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Home , Addison Russell, Albert Almora, David Ross (baseball), Doug Glanville, Jessica Mendoza, Jon Sciambi

June 5, 2017

 Cubs.com, Cubs get Happ-y, sweep Cards at Wrigley http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/234449870/cubs-sweep-cardinals-on-ian-happs-2-homers/

 Cubs.com, Happ gets back into swing in first 2-HR game http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/234480566/cubs-ian-happ-hits-2-homers-in-win-over-cards/

 Cubs.com, Cubs look back on Piersall fondly http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/234419780/cubs-remember-jimmy-piersall/

 Cubs.com, Butler looks to regain control vs. Marlins http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/234326928/marlins-visit-cubs-as-teams-start-to-heat- up/?topicId=26688732

 ESPNChicago.com, Grading 's in-game decisions http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/44474/is-cubs-joe-maddon-making-the-grade

 CSNChicago.com, Cubs Motor Onto Sweep Of Cardinals Thanks To 'The Game' http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-motor-sweep-cardinals-thanks-ian-happ-game

 CSNChicago.com, How The Cubs Could Pair And In 2019 http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/how-cubs-could-pair-bryce-harper-and-kris-bryant-2019-scott- boras-mlb-free-agency-nationals-yankees

 CSNChicago.com, How A Team Meeting In San Diego Helped The Cubs The Reset Button And Sweep The Cardinals At http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/how-team-meeting-san-diego-helped-cubs-hit-reset-button-and- sweep-cardinals-wrigley

 CSNChicago.com, , Javy Baez And The State Of The Cubs Position http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/addison-russell-javy-baez-and-state-cubs-shortstop-position

, continues to emerge as leader for Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-jason-heyward-leaderership-role-20170605- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Ian Happ homers twice as Cubs complete sweep of Cardinals http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-cardinals-spt-0605-20170604-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Jr. left out of Cubs lineups with Ian Happ's emergence http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-notes-cubs-albert-almora-jr-forgotten-spt-0605- 20170604-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, remembered as '1 of smartest people around' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-jimmy-piersall-20170604-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, elevated to ESPN's No. 1 team for Sunday's Cubs-Cardinals at Wrigley http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0528-david-ross--cubs-cardinals-20170530- story.html

 Chicago Sun-Times, Ian Happ has his breakout moment as Cubs come back to sweep Cardinals http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/ian-happ-has-his-breakout-moment-as-cubs-come-back-to-sweep- cardinals/

 Chicago Sun-Times, takes another step back in rocky four-inning start http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/kyle-hendricks-takes-another-step-back-in-rocky-four-inning-start/

 Chicago Sun-Times, ESPN analyst Boone reflects on Wrigley’s charm, Fowler and Schwarber http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/espn-analyst-reflects-wrigley-field-charm-fowler-schwarber/

 Daily Herald, Cubs feeling good after another win over Cards http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170604/cubs-feeling-good-after-another-win-over-cards

 Daily Herald, Imrem: Heyward's slump is looking up http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170604/imrem-heywards-slump-is-looking-up

 Daily Herald, Cubs' Maddon trying to find spot for Almora Jr. http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170604/cubs-maddon-trying-to-find-spot-for-almora-jr

 Daily Herald, Looking back on the life of Jimmy Piersall http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170604/looking-back-on-the-life-of-jimmy-piersall

 Daily Herald, Rozner: As a character, Jimmy Piersall was an all-timer http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170604/rozner-as-a-character-jimmy-piersall-was-an-all-timer

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Cubs.com Cubs get Happ-y, sweep Cards at Wrigley By Carrie Muskat and Scott Chasen

CHICAGO -- Rookie Ian Happ hit a pair of home runs and knocked in four and pinch-hitter Jon Jay drove in the go- ahead run with an RBI single in the seventh Sunday to lift the Cubs to a 7-6 victory over the Cardinals and complete a sweep of the three-game series against their division rivals.

The Cubs were able to score the go-ahead run thanks to heads-up baserunning by Jason Heyward, who also made a stellar catch in the first inning. The solid play over the last three games may have been sparked by a team meeting before the Cubs' game in San Diego on Wednesday. It wasn't another session like the get-together during the rain delay in Game 7 of the , but it was a chance to get a read on the Cubs' heartbeat.

"We all want each other to do well," Heyward said. "We want to make something happen for each other. Just checking in, hearing how we're doing, hearing what we think about this, what we think about that."

"It was good stuff," Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks said of the players-only meeting. "It was just getting back to focusing on what we do inside the clubhouse, focusing on the guys and playing the game."

On Sunday, Happ provided the power. Before the game, Cubs Joe Maddon backed the rookie, saying he was going to get hot again. Happ did just that, recording his first two-homer game. Happ hit a solo shot in the third that stayed just fair, and a three-run homer in the fourth. The Cubs' first-round pick the 2015 Draft, Happ had hit two home runs in his first three big league games, but was batting .114 in his last 11 games with one extra-base hit prior to Sunday.

"I haven't barreled a ball in a while, so it was good to feel that," Happ said.

St. Louis starter served up both of Happ's homers and was lifted after 4 1/3 innings. The Cardinals also forced an early exit for Hendricks, who gave up 's three-run homer and an RBI single by Paul DeJong in the fourth inning.

"I felt really good with everything I had," said Wacha, who hadn't pitched past the fourth inning in either of his two last outings. "Just didn't make the pitches whenever I needed to tonight."

The Cubs opened a 6-4 lead but the Cardinals tied the game in the sixth on a run-scoring groundout by DeJong and an RBI by Aledmys Diaz against Hector Rondon.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Teamwork: With the game tied at 6 and one out in the Cubs' seventh against the Cardinals' Matt Bowman, singled, and one out later, moved up on Heyward's single. Jay lined a single to left-center to drive in Rizzo, who scored while Heyward was being chased between second and third. Heyward was tagged out in the rundown.

"[Heyward] had the awareness to stop and get in a rundown so Rizzo could score," Maddon said. Jay has become Mr. Clutch for the Cubs.

"Jon Jay is just a valuable baseball player," Maddon said. "You can pop him in here, and it's like instant offense. He's almost like a really good sixth man in ."

"It's a pro at-bat against a guy who has good stuff," Heyward said of Jay. "For [Rizzo] to get on base and keep the line moving, that's what we need to do as a team. A little here, a little knock here, little knock there, run the bases well, it goes a long way."

Start me up: Hendricks faced the minimum over the first three innings but walked the first two batters in the St. Louis fourth to set up Piscotty's . Piscotty drove the first pitch he saw from Hendricks into the left-field bleachers to take a 3-1 lead. It was Piscotty's third homer this season and first since April 15. Jedd Gyorko, back from paternity leave, then singled and stole second, and two outs later, he scored on DeJong's single to center. Hendricks threw 43 pitches in the inning, which was his last of the game.

"That was a real good inning for us," Cardinals manager said. "And one of those that we typically would hold on to. But like I said, when things started to go bad they went bad in a hurry."

QUOTABLE

"That's on me. They've been giving me a lead out there and I've just been serving it right back to them. That's not the way to go about it. Whenever we get a lead, that starter's supposed to go out there and, you know, keep that lead for us. And I haven't been doing that." -- Wacha on his recent outings

GLOVEWORK

Heyward perfectly timed a diving catch to rob Matt Carpenter of a potential extra-base hit in the Cardinals' first. Carpenter tipped his cap in recognition to Heyward. According to Statcast™, there was a 14 percent catch probability. It was a five-star catch, but the Cubs players knew that already, and waited at the dugout for Heyward to come off the field to salute him.

WHAT'S NEXT

Cardinals: Right-hander Carlos Martinez will get the ball Monday for the Cards' series opener against the Reds. Martinez will be looking to make his eighth straight quality start, fresh off an outing against the Dodgers where he pitched eight innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 win. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is slated for 6:10 p.m. CT on Monday.

Cubs: will open the Cubs' three-game series against the Marlins on Monday. The right-hander is coming off a loss to the Padres in which he gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings. First pitch will be 7:05 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field.

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Cubs.com Happ gets back into swing in first 2-HR game By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Cubs center fielder Ian Happ stumbled a bit before catching 's fly ball to open the Cardinals' first inning. Right fielder Jason Heyward was there to back up the rookie and razz him a little.

