Cubs Daily Clips
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May 1, 2018 Daily Herald, Cubs overcome sloppy play to beat Rockies http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180430/cubs-overcome-sloppy-play-to-beat-rockies Daily Herald, Epstein proud of Chicago Cubs players after month of growth http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180430/epstein-proud-of-chicago-cubs-players-after-month- of-growth Daily Herald, Rozner: Cubs' Maddon preaches more contact http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180430/rozner-cubs-maddon-preaches-more-contact The Athletic, Theo Epstein feeling the warmth as the Cubs roll into May https://theathletic.com/337649/2018/05/01/theo-epstein-feeling-the-warmth-as-the-cubs-roll-into- may/ The Athletic, 10 things we learned about the first-place Cubs in April: ‘It’s where we belong’ https://theathletic.com/337335/2018/05/01/10-things-we-learned-about-the-first-place-cubs-in- april-its-where-we-belong/ The Athletic, Relievers don’t love making headlines, but Brandon Morrow and Carl Edwards Jr. are pitching too well not to https://theathletic.com/336209/2018/04/30/relievers-dont-love-making-headlines-but-brandon- morrow-and-carl-edwards-jr-are-pitching-too-well-not-to/ Cubs.com, Bryant's triple sparks rally in Farrell's 1st win https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/kris-bryant-luke-farrell-lead-cubs-to-win/c-274609502 Cubs.com, Almora-Baez combo producing atop Cubs' order https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/almora-jr-baez-producing-atop-cubs-lineup/c-274572390 Cubs.com, Bean, Cubs team up for 'Shred Hate' initiative https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/billy-bean-cubs-spread-anti-bullying-message/c-274566666 ESPNChicago.com, Pitching party: Cubs grab fifth straight win scoring 3 or fewer runs http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23370817/chicago-cubs-win-5th-straight-game-score-3-runs- less NBC Sports Chicago, How a rainout changed the course of the Cubs' season http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/how-rainout-changed-course-cubs-season-cardinals-theo- epstein-rockies-chili-davis Chicago Tribune, Cubs' 5th straight win puts them 1st in NL Central http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-rockies-20180430-story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs relief pitcher Luke Farrell treasures first major-league win http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-luke-farrell-20180430-story.html Chicago Tribune, Theo Epstein: April 18 rainout might have been turning point for Cubs offense http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-better-batting-approach-notes- 20180430-story.html Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon likes Kyle Schwarber's return to 'the huddle' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kyle-schwarber-20180430- story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs not surprised by power surge of former prospect Christian Villanueva http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-theo-epstein-20180501- story.html Chicago Tribune, Yosh Kawano's old Chicago friends buy him a Cubs World Series ring http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-yosh-kawano-world-series-ring- 20180430-story.html Chicago Sun-Times, Can you believe this? Cubs outpitch mistakes to beat Rox, move into first place https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/can-you-believe-this-cubs-out-pitch-mistakes-to-beat-rox- move-into-first-place/ Chicago Sun-Times, Rockie road less taken: Cubs’ Kris Bryant vs. Jon Gray and what might have been https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/rocky-road-less-taken-cubs-kris-bryant-vs-jon-gray-and-what- might-have-been/ Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs ‘riding the wave’ to 9-2 mark with makeshift 1-2 punch atop batting order https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-riding-the-wave-to-9-2-mark-with-makeshift-1-2-punch- atop-batting-order/ -- Daily Herald Cubs overcome sloppy play to beat Rockies By Bruce Miles For Jon Lester, it didn't matter that he didn't get the win. What mattered was the Chicago Cubs picked up a 3-2 victory Monday night over the Colorado Rockies in a sloppy game on the first consistently warm date at Wrigley Field this season. If Lester couldn't get the win, he was just as happy that reliever Luke Farrell got it to earn his first big- league victory. Even more important for the Cubs was that they took over first place in the National League Central. The victory, the Cubs' fifth in a row, moved them to 16-10 and put them one-half