October 5, 2017

 Cubs.com, Hendricks to start Game 1 of NLDS for Cubs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257375538/kyle-hendricks-to-start-game-1-of-nlds/

 Cubs.com, Cubs relishing role of postseason underdogs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257400386/cubs-dont-mind-being-postseason-underdogs/

 Cubs.com, Arrieta tunes up for Game 4 with 'pen session http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257398542/jake-arrieta-preparing-for-nlds-game-4-start/

 Cubs.com, Baker, Maddon cut from same cloth http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257394316/dusty-baker-joe-maddon-have-many-similarities

 ESPNChicago.com, Cubs to start Kyle Hendricks in Game 1 vs. Nationals http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20914947/kyle-hendricks-start-game-1-nlds-chicago-cubs

 NBC Sports Chicago, How Ian Happ is driven to win the next World Series with Cubs http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/how-ian-happ-driven-win-next-world-series-cubs

 NBC Sports Chicago, Breaking down Cubs' NLDS rotation decisions http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/breaking-down-cubs-nlds-rotation-decisions-hendricks- lester-quintana-maddon-nationals-arrieta

 NBC Sports Chicago, Jon Lester sees changing of the guard in Cubs rotation, but won’t concede anything else: ‘We should win the World Series’ http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/jon-lester-sees-changing-guard-cubs-rotation-wont- concede-anything-else-we-should-win

 NBC Sports Chicago, Joe Maddon speaks for Cubs fans when it comes to Daniel Murphy http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/joe-maddon-speaks-cubs-fans-when-it-comes-daniel- murphy-jon-lester-nationals-nlds

 NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs vs. Nationals: Joe Maddon’s ‘Godfather’ urban legend about Mike Rizzo http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/cubs-vs-nationals-joe-maddons-godfather-urban-legend- about-mike-rizzo

 NBC Sports Chicago, Kyle Hendricks gets the Game 1 start for Cubs as Joe Maddon sets his NLDS rotation http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/kyle-hendricks-gets-game-1-start-cubs-joe-maddon-sets- his-nlds-rotation

 NBC Sports Chicago, How the Cubs plan to slow down Nationals speedster Trea Turner http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/how-cubs-plan-slow-down-nationals-speedster-trea-turner- nlds-bryce-harper-joe-maddon-willson-contreras

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs rotation set, but they hold off announcing plans for John Lackey http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-nlds-rotation-sullivan-spt-1005-20171004- column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs chase history during an era in which repeating is harder than ever http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-repeating-diffiicult-sullivan-spt-1006-20171005- column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs pick Kyle Hendricks to open NLDS against Nationals http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kyle-hendricks-cubs-nationals-rotation-20171004- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, With playoff stage set, the Javier Baez highlight show goes on for Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-javier-baez-playoffs-cubs-spt-1005-20171004- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts hopes to extend his wild trophy tour into 2018 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-tom-ricketts-cubs-trophy-tour-haugh-spt-1005- 20171004-column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs seek to disrupt the timing of Nationals speedster Trea Turner http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-trea-turner-speed-cubs-nationals-spt-1005- 20171004-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Len Kasper gets a different vantage point with Cubs in playoffs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-len-kasper-cubs-playoffs-rosenthal-spt-1005- 20171004-column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Stephen Stasburg likely to start Game 1 of NLDS for Nationals against Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-nationals-stephen-strasburg-likely-for-game-1- notes-spt-1005-20171004-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Elisabeth Moss, Jake Johnson lead new wave of young celebrity Cubs fans http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-elisabeth-moss-new-celebrity-cubs-fans-20171005- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo ready to face his hometown Cubs in NLDS http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-mike-rizzo-nationals-cubs-sullivan-spt-1005-20171004- column.html#nt=oft13a-6gp1

 Chicago Sun-Times, Whatever hand Cubs dealt, can they beat 3 aces to win it all again? https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/whatever-hand-cubs-dealt-can-they-beat-3-aces-to-win-it-all-again/

 Chicago Sun-Times, John Lackey in pen? Max Scherzer in doubt? Pitching questions persist https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/john-lackey-in-pen-max-scherzer-in-doubt-pitching-questions-persist/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Kyle Hendricks excited about Game 1 start? Excited? OK, just trust him https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/kyle-hendricks-excited-about-game-1-start-excited-ok-just-trust-him/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs have fifth-best odds to win World Series https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-mlb-world-series-odds-2017/

 Chicago Sun-Times, MORRISSEY: Time for Joe Maddon to let Kyle Hendricks pitch deep https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey-time-for-joe-maddon-to-let-kyle-hendricks-pitch-deep/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs announce starting pitching rotation for NLDS https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-announce-starting-pitching-rotation-for-nlds/

 Daily Herald, Why the Chicago Cubs have Kyle Hendricks starting Game 1 http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171004/why-the-chicago-cubs-have-kyle-hendricks-starting-game-1