"I said, 'You've got two left feet,'" Heyward said of the good-natured joking.

"My main goal is to catch every one of them," Happ said. "It may be ugly, but as long as I catch it, [it's OK]." The rookie's other goal is to contribute to the Cubs offensively, and he did just that Sunday night, hitting a pair of home runs in a 7-6 victory over the Cardinals. It was Happ's first career multi-homer game and he finished with four RBIs, also a high.

"He's going to continue to do a better job of knowing what to not swing at," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Happ. "He doesn't have to do mechanical adjustments, he doesn't have to spend 1,000 hours in the batting cage. It's a focus thing. He has a good idea of the strike zone. When he really refines it here, heads up."

Happ hit a solo shot in the third that stayed just fair, and a three-run homer in the fourth. The Cubs' first-round pick of the 2015 Draft, Happ had hit two home runs in his first three big league games, but was batting .114 in his last 11 games with one extra-base hit prior to Sunday.

"It's a process," Happ said. "You're going to go through ups and downs. It's a long season, but I've felt good about where my swing is."

So far, 10 of Happ's 16 hits have been for extra bases. He's the first Cubs leadoff hitter to record a multi-homer game since Matt Szczur did so last Aug. 12 against the Cardinals.

"He does what he can to help us, and that's what I feel like everybody's done a great job of," Heyward said. "He handles it like a professional, he's the same guy every day."

Happ did laugh at Heyward's joke about his footwork. Having a four-time winner playing next to you has helped Happ progress defensively.

"His baseball IQ is unbelievable," Happ said of Heyward. "I can't say enough about how much I've learned from him."

In his first eight games in the big leagues, Happ batted .357 with two home runs, four doubles, one and five RBIs. The rookie never thought his struggles would prompt the Cubs to send him back to the Minor Leagues.

"No, I'm going one day at a time and trying to help the club every day," Happ said.

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Cubs.com Cubs look back on Piersall fondly By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Less than two weeks ago, Hall of Famer Billy Williams spent some time with Jimmy Piersall talking baseball.

"We had a lot of fun," Williams said Sunday of their conversation. "We were just talking baseball, bringing back old stories, and that kind of livened him up."

Piersall's wife called Williams the next day to say how much she appreciated that. On Sunday, Piersall passed away. He was 87.

Williams and Piersall were hired by then Cubs general manager Dallas Green in February 1986 as a hitting coach and Minor League outfield coach, respectively. At the time, Piersall issued a warning to the Cubs : "Tell them not to bring their golf clubs. We plan to do a lot of work."

The Cubs had a moment of silence before Sunday night's game to honor Piersall.

One of the young players Piersall tutored was current Cubs bench coach .

"He really did know the outfield," Martinez said Sunday. "He taught me well. He was really good. He said, 'You need to learn how to dive for balls.' For 20 minutes, I was out there diving for balls. He was really into it.

"He taught me little things, what to look for, always anticipating the ball being hit to you," Martinez said. "As a young kid, I enjoyed listening to him and learned a lot."

Martinez also remembered that he took care of Piersall's Shar Pei dog during .

"This morning, I was bringing up some of his stuff on the computer to show my daughter," Williams said. "[Piersall] was a good banquet speaker because he kept the people laughing. He said, 'I've got a certificate to be crazy.' He was a lot of fun. He was a good baseball player and hit about .270 and won three or four Gold Gloves. He was a great ."

Manager Joe Maddon remembered meeting Piersall at the Cubs' former Spring Training complex, Fitch Park, in Mesa, Ariz.

"My dad always talked about what a great player he was, how entertaining he was," Maddon said. "My only exchange was watching him coach and talk and having a boisterous time at Fitch Park."

Worth noting

• Rookie Ian Happ's regular playing time has meant Albert Almora Jr. is spending more time on the bench than in the Cubs' lineup. Maddon said he's trying to find games to give Almora a start.

"When we designed this at the beginning of the year, it was not with the intent that Ian would be here this soon or that Ian would play center field as well as he has," Maddon said.

In his first eight games in the big leagues, Happ batted .357 with two home runs, four doubles, one triple and five RBIs. Since then, Happ was batting .114 in 11 games with one double. Maddon said the outfielder is a streaky hitter.

"I saw it in Spring Training," Maddon said. "I saw he was swinging and missing a lot ... and then he hit a line drive to right field [against the Angels], and he took off again.

"He's going to get hot again," Maddon said. "That's who he is, it's his DNA. If you're concerned about him, don't be. It's just a birth certificate situation.

"The guy's got tools, and he's got a good baseball mind. Yeah, he's going to strike out and look bad sometimes, but when it all comes together, look out."

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Cubs.com Butler looks to regain control vs. Marlins By Joe Frisaro

The Marlins gained some traction over a successful homestand, which included Saturday's no-hitter thrown by Edinson Volquez. But the task gets considerably tougher on Monday as they open a three-game series against the defending World Series champion Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs are also starting to heat up in June, but momentum usually begins with the starting . Chicago is hoping to see more consistency from Eddie Butler, who is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two starts at Wrigley Field this season. Command, however, has been a bit spotty as the 26-year-old has seven walks and four in eight innings.

Looking to set the tone for Miami is , the club's most consistent starter. The right-hander is riding a three-game winning streak, posting a 3.57 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings in those outings.

Straily has some history facing the Cubs, going 1-1 with a 6.11 ERA in four games (three starts).

The last time the Marlins visited Wrigley Field, they opened the series nine games over .500 on Aug. 1, 2016, but they were swept in three games.

Things you need to know

• Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has some impressive numbers against Straily. In seven at-bats, the 2016 Most Valuable Player Award winner has four hits (.571 batting average) with one double, two home runs and six RBIs.

• The Marlins are waiting for Christian Yelich to heat up, but the 25-year-old center fielder has a nice track record against the Cubs. In 19 games, his slash line is .360/.402/.560 with four home runs and nine RBIs.

• The back end of the Marlins' is a bit unsettled. Kyle Barraclough, who has routinely worked either the seventh or eighth innings, has struggled with control. Before Sunday's perfect sixth inning, he had 21 walks and 23 strikeouts in 22 1/3 frames. Manager intends to use Barraclough in lower-leverage situations until he gets back on track.

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ESPNChicago.com Grading Joe Maddon's in-game decisions By Jesse Rogers

CHICAGO -- The World Series tested manager Joe Maddon's decision-making abilities, but Sunday's 7- 6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals might not be far behind. Of course, there's a lot less meaning in an early June game, but that doesn't mean the judgement calls come any easier.

From the fourth inning on, Maddon had to make the right decisions on his pinch hitters as well as his bullpen. One mistake could have made the difference between the Cubs' first sweep of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field since 2006 and their seventh loss in their last ten games.

"It was a very active game," Maddon said afterward.

Let's examine and grade each decision:

Pulling Kyle Hendricks

Grade: A+

The Cubs' offense has been stuck in neutral for over two months, so when there's a chance to capitalize, they need to jump on it. Hendricks had just given up four runs in the top of the fourth inning, having thrown a career-high 43 pitches to get through it. With two on and two outs Maddon sent Albert Almora Jr. to the plate to hit for Hendricks with the Cubs trailing 4-1.

"Kyle wasn't himself," Maddon said. "Things weren't working in his favor."

Almora promptly singled to right, but an allowed him to get to third as two runs scored on the play.

"I had already done my routine," Almora said. "I didn't care when my name was called. I was given a chance and came through."

Maddon added: "The big thing we've been trying to do is use the opposite field. That's a big part of what you do when you get into a rut. The fact that he went to right field was even better."

Pulling

Grade: A

Grimm was making his second appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa, using 22 pitches to get through the fifth. Should he have come out for a second inning? In hindsight, it's an easier call as Hector Rondon allowed the Cardinals to tie the game. Maddon explained the one-inning philosophy.

"Part of that is if a guy is struggling at all, get him in, get him out," he said.

Remember, Grimm had a 6.61 ERA coming into the game having pitched a clean inning in San Diego earlier in the week. Believing in him for a second inning was a risky proposition, as Maddon figured getting one good inning out of him was more than enough. Hindsight doesn't work here. Not when the guy who replaces him has an ERA two runs lower.