game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-12), who fell to Washington. Farrell is the son of former Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, for whom Lester played. "I've known him since he was 13, I think," Lester said of Luke Farrell. "I don't care who gets the win. The biggest thing is if we win, and obviously, when you get your first, that's an added bonus." Farrell, a graduate of Northwestern University, worked 1⅓ perfect innings, taking over for Lester with two outs in the sixth. "It's cool," said Farrell, claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds last October. "I won't try and downplay it. To get your first win in the major leagues is an awesome thing and an achievement I appreciate fully." Some uncharacterisctally bad Cubs defense forced Lester to throw 37 of his 106 pitches in the fifth inning. The Cubs opened the scoring in the second. Ben Zobrist doubled down the left-field line and came in on Addison Russell's single. The Rockies scored a pair of unearned runs in the fifth. Noel Cuevas bunted for a single before Pat Valaika walked. Pitcher Kyle Freeland bunted. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras pounced on the ball and threw hard to first base. Javier Baez, moving from second to cover, dropped the ball for an error to load the bases. A single by Charlie Blackmon and a double by Nolan Arenado put the Rockies up 2-1. Albert Almora's RBI single in the fifth tied the game. Kris Bryant made an error in the sixth to hasten Lester's departure. In the bottom of the sixth, Bryant tripled off the left-field wall and came home on Anthony Rizzo's groundout as first baseman Ian Desmond bobbled the ball. Early work for Rizzo: Anthony Rizzo was out Monday afternoon taking early batting practice. He entered the game batting .157 and having gone 1-for-14 against the Milwukee Brewers over the weekend. "He was very unlucky a couple games ago," manager Joe Maddon said. "I think that whole series was a little bad luck running in his direction. It's coming back. He's really good at what he does. I think he's been fouling his pitch off. Otherwise, he's fine." Finally, a warm day: Monday's gametime temperature of 80 was a far cry from the 46 on Sunday and the 43 on Saturday to go along with a 37-degree windchill. -- Daily Herald Epstein proud of Chicago Cubs players after month of growth By Bruce Miles There will be no Maydays sent up for the Cubs or by the Cubs as this May Day dawns. In fact, team president Theo Epstein expressed satisfaction over the March/April the Chicago Cubs experienced, even if there were some bumps along the way. "The biggest thing I like is how many guys seem to be really growing and getting better and as a team, too," Epstein said before Monday night's series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. "I said the other day, too, when we were close to .500, I said I'd rather have the record we had but with the growth and certain guys facing some difficult stretches and coming out of it and making adjustments that I think will serve them well for the rest of the season. "I'd rather have that experience than maybe we'd run into some homers or had a better record but without the growth that we've experienced. I'm proud of what our guys have done in April and how it sets us up going forward." After beginning the season with Ian Happ as the leadoff man, Albert Almora Jr. playing here and there and Javier Baez hitting eighth, the Cubs have adjusted on the fly and have taken off. They entered Monday 15-10 after hovering around .500 most of April. Almora and Baez have been the 1-2 hitters in the lineup most of the time since April 19, when the Cubs finished up a rain-shortened series with the Cardinals. Epstein cited that series as kind of an epiphany. He also cited the work of new hitting coach Chili Davis, who replaced the fired John Mallee. Manager Joe Maddon noted differences in approaches several times during this homestand. "Chili came in with kind of a mandate of getting guys to consider using the whole field a little bit more, working on situational hitting, two-strike approach, working on line drives through the gap instead of an all-or-nothing approach that sometimes we can fall victim to at times the way the whole league does," Epstein said. "In that regard, it's been a really nice first month as a team. You can see that last game of the last homestand against St. Louis, we kind of turned the corner. If you remember, there was a rainout that day before, and guys were wearing out the cage with Chili and (assistant hitting coach Andy Haines) and those other guys. "I think that was the day we had a big increase in buy-in (to) team-wide offensive approach that we were going to use the whole field.