 Daily Herald, Constable: Once haunting, Cubs' memories now inspire http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171005/constable-once-haunting-cubs-memories-now-inspire

 Daily Herald, Keep an eye on these guys in the NLDS http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171005/keep-an-eye-on-these-guys-in-the-nlds

 Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs still undecided on final NLDS roster http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171004/chicago-cubs-still-undecided-on-final-nlds-roster

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Cubs.com Hendricks to start Game 1 of NLDS for Cubs By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks, the Game 7 starter in the World Series last year, will open the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile on Friday when the Cubs right-hander takes the mound in Game 1 against the Nationals. He has the perfect temperament for the job.

Hendricks was tabbed to start the best-of-five series opener at Nationals Park ahead of the Cubs' Opening Day starter, Jon Lester, who will start Game 2.

"I remember back in the day when the torch was passed to me to do that," Lester said. "It's a cool thing for [Hendricks]. I'm excited for him. I'm sure he's excited to go out there on Friday and get on that stage again."

Hendricks is definitely not your typical big league pitcher. You can ignore the radar gun readings at the ballpark; they don't define him.

"He's doing it in a different method," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday. "He's not that guy who lights up the gun; he knows how to pitch. I talk to a lot of different pitching coaches, a lot of different managers and some [general managers], and he's their favorite. I think it's probably because of the style of his pitching and his ability to pitch, the fastball command, the movement on the fastball, the changeup -- he's just fun to watch.

"He's a technician. Coming from Dartmouth to here, what he's done for himself and his career, almost winning a Cy Young last year, is really impressive."

Hendricks led the Major Leagues with a 2.13 ERA last season, and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting. This year, he went 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 24 starts. His second-half numbers are why he's starting Game 1: Hendricks was 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts before the All-Star break, and has gone 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts since.

"I think he's pitching right now better than I saw him any time last year," Maddon said. "The velocity is better, and the other pitches are working better off the greater velocity."

Last year, the right-hander was 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in five postseason starts, and the Cubs won three of his games, including Game 7 of the World Series. His demeanor is impressive.

"You hardly know he's breathing out there," Lester said. "He may allow it in his head, but you'd never know it. He doesn't let the emotions of the game get to him. The pitching aspect of it is impressive, but what he does on the mound to control his emotions and how he goes about his business out there, you'd never know if he's up 10 [runs], down 10, or if it's an April 15 start or a World Series start."

How does Hendricks do it?

"I'm just having fun out there, really," Hendricks said. "I've dreamed about this my whole life. There's so much that goes on on the outside, the attention, but really it doesn't matter. All that matters is between the lines, and that's what I live for and what I have the most fun doing. I'm dialed in and focused on the task at hand, and I love competing and winning, and that's all I'm doing out there."

The Cubs acquired Hendricks, 27, from the Rangers in July 2012 in exchange for Ryan Dempster. Who would've thought the skinny finance major from Dartmouth would be opening a playoff series?

"We certainly did not envision it at the time," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "He deserves a ton of credit for always growing. We did bet on his makeup. That was a primary drive in the trade. We were pretty convinced he would get the most out of what he had, and continue to keep learning and adjusting. He's taken it to another level. His understanding of the game and his ability to execute at a very, very high level is so impressive. And he's unflappable."

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Cubs.com Cubs relishing role of postseason underdogs By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Last season, the Cubs posted the best record in the Major Leagues, winning 103 games en route to their first World Series championship in 108 years. This year, the defending champs aren't the favorites, and pitcher Jon Lester says that's OK.

"Winning [the World Series last year] helps," Lester said on Wednesday about the Cubs' anxiety level heading into the National League Division Series against the Nationals, with Game 1 set for Friday at Nationals Park. "We're not anxious. We've won, so you have that in your back pocket, so you're not putting as much pressure on yourself to go out and perform.

"Last year, we had all these expectations and we were supposed to win the World Series," Lester said. "That, to me, is harder than defending the World Series. Going forward, we have nothing to lose. We're still a really good team and we should win the World Series."

The Cubs were 5 1/2 games back in the NL Central race at the All-Star break, but they posted the best record in the NL in the second half, which included a 15-4 spurt in the final 19 games of the regular season.

"We've played better baseball in the second half than the first half," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "Whether you sprint in or limp in is out the window."

The Dodgers (104-58) and Nationals (97-65), who posted the two best records in the NL, have higher expectations than the Cubs (92-70) do.

"I think we're in a good place," Lester said. "I like this team being underdogs. We have some very prideful guys on this team. I like that aspect of it. We're playing good baseball. We've been playing really good baseball in the second half and we're looking forward to getting this going."

When Cubs manager Joe Maddon met with his players on Tuesday, he said he didn't have to say much. They've been there, done that.