Hector Rondon

Grade: C+

Going to Rondon wasn't the issue. The Cubs had a two-run lead and he was pitching the sixth inning -- not the eighth or ninth. Rondon has a paycheck to earn as well, but Maddon may have stuck with him too long. It took a hit, walk, wild pitch, RBI ground out and then run-scoring double before Maddon brought in .

"I thought, based on what I've been seeing lately with Ronny, this was perfect," Maddon said. "That part of the batting order for Ronnie."

Pulling Rondon any time before the Cardinals tied it seemed like the safer call, hindsight or not.

Pedro Strop

Grade: A+

Strop was the only reliever to pitch more than an inning, as he came in for Rondon in the sixth and then pitched a clean seventh. It only took him only nine pitches to end the Cardinals' threat and keep the game tied 6-6. After that, he needed only seven more pitches to get through the seventh.

"He was the linchpin of that victory tonight," Maddon said.

Jon Jay pinch hitting

Grade: A+

Perhaps it was obvious to some, but with two on and two outs in the seventh inning it wasn't a total slam dunk to go to Jay in a 6-6 tie. Maddon could have used Javier Baez, perhaps saving Jay for more of a contact situation where a base hit wasn't necessarily needed. But Jay came through against righty Matt Bowman, singling home the winning run.

"He's the sixth man here," Maddon said. "You can pop him in there and it's instant offense."

Koji Uehara over Carl Edwards Jr. in the ninth

Grade: B-

Maddon had made up his mind that each reliever would get an inning and Uehara would be the closer considering Wade Davis was unavailable having pitched Friday and Saturday. But Edwards has been lights out this season save a moment or two where he has walked some batters, as he did Friday. But he only threw 12 pitches in a 1-2-3 eighth inning, so letting him start the ninth seemed like a possibility. Not for Maddon, who went to Uehara knowing he has had issues in the second game of back-to-back outings. The opposition was 5-for-8 with two walks and six runs off him in those situations. Edwards, meanwhile, had a 0.87 ERA coming in and was used for 2/3 of an inning Friday.

"I had in my mind to go one [inning]," Maddon said. "Wade was not available, so I was going to go one inning."

Uehara had a 1-2-3 ninth inning, but that doesn't mean it was the right call. If Edwards is a future closer, why not let him and that sparkling ERA close things out? Maddon uses the term outcome bias a lot, so you can't be swayed by the ending. Next time, it would be nice to see Edwards for two innings.

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CSNChicago.com Cubs Motor Onto Sweep Of Cardinals Thanks To 'The Ian Happ Game' By Tony Andracki

Before Sunday night's game, Joe Maddon had a simple message on Ian Happ:

"Let's see what happens tonight. He's gonna get hot again. That's just who he is. That's his DNA.

"If you're concerned about him, don't be."

The rookie backed up his manager's vote of confidence, leading the Cubs to a sweep of the Cardinals with a 7-6 victory that could go down as "The Ian Happ Game."

Happ gave the Cubs the lead with a homer just inside the foul pole in the third inning. After the Cardinals came right back with four runs of their own, Happ took matters into his own hands and gave the Cubs the lead again with his second homer in as many innings.

This one was a two-out shot into the right-field bleachers and sent the 39,868 fans at Wrigley Field into an absolute frenzy.

The only louder cheer than the response to Happ's second homer was when he was pushed out of the dugout by his teammates and responded to the crowd's demand for a curtain call.

Happ stroked 842 feet worth of homers, averaging 109 mph off the bat between the two blasts.

"The guy's got tools, man," Maddon said. "He's got tools and he's got a good baseball mind. Yeah, he's gonna strike out and yeah he's gonna look bad sometimes, but man, when it all comes together, you're really gonna enjoy it."

Three of Happ's four big-league homers have come against the Cardinals and he raised his OPS nearly 100 points on the evening (from .748 to .839).

Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr. chipped in off the bench with pinch-hit RBI knocks to account for the rest of the Happ-less (not hapless) Cubs offense.

The Cubs' sweep was their first of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field since April 2006.

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CSNChicago.com How The Cubs Could Pair Bryce Harper And Kris Bryant In 2019 By Tony Andracki

Imagine Bryce Harper smashing balls onto Sheffield Ave. and battling the tough sun in right field in afternoon games at Wrigley Field.

The 24-year-old superstar will hit free agency in a year and a half (after the 2018 season) and the bidding frenzy will be unlike anything we've ever seen before.

So will the Cubs be in on that bidding war for Harper?

Longtime baseball writer is in Chicago this weekend as part of 's Cool Music festival and Gammons hopped on 670 The Score to discuss the possibility of Harper reuniting with fellow Vegas product Kris Bryant on the North Side.

"I have people tell me that Bryce Harper really would prefer to play for the Cubs," Gammons said on the Mully and Hanley Show Friday. "Somehow, I don't think that it's gonna be affordable to see Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant on the same team.

"It's a great idea; I'd love to see it, 'cause I respect them both so much personally and professionally. But I don't think it's ever gonna happen."

Gammons has a point. Harper is still more than a year away from free agency and there have already been reports that he and agent are seeking a $400 million deal.

The don't have many long-term, big-money contracts left, so they'll be flush with cash for the winter of 2018-19 when maybe the best free agent class ever hits the market. And anytime the Yankees are in the mix, the price will go through the roof.

Keep in mind, too, Harper and his camp have a clear advantage to creating a link with the Cubs given that association alone will drive the price up expontentially.

So how could the Cubs reasonably afford Harper in 2019?

It won't be easy, that's for sure.

The Cubs currently have $71.786 million committed in 2019 to Jason Heyward, , , Anthony Rizzo and Pedro Strop's buy-out.

2019 will be Bryant's second season in arbitration and don't expect him to sign a team-friendly deal like Rizzo's given Boras is also Bryant's agent and almost always lets his players hit free agency to drive up the price on the open market.

In 2019, the Cubs will also be done with rookie contracts on a host of other guys, dealing out arbitration to Kyle Hendricks, Addison Russell, and Javy Baez. (, Albert Almora Jr. and Carl Edwards Jr. will still be on rookie deals in 2019.)

Arbitration/rookie deals for all those guys will bring the Cubs past $100 million for 2019 — a lot of money committed to only 12 players (assuming all the guys listed so far remain a part of the picture).

That also only takes care of three , leaving nine to 10 spots on the pitching staff to allocate money to. It's worth noting Lester will be 35 in 2019.

The Cubs will need to pour a ton of resources into the pitching staff this offseason and beyond.

But then again, if the Cubs can win another World Series this year or next, it would presumably leave them entering the 2019 free agency class in a great spot financially.

By then, Wrigley Field — and the surrounding area — could also be completely finished with all the renovations, making it the premier place to play in all of baseball and certainly an attraction for free agents.

Just dreaming on it for a second: Bryant-Harper-Rizzo would be an absolutely ridiculous heart of the order that would certainly rival the Hall of Fame trio of -Billy Williams-Ron Santo in Cubs lore.

And of course, it will be awfully difficult to find a way to retain Bryant's services once he hits free agency following the 2021 season with Harper already on the payroll, but that's another problem for another time.

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CSNChicago.com How A Team Meeting In San Diego Helped The Cubs Hit The Reset Button And Sweep The Cardinals At Wrigley Field By Tony Andracki

It wasn't quite a rain delay before extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series, but the Cubs had another crucial team meeting last week and they've once again found immediate success after.

Prior to the final game on an 0-6 road trip, the Cubs players all got together in San Diego and hashed some things out.

Of course, the Cubs wound up losing to the Padres that day, but they've since stopped the bleeding and put the finishing touches on a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday night at Wrigley Field.

"We just talked," Kyle Hendricks said. "It was good stuff, just getting back to focusing on what we do. Inside the clubhouse, focusing on the guys and playing the game."

Jason Heyward was the leader of that now-infamous Game 7 weight room meeting. He downplayed the San Diego meeting as standard regular maintenance.

"We're not gonna dwell on it," Heyward said. "It's just checking in. You gotta check in. You gotta be on the same page, regardless of how things are going.

