August 12, 2017 CSNChicago.com, Redemption in The Desert: Kyle Schwarber goes deep in first game at Chase Field since ACL injury http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/redemption-desert-kyle-schwarber-goes-deep-first-game-chase- field-acl-injury CSNChicago.com, How Cubs react without Willson Contreras will define their season http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/how-cubs-react-without-willson-contreras-will-define-their-season CSNChicago.com, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with strained hamstring http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-catcher-willson-contreras-sidelined-4-6-weeks-strained- hamstring Chicago Tribune, Cubs get contributions throughout lineup in 8-3 win over Diamondbacks http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kris-bryant-john-lackey-javier-baez-20170811- story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs prepare to absorb loss of Willson Contreras for up to six weeks http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-willson-contreras-hamstring-strain-20170811- story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs uncertain how catching will be divvied up with Willson Contreras out http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-catching-roles-cubs-notes-spt-0812-20170811- story.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs beat Diamondbacks 8-3 as John Lackey remains unbeaten post All-Star break http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-diamondbacks-spt-0812-20170811-story.html Chicago Tribune, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist displeased with Cubs' 2018 'spotlight' game http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-anthony-rizzo-ben-zobrist-20170811- story.html Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ John Lackey wins fifth straight, frustrated by short leash http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-john-lackey-wins-fifth-straight-frustrated-by-short-leash/ Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber: Return to scene of knee injury just another game http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-kyle-schwarber-return-to-scene-of-knee-injury-just-another-game/ Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs mull how to stop running game without Contreras catching Lester http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-mull-how-to-stop-running-game-without-contreras-catching-lester/ Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Willson Contreras might return in September, counting on October http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-put-catcher-willson-contreras-on-10-day-dl/ Chicago Sun-Times, Hamstring injury might not be season-ending blow for Willson Contreras http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/willson-contreras-expected-to-return-to-cubs-by-end-of-season-report/ Daily Herald, Cubs take cautious approach with Contreras injury http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170811/cubs-take-cautious-approach-with-contreras-injury Cubs.com, Cubs pounce early, pile on to deny D-backs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/247898476/cubs-strike-early-add-on-to-defeat-d-backs/ Cubs.com, Avila provides lift after Cubs lose Contreras http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/247968522/alex-avila-lifts-cubs-after-losing-contreras/ Cubs.com, Contreras has hamstring strain, to miss month http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/247820640/willson-contreras-has-hamstring-strain/ Cubs.com, Schwarber back at Chase, site of '16 collision http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/247839952/cubs-schwarber-returns-to-site-of-16-injury/ Cubs.com, Ross was heartbeat of 2 World Series champs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/247893408/david-ross-helps-red-sox-cubs-to-titles/ Cubs.com, Lester faces off with lefty Corbin in Arizona http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/247813942/lester-faces-off-with-lefty-corbin-in-arizona ESPNChicago.com, Cubs waste no time in showing they can overcome loss of Willson Contreras http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45350/cubs-waste-no-time-in-showing-they-can- overcome-loss-of-willson-contreras ESPNChicago.com, Cubs' Willson Contreras expected to be out four to six weeks with 'moderate' hamstring strain http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20316820/chicago-cubs-catcher-wilson-contreras-1-month-pulling- hamstring -- CSNChicago.com Redemption in The Desert: Kyle Schwarber goes deep in first game at Chase Field since ACL injury By Charlie Roumeliotis The last time Kyle Schwarber stepped foot on Chase Field, he was carted off after suffering a gruesome ACL and LCL injury in just the third game of the year that was supposed to end his 2016 season. We all know what happened though in October, when he made a remarkable comeback six months into his recovery to help the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in seven games of the World Series and snap a 108-year championship drought. On Friday, the 24-year-old slugger returned to The Desert for redemption and smoked a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning, guiding the Cubs to an 8-3 victory in their series opener against the Diamondbacks. Alex Avila followed that up with a homer of his own, his second in a Cubs uniform. -- CSNChicago.com How Cubs react without Willson Contreras will define their season By Patrick Mooney Cubs manager Joe Maddon finished the sentence before the reporter could get out the entire question: When something like this happens with a player like Willson Contreras, can that have… “A galvanizing effect,” Maddon said during Wednesday’s postgame media briefing at AT&T Park, where he had a glass of Big Smooth red wine waiting after a potentially devastating loss to the San Francisco Giants. “Absolutely.” Uh, or maybe go the other way? It spoke to Maddon’s glass-half-full optimism and savvy way of playing offense with the media. It also sounded a little out of touch in the middle of a season where his perceptions haven’t necessarily matched the realities of a disappointing team. “I think something like this – for as bad as it seems on the surface – actually could galvanize the group,” Maddon said. “They know that he’s not here right now. They know how important he’s been to us. And now other guys realize: ‘Hey, let’s go, we have to pick up the slack.’ “I’ve seen it before, where your best player in that moment goes down and all of a sudden everybody else elevates their game a bit. That’s what I’m looking to see.” We’ll see. The Cubs announced the diagnosis before Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field: Contreras will likely be sidelined four-to-six weeks with a strained right hamstring. Suboptimal as Maddon might say, but also not the worst-case scenario feared when it looked like this could be a season-ending injury. “It’s been that kind of year,” pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. “Guys going down, somebody else has to come in and step up. That’s why we have so much depth on this team. “We just got to stick with our approach, stay with what this locker room does. Work on the at-bats, go pitch-to- pitch on the mound and kind of go from there and just win ballgames.” Even with Contreras becoming the kind of two-way catcher whose name could show up in the National League MVP voting, the Cubs have lost three straight series after their 13-3 run between the All-Star break and the July 31 trade deadline. It sounds like Maddon is still searching for the right buttons to push with a 59-54 team that is up only three games on the fourth-place Pittsburgh Pirates, with the St. Louis Cardinals rising and the Milwaukee Brewers fading. “The clubhouse has been great,” Maddon said. “The dugout’s been great. We just haven’t played well. We have not played with the same kind of efficiency that we had been playing with coming out of the break. “Pitching (has been) great. Defense – we still got to make plays. And overall, offensively, we need more consistency out of more people to get this whole thing done. “We came out with a lot of energy, played well post-break. Now we are just getting back into that thing where we have to push ourselves mentally more than anything to get over the hump. “We got to somehow almost like kind of will yourself to win. We just can’t make the mistakes that we’re making that permits the other team to gain an edge.” Hoping for Hawk Harrelson’s will to win to appear in the middle of August? How the Cubs react to the Contreras news, handle the pennant-race pressure and perform over the next 49 games will ultimately define their season. As exciting and as valuable as Contreras has been this year – and central to that World Series run – he still has not played a full season in the big leagues yet. The Cubs still have a reigning MVP (Kris Bryant), a Silver Slugger (Anthony Rizzo) and a World Series MVP (Ben Zobrist) in the middle of their lineup. The Cubs have a former Cy Young Award winner (Jake Arrieta) in their rotation and an All-Star closer (Wade Davis) looming in the ninth inning. Javier Baez and Jason Heyward are two of the best defenders in the game. Cy Young Award finalists Jon Lester and Hendricks fronted the playoff rotation for a 103-win team last year. That group made a point to have “We Never Quit” engraved on the championship rings. “Everybody’s got to take it on themselves, more ownership,” Hendricks said. “Just take care of their job, what they got to do. We got to have a few guys step up.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs catcher Willson Contreras sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with strained hamstring By Patrick Mooney Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Willson Contreras is not definitively out for the rest of the season.