July 23, 2016

ESPNChicago.com Dexter Fowler shines in return: 'It's like coming home' By Jesse Rogers

MILWAUKEE -- The famous ear-to-ear smile is back.

So is the production at the top of the order as center fielder and leadoff man Dexter Fowler made his presence known in a big way -- and right away -- against the , taking the field for the first time since June 18 after recovering from a nagging hamstring injury.

Before he took the field on defense, he made an impact, homering on a 3-1 pitch off Jimmy Nelson to begin a big night at the plate -- and get the Cubs on the board early. It was his fourth leadoff home this season and 18th of his career.

"Everyone loved it," a smiling Fowler said of his teammates in the locker room after the Cubs' 5-2 win. "Everyone was happy for it. It's like coming back home."

Everyone loved it not only because it gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead but because everyone simply loves Dexter Fowler. The clubhouse is different without him and so are the Cubs. They improved to 44-18 with him in the starting lineup this season.

"It's really apparent how important he is to us," manager Joe Maddon said. "It's really good to have him in there. The guys feed off all that."

Maddon said it "looked right" seeing Fowler in center field joking around with Addison Russell and right fielder Jason Heyward. It's similar to what he said the day Fowler surprised everyone at spring training when he re- signed with the team. Who knew how important he would be? The Cubs aren't the Cubs without their leader at the top of the lineup.

"It was nice to see him run around out there," winning pitcher Jason Hammel said.

Fowler followed his with a two-run one inning later, but he wasn't done, adding a walk and a single before his night was over. He missed the cycle by a triple in his first live action since pulling up lame at first base over a month ago. His timing was not an issue as he has been hitting off a tee, played one rehab game for Class A South Bend before the All-Star break, followed by a doubleheader Wednesday for Triple-A Iowa.

"Nothing adds up to live pitching," Fowler said. "I was just happy to be back around the boys."

And the boys were happy he was back. Fowler said his hamstring felt fine as he made a first-to-third sprint on a Kris Bryant double in the fourth inning and showed no signs of any lingering issues in center field, where he wasn't really challenged. All in all, it was a great re-start to the season for the man who Maddon always says "you go, we go" to before each game. He never uttered that to Fowler's replacements while he was out.

"I already did that to him in the office," Maddon said before the game with a smile of his own. "It felt so good."

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ESPNChicago.com Carl Edwards Jr. is emerging in Cubs' bullpen By Jesse Rogers

MILWAUKEE -- Maybe the Chicago Cubs don’t need as much bullpen help as we thought. They’ve already added lefty Mike Montgomery, and now -- in a sense -- they’ve added a righty in the form of Carl Edwards Jr. He didn’t break camp with the team, but Edwards might very well finish the season with them, perhaps even performing a big role in the playoff push.

“That’s something I can’t say right now,” Edwards said after the Cubs' 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. “My thing is what’s going on right now. The present. I don’t know what the future holds.

“My goal was to get back up here and stay up here.”

Edwards isn’t going anywhere, as he had another good outing on Friday night. Entering the game with Chicago leading 4-2 with a runner on second base and no outs, Edwards faced the heart of the Brewers' order. A groundout and two strikeouts later, he was back in the dugout while , Scooter Gennett and Jonathan Lucroy probably were left wondering, “Who is this stringbean?”

“I thought the turning point was CJ [Carl Edwards],” manager Joe Maddon said. “The middle-innings closer. That’s the classic example of the impact it can have on a game.”

To review, Edwards was acquired in a midseason deal in 2013 with the in exchange for pitcher Matt Garza. Edwards is famously known for being extremely thin; he's listed at 6-foot-3, 170 pounds.

His eating habits were a big topic when he came over from the Rangers, but his stuff was never up for debate. It’s nasty -- he’ll reach 95-96 mph on his fastball with some nice late zip. Being moved to the bullpen last year has dismissed the conversation over his stamina to go six or seven innings, and now he can let it fly, as he did on Friday.

“He weighs about 140 pounds and he can attack a ton worth of weight,” said Jason Hammel, Friday’s winner. “Impressive to watch him do his thing.”

Edwards is a cool customer with a fun personality, but he has kept to himself in his latest stint in the big leagues. After the game, he dressed at his locker, put on his backpack and addressed reporters in a colorful shirt with roses on it -- a shirt that Maddon complimented him on before the game.

“For me, I just go out there and tell myself ‘go right after guys,’” Edwards said. “Let the outcomes be the outcomes. It’s trusting everything. Their decision, my decision and my location of pitches.

“Very mellow, very humble. I’m not overthinking things right now. I’m staying in my lane. When they call my number, I’m just doing my job.”

And lately, he has been doing a heck of a job; the situations he’s thrust into are becoming more important. He started on mop-up duty, but he has progressed to the point of basically taking Justin Grimm’s job in those important middle innings. In 13 innings over 12 appearances, Edwards has given up just six hits and four walks, producing a 2.08 ERA.

“I believe he can sustain what he’s doing up to this point,” Maddon said. “I think we have to be prudent. If you try and go to the well too often, eventually in September, he’ll be dragging out there. As much as you would like to play with that toy, you might have to leave him in the toy box.”

Which means the Cubs still might need bullpen help. In fact, the sample size is too small -- and projecting what Edwards could look like well after the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline might be too risky. And in a sense, if he is indeed replacing Grimm in a key role, then the Cubs haven’t added anyone as much as they’ve swapped one reliever for another.

“Stuff wise, yeah,” Hammel said. “Just the experience, really. That’s all he needs. The later in the game you go, a little harder it gets, but he definitely has the stuff. And execution is better. And he’s not afraid.”

Maddon said he doesn’t want to regularly use Edwards on back-to-back days just yet, but in terms of high-leverage situations, he is already there.

“[He’s] still quiet,” Maddon said. “I know he feels like he belongs here. He’s surrounded by a bunch of veteran guys. He's doing everything right.

“He even had a cool shirt.”

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ESPNChicago.com Bittersweet time for Albert Almora Jr. as he heads back to minors a married man By Jesse Rogers

MILWAUKEE -- It’s not exactly the honeymoon Chicago Cubs rookie Albert Almora Jr. envisioned. He and his new bride, Krystal, will head to Des Moines, Iowa, this weekend after Almora was sent down to Triple-A one day after getting married in Chicago.

“It was exciting. A really exciting time. And then this happened,” Almora said with a half-smile. “She’s a warrior. We’ll get through this together.”

Almora proved he was worthy of staying in the big leagues but the return of Dexter Fowler from a prolonged hamstring injury forced him back to the minors. Almora .265 in 83 at-bats and played stellar defense in the outfield. If just-activated outfielder Fowler moves on this offseason, center field could be Almora's for the taking in 2017.

“He had a great first attempt at the big leagues,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s at the point where he believes he belongs here.”

Softening the blow of getting sent down was tying the knot at a courthouse in Chicago on Thursday with teammates Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Justin Grimm and Kyle Schwarber by Almora's side.

“They looked beautiful together,” Russell said. “They wanted us there to help share that experience.

“The dress code was fun, flirty attire.”

Afterwards Almora and his new wife were supposed to take a helicopter ride but area storms prevented them from flying. They actually ran into Maddon at a local restaurant after the wedding.

“I’m upset I didn’t follow up with some kind of toast in front of the whole restaurant,” Maddon lamented Friday. “I’m so happy for him.”

The next day reality hit as Maddon and Almora had a different kind of conversation in his office in Milwaukee.

“He’s super proud and happy with what I’ve done and that he knows I’m a big league player,” Almora stated. “I’m confident I can play here. 100 percent.”

The Almoras are expecting a baby boy in September, which is the latest dad would return to the big league team. He proved he can be a factor on defense -- he’s actually sore from running into the wall recently -- and hold his own at the plate. Now his professional and work life are aligned.

“This is a big family in here,” Almora said. “We look out for one another. We have a lot of fun playing baseball.”

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ESPNChicago.com Dexter Fowler hits HR, leads Cubs in return from the disabled list By Jesse Rogers

MILWAUKEE -- Dexter Fowler picked up where he left off in his return from the disabled list on Friday.

The Chicago Cubs outfielder hit a home run and drove in three runs in his first game since June 18, powering the Chicago Cubs to a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

The Cubs activated Fowler before the game after the outfielder missed a month with a hamstring injury. Without Fowler, the Cubs had an 11-17 record and scored 0.7 fewer runs in games compared to when Fowler was in the lineup, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Fowler went 3-for-4 with a walk and scored twice against the Brewers.