"We know how we want to do this, we know what our plan is," Maddon said. "We know how we want to approach the day. For a lot of us, having been together for a bit matters at this time of year. The point was, I really am impressed with how our guys handle this time of year."

The Cubs will have to deal with Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy, who batted .529 against them in the 2015 NL Championship Series playing for the Mets.

"I still wish he was a Met," Maddon quipped about Murphy.

Lester said it's a different feeling being the defending World Series champions.

"I've been fortunate to be a part of it a couple times," said Lester, who has won World Series with the Red Sox and the Cubs. "I think as defending champs, you're not as anxious. You've been through it, especially last year. We went all the way down to the wire [last year] and Joe talked about it [Tuesday] as far as us, basically 95 percent of our team has been through everything. There's not going to be anything that surprises us as we go through this journey."

Team records reset to 0-0 heading into the postseason.

"Each team thinks they're the best team, and for us it's no different," Game 1 starter Kyle Hendricks said. "We think we can do it again. Having that mindset is one thing, but going out there and getting the job done is another. We're just going to go out there and try to play the best baseball we can."

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Cubs.com Arrieta tunes up for Game 4 with 'pen session By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta, slotted to pitch Game 4 for the Cubs in the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile to give him more time to heal a sore right hamstring, tuned up with a bullpen session Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs announced that Kyle Hendricks will start the opener of the best-of-five series against the Nationals on Friday and be followed by Jon Lester in Game 2, then Jose Quintana in Game 3 and Arrieta.

"We moved Jake to the back to make sure we give the leg as much time as possible to heal," manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday.

Maddon admitted that if Arrieta had been 100 percent healthy, the order might have been different. The right- hander isn't the only starter who's had to deal with injuries this year. Hendricks missed time because of a right hand strain and Lester was sidelined because of left shoulder fatigue.

Where does John Lackey fit? Neither Maddon nor Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was ready to say on Wednesday. The staff met to discuss the roster before a workout at Wrigley Field.

"We're looking at [Lackey] as certainly a viable option out of the 'pen," Epstein said.

Said Lester: "I've seen 'Lack' come out of the bullpen and get a hold in a World Series game before. That's one person I'm not worried about."

The Cubs have yet to decide how they will break down the roster, but Epstein said they did discuss how the Cubs match up against the Nationals.

"Now it's a matter of sleeping on it and making decisions [Thursday]," Epstein said.

• In 1982, Maddon was the Minor League manager for Salem, and one of his players was a feisty third baseman named Mike Rizzo, who now is the general manager of the Nationals.

"Riz started a tremendous fight that we had versus the Bend, Ore., Phillies," Maddon said. "There was a play at the plate, ended up against the backstop, Riz is in the middle of the whole thing. That's who he was -- he was a gritty player."

The two will have a chance to catch up during the NLDS.

"There's a really good urban legend about a player who is no longer heard from after Rizzo had been released in Spring Training," Maddon said. "The guy chosen in front of him was no longer to be found right after that. The next day, Rizzo was reinstated."

• Quintana, Wade Davis, Justin Wilson and Brian Duensing were among the pitchers who got work in during a sim game on Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

• The Cubs claimed right-hander Luke Farrell off waivers from the Reds. Right-hander Felix Pena was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Farrell is the son of Red Sox manager John Farrell, and the Cubs already employ his brother, Shane, in the scouting department.

"Luke pitched real well down the stretch," Epstein said. "We're always looking for starting depth. He's a great kid. He had a really good year in the Minor Leagues and showed some promising things in the big leagues."

Luke Farrell, 26, had a combined 5.54 ERA in 10 games, including one start, for the Royals and Reds this year. He compiled a 2.61 ERA in nine games in relief for the Reds.

• Fans can watch the Cubs play the Nationals in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS on the large video board at the Park at Wrigley on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $10, and proceeds will benefit Cubs Charities. The gates to the area will open one hour before the start of the broadcast. Fans can purchase food and beverages. Limited parking is available at the Toyota Camry Lot at 1126 W. Grace Street.

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Cubs.com Baker, Maddon cut from same cloth By Phil Rogers

Sometimes you can't really know what you're watching.

When Earl Weaver's Orioles beat Sparky Anderson's Reds in the 1970 World Series, they barely had three years' managerial experience between them.

There was no way to know they would distinguish themselves to the point of being among the 23 managers in the Hall of Fame. But when you get highly experienced, highly successful managers opposing each other in October, you know you really have something.

That's the case in the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile between the Cubs and the Nationals. Joe Maddon and Dusty Baker, in some ways the yin and the yang of contemporary managers, will look to add to resumes that have both of them trending toward Cooperstown.

Maddon and Baker aren't longtime friends, but they probably should be. They have much more in common than it might seem from the surface, with a mutual love for baseball and people bridging the gulf between Baker's decorated career in the Major Leagues and Maddon's brief stay as a Minor League catcher.

Baker is 68 and still wears wristbands to work. He seems like a guy who might pinch-hit himself some time. Maddon is 63 and recently almost let a foul ball hit him in the head because he was preoccupied with a chart in his hand.

Both are incredibly smart and find ways to embrace new experiences while honoring their backgrounds and the people who made them who they are. They're fiercely loyal and protective of their players, who more often than not thrive under their leadership.

Maddon was an early adopter in his use of analytic data, but he's much more of a regular guy than a brainiac. He and Baker are both lovers of classic automobiles and music from the '60s and '70s. They both know how to order a fine wine (Baker has his own label; Maddon owns an Italian restaurant). They've both spent their share of time on beaches in California but never together, as their paths haven't crossed in a way that would connect them.

You know they'd have some great conversations if they ever got started talking.

"Strong opinions, opinionated,'' Maddon said about Baker. "I like that because I am, too. He's a strong guy.''

This intersection of two A-list managers is one more element that makes Cubs-Nationals as attractive as a preliminary round series can be. It has everything -- young stars like Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper, still-going-strong veterans like Ryan Zimmerman and Ben Zobrist, deep rotations including former Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jake Arrieta, and also arguably the greatest road show in baseball history.

It's going to be interesting to see how much blue is on display in the seats at Nationals Park for Game 1 on Friday. Progressive Field in Cleveland seemed split between Indians and Cubs fans for Game 7 of the World Series last November.

"When I was a kid, I always thought the greatest traveling band was the Grateful Dead,'' said TBS broadcaster Ron Darling, the former Mets pitcher. "Their ability to attract so many people from all over the globe who just love the Cubbies and can't wait to sing the song after a victory. I don't know, it's inspiring really, how loyal that fan base is. For them to win it twice, there would be more heart attacks in Chicago than ever before. But they've got a real chance.''

The Cubs have been in business since president of baseball operations Theo Epstein made a bold move, snatching Maddon away from the Rays three years ago.

Maddon had taken the Rays to the World Series in 2008, his third year on the job, after almost being hired to manage the Red Sox in '04, when Epstein hired Terry Francona. Maddon was 51 when he got his chance, having spent almost three decades working for the Angels in almost every capacity possible.

Maddon was Mike Scioscia's bench coach in 2002, when the Angels recovered in dramatic fashion to beat Baker's Giants in the World Series. Those losses in Games 6 and 7 forced Baker to continue to chase his first championship, in his 22nd season as a manager.

He ranks 14th all time with 1,863 regular-season victories, including 97 this season. He's been unlucky in October, enduring the Bartman game with the 2003 Cubs and the 97-win Reds' inability to put away the Wild Card Giants in a great NLDS in '12. But nothing was as unfortunate for Baker as Giants' closer Robb Nen blowing out his elbow in that World Series against the Angels.

Nen's velocity was down so much in Game 5 at Pac Bell Park that the Giants stopped showing pitch speed on the scoreboard. When Baker turned to him with a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning of Game 6, he gave up a two-run double to Troy Glaus on his fourth pitch.

"When Glausy got that hit to left-central, that wasn't [Nen's] typical slider,'' Maddon said. "We knew he was not 100 percent at that time. But then again, you never know. … I do believe if Nen had been Nen it might have had a different outcome.''

Maddon's first two teams in Tampa Bay lost 101 and 96 games. but he's had winning records in nine of the past 10 seasons, raising his career winning percentage to .529. He's 292-193 in three seasons with the Cubs, guiding them to the NL Championship Series in 2015 before breaking the franchise's 108-year championship drought last year.

Baker's trademark as a manager is a willingness to ride his top starters into the late innings. Nationals pitchers have thrown 115-plus pitches 13 times this season, and nobody else even reached 10.

Maddon has become known for a quick hook in October, playing the matchups out of the bullpen as early as the fifth inning even when the starter is staying clear of trouble. He was widely criticized for overusing Aroldis Chapman against the Indians in the World Series, but seemed to enjoy the parade just fine.

Maybe this time the baseball gods will be on Baker's side. It's going to be a blast watching these two men work.

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ESPNChicago.com Cubs to start Kyle Hendricks in Game 1 vs. Nationals By Jesse Rogers

CHICAGO -- Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks will start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals on Friday, manager Joe Maddon announced Wednesday.

Hendricks will be followed in the rotation by lefty Jon Lester, and Jose Quintana will make his postseason debut in Game 3 at Wrigley Field on Monday. Former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta will pitch Game 4, if necessary, as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain.

"We moved Jake to the back just to make sure we give the leg as much time as possible to heal," Maddon said.

Hendricks will start a Game 1 for the first time in his career, but he's no stranger to big moments. He started the Cubs' