May 2, 2018 • The Athletic, Bring out the python — Anthony Rizzo leadoff experiment fails to ignite Cubs offense https://theathletic.com/338683/2018/05/02/bring-out-the-python-anthony-rizzo-leadoff- experiment-fails-to-ignite-cubs-offense/ • The Athletic, How Albert Almora Jr. accepted the challenge from Cubs management and took over in center field https://theathletic.com/338552/2018/05/01/how-albert-almora-jr-accepted-the-challenge-from- cubs-management-and-took-over-in-center-field/ • Cubs.com, Rizzo's leadoff HR not enough to rally Cubs https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/anthony-rizzo-leadoff-hr-unable-to-rally-cubs/c-274766782 • Cubs.com, Cubs move Rizzo to leadoff spot, and he homers https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-move-anthony-rizzo-to-leadoff-spot/c-274711796 • Cubs.com, Cubs glad Farrell's 'invisible pitch' on their side https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-glad-to-have-luke-farrell-in-bullpen/c-274742316 • ESPNChicago.com, Struggling Anthony Rizzo gets leadoff call, hits HR in first http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23376806/struggling-anthony-rizzo-batting-leadoff-chicago- cubs • NBC Sports Chicago, The Invisi-ball: How Luke Farrell has emerged as a bonafide option in Cubs bullpen http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/invisi-ball-how-luke-farrell-has-emerged-bonafide-option- cubs-bullpen-eddie-butler-maddon-almora-rockies-arenado • NBC Sports Chicago, Pythons, magicians, breakdancing, power sources and 'The Greatest Leadoff Hitter of All Time' http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/pythons-magicians-breakdancing-power-sources-and- greatest-leadoff-hitter-all-time-rizzo-maddon-harper-bryant • Chicago Tribune, Kyle Hendricks feels squeezed in Cubs' 3-1 loss to Rockies http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kyle-hendricks-20180501- story.html • Chicago Tribune, Cubs offense fizzles after Anthony Rizzo's leadoff homer as 5-game win streak ends http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-rockies-20180501-story.html • Chicago Tribune, Kerry Wood and ‘the greatest game ever pitched’: The oral history of May 6, 1998 at Wrigley Field http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-kerry-wood-20-strikeout-anniversary- 20180501-htmlstory.html • Chicago Tribune, Cubs battle strikeout trend by hitting to opposite field http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-joe-maddon-strikeout-trend- 20180501-story.html • Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Laura Ricketts dedicates ball fields, announces plans for girls softball league http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-winnemac-park-dedication- 20180501-story.html • Chicago Sun-Times, Anthony Rizzo homers before Cubs bats lost in Gray shadow as winning streak ends https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/anthony-rizzo-homers-before-cubs-bats-lost-in-gray-shadow- as-winning-streak-ends/ • Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo finds fresh start in May; and where’s Eddie Butler? https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-anthony-rizzo-homer-joe-maddon-eddie-butler-update/ • Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo reacts to Dexter Fowler’s wife moving due date for him https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-anthony-rizzo-dexter-fowler-react-moving-c-section- date/ • Daily Herald, Maddon likes what he sees in Chicago Cubs pitcher Farrell http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180501/maddon-likes-what-he-sees-in-chicago-cubs-pitcher- farrell • Daily Herald, Maddon shakes up Chicago Cubs' lineup; Rizzo leads off http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180501/maddon-shakes-up-chicago-cubs-lineup-rizzo-leads- off -- The Athletic Bring out the python — Anthony Rizzo leadoff experiment fails to ignite Cubs offense By Sahadev Sharma The Cubs’ five-game winning streak masked the issues, but their offense has been sputtering of late. It hasn’t helped that Anthony Rizzo just wrapped up the worst month of his career. His reward on May 1 was to hit leadoff against the Colorado Rockies. “I really thought that we needed something like a 20-foot python, a magician or a break dancer in the clubhouse,” manager Joe Maddon said prior to the game. “Instead I chose to hit Rizzo leadoff. I thought it might pick the boys up a little bit.” Oh, that quirky Maddon. But for those who follow Maddon’s teams, this is hardly an odd occurrence. As Maddon himself said on Tuesday, he likes to put some of his stars up top