"I was just happy to be back around the boys,'' Fowler said.

Fowler was hitting .290 with seven homers, 28 RBIs and six steals in 64 games before landing on the DL after injuring his right hamstring running to first base.

The Cubs also added pitcher Mike Montgomery to the roster after acquiring him from the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

"It's exciting. It kind of feels like the first day of school again," Montgomery said. "I was a little shocked [about the trade]. I'm not going to lie. But now I'm excited."

Montgomery, who played for Cubs manager Joe Maddon during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, was 3-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 32 appearances with the Mariners this season.

"He has a great arm. I'll attempt to ease him in however if the moment arises and we run out of people, and [if] it has to be him, it will be him," Maddon said.

Outfielder Albert Almora Jr. and right-hander Spencer Patton were optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Fowler and Montgomery.

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CSNChicago.com Game Changer: Dexter Fowler’s Return Fuels Cubs In Milwaukee By Patrick Mooney

MILWAUKEE – Cubs fans, Dexter Fowler feels your pain: “It sucks being on the couch and watching your team struggle.”

It only took five pitches on Friday night at Miller Park before Fowler answered the questions about how much this lineup missed his presence and how long it would take him to get back into a rhythm.

“You go, we go” is what manager Joe Maddon tells Fowler, and a sellout crowd of 42,243 roared when the All-Star leadoff guy hammered a 94-mph Jimmy Nelson fastball off the black batter’s eye in center field, setting the first- inning tone in a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I was just happy to be back around the boys,” Fowler said after going 3-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in his return. “It’s like being back home.”

Fowler’s strained right hamstring alone doesn’t begin to explain all this, because he had been hitting .207 in June, the rotation cooled off, the bullpen became unreliable and a 24-games-in-24-days stretch wore this team out before the All-Star break. But the Cubs were 27 games over .500 and had a 12.5-game lead in the division on June 19, the night Fowler went on the disabled list with what sounded like a minor injury.

If panic didn’t completely set in around a first-place team, underlying issues kept bubbling to the surface, the Cubs losing 15 of their last 21 games before that summer vacation.

But the second-half Cubs (58-37) now look energized, beating the American League’s best first-half team (Texas Rangers) and the defending champs () at before rolling up Interstate 94 for a virtual home game.

Now here comes Fowler, who jumpstarted the offense again with the bases loaded in the second inning, lining a two-run double down the left-field line and saying postgame that he felt no lingering issues with the hamstring.

“He’s an asset at the top of the lineup,” winning pitcher Jason Hammel said. “Tough at-bat. And he can get you. It was nice to see him run around out there again.”

Yes, Hammel (9-5, 3.35 ERA) ate a handful of potato chips to help prevent cramping in the 86-degree heat, lasting five innings before five relievers combined to hold the Brewers (40-54) scoreless the rest of the night. For all the buzz about Theo Epstein’s front office upgrading the bullpen by the Aug. 1 trade deadline, Maddon may already have a shiny new toy in Carl Edwards Jr.

The skinny right-hander entered the game in the sixth inning, with a runner on second, and cut through the heart of Milwaukee’s order, forcing Ryan Braun to ground out and striking out Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter on six pitches combined.

Just like that, the Cubs are getting answers from within, after all the outside noise screamed: Do something! The fans chanted “Let’s go, Cubbies!” before closer Hector Rondon got the final out and his 17th save. This is again looking like the team Fowler envisioned when he turned down the Baltimore Orioles for a one-year, $13 million guarantee, shocking the industry by showing up in Arizona in late February.

“It’s really apparent how important he is to us,” Maddon said. “It just looked right.”

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CSNChicago.com The Next ? Mike Montgomery Wants To Show What He Can Do For Cubs Bullpen By Patrick Mooney

MILWAUKEE – “The next Andrew Miller” might be an unfair label for Mike Montgomery, who’s already been traded three times and still hasn’t completed a full season in the big leagues yet.

But Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein alluded to the possibility after acquiring Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners, projecting a 6-foot-5 lefty with first-round/top-prospect stuff who could thrive in the bullpen after struggling to make it as a starter.

Epstein had watched the beginning of the Miller reboot with the , and felt like the Cubs should trade for Montgomery this week, before the price skyrocketed beyond minor-league slugger Dan Vogelbach and minor-league pitcher Paul Blackburn.

Miller remains a target leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline – if the New York Yankees break up their dominant bullpen and sell off an All-Star reliever – but for now the Cubs will give a long runway to a pitcher who’s under club control through the 2021 season.

“I’ve seen his career,” Montgomery said before Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. “I’ve watched a lot of his stuff, actually. He’s unbelievable with what he does. We’re definitely different types of pitchers. I don’t necessarily like to compare that much. I’m just going to try to be the best I can be with my style.”

Manager Joe Maddon noticed the differences in performance and maturity since seeing Montgomery as a minor- league pitcher with the Tampa Bay Rays after that blockbuster James Shields/Wil Myers trade with the Kansas City Royals following the 2012 season.

“He’s got all kinds of potential,” Maddon said. “You talk about Andrew Miller: Did you see him when he pitched in Boston a couple years ago? It wasn’t as polished as it looks like right now.

“With Monty, I know a big part of his ascension has been better command out of the bullpen. The velocity is back up to where it had been. He’s got a really good curveball, man. And he’s got a very good changeup, too.

“Part of the process is to be patient. Give the guy opportunities. Don’t expect too much too soon. But if you do everything well, this guy could really build to something very special.”

The Cubs believe it’s already starting to click for Montgomery, who turned 27 on July 1 and put up a 2.34 ERA, a 59 percent groundball rate and 54 strikeouts in 61.2 innings with the Mariners this season.

“I got a lot of confidence in what I’m doing,” Montgomery said. “I really feel I can help this team out in any situation. I know they got a lot of good players here already. But (I’ll) just go about my business the way I have been and pitch the way I have been.

“However that shapes up, I think it’s going to help this team and be good for me. I think I bring value in a lot of different ways. It’s just going out there and being confident and doing what you do and making good pitches. It’s that simple. I try not to get too far outside of that. Just worry about baseball and keep that tunnel vision on my craft.”

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CSNChicago.com Getting Married And Demoted Is ‘Bittersweet,’ But Albert Almora Jr. Showed He Belongs In Cubs’ Plans By Patrick Mooney

MILWAUKEE – The Cubs sent Albert Almora Jr. down to Triple-A Iowa the day after his wedding. This is a cold business, but the franchise does have a soft spot for the first player drafted by the Theo Epstein regime, still believing he could become the center fielder of the future, perhaps as soon as Opening Day 2017.

The Cubs rebooked Almora into a Pacific Coast League honeymoon by activating Dexter Fowler (hamstring) from the disabled list before Friday’s 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, getting back their “You go, we go” leadoff guy.

This was less than 24 hours after Almora posted a photo on and Instagram with the caption: “Finally hitched! #MrsAlmora.” Almora posed with Krystal, who’s expecting a baby boy in early September, or about the time there should be another call-up to The Show.

Teammates Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Justin Grimm – and their wives and girlfriends – attended the ceremony at a Chicago courthouse. Almora and his bride then bumped into manager Joe Maddon on Thursday night at Ocean Cut, the River North restaurant.

“It’s bittersweet,” Almora said inside the visiting clubhouse. “This is a big family in here. We look out for one another and we have a lot of fun playing baseball.”

Almora hit .265 with two homers, seven doubles and a .712 OPS in 34 games, showing his natural instincts, potential as a Gold Glove defender and the need for what Maddon called “a little bit more sophistication in regards to his at-bats.” It’s all part of the learning curve for a 22-year-old baseball gym rat accustomed to elite competition after growing up in South Florida and playing on Team USA.

“I’m confident I can play here, 100 percent,” Almora said. “I played like I belong. Like I said when I first got here – what helps me sleep at night is that I played my all. I left it all on the field. I can’t predict what could happen. But I’m happy with where I’m at.”

Given the first-round pedigree, this most recent snapshot and the expectation that Fowler will hit the free-agent market again this winter, is Almora your everyday center fielder next season?

“I can’t answer that,” Maddon said. “All I know is that he’s proven to himself and us how good he is. Yes, he can play on a consistent basis. There’s no question about that. But I don’t know what the overall game plans are.

“The biggest thing with a guy like that is he gets his feet wet (and realizes): ‘I belong here. I can do this.’ And then he gets to go back and work on things that he knows is going to make him better here.

