet.

That’s a bleak assessment of their offseason starting pitching additions. One guy is in the bullpen and the other is throwing bullpens. Hence, the almost free play on Hamels. If the Cubs don’t meet their expectations this fall — a pennant, nothing more, nothing less — it will be because of those offseason miscalculations with the rotation. Maybe Chatwood is good at giving speeches?

Regardles of their needs, Hoyer said Tuesday, and I believed all along, that they weren’t going to break up their young position player core — unless, I assume, it was a no-brainer move, and even then, Kris Bryant’s injury muddled that possibility.

Bote, not part of the core, was turning into a nice trade chip before Bryant went back on the DL with his ailing shoulder. Now he’s a needed piece until Bryant comes back. Trading Addison Russell should’ve been a Nomar Garciaparra-like possibility, but what teams would give up an acceptable return for such an up-and-down player? Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. are necessary pieces on a playoff contender, not trade bait.

I love splashy trades as much as the next editor of a subscription-based website of the future, but I can’t fault Theo Epstein and Co. for the moves they made over the past year, even if the offseason additions haven’t quite worked out.

There’s a Norman Dale “My team’s out on the floor” reality to the current Cubs. This isn’t a stale team in need of a shake-up. It’s a good, maybe great one in need of reinforcements and some positive injury news.

It’s certainly a team that will be in the thick of a division race until the end of September. The Cubs have seven games coming up against San Diego (42-68) and Kansas City (33-73) and five games against the Mets (44-60) and Tigers (46-62) later in the month. But they also have six straight with the Brewers and the Pirates in the middle of August, with four in Pittsburgh.

Milwaukee added closer Joakim Soria, third baseman Mike Moustakas and second baseman Jonathan Schoop in the past week. The Brewers are 8-3 since ending a seven-game losing streak on July 21. The Cubs are 5-6 in that same stretch. Every game matters, indeed.

But it’s not just the Brewers chasing them.

The Pirates, of all teams, traded prospects for starter Chris Archer and reliever Keone Kela. Where was this boldness in those two years before the Cubs got good again, a longtime Pirates fan (me) asks? Don’t expect the Bucs to make a run for the Central, but going into Wednesday, the Pirates were three games back of the second wild card, with three teams (Atlanta, Colorado and Los Angeles) three games ahead of them and the Cardinals, Giants and Nationals close behind.

The Braves, Diamondbacks, Phillies and Dodgers, all teams the Cubs could meet in October, added players of varying importance at the deadline as the National League pennant is essentially up for grabs.

For all the whining about baseball’s weaknesses and lack of attractiveness to young fans or whatever, we’re setting up for a taut two months in the National League. As of Wednesday morning, seven teams were either leading or within a half-game of the three divisions.

The Cubs made their jugular trades the last two seasons, acquiring Aroldis Chapman to put them over the top for a World Series run and José Quintana to stabilize their rotation. They’ve added big-salaried free agents since the 2014 offseason, with Darvish a present- and future-defining question mark.

Epstein and Hoyer didn’t need a major addition to the team on July 31. They need Darvish, Bryant and Morrow to be healthy. They needed Chatwood not to issue so many walks. They need their starting pitching to go deeper.

The good news on that front is Darvish had a positive bullpen Tuesday in the midst of criticism from Alex Rodriguez and Rick Sutcliffe, among others. If he can return in the next few weeks, it could give the Cubs a major boost in the midst of a messy division race.

The Cubs got a good deal on postseason insurance, but they still need what is being insured to work to get there. The end of summer is in the air and fall isn’t far behind. All Cubs fans ever wanted for their team was to be relevant by the time NFL preseason rolls around every season. The Cubs are definitely relevant, as there are few teams that will be watched as closely as the Cubs over the next two-plus months.

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