"That's something we're going to continue to get better at and do a great job of. Not to say it's a lack of this and that. It's just nice to be on the same page. It's nice to hear how everybody's doing.

"Everybody just kinda saying whatever you need to say. If you feel like you need to say something, voice it. You just want to hear each other. You just want to check in and say, 'Hey, what we got, guys?'

"... Regardless of what our coaches tell us, regardless of whatever kind of work you put in, if you're not on the same page as a team, you're not gonna go anywhere."

The Cubs scored just nine runs in six games on the road trip, but put up 15 on the board in three games against St. Louis over the weekend.

One of the main issues on the West Coast last week was a lack of timely hitting, but the Cubs went 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position Sunday night, including Ian Happ's three-run homer in the fourth inning and pinch-hits from Albert Almora Jr. (third inning) and the game-winner from Jon Jay (seventh inning).

"It's always good to just slow things down and just talk," Jay said. "That's what we did — slowed things down, talked a little bit and just reminded ourselves how good we really are.

"You look around, you look at a lot of guys' baseball cards here. They've done a lot of good things. The younger guys, they've done stuff and they're gonna continue to get better. That's kind of how the season is. There's 162 games for a reason."

Jay also downplayed the meeting as "nothing big. Just reminding ourselves what we really can do. We all have each other's backs."

Prior to Sunday's game, Joe Maddon spoke about how he stands on the top step in the dugout every night to get a feel for his players.

And the Cubs manager noticed a difference in his team this weekend at Wrigley Field compared to the West Coast trip, citing a certain "believability" that has returned.

Hendricks has noticed the same thing.

"There has been a little mindset change," Hendricks said. "I don't know what to attribute it to, honestly. The guys kinda got together and talked amongst ourselves. Maybe it's just that team confidence that's back.

"Everybody's just a little bit more relaxed, focused on ourselves and what we're doing moreso than what's coming from the outside. It's just what we needed to get back to — playing our brand of baseball."

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CSNChicago.com Addison Russell, Javy Baez And The State Of The Cubs Shortstop Position By Tony Andracki

Addy or Javy?

There isn't quite a position battle brewing at shortstop for the Cubs and Joe Maddon didn't go all Lovie Smith and say something like, "Addison Russell is our shortstop."

But it's also clear who the Cubs' long-term answer is at short, even despite Javy Baez's recent success and Russell's season-long struggles.

Right now, Maddon is just simplifying everything at the shortstop position, rotating the two players on a daily basis.

For the last week (following a string of five straight Russell starts at shortstop), Maddon has penciled in Baez at short one day and Russell the next.

"It hasn't been complicated," Maddon said. "I've just been going back and forth with them. ... I've just been trying to not run either one into the ground. I've been trying to get them both playing."

Maddon also pointed to the recent play of Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ as determining factors affecting the shortstop spot.

With the Cubs seeing so many right-handed pitchers lately, Maddon has gone with Happ in center, Jason Heyward in right field and Kyle Schwarber in left, meaning Zobrist has been relegated to second base a lot lately. That's freed Baez up to play more shortstop over the last week.

While he likes how things are playing out right now, Maddon acknowledged the daily shortstop rotation won't stick that way in the long term.

"Once Addy really gets his whole approach going back together again, then everything will come back into place," Maddon said.

Russell has taken a step back offensively this season. He broke out for 21 homers and 95 RBI in his age-22 campaign last year but entered his Sunday night start with a .211 average and .635 OPS.

There is definitely a component of luck to those numbers.

Russell's batting average on balls in play is only .260, below league average and below the .277 mark he posted last season and .324 BABIP as a rookie.

Russell has also improved on his weak contact, dropping from soft contact 23.7 percent of the time last season to only 14.9 percent in 2017. However, he's also seen a dip in hard-hit balls from 29.3 percent in 2016 to 23.1 percent in two months so far this year.

Overall, Russell's peripheral numbers are right in line with his career marks — or better.

Earlier in the season, Maddon said he would count 2017 as a success for Russell if the young shortstop could cut down on his strikeouts and draw more walks. The Cubs manager thought the rest of the numbers would follow if the plate discipline was good.

Russell's walk rate is down slightly (9.2 percent to 8.7 percent), but he's also cut down on his strikeouts for the second straight season and is only whiffing 21 percent of the time right now.

Against the Cardinals Friday, Russell worked himself into a hitter's count in the fifth inning before striking out and then lined out to right field his next time up in the seventh.

"Keep doin' it," Maddon said. "That's the whole thing — like Schwarbs hitting the . That's nice; let's do it again. Let's have another couple good at-bats. Just continue to do that."

Meanwhile, Baez is on a tear, hitting .412 with a 1.181 OPS, four homers and 11 RBI over the last 11 games.

But even with those numbers, Baez still has only a .299 on-base percentage for the season and is on pace for just 18 walks compared to 117 strikeouts.

Of course, Baez is also on pace for 27 homers and 75 RBI and his versatility, baseball IQ and age (24) give the Cubs dynamic depth at shortstop until Russell rights the ship.

"It's unusual that we can do that — to have two that you like to play and that you feel really good about, not many teams can say that," Maddon said. "And that's part of why we can do it.

"If I didn't feel as good about one or the other playing there, the other guy would be playing and you'd just have to wear it if he's having a hard time offensively. But I think Javy's benefitted; Javy's been really good lately.

"And I think I'm seeing better out of Addison also. So let's just keep going. Lotta season left and I think if we do it this way, they're both going to be very fresh at the end of the year."

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Chicago Tribune Jason Heyward continues to emerge as leader for Cubs By Paul Skrbina

Jason Heyward is a full-time Gold Glove right fielder and part-time between-second-and-third-base coach for the Cubs.

Heyward played the role of the latter while caught in a rundown Sunday during his team’s 7-6 victory that finished a three-game sweep of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

He stopped in his tracks long enough to wave Anthony Rizzo to the plate with what turned out to be the winning run before he was tagged out near second base to end the seventh inning.

Heyward, who also earned a tip of the helmet from Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter in the first when his sliding catch robbed Carpenter of extra bases, was trying for third on Jon Jay’s pinch-hit single when he intentionally put himself in the pickle.

“It’s one of the things you gotta think ahead on,” Heyward said. “Knowing the situation, time of the game, who’s running, all that stuff.”

Heyward said first-base coach often reminds baserunners of such scenarios, not that Heyward wasn’t already thinking about it.

With one of last year’s leaders, David Ross, in the right-field stands calling Sunday’s game for ESPN, Heyward showed again that he’s worthy of such a label for this year’s team.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon agreed.

“I think he is. I felt that last year, though,” Maddon said. “Watch him on the field. Watch all the little things he does coming off the field, in the dugout, bumping into guys, tapping them on the back. He’s always there to support everybody. Always. Not sometimes. He’s definitely got the qualities and the characteristics, and he played well last year but he’s hitting better right now.”

Ian Happ, the rookie who hit two home runs that accounted for four RBIs Sunday, said playing next to Heyward in the outfield has been a blessing.

“You saw what he did when Rizzo scored and he stopped,” Happ said. “His baseball IQ is unbelievable.”

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Chicago Tribune Ian Happ homers twice as Cubs complete sweep of Cardinals By Paul Skrbina

No more room service for Ian Happ.

The Cubs rookie has moved into his own apartment after spending the first part of his big-league career staying in a hotel.

He also has moved to the top of the Cubs lineup.

Happ is comfortable in both new places three weeks after making his debut.

His comfort showed Sunday, when he hit home runs in the third and fourth innings during a nerve-racking 7-6 victory against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field that completed a three-game sweep.

"It's nice to have a place to go home to and not be living out of a suitcase," Happ said. "I'm just focused on trying to win baseball games.

"I love Chicago, love the city."

And, it appears, the city loves him back — at least those who back the Cubs.

Happ's second home run, and his fourth of the season, was a three-run blast that highlighted a five-run fourth inning. It was followed by a curtain call that did nothing but give Cubs fans an excuse to adore him again.

"Awesome moment," Happ said.

Happ's boss didn't disagree after he said he was concerned about how well Cardinals starter Michael Wacha was pitching to that point.

"When he hit that second ball the concern kind of dissipated," Maddon said. "That had a second gear on it."

The Cubs scored all five of those runs with two out and quickly put to rest the four-run fourth the Cardinals used to chase Kyle Hendricks from the mound.

Responsibility for the victory, which put the Cubs above .500, hardly was Happ's alone.

Jason Heyward made a pair of slick plays in right field, including a sliding catch on Matt Carpenter's sinking liner in the first that was met with a respectful tip of the helmet from Carpenter.

Heyward also allowed Anthony Rizzo to score the go-ahead run with almost three outs in the seventh.

Heyward wisely put himself in a rundown between second and third base long enough for Rizzo to score on Jon Jay's pinch-hit single before Paul DeJong tagged him out.

"Regardless of whether he's hitting or not, I think he's an outstanding baseball player," Maddon said of Heyward. "And we're seeing the best of him right now."

The Cubs didn't see the best from some of their mound-goers Sunday, though.

The sixth inning was on the brink of getting so out of hand for the Cubs that Maddon pulled his pitcher and his at the same time.

Right-hander Hector Rondon had allowed a leadoff single to Yadier Molina, who then stole second off Rondon and catcher to become the third Cardinal to steal a base in five-plus innings.

Rondon then walked Tommy Pham. Both advanced 90 feet closer to home on Rondon's wild pitch, and Molina scored on a groundout to shortstop.

Finally fed up after Aledmys Diaz doubled off the ivy in center to score Pham and tie the score 6-6, Maddon make his move — Pedro Strop to the mound and Willson Contreras behind the plate.

Maddon showed a little more patience with starter Hendricks, but not much.

The first hit Hendricks allowed resulted in three runs.

The right-hander walked Dexter Fowler and Carpenter to lead off the fourth inning before Stephen Piscotty dotted an offering over the wall in right-center for a three-run home run and a 3-1 lead. Hendricks allowed two more hits and another run that inning before he was yanked in favor of pinch-hitter Albert Almora Jr.

Hendricks allowed five runs in five innings of his last start.

But Maddon is confident last year's baseball ERA leader will bounce back. Just like he was confident Happ would after a fast start and a slump that dropped his average to .222.

"Being 21, 22, that's where he's at," Maddon said of Happ before Sunday's game. "He'll be fine. He's gonna get hot again. That's just who he is. That's his DNA.

"If you're concerned about him, don't be. It's just a birth certificate situation. That's all."

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Chicago Tribune Albert Almora Jr. left out of Cubs lineups with Ian Happ's emergence By Paul Skrbina

Albert Almora Jr. tossed a pair of white batting gloves to an unsuspecting young boy after batting practice Sunday.

He was repaid with a wide smile and an "Oh, my gosh!" from his new fan for life.

But Cubs backers haven't seen much of Almora lately.

Ian Happ's arrival has turned the center fielder into "The Forgotten Cub."

Manager Joe Maddon acknowledged as much before his team's game against the Cardinals.

"He has," Maddon said when asked whether Almora had been left out. "I've been lookin', lookin', lookin'. I have an idea or two maybe coming up soon."

Maddon found a way to use Almora on Sunday, pinch-hitting him for struggling starter Kyle Hendricks in the fourth inning. Almora came through with an RBI single that skipped past Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty, allowing another run to score and Almora to reach third in part of a five-run inning.

After center field mainstay Dexter Fowler departed for the Cardinals, Almora, whose heady baserunning allowed him to score the go-ahead run in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the World Series, had been part of a planned platoon in center field with Jon Jay.

But the 23-year-old Almora, a second-year player, had just 10 at-bats in the team's last 10 games before Sunday.

"With Ian in town, that's made it turn out differently," Maddon said.

Almora kept to himself and uncharacteristically turned down a request to talk before Sunday's game.

Almora said during spring training, before Happ was in the major-league picture, that he was fine with any role.

"It's about the Cubs, so whatever fits best for that," he said. "You might think that's kind of a quote-unquote right answer, but that's the way it is for me."

Almora was batting .257 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and a .678 OPS in 101 at-bats going into Sunday.

Maddon said both he and President Theo Epstein have had "open conversation" with Almora about his role since Happ's arrival.

"He's fine," Maddon said.

He's back: David Ross was behind the plate again at Wrigley Field on Sunday. But only during batting practice.

The retired catcher had ditched his baseball gear for a gray sport coat in preparation for his broadcasting debut at his old home park, where he was part of an ESPN crew calling the game from the right-field stands. He filled in for as a color commentator. Ross played catch with Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward from the stands between the second and third innings.

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Chicago Tribune Jimmy Piersall remembered as '1 of smartest people around' By Mark Gonzales

If Ned Colletti needed to find a minor league outfielder during spring training in Mesa, Ariz., the former Chicago Cubs' executive knew where to go.

It was often in a dining room where Colletti would find a group of outfield prospects listening to outfield instructor Jimmy Piersall, who served as an outfield instructor for 14 seasons after a 17-year playing career.

"Jimmy Piersall was one of the smartest people around," Colletti said Sunday of Piersall, who died Saturday at a care facility at Wheaton at 87.

"He has a great passion for young players. He loved to talk and teach the game to them."

President Dallas Green thought so highly of Piersall's skills that he hired him in 1986 - 22 years after Piersall hit his 100th career home run off Green and ran around the bases backwards.

Colletti, a senior adviser to the president with the after serving as an executive with the Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Dodgers, marveled over Piersall's willingness to make young players better.

"Jimmy would take the outfielders out to dinner in spring training and talk and teach the game on his own dime," Colletti recalled.

"There are three words that Jimmy told his outfielders that I use on telecasts — ball, wall, ball. When an outfielder goes back on a ball, he picks the ball up. Then he grazes to find the wall, and then he goes to the ball.

"You think about all the thing he went through, and it never stopped his passion for the game."

In addition to once calling him the best center fielder he ever saw, one of the highest compliments for Piersall came from a lady who called him over to the front row seats at during his playing days (1950-67).

"My husband would have loved to have been your teammate," the lady told Piersall, who played for the Red Sox for eight seasons before he was dealt to the Indians.

The woman, according to Colletti, was Ruth's widow Claire.

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Chicago Tribune David Ross elevated to ESPN's No. 1 team for Sunday's Cubs-Cardinals at Wrigley By Phil Rosenthal

The way things have gone for David Ross since last fall, no one should wonder how the TV newbie has made it to ESPN's top baseball announcing team less than three weeks after his debut as a analyst.

Better to ask what took so long.

Since retiring in November after he helped the Cubs win the World Series, Ross has become a best-selling author, prime-time dancer, cereal-box spokesman and front-office intern. And now he has been slotted to join play-by-play man and fellow analyst on June 4 when "Sunday Night Baseball" returns to Wrigley Field for the Cubs-Cardinals game.

It's supposed to be a one-shot deal for Ross, filling in for regular analyst Jessica Mendoza, who's scheduled to work the college World Series that weekend.

One potential plus for the former catcher is he'll have thousands of Cubs fans behind him: Shulman, Boone and Ross plan to call the game from Wrigley's right-field bleachers.

Ross did show signs of promise in his May 17 analyst debut on ESPN. It's hard to know just how much, however, as Boone and play-by-play announcer kept circling back to talk about "" rather than the Red Sox-Cardinals game.

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Chicago Sun-Times Ian Happ has his breakout moment as Cubs come back to sweep Cardinals By Steve Greenberg

Move over, Sandberg Game.

Happ Game, anyone?

OK, let’s all take a breath. There’s no need to compare what 22-year-old Ian Happ did in the Cubs’ 7-6 victory Sunday against the Cardinals — blast long balls into the very good night, essentially — to the breakout game of a 24-year-old in 1984.

It’s kind of fun to do it, though.

Like Sandberg, Happ introduced himself to a national-TV audience with two huge home runs against the Cardinals. In June. At Wrigley Field. Can you feel the similarities mounting?

Also like Sandberg, Happ is a on the rise — except that manager Joe Maddon once again started him in center field. That growing defensive versatility is a necessary skill for Happ, the Cubs’ first-round draft pick in 2015, who’s trying to entrench himself on their big-league roster.

‘‘Whatever it takes for me to help this team is the way I figure it,’’ Happ said. ‘‘You have to be as complete a player as you can if you want to be here.’’ Of course, if Happ continues to show this kind of potential offensively, who’s going to dare ask him to leave under any circumstances?

In the third inning, Happ pulled a two-out pitch 443 feet just inside the foul pole in right to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Then with the Cubs trailing 4-3 in the fourth, he hit a screaming three-run liner 400 feet into the stands in right-center.

‘‘The second one had that extra gear on it,’’ Maddon said.

With that came Happ’s first Wrigley curtain call. He called the moment ‘‘awesome’’ and the fans “unbelievable.”

Not surprisingly, Happ was the first player out of the Cubs’ dugout to take the field for the fifth. Who could blame him? The adoring masses in the center-field bleachers were ready to fall in love.

‘‘I love Chicago,’’ he said. ‘‘I love the city. This field, playing in this atmosphere every day with these fans, it’s unbelievable. I can’t say enough about that.’’

Happ is no Jason Heyward in the outfield, but he traded nice plays with the right fielder early.

Former Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler led off the game with a drive over Happ’s head in center, but he scrambled back and set his feet in time to haul it in. Yadier Molina hit a nearly identical ball in the next inning. Happ staggered a bit but got there again.

Heyward, meanwhile, was all-out diving for one beautiful gem and pirouetting in the well in deep right for another. But he’s a master craftsman; Happ is more of an outfield apprentice.

‘‘My main goal is just to catch every one of them,’’ Happ said. ‘‘It might be ugly, but as long as I can do that.’’

This was a big victory for the Cubs, who secured their first home sweep of the rival Cardinals in a three-game series since 2006. On a night when starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks was off his game, a bunch of guys picked him up. With closer Wade Davis unavailable, relievers Pedro Stop, Carl Edwards Jr. and were stellar.

Outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who has lost much of his playing time to Happ, got a big two-out pinch hit in the fourth that resulted in two runs (thanks to an error by right fielder Stephen Piscotty) to cut the Cubs’ deficit to 4-3. Almora is batting .429 as a pinch hitter.

Fellow outfielder Jon Jay is doing even better. He’s at .450 after coming off the bench to single home the tiebreaking run in the seventh.

‘‘It takes a whole team,’’ Jay said.

Team game. Happ Game. Whatever works.

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Chicago Sun-Times Kyle Hendricks takes another step back in rocky four-inning start By Steve Greenberg

In his previous turn in the rotation, Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks had given up more than four runs for the first time in 49 starts. But manager Joe Maddon maintained it was a solid outing for Hendricks, who entered the game Sunday against the Cardinals with a 2.81 ERA in his last seven starts.

‘‘I think he’s very close to what he did last year,’’ Maddon said of the pitcher who led all major-league starters in ERA in 2016.

So much for that, it seems. Hendricks barely made it through four innings against the Cardinals, allowing four earned runs. The big blow was a three-run home run by Stephen Piscotty that was absolutely crushed.

Hendricks was lucky it wasn’t a lot worse. Four of the first five hitters he faced hit balls that were ticketed for extra bases but instead turned into hard-luck outs. Matt Carpenter’s drive to the well in right field in the first would’ve been a sure homer on a less gusty day.

With a 4.09 ERA — nearly double what he posted a season ago — Hendricks clearly isn’t his best self. His velocity has improved a bit in the last month, but the pinpoint control he displayed as a Cy Young contender hasn’t fully returned.

In Heyward’s corner

Former Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler was a high school senior in the Atlanta area when he first met Jason Heyward, then a hotshot freshman. They’ve been friends ever since, a relationship that deepened when they were neighbors in the Cubs’ outfield and frequent companions away from the ballpark last season.

No doubt, Fowler had a front-row view as Heyward sank into a nightmarish offensive rut that lasted pretty much from April through the World Series.

‘‘Obviously, he didn’t have the year he wanted to last year,’’ said Fowler, whose own performance at the plate was arguably the best of his career.

Now the Cardinals’ center fielder, Fowler has kept tabs mostly from afar as Heyward has fared much better in 2017. Even many of Heyward’s outs in the last couple of weeks have been smoked into the far reaches of the outfield.

‘‘I’m happy for him in any aspect when he’s doing well,’’ Fowler said. ‘‘He has bounced back nicely. That’s great to see.’’

Friends to the end

Less than two weeks ago, Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams paid a visit to dear friend Jimmy Piersall and spent the better part of two hours sharing baseball stories and laughs with the former outfielder, White Sox broadcaster and roving instructor with the Cubs.

Piersall’s wife, Jan, called Williams a couple of days after the visit to tell him how special it had been. Piersall died Saturday at 87 after a long illness.

‘‘It was so great,’’ Williams said. ‘‘He was in a wheelchair, but his mind was still fresh. We just had a great time. We always enjoyed talking baseball together so much.’’

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Chicago Sun-Times ESPN analyst Boone reflects on Wrigley’s charm, Fowler and Schwarber By Madeline Kenney

After playing for six clubs in 12 seasons and spending the last seven years as an analyst for ESPN, Aaron Boone has seen his share of ballparks.

He spent the bulk of his playing career in the National League and became very familiar with Wrigley Field.

From its marquee to its ivy-covered outfield walls, Wrigley is a special place to Boone.

“Wrigley is special because of the people there,” Boone said. “It’s everything from the people there who enjoy baseball. It’s the Midwest, Chicago and just embracing all that comes from the charm on the field.”

That charm is what attracts millions of fans who want to experience a piece of baseball history in the second- oldest stadium in the majors.

But recently, Wrigley has been taken over by offseason construction projects, giving it a new look. Boone said the Cubs have done a good job adding modern-day luxuries while saving the park’s original allure.

“They’re modernizing it, but they’re able to do these changes while keeping the nostalgia and charm of what makes Wrigley so unique,” Boone said. “They’ve really been able to modernize and update the park while keeping the old charm.”

Boone will return to Wrigley on Sunday to help call “Sunday Night Baseball” on ESPN alongside play-by-play man Dan Shulman and former Cubs catcher David Ross, who is subbing for analyst Jessica Mendoza. First pitch is 6:35.

The Cubs will go for the sweep against the Cardinals. Though it’s always interesting when the longtime rivals meet, this series has had extra intrigue because of Dexter Fowler’s return to Wrigley. The former Cubs center fielder signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Cardinals in December.

Fowler had quite a homecoming Friday. After being presented with his championship ring and receiving a standing ovation, he led off the game with a home run.

Boone said it can be weird for a player to return to a ballpark he once called home.

“You build these relationships in the clubhouse with your teammates, and then, in Dexter’s case, go to arguably the team’s biggest rival,” Boone said. “It’s going to be a special experience but weird.”

Boone said he doesn’t think Cubs fans appreciated how versatile Fowler was at the plate.

“Even though Dexter is not off to a great start with the Cards, the Cubs lost a guy who got on base over 30 percent of the time hitting from both the left and right side of the plate,” Boone said. “I don’t think people realized how special of a player he was.”

During his two seasons with the Cubs, Fowler hit .261 with 30 home runs, 94 RBI and a .367 on-base percentage. This season, Fowler is batting just .228 with an OBP of .319.

Despite the slow start, Boone said Fowler was a big pick-up for the Cardinals, who desperately needed a center fielder. He believes Fowler will play a key role once he gets back into his hitting groove.

Fowler’s hitting woes are nothing compared to those of Kyle Schwarber, who has struggled offensively all season. Schwarber is batting .166 with nine homers, although he did hit a game-changing grand slam Saturday in the Cubs’ 5-3 win.

With Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Boone said the Cubs have the potential to be dangerous if Schwarber can get on base more consistently.

“I love it. I think you have to move him down until he gets moving a little since right now he’s struggling,” Boone said. “But once he gets going like I know he can and Maddon knows he can, he has power and can get on base. Following him up with Bryant and Rizzo, it’s a tough trio for pitchers to throw against.”

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Daily Herald Cubs feeling good after another win over Cards By Bruce Miles

Is that good feeling coming back to the Cubs again?

Maybe.

Manager Joe Maddon says he can sense it all around him. And the Cubs may have brought it all the way back Sunday night with a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals to give them a sweep of the three-game series and put them back over .500 at 28-27. Rookie Ian Happ was the hitting star, with a pair of home runs, including a 3-run blast in the fourth inning.

The good feelings may even have started during the depths of the recent 0-6 road trip to the West Coast.

"There has been a little mindset change," said starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who was without his command Sunday and lasted only 4 innings. "I don't know what to attribute it to, honestly. The guys kind of got together and talked amongst ourselves, and I think maybe there's just that team confidence back. Everybody's just a little more relaxed, focused on ourselves. That's just what we needed to get back to and play our brand of baseball."

Right fielder Jason Heyward, author of the famous "rain-delay meeting" in Game 7 of last year's World Series, said last week's get together in San Diego was "chill."

"You just want to hear each other," said Heyward, who made a diving catch in Sunday's first inning and got himself caught in a rundown to allow the go-ahead run to score in the seventh. "What have we got, guys? If somebody's got something off the field bothering him, on the field, whatever. Who knows? You just want to check in and get on the same page because regardless of what our coaches tell us, regardless of whatever kind of work you put in, if you're not on the same page as a team, it's not going to go anywhere."

Happ lined a solo homer in the third to give the Cubs' a 1-0 lead before the Cardinals scored 4 in the fourth off Hendricks. Happ's 3-run blow keyed a 5-run response in the bottom of the inning.

"Awesome, awesome moment," the rookie said. "These fans are unbelievable, the energy in the stadium is great."

The Cardinals tied the game with 2 in the sixth before the Cubs got the eventual game-winner in the seventh on Jon Jay's pinch single to score Anthony Rizzo from second. Heyward, who was on first base, sensed a close play at the plate, so he drew the throw from the outfield and got caught in a rundown long enough for Rizzo to score.

For Maddon, he said he began sensing the shift in feelings Friday, when the Cubs won to begin the sweep.

"The best way I can tell you or describe it is I can feel the difference in the dugout," he said. "I thought it the first day here. You saw the two games we've played over the first two days are more familiar. Pitching's been really good. We've caught the ball and made some really good plays. Haven't killed the ball offensively. We've had some really good at-bats.

"The believability is in the dugout."

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Daily Herald Imrem: Heyward's slump is looking up By Mike Imrem

Nothing new in the first inning at Wrigley Field on Sunday night.

Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter drove a liner into right field and Jason Heyward made a stretching, diving, sprawling catch.

Heyward did a lot of that last season, his first with the Cubs.

What is new in 2017 is that Heyward is looking better at the plate.

Then again, he hardly could look worse.

After the Cubs came home with a six-game losing streak, Heyward was in the middle of rallies in all three games of the sweep over the Cardinals during the weekend.

No, Heyward isn't putting up Hall-of-Fame numbers but he still might win both the Most Improved and Comeback Player awards this season anyway.

Average: .258 isn't great but better than last season's .230. Home runs: 5 aren't great unless you had 7 all of last season. RBI: 23 aren't great but a better pace than 49 all of last season.

Better is better than not better and Heyward has been better.

As satisfying as this is for Heyward, it also is for those who have spent time around him since he arrived here.

Heyward is an athlete easy to root for as evidenced by a weird sensation that came over me during spring training.

I watched televised Cubs games from Arizona. I checked the papers for box scores. I called up the club's website for reports.

The Cactus League is something that should transpire in the dark regardless of how sunny it is down there.

So what was so interesting?

Jason Heyward, that's what.

So much was made of the Cubs outfielder's remodeled swing that the early results seemed to matter.

Oh, and there was something else that drew me toward Heyward's story: The way he carries himself.

From the time he arrived as a free agent prior to the 2016 season, this clearly was one classy athlete -- and not a phony kind of classy.

Being pleasant isn't easy when you're in a season-long slump. It especially isn't easy when so much is expected after you signed a free-agent contract worth $184 million over eight years.

"He was upset with himself," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Sunday afternoon of Heyward's 2016.

Yet, instead of booing the struggling new guy, fans treated him with respect similar to how he treats them, the game, the media, teammates and opponents.

Part of the slack afforded Heyward was due to the Cubs winning, and then winning some more, and ultimately winning the World Series.

It didn't hurt that Heyward's teammates praised him for all the other qualities he brought to the game like defense, baserunning and leadership.

Jason Heyward could be a model for how professional athletes should conduct themselves if they want to be fully appreciated.

The rest of the story is that Heyward worked all offseason to change his batting mechanics and approach.

"He understood why the swing he had in the past was getting in the way of success," Maddon said. "He wanted to do something about it."

Heyward is much improved with, according to Maddon, much more improvement to come.

"I think the biggest jump you're going to see," Maddon said, "is just more consistency with the power … the ball going out of the ballpark."

Jason Heyward remains a work in progress but it's easy to pull for him to be all he's expected to be.

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Daily Herald Cubs' Maddon trying to find spot for Almora Jr. By Bruce Miles

If there's been an odd-man out in the Cubs' starting lineup, it's been outfielder Albert Almora Jr. He has not started a game since May 28.

Almora, a center fielder by trade, has been supplanted by rookie Ian Happ.

"I've been looking, looking, looking," manager Joe Maddon said before Sunday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. "I have an idea or two maybe coming up soon. Obviously with Ian in town, that's made it turn out differently. That's also impacted Jon Jay. That's exactly what's happened.

"Jon Jay coming off the bench is almost a problem he's created for himself, being so good off the bench. It's hard. You're looking for him in the latter part of the game just to plug him in the right spot. He's so good at that. He did it again (Saturday)."

When the season started, the plan was for Almora and veteran Jay to share time in center.

"When we designed this from the beginning of the year, it was not with the intent or the idea that Ian would be here this soon or Ian could play center field as well as he has," Maddon said. "So it's presented to us entirely different. That's what I'm trying to work through right now, and I've been looking at some stuff for this upcoming week. We'll see if we can figure it out."

Maddon added that he and team President Theo Epstein have been talking with Almora throughout the season.

"We've had open conversation with him, so he's fine," Maddon said.

Just a matter of age:

Speaking of Ian Happ, he entered the night at .222/.319/.429 after a hot start to his major-league career last month in St. Louis.

Joe Maddon was asked where Happ is at.

"Being 21, 22, that's where he's at," he replied. "He'll be fine. I saw it in spring training. I thought he was swinging and missing a lot there, and then all of a sudden, it was the sixth or seventh inning against the Angels in a game at Sloan (Park). All of a sudden, he hit a line drive to right field, and then he took off again.

"I'm eager. Basehit to left field (Saturday) down the left-field line. It was not hit that well but it was a hit. I think this guy feeds off those kinds of moments. Let's see what happens tonight. He's going to get hot again. That's just who he is. That's his DNA. I've had really good young players like that. If you're concerned about him, don't be. It's just a birth certificate situation, that's all."

Happ hit a solo homer in Sunday's third inning, and he added a 3-run shot in the fourth.

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Daily Herald Looking back on the life of Jimmy Piersall By Scot Gregor

Jimmy Piersall, a colorful major-league outfielder for 17 seasons before pairing with on broadcasts from 1977-81 and later joining the Chicago Cubs as a roving outfield instructor, died Saturday at a Wheaton care facility.

Piersall was 87.

Breaking in as a center fielder with Boston in 1950, the Waterbury, Conn., native played for the Red Sox until 1958 and also played for the Indians (1959-61), Senators (1962-63), Mets ('63) and Angels (1963-67).

Piersall posted a career .272/.332/.386 hitting line with 104 home runs and 591 RBI in 1,734 games.

A two-time all-star, Piersall also won Gold Gloves in 1958 and '61.

Piersall and Hall of Famer Ted Williams were teammates with the Red Sox for nine seasons.

"Ted Williams told me (Piersall) was the greatest center fielder he ever saw," White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson told reporters on Sunday.

Harrelson played for the Red Sox from 1967-69.

"Ted said (Piersall) was never afraid of a wall, and back in those days they didn't have many padded walls," Harrelson said. "Most of them were concrete. If you hit them, you were going to get hurt. But Ted said he never backed away from a wall."

Piersall never seemed to back away from anything during his long career in baseball, which included a stint as an outspoken analyst with WSCR 670-AM.

During his playing days, he ran the bases backward after hitting his 100th career home run and he once wore a Beatles wig in the batter's box.

Diagnosed with a bipolar disorder during his playing career, Piersall was admitted to the Westborough State Hospital in 1952 following a series of incidents on and off the field.

"I got physically and mentally tired," Piersall told in 2006.

Piersall wrote an autobiography, "Fear Strikes Out," which detailed his mental struggles and the negative effects of an overbearing father.

The book was later adapted into a movie.

When he was broadcasting White Sox games, Piersall developed a critical style, and the controversy continued.

In 1980, former Daily Herald beat writer Rob Gallas wrote a story about Piersall being dismissed as a part-time coach for the Sox.

Piersall confronted Gallas in the White Sox's clubhouse and was choking the reported before bullpen coach Art Kusnyer intervened and broke up the scuffle.

Piersall was the hired by the Cubs as a minor-league outfield coach in 1986.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon remembers meeting Piersall.

"I think it was Fitch Park in Mesa, Arizona," Maddon said. "Very alive, lively and outspoken and eager in his instruction. I'd watch him. He was (working) with the Cubs at the time. I didn't get to know him. I just watched and observed him right there.

"But before that, 'Fear Strikes Out,' the movie, when I was a kid growing up I remember watching that, the impression it made on me. I guess he hid behind the monuments in Yankee Stadium. My dad would always tell me about that. So my dad always talked about what a great player he was, how entertaining he was.

"My only exchange with him was watching him coach and having a real boisterous time at Fitch Park, which I thought was kind of cool. I heard he was an outstanding outfielder and a great baserunner, and he was a very good instructor at both."

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Daily Herald Rozner: As a character, Jimmy Piersall was an all-timer By Barry Rozner

Jimmy Piersall did not get cheated.

He would have enjoyed being thought of in that way, though •-- ironically• -- when he was alive he never really stopped to think about what people thought of him.

Piersall died Saturday at the age of 87 at a care facility in Wheaton, leaving behind a legion of fans and friends who knew him as a player, a movie character, a TV broadcaster, a coach and a radio personality.

He also had many enemies, a result of telling the truth as he saw it from the time he was able to speak.

In Chicago, he will be remembered most from the "Harry and Jimmy Show," also known as White Sox broadcasts, when Harry Caray and Piersall were never shy about criticizing players, managers, coaches and ownership, which led to numerous problems for both men.

Harry would often say, "You're crazy Jimmy," to which Piersall would respond, "And I have the papers to prove it."

It was a nod to Piersall's well-publicized battle with mental illness as a young man.

Caray had already departed for the Cubs when Piersall was fired by the Sox in 1983 for being too critical of the team, but Piersall always believed was behind it after several confrontations with the White Sox manager.

That was the essence of Jimmy. Say what he thought, to heck with the consequences.

He found work as a roving outfield instructor with the Cubs in the mid-80s, but later joined WSCR 670-AM as a contributor several days a week. That led to more trouble and the Cubs fired him in the fall of 1999 after 14 years with the organization.

There was little doubt in his mind, or anyone else's, that his on-air comments left him without a job in baseball for the first time in 50 years.

"I have not made an awful lot of friends in my lifetime. But my dad once told me that if you have too many friends you become a follower," Piersall told me in January 2000. "Maybe I shouldn't have said some of things I said, but when Dallas Green and and were here, they always told me to speak up if I saw something wrong, in the majors or the minors.

"But they're old-time guys. Today, you can't say anything to anyone because their feelings get hurt. When you work the way I work, some people are going to dislike you. Some kids probably didn't like my style, but a lot of guys have thanked me for helping them."

Piersall was openly critical of Andy MacPhail, Ed Lynch and several minor league employees, not to mention Tribune Co. execs he thought should stay out of the baseball business.

"I can see the Cubs' point," Piersall said. "They don't want anyone in the organization criticized by others in the organization. But I didn't do it to hurt people. I was just saying what I saw."

After being fired, Piersall got calls from several players, like , and , all grateful for the tough love Piersall showed them while teaching them to survive in a big-league outfield.

"I'm going to miss all my kids," Piersall said, referring to his outfield prospects, and in this case not his nine grown children. "You go through so much with them and try to teach them how to play the game and how to be a man.

"You try to get them ready to be professionals, teach them about life a little bit. Not many coaches will do that in the minors anymore."

Said Glanville at the time, "When Jimmy tells you something you don't want to hear, it's the truth. It's shocking at first, but then you realize he's your friend and he's trying to help you.

"He's taken some pretty bad fielders and made them average enough to survive up here. But the best part is he prepares you for life up here. Nobody else gives you that."

Piersall was not sorry he had been critical of the team, but he was upset about being disconnected from the young players.

"The game will go on without me," Piersall said. "It just hurts because I still felt like I could help kids. I'm 70 years old and that was the best part of my day.

"It's a shame that my work on the field wasn't more important than some of the things that were bothering them.

"These (executives) have never been out on the field with these kids. They don't know how to get to them or what makes them work hard to get better. All they do is set rules and regulations and put them down in a book.

"Look, I didn't do it for the money. The pay is nothing. I didn't do it for the glory. There is none. I just liked giving back to the game and making a difference in young people's lives.

"It'll be hard for me to get a job in baseball after the things (the Cubs have) told people. But if that's the way it is, I'll play golf and fish. I love to fish. I can fish 4 or 5 hours a day. And it's a blessing that I won't have to get on those airplanes anymore.

"I'm just gonna miss those kids."

A great teacher, Piersall also won two Gold Gloves as a player, made two all-star teams, finished ninth in MVP voting once and played for five teams, beginning with the Red Sox.

Piersall was called "the best defensive center fielder in history" by Willie Mays, and Joe DiMaggio said Piersall was "the best baserunner in the league."

In later years, he was probably best-known as a player for having run around the bases backward after hitting his 100th career home run while with the Mets and against the Phillies' Dallas Green in 1963.

While finishing his career with the Angels, he appeared on TV shows in Hollywood with the likes of Lucille Ball.

He's in the Red Sox Hall of Fame and visited the White House twice, including as a guest of the winning Red Sox, something Piersall called a "thrill" for a Connecticut native.

In March 2001, at age 71, Piersall was introduced to another generation when his name was featured in an episode of the "Sopranos."

Upon finding an old box filled with childhood memories, Tony's sister Janice read from a school assignment: "Anthony Soprano, Seventh Grade, Mr. Martino. Why 'Fear Strikes Out' by Jim Piersall is a good book."

"It's very heartwarming," Piersall told me in 2000. "Of course, at my age anything is heartwarming."

A Hollywood friend tipped off Piersall ahead of time, but his wife Jan still wouldn't let him watch the program.

"She says there's too much foul language," Piersall laughed. "I play golf with a lot of guys 65 or 70 years old and their wives won't let them watch, either."

It was hardly the first time his name had been mentioned on TV, or on screens much bigger.

"Through the years, many TV shows and movies have used my name," Piersall said. "It always has something to do with someone being goofy."

Throughout his life, Piersall spoke about battling mental illness before being properly medicated as a young adult, but he was always bothered by his portrayal in the movie "Fear Strikes Out," the 1957 adaptation of the book.

It starred Karl Malden as his overbearing father, and a horribly miscast Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall.

"The book was great. It was me. There was nothing false in there," Piersall said. "The movie wasn't me. Anthony Perkins is a great actor, but a terrible athlete and he couldn't even throw a baseball.

"Karl Malden was terrific. He even looked like my father.

"But so much of what was written for Perkins as my character wasn't true and I didn't like that. He did the best he could with what was written, but there was a lot of fiction.

"I never climbed the screen behind home plate. That bothered me. It was just poorly done. If people want to know about it, they can read the book."

Just like little Anthony Soprano.

"I'm going to have to see a tape of that (bleeping) show," Piersall chuckled. "But I'll have to wait until Jan goes shopping."

A friend to many and an entertainer to all, Jimmy Piersall was a character and coach, all-star and actor, broadcaster and player, father and husband.

He lived a full life. He did not get cheated.

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