“We – and the front office – are comfortable with the fact that we believe that he can. And, more importantly, he believes that he can.”

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CSNChicago.com Cubs Outfielder Albert Almora Jr. Got Married On His Day Off By Tony Andracki

In the middle of the baseball season, there aren't many days off for big-leaguers.

So Albert Almora Jr. had to take advantage of the Cubs' first off-day since the All-Star Break.

The Cubs rookie outfielder got hitched Thursday:

(Picture on website)

Almora, 22, swore off social media last year, but returned to post an Instagram of his fiancee and future baby earlier this week and then shared the Tweet and Instagram of his post-wedding photo.

No word on if he or his fiancee walked up to the altar with this song blasting.

Almora made his big-league debut last month and is hitting .265 with a .712 OPS while making highlight-reel plays in the outfield on a seemingly regular basis.

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Chicago Tribune What if Cubs had rented Hall of Famer in '98? We'll never know By Paul Sullivan

With Mike Piazza getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside Ken Griffey Jr., it's interesting to note the Cubs tried to acquire the superstar early in the 1998 season.

The Marlins acquired Piazza from the Dodgers in May of '98 but were in the midst of a fire sale after winning the World Series the season before and put him back on the market immediately. He wound up going to the Mets a week later.

Piazza's agent, Dan Lozano, said after the trade the Mets and Cubs were the final two teams in the running.

"I don't know about that," then-Cubs President Andy MacPhail said when apprised of Lozano's comment. "We'll never know how close we came."

The Marlins had tried to package Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile to the Cubs in a deal for prospects. But the Cubs had no interest in reacquiring Zeile and his $3.2 million salary, even though Kevin Orie was struggling at third.

The Cubs simply were looking to "rent" Piazza for the rest of the season, knowing they had no hope of re-signing him to a six- or seven-year deal for $100 million or more. MacPhail and then-general manager Ed Lynch also refused to part with top catching prospect Pat Cline and top pitching prospect Todd Noel, neither of whom made it to the majors.

The Mets wound up dealing three young players, including outfielder Preston Wilson, for Piazza, who led them to the World Series in 2000 and is widely regarded as the best-hitting catcher in history.

MacPhail conceded the day after the deal that the Marlins got more talent from the Mets than the Cubs were willing to give up. But Cubs players weren't happy about missing out on a game-changing player.

When news of the deal flashed on the clubhouse TV the day of the trade, one prominent player stood up and yelled in disgust: "You have to be kidding."

MacPhail said he wasn't disappointed but knew the Cubs would draw criticism for not pulling the trigger.

"We'll have plenty of opportunities to improve," he said.

The Cubs wound up signing 40-year-old third baseman Gary Gaetti on Aug. 19 after the Cardinals released him. Gaetti turned out to be a vital cog in their playoff push and hit the key home run in the wild-card tiebreaker over the Giants.

But what if the Cubs weren't so protective of their unproven prospects and managed to get Piazza for the last four months of '98? Could they have beaten the Braves in the '98 playoffs and perhaps ended their World Series drought?

We'll never know.

Saving the game: Piazza is the lowest-drafted player to make it to the Hall of Fame. The Dodgers selected him in the 62nd round in 1988.

Griffey, on the other hand, was the Mariners' No. 1 pick in the 1987 draft and faced immense pressure from the first day of his pro career to live up to the hype.

The son of former major leaguer Ken Griffey, "Junior" received 437 out of a possible 440 votes in his first year on the ballot. Playing with a squeaky-clean reputation in the steroid era, he stood out from the pack.

Griffey was always one of the more approachable superstars, perhaps learning to be available to the media from growing up in the Reds clubhouse when his dad played.

One day at the Kingdome in early 1996, I asked Griffey about a Gentlemen's Quarterly cover story that touted him as the player who could "save baseball." This was the first full season after the players strike and the game was having trouble regaining the fans' trust.

"There are 25 guys on this team, there are 1,000 major-league ballplayers who have to save the game, not just one player," Griffey said. "Every organization, anyone who deals with baseball every day has to save baseball, from the front office on down to the clubhouse guys. There's not one person who is not important if baseball is to survive."

The game survived. Ironically, it wasn't Griffey but the '98 home run race between juiced-up sluggers Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire that was credited for its revival. Neither Sosa nor McGwire has come close to gaining election to the Hall.

Back in the '90s, Griffey was so tied to Nike he wore a pullover jersey in batting practice with the Nike swoosh instead of a Mariners logo. ("This one's a little heavier, and I like to sweat," he explained.)

Nike ran a "Griffey for President" ad campaign in '96 and he admitted to me that he even registered to vote so he could vote for himself.

"Some people were asking me what my stand on abortion is and stuff like that," he said. "That's not fair to me. It's a campaign to let everyone know it's time to vote and you can make a difference."

Griffey ultimately lost to Bill Clinton, but no matter. He was one of those rare players who transcended the sport and was recognized by those who didn't even follow baseball.

"I don't think there will ever be another Ken Griffey Jr., somebody who comes into the game and just changes it," Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He changed it for the better.

"Every single day he played, he was smiling, laughing, enjoying the game — the hat backward, going onto the field and doing everything possible to have fun and be one of the best players out there."

Bad blood: Diamondbacks honcho Tony La Russa was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, while baseball analyst and chronicler Peter Gammons won the Spink Award for excellence in sports writing in 2004.

Recently the two giants of the game were at odds over a Gammons tweet that quoted an unnamed National League general manager, who suggested La Russa sent reliever Brad Ziegler to the Red Sox because of his relationship with Boston President Dave Dombrowski, an old friend from their early days together in the White Sox organization.

La Russa was irked at the implication.

"The clubs that are complaining, we looked at their prospects and there (wasn't) anything there that we liked for Ziegler," he told a Phoenix radio station

La Russa then added: "I'm really offended by somebody like Peter putting it out there because he has known me since my first day in uniform, and since then he has apologized."

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Chicago Tribune David Ross developed bond with mentor Robin Ventura during Dodgers days By Mark Gonzales

Robin Ventura treated David Ross to his first private plane ride and gave him a greater appreciation for tri-tip steak.

But the greatest gifts Ventura provided Ross were how to be a good player and teammate.

"The mentor of all mentors," Ross said.

Ross and Ventura, who were teammates with the Dodgers in 2003-04, will cross paths on a baseball field for perhaps the final time when Ross' Cubs face Ventura's White Sox in the City Series.

This marks the final season for Ross, 39, who plans to retire after this year but credits Ventura, the 49-year-old Sox manager, for grooming him as a major-league player when they were at different career points.

"He was the first to show me what it's like to be a good teammate," said Ross, who has been admired throughout his 15-year career for his handling of pitching staffs and relationships with teammates. "No matter your status in the game, you treat everyone the same, be humble and support your teammates."

Ross wishes more players would provide support like Ventura, a six-time Gold Glove third baseman with 294 home runs, did near the end of his 16-year career.

"When you're out of the game, get back on the bench," Ross said. "It bothers me a little bit. You still have guys who come out and watch it on television in the clubhouse."

To emphasize his point, Ross described the lengths the mild-mannered Ventura would go to cheer on his teammates.

"Robin used to pinch hit and go to the clubhouse and strip down naked, then throw on a pullover windbreaker with no undershirt, put his pants back on with no socks — just shoes — and it was his rally uni," Ross said.

"He'd start screaming, 'Our favorite inning. We always score in the seventh or sixth,' whatever it is. It brought the energy level up before we got the closer in there. He had a good way about that energy."

The Yankees traded Ventura to the Dodgers in 2003 at the deadline. At the time, Ross, 26, was trying to solidify his big-league status and impressed Ventura.

"He wasn't cocky, but he acted like a guy who had been around awhile," Ventura recalled. "He was a team- oriented guy who would soak up as much information as he could. He could hit for power, but he knew enough not to try to be a 40-home run guy and be a good backup catcher.

"There's that thing about pitchers wanting to throw to a specific catcher. David became that guy."

Ventura's arrival with the Dodgers couldn't have come at a better time for Ross, who was trying to learn National League hitters and strategy and adjusting to a big city after growing up in Tallahassee, Fla.

"I would pick his brains," Ross said. "He's a fun guy and easy to be around. You end up learning more than you thought you would. There are things I put into practice many years later that I learned from him."

Ventura said it's "part of the game" for veterans to look after younger players, especially if they had mentors themselves earlier in their careers.

"I liked to eat dinner," Ventura said. "So did David. So you would grab a couple of guys on the road. It was all part of the process to make guys comfortable and talk baseball and treat them as family.