when they’re in a bit of a funk to “let them lighten up a little bit and just go play.” While Rizzo did manage to hit a wind-aided leadoff home run, cementing his title as the self-proclaimed Greatest Leadoff Hitter of All-Time, the Cubs offense faltered again, managing just that lone run on three hits and two walks. Kyle Hendricks was solid for 7 2/3 innings, but three solo home runs sunk him as the Rockies snapped the Cubs’ winning streak, topping them 3-1. “Both sides pitched really well,” Maddon said. “They hit a couple fly balls that were homers. We only got one and that’s the game. Our reaction from our hitters indicated to me that their pitcher was pretty sharp.” Colorado starter Jon Gray worked seven strong innings, giving up just one run on three hits while walking one and striking out six. Maddon pointed out that the Cubs were doing a good job of moving the ball early, and they didn’t strike out until the fifth when Gray whiffed the 7-8-9 hitters. However, prior to those strikeouts, of the 13 balls they put in play, nine were ground balls. This off a pitcher who isn’t known for ground balls and one they roughed up in Colorado 11 days ago for seven runs in five innings. “The thing that he did well today was first-pitch, breaking-ball strike,” Maddon said. “Whether it was his slider or his curve, he was uncanny at getting the call on that pitch. That was the separator for me. “ Gray got 22 called strikes on the night, seven on the slider and four on the curve. He faced 25 batters and got 19 first-pitch strikes. He started 15 batters off with breaking balls, 13 of which were strikes — five of those the looking variety. But as good as Gray was, it’s hard not to look at an offense that’s scored 14 runs over its past seven games (five of which were wins, of course) and wonder what’s going on. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but if you’re wondering if we’ve ever seen a month for Rizzo as bad as this past April, you probably haven’t. Not unless you watched a lot of San Diego Padres games at the start of the decade. How rough was the first month for Rizzo? Since Rizzo drastically altered his mechanics and approach at the start of 2014, he’d gone 22-of-24 months in the regular season with a wRC+ above 100. The two months in which he didn’t were May and September/October of 2017, when he posted a 93 and 89 wRC+, respectively. This March/April, Rizzo finished with a ridiculously low 33 wRC+. His slash line was .149/.259/.189 with 15 strikeouts, four walks and just one extra-base hit, a homer he hit in the season opener on March 29. With his team at 16-11, tied for first place and coming off a nice stretch of wins, Rizzo can take comfort in the fact that while he’s struggling to find a rhythm at the plate, the Cubs are managing to still come out on top more often than not. “Winning definitely helps cope with that,” Rizzo said. “In the game of baseball, you have good days, bad days, good weeks, bad weeks, good months, bad months. I’m hoping to look at April as a quote-unquote best month of just learning what happened. Hopefully May 1 is a new story.” Rizzo’s homer in the first — “Obviously, I got a little lucky there with the wind.” — seemed it might be the spark he and the offense needed to get going. However, even with a 16-mph wind howling out to center at first pitch, the Cubs bats stayed silent. “Maybe you grip your [bat] a little harder,” Rizzo said. “Which is a negative in this game. You see the wind blowing so much here, you gotta really tell yourself to be more relaxed.” Before the game, Rizzo lamented that he’d hit some balls hard over the past few days, with no results to show for it. But even with that in mind, he came into the evening with a 30.5 percent hard-hit rate, his lowest mark since joining the Cubs. In terms of wRC+, Rizzo’s only month worse than this past April was July of 2011, when he posted an 8 wRC+ in 47 plate appearances as a rookie with the San Diego Padres. Rizzo’s line that season was a rough .141/.281/.242 and his inexperience kept him from really getting out of that July funk. “It’s not the end of the world anymore,” Rizzo said. “I was really young — I’m still young, I’m gonna stay young — you just go through a time where, ‘Oh no, I’m never going to get out of this.’ I promise myself, I promise everyone, when you go through a skid, it’s going to turn eventually. And if it doesn’t, you gotta keep working. At the end of the day, if you come in, you do your work and you’re prepared and it doesn’t turn around, how much can you hang your head?” Maddon pointed out that Rizzo seemed to be fouling off his pitch too often.