"And when David did something well in a game, everyone got excited. There was a big trust factor with him."

Ventura and his wife Stephanie took a liking to Ross and his wife Hyla so much that they invited them once to fly from San Francisco to their Arroyo Grande, Calif., home on a private plane after a getaway game against the Giants.

"It was the first time I drove right up to a plane," Ross recalled. "I thought, 'My gosh, this is the greatest thing ever.' We were in the air before the team bus left the stadium.

"It shows you how humble they are and care about others, along with the success. Robin and Stephanie seem like the same people they were at an early age. He sends me a text when I do well."

Ross has made sure to enjoy many cultural and culinary experiences in his final season.

But he still raves about the tri-tip meal Ventura and some of his friends, who drove three hours from Ventura's hometown of Santa Maria to the Dodger Stadium parking lot, prepared and served to teammates after a game.

"I'm not a big tri-tip guy," Ross said. "But this was marinated, with the pico (de gallo) on top.

"The best."

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Chicago Tribune In return, Dexter Fowler sparks Cubs in 5-2 victory over Brewers By Mark Gonzales

Dexter Fowler gave the Cubs a much-welcomed spark Friday night that was enough to overcome some harrowing moments.

Fowler, who missed nearly five weeks because of a right hamstring strain, showed that his bat is well when he smacked a home run and a two-run double in his first two at-bats. Those blows loomed large as the Cubs held on for a 5-2 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park.

"I was just happy to be back around the boys," Fowler said. "I came in and was happy to see everybody. That's all you can ask for. It's like coming back home."

Despite Fowler's offensive spark, a four-run lead almost wasn't enough as the Cubs scored just once after the second inning, and Jason Hammel was pulled after allowing a double to Scooter Gennett to start the sixth despite throwing only 76 pitches.

But following a day off with the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaching, manager Joe Maddon squeezed every available resource possible as he potentially awaits more reinforcements.

The biggest addition recently was Fowler, as the Cubs were 11-17 while he was on the disabled list. And Maddon said before the game he will keep a close watch to make sure the switch-hitting Fowler remains healthy for the duration of the season.

"I talked to him about that," Maddon said. "Even during the course of the game, 'Talk to me. Let me know now how you're feeling.' If the game is good or bad late, in our favor or against us, we'll get him out if, in fact, he feels something."

This is an important time for Fowler, as Jason Heyward moved from right to center on occasion and displayed Gold Glove caliber defense there. Rookie Albert Almora Jr. displayed his fearless defensive skills and batted a respectable .265 until he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Fowler, who can become a free agent after this season if a mutual option for $9 million for 2017 isn't picked up.

Almora's play, which resulted in a sore left hip after crashing into the brick outfield wall at Wrigley Field to make a catch Sunday, enhanced his chances of taking over the center field duties in 2017.

But the future is now for Fowler, 30, and the Cubs.

"It feels like opening day," said Fowler, who went 3-for-4 with a walk in his return. "You can look at everything as a blessing. You never want to get the rest like this."

Neither did Hammel, especially after Maddon let him bat in the top of the sixth one out after Addison Russell hit a triple.

Hammel bunted toward the mound, which allowed reliever Carlos Torres to field and tag Russell before he reached home plate.

Gennett's double brought the tying run to home plate, but rookie Carl Edwards Jr. came in and retired formidable Ryan Braun (who hit a home run off Hammel in the fourth) on a grounder and struck out Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter to end the threat.

Reliever Justin Grimm, making only his fifth appearance of July, struck out pinch-hitter Will Middlebrooks on a big- breaking curve to end the seventh.

Catcher Miguel Montero, whose two-out throwing error resulted in Middlebrooks representing the tying run, redeemed himself with a single to score Willson Contreras in the eighth.

The return of Fowler will allow Maddon to place switch-hitter behind Anthony Rizzo. But Zobrist is 0- for-18 since the All-Star break, and his batting average has dropped from .315 to .267 since Fowler went on the DL on June 19.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Dexter Fowler reports hamstring, bat feel fine By Mark Gonzales

Dexter Fowler didn’t have to test his right hamstring Friday night until the second inning when he ran out a double down the left field line.

By then, the Cubs felt very happy about the return of their leadoff batter after missing nearly five weeks.

Fowler led off the game with a home run, and he reported no difficulties after collecting three hits in leading the Cubs to a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I probably don’t need any (days off), but any rest is good rest,” Fowler said.

Fowler said his hamstring felt fine while running from first to third on a double by Kris Bryant in the fourth inning.

But most impressive was Fowler’s sharpness at the plate after playing in only three minor league games while on a rehabilitation assignment.

Fowler said he hit off a tee while letting his hamstring heal. “But nothing adds up to actually getting the live pitches,” he said.

Fowler said rejoining his teammates was like returning home.

“It’s really apparent how important he is to us,” manager Joe Maddon said.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Joe Maddon not toying around with Carl Edwards Jr. By Mark Gonzales

Manager Joe Maddon has resisted the temptation to employ rookie reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on consecutive days since June 28-29 in Cincinnati.

Maddon has big plans for the 24-year-old Edwards, but he realizes that he must keep his 6-foot-3, 170-pound pitcher strong for bigger games.

“For right now, I think part of his success is that we’re treating him that way,” Maddon said after Edwards bailed Jason Hammel out of a jam in the sixth inning to help preserve a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

“He’s very strong every time he goes out there. His stuff is electric. You don’t want to abuse him.”

Edwards, who was promoted from Triple-A Iowa less than five weeks ago, has struck out 16 in 14 innings to go with a 1.93 ERA in 13 appearances. He earned Maddon’s distinction as the Cubs’ “middle inning closer” by retiring slugger Ryan Braun on a grounder and striking out Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter.

This occurred after Scooter Gennett hit a double off Hammel to start the inning with the Cubs trying to protect a 4- 2 lead.

“He’s definitely not afraid,” Hammel said. “He’s 140 pounds and he can attack a ton worth of weight.”

Maddon, meanwhile, insists that Edwards should be brought along slowly.

“I believe he can sustain what he’s been doing to this point,” Maddon said. “You have to be prudent. If you got to the well too often, eventually in September he’s going to be dragging, and we just can’t have that.

“For as much as you like to play with that toy, sometimes you got to leave it in the toy box and not leave it out there as often.”

Maddon also praised Edwards for his black shirt with red roses as he boarded the team bus from the hotel to Miller Park.

But success hasn’t gone to Edwards’ head, nor has he felt overmatched. Edwards maintained his focus on his task and not getting overwhelmed by facing the likes of Braun, who was 9-for-25 against Hammel after hitting a home run in the fourth.

“My confidence still the same as when I got called up,” Edwards said. “Very mellow, very humble, not overthinking things. I pretty much just stay in my lane. When they call my number, I do my job.

“My thing is what‘s going on now, in the present. I don’t know what the future holds for us.”

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Albert Almora Jr. gets married on his off-day, then sent to Iowa By Mark Gonzales

Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. took advantage of the team's day off Thursday. He got married.

But it turns out the newlyweds, who are expecting a boy Sept. 6, will be honeymooning in Iowa.

The 22-year-old posted the development on his Instagram account.

"It's bittersweet. She's (Krystal) a warrior," Almora Jr. said of his demotion to Triple A one day after getting married. "We'll get through this together."

Teammates Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Justin Grimm and Kyle Schwarber were all reportedly in the courthouse for the ceremony.

In early July, after Almora collided with center fielder Bryant on a fly ball to left-center that gave Bryant a bruise on his lower left leg, Almora was particularly contrite: "I gave him 15,000 hugs and apologized each time," he said, adding that Bryant would be a witness at the wedding.

Joe Maddon was informed of the nuptials when he saw Almora on Thursday night at Ocean Cut Chicago.

"I'm only upset I didn't follow up with a toast in front of the restaurant," the Cubs manager said.

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Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon says Willson Contreras still part of Cubs' catching plans By Mark Gonzales

Rookie Willson Contreras didn't start at catcher for the fourth consecutive game Friday night, but manager Joe Maddon said Contreras remains a big part of the Cubs' catching plans for 2016.

Miguel Montero started his third consecutive game behind the plate, but Maddon said that was merely due to giving the Cubs the best matchup.

Furthermore, Maddon loves his defensive flexibility, as Contreras started in left field for the fourth consecutive game.

Maddon said he can use Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist and Contreras as options in left field.

"It's a beautiful thing," Maddon said. "We’re unique in that we have so many guys who can do so many different things and do them well.

"There are so many things I’m permitted to think about that other managers are not. Just based on defensively flexibility, which I think it’s going to become more popular in the coming years. If you want to make it easier on yourself and permit you to do more creative stuff in the latter part of the game, defensively flexibility is really important."

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Chicago Tribune Cubs newcomer Mike Montgomery can't avoid comparisons with Andrew Miller By Mark Gonzales

Mike Montgomery declined to compare his potential to that of Cubs trade target Andrew Miller.

But even though there was a Yankees scout in attendance Friday night at Miller Park, there's a distinct possibility the Cubs will lean on their newly-acquired left-hander to make the most impact of their bullpen additions before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

"(Montgomery) has all kinds of potential," manager Joe Maddon said. "When you see Andrew Miller, did you see when he pitched in Boston a couple years ago? He wasn't as polished as he looks right now. I know a big part of (Montgomery's) ascension has been better command. Out of the bullpen the velocity is back to where it had been. He has a very good curve and changeup.

"Typically in a situation like this for me, part of the process is to be patient. Don't expect too much too soon. But if you do everything well, this guy can grow into something very special, we believe. There are some parallels (with Miller)."

Maddon noticed that Montgomery, who was acquired from the Mariners in a four-player trade Wednesday, seemed more comfortable during a 15-minute conversation than their last chat in the spring of 2014 when the pitcher was in the Rays organization with Maddon managing.

"I can see how much he has grown," Maddon said. "It's very obvious."

Montgomery, 27, carefully separated himself from fellow left-hander Miller, 31, whom the Cubs covet if the Yankees decide to trade some of their top assets.

"(Miller) is unbelievable at what he does," Montgomery said. "We're different types of pitchers. I don't necessarily like to compare that much."

Roster shuffle: Outfielder Albert Almora Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for center fielder Dexter Fowler but left a favorable impression on Maddon during his 61/2-week stay in which he batted .265 and played solid defense.

"He shall return," Maddon said.

Almora added: "I've played like I belong. That's what I feel like."

Reliever Spencer Patton was optioned to Iowa to make room for Montgomery.

The Cubs are expected to make a decision Saturday on reliever Joe Nathan, whose 30-day minor-league rehab assignment expired Friday.

Schedule change: ESPN picked up the Cubs' game with the Cardinals on Aug. 14, which will start at 7:08 p.m.

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Chicago Sun-Times Back in the swing: Fowler returns from DL with sudden impact By Gordon Wittenmyer

MILWAUKEE – The first thing Joe Maddon said to Dexter Fowler when he showed up in the Cubs’ clubhouse Friday ready to come off the disabled list was, naturally, “You go, we go.”

It’s been a four-word ritual for the pair whenever Fowler has headed to the plate since the Cubs’ leadoff hitter joined the club last year.

And it looked prophetic enough Friday that it might wind up on a Maddon T-shirt by next week – Fowler hitting a home run and a two-run double on his first two swings since missing a month with a hamstring injury.

He finished with three hits and a walk in the Cubs’ 5-2 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park.

“It’s really apparent how significant he is for us,” Maddon said.

The Cubs went 11-17 while Fowler was on the disabled list, their three-week slump to the All-Star break coinciding almost precisely with his absence and the leadoff-man-a-day patch job Maddon employed.

“I was just happy to be back with the guys,” said Fowler, who picked up where his All-Star first half left off – seeing 14 pitches in his first three plate appearances, 10 called balls, two called strikes and the two others producing six .

“Welcome back, Dex,” said starting pitcher Jason Hammel (9-5). “He comes right back in and asserts himself.”

Fowler said his hamstring “felt good” after handling two chances in the field and spending so much time on the bases. He said he’s ready to go right back into an everyday schedule without extra rest early.

“He’s an asset for us at the top of the lineup,” said Hammel, who pitched to one batter in the sixth – giving up a double – before turning the game over to powerful rookie Carl Edwards Jr.

If Fowler’s an asset, the Hammel-to-Edwards sequence might have underscored how much more significant the shape of the Cubs’ pitching staff – and fitness of it – might be as the Cubs’ approach October.

For example, as much as Fowler’s absence hurt the Cubs during their 6-15 skid into the break, the starting rotation’s woes hurt worse: its 6.04 ERA countering the 5.0 runs per game the team scored during the stretch.

During the 5-2 start post-break, the starters have gone 5-1 with a 1.76 ERA.

“Yeah, they don’t even need me,” Fowler joked before the game.

He won’t find anybody in the clubhouse to agree with that.

But the continued health of the starting staff and the reshaping of the bullpen through the Aug. 1 trade deadline is likely to have more impact on how many games the Cubs play after September.

That’s why the other addition Friday – lefty reliever Mike Montgomery joining the team after Wednesday’s trade from Seattle – and Edwards’ performance in the sixth created as much buzz in the clubhouse before and after the game, respectively.

“If you get like two months with a guy like that in advance of the playoffs, talking about Montgomery, it could really make a huge difference,” said manager Joe Maddon of the 6-foot-5 power pitcher, who produced a 2.15 ERA in 30 relief appearances for the Mariners.

If the Cubs don’t add another big arm for the pen before the deadline, Montgomery and Edwards could be two of the more important pitchers to watch the final two months of the season.

On this night, Edwards inherited the runner at second with nobody out in a 4-2 game in the sixth and proceeded to strand him at third after facing Ryan Braun (groundout), Jonathan Lucroy (strikeout) and Chris Carter (strikeout).

“Turning point in the game,” said Maddon, who has groomed Edwards into a more significant “middle-innings closer” role to this point and sees potentially bigger things for him in the future.

“I just felt comfortable pretty much,” said Edwards, who lowered his ERA to 1.93 with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 14 innings since he was recalled last month. “when I went out there and got the first guy to ground out, I said, `All right you’re not finished.’ And then two outs, I still told myself, `Hey, guy on third, you’re not finished; make your pitches.’ And that’s what I did.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs, Almora split for now but honeymoon not over By Gordon Wittenmyer

MILWAUKEE – Talk about making adjustments at the big-league level.

Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. got married Thursday. On Friday, before he could make plans for the honeymoon, the club gave him an all-expense-paid trip to the Pacific Coast League.

“I guess we’re in [the honeymoon] right now,” joked Almora, the impressive rookie who became the corresponding roster move when center fielder Dexter Fowler returned from a hamstring injury Friday.

Almora, who called Friday’s news “bittersweet,” hit well enough, looked poised enough and was spectacular enough in the field during his six-week debut in the big leagues that the baseball honeymoon has only begun for the former No. 6 overall pick.

He’s expected to return no later than September, and by next season’s opener could be the next homegrown player to take his place in the Cubs’ starting lineup, pending the Cubs’ decision on Fowler’s contract option.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon wasn’t willing to look at potential personnel decisions that far down the road.

“All I know is that he’s proven to himself and us how good he is and that, yes, he can play on a consistent basis – there’s no question about that,” Maddon said. “I think that we, and the front office, are comfortable with the fact we believe he can [play regularly] and more importantly that he believes that he can.”

Almora, who was hitting .281 with nine extra-base hits until a 2-for-12 homestand, was an impact fielder in center, with lingering discomfort in his hip from a July 15 crash into the Wrigley Field wall as a reminder.

“I’m confident in my ability,” he said. “I’m confident I can play here, 100 percent.

“I played like I belong, and that’s what I feel like,” he added. “When I first got here what helped me sleep at night was that I played my all. I left it all on the field. I can’t predict what could happen but I’m happy with what’s going on.”

It may not be the way he and his wife, Krystal, planned to spend the first week of their marriage, leaving Chicago for Iowa. But he said now the plan is to just get back as soon as possible.

“It was a real a really exciting time,” Almora said of his off-day, courthouse marriage. “Now this happens [Friday]. But she’s a warrior, and we’ll get through this together now.”

Said Maddon of Almora’s 34-game debut: “He knows he can do this. He knows what to work on. He knows what it feels like. Moving forward, it was a great moment for him and for us.

“He’s going to be back.”

Notes: Six-time All-Star Joe Nathan had a scheduled inning of work scratched Friday when Iowa’s game was canceled over a logistical issue with Memphis, at which point the 30 days on the right-hander’s minor-league rehab assignment expired. They Cubs may have him throw a simulated inning before considering activating him from the DL. … Left-hander Mike Montgomery, who was acquired from Seattle in a four-player trade that sent prospect Dan Vogelbach to the Mariners, joined the roster for Friday’s game. Right-hander Spencer Patton was optioned to AAA Iowa to make room.

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Chicago Sun-Times These Cubs have far more than White Sox on their minds By Rick Telander

The Cubs think as much about the White Sox as a fleet of corn threshers thinks about the gopher hole by the ditch.

The Sox can do whatever they want — even win a World Series in recent memory — and it means virtually nothing to the Cubs. The Cubs’ mindset, their army, their mission, is 100 percent about themselves.

The Cubs and their legion of fans are narcissists with a mirror before them and a tiny, 108-year clock ticking in the recesses of their brains.

In fact, if we — the Trump-detested, knuckle-dragging, horn-headed media — didn’t ask the Cubs every so often about the Sox and what they mean to baseball, it’s possible youngsters such as Willson Contreras and Albert Almora Jr. might not know they even existed.

It’s only these summer crosstown meetings — two games at U.S. Cellular Field, then two at Wrigley Field this week — that keep the Sox on the Cubs’ limited radar.

Perhaps when Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant hit a first-inning home run against Chris Sale in the All-Star Game on July 12, he knew Sale was the Sox’ ace lefty. But what he remembered more was that he was terrible against Sale in the Cubs-Sox games as a rookie last season.

‘‘This one doesn’t really count toward career statistics,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘I’m still 0-for-6 with six strikeouts against Chris Sale.’’

He knew this because Sale is on the Cubs’ schedule, not because the Sox are anything more than another team to beat on the road to you-know-what.

This Cubs team is loaded with young talent — from Bryant (24 years old) to Anthony Rizzo (26) to shortstop Addison Russell (22) to infielder Javy Baez (23) to Contreras (24). And these youths are, frankly, too young to care about rivalries with a team in the American League, even if its stadium is only 71 blocks south of Addison Street.

Right now, the Cubs have the best record in baseball. This season isn’t about beating any particular team, not even the always-successful Cardinals. This season is about getting to the postseason with as good a record as possible, then winning each round until the World Series, then . . . we won’t even mention it.

The Cubs and their fans know that 1908 was the last time the North Side team won the World Series and that doing the deed again is all that matters.

It might be instructive to bring up the Red Sox for historical perspective. That once-pitiful team had gone forever without winning the Series, and much of Boston’s energy in the last century oddly went into hating the rival Yankees, who had won the Series again and again, as though that would help.

Then in 2004, after 86 years, the Red Sox won the World Series. Then they won it in 2007. And in 2013.

Everybody in Beantown chilled out, no longer wanting simply to destroy the Yankees out of misplaced frustration, and Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein came to Chicago in October 2011 to work the same magic with the Cubs.

But the Cubs don’t have that team to despise, a la the Yankees. Despite their success, the Cardinals aren’t Yankee- like to Cubdom. The Cardinals, for example, have to live in St. Louis.

And it always seemed that if the Cubs ever got serious, which they now are, the Cardinals would go back to being a prairie outfit playing under an arch to the Old West.

With Dexter Fowler finally back playing center field, the Cubs have their spark plug to ignite the offense. It’s not good news for Almora, who was sent to Class AAA Iowa on Friday, but it only makes the Cubs better.

The talk now, after acquiring lefty reliever Mike Montgomery in a trade with the Mariners, is that injured slugger Kyle Schwarber — a young stud, for sure — is a trade piece so valuable that he might bring the Cubs a super pitching arm (or two) that would guarantee a crown.

Oh, boy. You see where this is going?

The Cubs can’t wait until 2017. They need to go for it all right now.

I’d like to say the mediocre, small-crowd Sox are on the Cubs’ to-do list, but they’re not.

You don’t hook minnows when there are fish to fry.

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Daily Herald Fowler's return sparks Cubs to 5-2 win By Bruce Miles

MILWAUKEE -- Just call it the first day of the rest of the Chicago Cubs' season.

Fresh from an off-day Thursday, the Cubs opened a weekend series Friday night before a full house at Miller Park, aka, Wrigley Field North.

Manager Joe Maddon was able to welcome one new addition and welcome back another.

Left-handed reliever Mike Montgomery arrived after being traded to the Cubs from the Mariners on Wednesday.

Center fielder Dexter Fowler made a triumphant return from more than a month on the disabled list. He homered to lead off the game, hit a 2-run double in the second inning, walked in the third and singled in the ninth as the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 before 42,243 fans. The Cubs improved to 58-37.

"I was just happy to be back around the boys," Fowler said. "I came in, and I was just happy to see everybody. Everybody loved it. Everybody was happy for me. That's all you can ask for. It's like coming back home."

Getting a fresh infusion of talent is important anytime, but especially as the Cubs approach the 100-game mark.

"It is big," Maddon said. "Dex has been here, so he fits in. He understands it. He got it. And you saw how important he is to us. Let's get that going once again. A guy like Montgomery, it's good to get him into the flow of the group and get him out there and be successful with the group because part of that is the sense of belonging here.

"Of course he's going to want to do well coming into his new team and feel as though he's contributing. I just think if you get two months of a guy like that in advance of a playoff, it could really make a huge difference regarding how we learn how to use him. All those different things are factors."

Fowler checked in with the athletic trainers on his arrival at Miller Park. Once he checked out OK, he found himself back in his familiar leadoff spot. He greeted Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson with a home run to center field to begin the ballgame. He highlighted the Cubs' 3-run second inning with a double down the left-field line, scoring a pair.

On the mound for the Cubs was Jason Hammel, who made news after his last start by saying he is on a potato-chip diet.

"I had a couple handfuls of potato chips," said Hammel, who improved to 9-5.

The chips had their desired effect through the first three innings as he had a 4-0 lead. Ryan Braun crushed a solo homer to center field off Hammel in the fourth. Hernan Perez added an RBI double in the fifth.

Maddon lifted Hammel in favor of Carl Edwards Jr. in the sixth after Scooter Gennett opened with a double. Edwards retired the next three batters, striking out Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter to end the inning.

"I thought the turning point was C.J.," Maddon said of Edwards. "Nobody out, and you've got Braun, Lucroy and Carter, and nobody scores. That was a big moment in the game. That's what you always talk about: the middle- inning closer. It's a classic example of the impact it can have on the game."

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Daily Herald Cubs rookie outfielder Almora takes demotion with grace By Bruce Miles

MILWAUKEE -- Just title Friday's Cubs movie: "Two center fielders and a wedding."

Before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs activated center fielder Dexter Fowler off the disabled list and optioned rookie Albert Almora to Class AAA Iowa.

It's been a whirlwind for Almora. He got married Thursday. He and his wife, Krystal, are expecting a child Sept. 6.

"It's bittersweet," he said of the demotion. "Now I get to go and just work every day and try to get better overall and come back and help the team win whenever that is."

Almora played solid defense in his first 34-game stint in the big leagues. He had a hitting line of .265/.291/.422 with 2 homers and 9 RBI. Manager Joe Maddon had a message for him.

"That he's super proud and happy with what I've done and that he knows I'm a big-league player," Almora said.

Maddon said he was impressed.

"I had a great conversation with him," he said. "Great first attempt at the big leagues. I think he's at the point now where he believes he belongs here. He knows he can do this. He knows what to work on, what it feels like. Moving forward, it was a great moment for him, and for us. And he's going to be back."

And about the wedding?

"It happened so fast," Almora said. "It was (in) some courthouse."

Fowler feeling fresh:

Dexter Fowler returned to the Cubs after being on the disabled list since June 19 with a strained right hamstring, an injury that kept him out of the All-Star Game.

"It feels like Opening Day," he said. "It feels good to be back on the field and to be back with these guys. They don't even need me. It's good to get back and get those Ws with them, get to celebrate."

Fowler homered his first time up in Friday's game, a drive to center field. He said the injury was a serious one.

"I knew I got it pretty good when I ran down to first," he said of when he suffered the strain. "You never know how your body responds. It actually got better quicker than I thought."

Welcome aboard:

The Cubs welcomed left-handed reliever Mike Montgomery on Friday. To make room, they optioned right-handed reliever Spencer Patton back to Class AAA Iowa.

Montgomery came to the Cubs Wednesday in a trade with Seattle that sent prospects Dan Vogelbach and Paul Blackburn to the Mariners system.

"I was a little shocked; I'm not going to lie," he said. "I knew, obviously, this time of year anything can happen, but I'm excited. Now I understand I've got a chance to be a part of a very good situation."

Montgomery worked as a starter last season. This year, he made starts in his last 2 appearances with the Mariners but worked in 30 games out of the bullpen.

"In the bullpen this year, I learned some different things there and being a starter," he said. "Just going in and trusting my stuff. I feel like refining everything each year has gotten me better. Now it's about having confidence to go out there and attack and execute pitches."

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Cubs.com Fowler sets tone as Cubs take care of Crew By Carrie Muskat and Curt Hogg

MILWAUKEE -- How much did the Cubs miss Dexter Fowler? A lot. Playing his first game since June 18, Fowler smacked a leadoff home run and a two-run double, finishing a triple shy of the cycle to back Jason Hammel and lead the Cubs to a 5-2 victory on Friday over the Brewers at Miller Park.

"It was a wonderful evening for him, and it's really apparent how important he is to us," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Fowler.

Hammel served up four hits, including Ryan Braun's solo home run in the fourth, and two runs over five-plus innings for his second straight win, and his ninth in 13 career starts against the Brewers. Chicago improved to 5-2 since the All-Star break, while the Brewers dropped to 2-5.

Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson eventually settled in after allowing four early runs (two earned), but could not overcome early mistakes on the mound and on defense. He remained winless in 10 games against the Cubs and is 1-5 in his past nine starts this season.

"[Nelson] put up three zeros after the big inning, and we got back into the game," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It was a 4-2 game and we had a couple leadoff hitters get on in some spots to make it a one-run game."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

You go, we go: Fowler was sidelined for 27 games because of a right hamstring strain, and looked healthy in his first at-bat when he launched a 3-1 pitch from Nelson to straightaway center for his 18th career leadoff home run and fourth this year. He didn't stop there. The Cubs loaded the bases in the second, and Fowler drilled a double down the left field line, driving in a pair. He also singled to lead off the ninth. The Cubs were 43-18 with him batting first before he was hurt, and 11-17 without him.

Toro, Torres: Home-plate collisions are now outlawed, but don't tell that to Carlos Torres. With one out in the sixth and Addison Russell on third, Hammel laid down a squeeze bunt fielded by Torres. Rather than flip the ball to catcher Jonathan Lucroy, the Brewers reliever made the scoop and barrelled headfirst toward home plate to make a diving tag of a sliding Russell that kept the score 4-2 at the time.

"He bunted the ball and I just attacked it," Torres said. "I was already there, so I just tried to make a play. My momentum was already going forward, so I just tried to make a play and luckily I did."

"That was pretty impressive," Maddon said of the play. "[Torres] did not want to flip the ball. I think if he'd flipped it, we'd have had a chance to score. They were ready for us. That's good baseball."

Penmanship: The Cubs are trying to find the right pieces for the bullpen, and Carl Edwards Jr. may play a key role down the stretch. The rookie right-hander replaced Hammel in the sixth after Scooter Gennett's leadoff double, and retired the Brewers' 3-4-5 hitters, Braun, Lucroy and Chris Carter, striking out the latter two.

"That was a big moment in the game," Maddon said. "You always talk about that middle-inning closer, and that's a classic example of the impact it can have on the game."

Braun blast: Braun just missed a home run in his first against Hammel, so he made sure it wouldn't happen a second time. Seconds after walking to the plate to an audible shower of boos from a majority pro-Cubs crowd at Miller Park, Braun got the Brewers on the board in the fourth by cranking a first pitch delivery from Hammel out to center field for his 14th homer. In the first, Braun flied out just shy of the wall to the same spot in center.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Braun's homer snapped a streak of 15 consecutive games without an RBI, which was the longest such streak of his 10-year career.

REPLAY REVIEW

With two outs In the Brewers' third, Hammel threw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo in an attempt to pick off Jonathan Villar. Villar was called safe, but after a review, the call was overturned, Villar was out and the inning was over.

WHAT'S NEXT

Cubs: John Lackey gets the start on Saturday in the second game of this three-game series. Lackey is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in his last five starts. He went eight innings in his last start against the Rangers. First pitch will be 6:10 p.m. CT from Miller Park.

Brewers: Right-hander Zach Davies looks to continue his roll on the mound for the Crew. Following a scoreless outing over seven innings on Sunday, Davies lowered his ERA to 2.95 over his last 13 starts.

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Cubs.com Feeling 'like Opening Day,' Fowler flourishes By Carrie Muskat

MILWAUKEE -- When Dexter Fowler checked in with Joe Maddon in his office Friday, the Cubs manager greeted him with, "You go, we go." That's the saying Maddon would give Fowler before each at-bat, and he has not used it since the outfielder has been on the disabled list. On Friday, Fowler was activated, Maddon sent him to the plate with his message, and the result was a leadoff home run.

Fowler returned with a bang, going 3-for-4 with a walk and scored two runs in the Cubs' 5-2 victory over the Brewers. He smacked a 3-1 pitch from the Brewers' Jimmy Nelson to straightaway center for his 18th career leadoff homer and fourth this season in the first, and hit a two-run double in the second.

"It feels like Opening Day," said Fowler, who finished a triple shy of the cycle. "It feels good to get back on the field and get back with these guys."

Sidelined since June 19 with a right hamstring strain, Fowler went 1-for-5 with a double, a walk, and scored two runs on Wednesday when he played both games of a doubleheader with Triple-A Iowa in Des Moines. He started in center field in the first game and went 0-for-3, striking out twice, and was the designated hitter in the second game.

"It's a wonderful evening for him, and it's really apparent how important he is to us," Maddon said. "I was watching him in center field between innings and he's laughing with [shortstop Addison Russell] and with Jason [Heyward] out in right field, and it just looked right."

Fowler was missed. When he led off, the Cubs were 43-18, and they went 11-17 without him. He was batting .290, and ranked among the National League leaders in on-base percentage before he injured his hamstring.

"I have to try to pick it back up where I was and go from there," Fowler said.

He did just that Friday.

"I was just happy to be back around the boys, I was happy to see everybody," Fowler said after the game. "It's like coming back home."

Maddon did tell Fowler to keep him abreast of how his legs feel.

"I said, 'Even during the course of the game, talk to me. Let me know how you're feeling,'" said Maddon, who may remove Fowler early to avoid aggravating the hamstring.

Said Chicago pitcher Jason Hammel of Fowler: "It was nice to see him run around out there."

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Cubs.com Edwards' shirt, performance garner attention By Carrie Muskat

MILWAUKEE -- Carl Edwards Jr.'s day started well. When the reliever boarded the team bus, Cubs manager Joe Maddon complimented him on his rose-printed shirt. After Friday's game, Maddon complimented Edwards on his outing.

The Cubs led by two runs when the rookie entered the game in the sixth inning after starter Jason Hammel had given up a leadoff double to Scooter Gennett, and had to face the No. 3-4-5 hitters for the Brewers, Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter. Edwards retired the side, striking out Lucroy and Carter. Chicago held on for a 5- 2 victory over Milwaukee.

"That was a big moment in the game," Maddon said of the sixth. "You always talk about that middle-inning closer, and that's a classic example of the impact it can have on the game."

Edwards, 24, has not given up an earned run in 8 1/3 innings on the road, and has struck out 11 in that stretch. Did he realize he was facing the Brewers' "murderer's row," as Maddon called them?

"Not really," Edwards said. "We have the scouting report, but it's like, 'You're facing this person, this person, this person.' I hardly look at the scoreboard."

On Wednesday, the Cubs acquired lefty Mike Montgomery from the Mariners, and they are still considering what to do with veteran Joe Nathan, who has been rehabbing in their Minor League system. They may not need more pieces for the bullpen if Edwards can pitch as well as he did Friday.

"I just feel comfortable," Edwards said.

"Experience, really, is all he needs," Hammel said. "The later in a game you go, the harder it gets. He definitely has the stuff. You can see the improvement and the confidence. Execution for him, too, has gotten better. He's definitely not afraid. He weighs about 140 pounds, but he can attack a ton worth of weight."

It is hard to imagine how Edwards throws 96 mph considering his skinny physique, but he can, and he is doing so effectively.

"[My confidence] is the same as when I got called up -- very mellow, very humble," Edwards said. "I'm not overthinking things now. I'm staying in my lane, and when they call my number, I just go out and do my job."

Last year, he was called up in September, and stayed with the team for the postseason even though he wasn't on the active roster. It was an experience that may pay off this season if the Cubs play deep in October.

"The funny thing is I come in after a clean inning and the guys are constantly motivating me," Edwards said. "They're keeping me humble, too, but I'm keeping myself humble. Today, runner at second, no outs, I was talking to myself on the mound, telling myself, 'Hey, do whatever you've got to do to not let this guy score.' I went out there and got the first out, groundout, and I was telling myself, 'Hey, you're not finished.' And then two outs, I told myself, 'Hey, you're not finished.' Every time I go out there with runners on, [my goal] is to go out there and make sure the runs do not score."

Said Maddon: "He's done everything right. He had a really cool shirt when he walked on the bus today. I told him that, too."

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Cubs.com Almora married Thursday, optioned Friday By Carrie Muskat

MILWAUKEE -- With Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler activated from the disabled list before Friday's 5-2 win over the Brewers, Albert Almora Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room. When Almora was playing for Iowa, he planned on marrying his longtime girlfriend Krystal in a civil ceremony in Des Moines, but on the date they had set, he was called up to the Cubs.

On Thursday, Almora finally tied the knot at a Chicago courthouse and teammates Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell and Justin Grimm were present. On Friday, Almora found out he's headed back to Iowa. "It's bittersweet," Almora said. "Now I get to go and work every day and try to get better and come back and help the team whenever that is."

The young outfielder will be back.

"He's a big part of what we were doing the last month or so," Maddon said. "He shall return." The message Maddon gave Almora was that he belongs in the big leagues.

"I'm confident in my ability," Almora said. "I'm confident I can play here, 100 percent."

Almora also was confident that Krystal could handle the move. The two are expecting their first child Sept. 6. "She's a warrior and we'll get through this together," he said.

• Joe Nathan, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, was scheduled to pitch for Iowa on Friday but the game was postponed. Maddon said he wasn't sure what the plans were for the right-hander, who is eligible to come off the disabled list.

• The Cubs announced the Aug. 14 game against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field will start at 7:08 p.m. CT and broadcast on ESPN. The game time had been listed as "to be determined."

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Cubs.com Montgomery shocked by deal, happy to join Cubs By Carrie Muskat

MILWAUKEE -- Mike Montgomery admitted he was shocked when he was called into the clubhouse during the Mariners' game Wednesday and told he'd been traded to the Cubs.

"At first, you're kind of bummed, because, you're like, 'Man, I'm going to miss a lot of these guys,'" Montgomery said. "Then, you look at it, and say, 'I'm going to a really good place and have a chance to be part of something special.'"

The Cubs acquired Montgomery and Minor League pitcher Jordan Pries from the Mariners for Minor League prospects Dan Vogelbach and Paul Blackburn. Montgomery joined his new team and former manager, Joe Maddon, at Miller Park on Friday. Montgomery was in the Rays' system and knew Maddon then.

"He's got all kinds of potential," Maddon said of Montgomery, noting he could tell how much the lefty had matured as a person during their conversation Friday.

Right-handed reliever Spencer Patton was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Montgomery on the roster. Montgomery appeared in 32 games this season with the Mariners, including back-to-back starts July 10 and July 17. He compiled a 2.15 ERA in 30 relief outings, holding batters to a .208 average, and walked 16 while striking out 44 over 50 1/3 innings. He'll be the third lefty in the Cubs' bullpen, joining Travis Wood and Clayton Richard. Maddon's message to Montgomery was to "be himself."

"I'm ready for whatever situation comes my way," Montgomery said. "They'll use me however they need me to be used. I'm willing to do whatever, whether it's bullpen, middle innings, whatever. I'm here to help the team win." Pitching coach Chris Bosio didn't waste any time, and had Montgomery throw in the bullpen before Friday's game against the Brewers.

"It kind of feels like the first day of school again," Montgomery said. "I'm excited to be here and contribute any way I can."

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Cubs.com Rizzo, Lucroy join forces to fight cancer By Curt Hogg

MILWAUKEE -- A pair of All-Stars and rivals on the field are teaming up off of it.

Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo are joining forces in support of the "Cancer Knows No Borders" campaign as they hope to encourage residents of Wisconsin and Illinois to donate to their choice of two cancer non-profit organizations, each of which is represented by one of the All-Stars.

Fans of the Brewers and Lucroy can donate to Wisconsin's Aurora Health Care Foundation (www.aurora.org/noborders). Rizzo, a cancer survivor, has selected his own non-profit, the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation (www.rizzo44.com), to be the recipient of donations by Cubs fans.

"Anytime that you can help people out through the platform that we have, I think it's important to take advantage of that," Lucroy said.

The "Cancer Knows No Borders" launched Friday and will run for 16 weeks, focusing its efforts on Wisconsin and Illinois. Roundy's Supermarkets and the USA Today Network-Wisconsin are also joining in on fundraising efforts. Customers at Wisconsin and Illinois-located Pick 'n Save, Copps, Metro Market and Mariano's store locations can donate to the cause, and USA Today Network sites in Wisconsin will include content, advertising and promotional materials created to raise awareness of the campaign.

Lucroy, batting .304 with an .852 OPS that ranked second among all Major League entering the Brewers' series opener against the Cubs on Friday, regularly makes visits to children's hospitals to visit patients battling cancer.

"I have my 5-year-old here, and I couldn't imagine what it would be like if she had cancer," Lucroy said. "Playing against Rizz and Jon Lester, who had cancer, there's a lot of people in baseball that have had or know somebody that has had it. It's easy for me to relate to it.

"I'm very happy to be a part of this and lend my support to it, to bring some awareness, bring some attention to it and hopefully get some funding. Trying to find a cure, I think that's the ultimate goal in all of this, is to find a cure to get rid of this terrible disease. Whatever I can do to help out and contribute, I'm going to do and be a part of it."

For Rizzo, who was leading the National League in RBIs (77) and OPS (.999) and ranked second in homers (24) entering Friday, the disease hits a personal note. As an 18-year-old in the Red Sox organization, Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After six months of chemotherapy -- at the same time as his grandmother battled breast cancer -- he learned that he beat his cancer.

"It was insane to me because I just got drafted out of high school, my friends were going to college," Rizzo said. "I was on top of the world playing , and then you get hit with a disease that I knew nothing about. It was a shock to me and my family. Thankfully where I was at at the time, the doctors explained it really well and I had really good doctors and they got me through it."

In 2012, Rizzo founded his non-profit foundation to support cancer research and help families and children fighting the disease.

"To bring awareness to that is what my foundation is all about," Rizzo said. "We just try to raise as much money for cancer research, we try to help individual families going through it. Because when I was going through the battle I saw my mom and dad and brother and they kind of looked worse than I did, and I was sick."

With Lucroy emerging as one of the top trade candidates as the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches, the two-time All-Star said that he would like to expand the campaign to fight against cancer to whatever city he finds himself in if the Brewers do trade him.

"Who knows? Maybe wherever I could go, it could open a new avenue, open up a new opportunity to really help out, to broaden the horizons," Lucroy said. "If that does happen, we'll explore that."

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Cubs.com Cubs vet Lackey opposes Crew rookie Davies By Curt Hogg

Squaring off Saturday at Miller Park will be a World Series contender and buyer at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline against a seller in the midst of a rebuild. The Cubs entered the weekend with the best record in baseball, and they will take on the fourth-place Brewers in the second game of a three-game set between the division rivals.

Right-hander Zach Davies will start for Milwaukee. Given 11 days off between starts due to the All-Star break, Davies twirled a gem Sunday in Cincinnati. Davies pitched seven scoreless frames, striking out five and walking none, lowering his ERA to 3.79 -- fifth among all rookie pitchers (minimum 50 innings).

"He's not a full season into his big league career yet, but he's put together a long enough stretch now of performance that it gets you excited," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "When you put together stretches like this, why can't it last? And the way he's done this, you think it certainly is sustainable."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon will call upon veteran right-hander John Lackey. Despite allowing at least four earned runs in four of his past five starts, Lackey has completed at least six innings in 17 of his 19 starts.

Three things to know about this game

• Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler returned to the lineup Friday for the first time since June 18 with a right hamstring strain, and belted a homer to lead off the game and added a two-run double the next inning. He later singled to finish a triple shy of the cycle. Without Fowler, the Cubs went 11-17 after going 46-20 with him as their primary leadoff hitter.

• Lackey has faced the Brewers once this season, allowing one run in six innings at Miller Park on May 18. Dating back to last season with the Cardinals, Lackey has a 0.90 ERA over 20 innings over his past three outings against Milwaukee,.

• Davies will be making his first start of the season against the Cubs and the second of his career. Last September, Davies held Chicago scoreless over six innings in just his fifth career start.

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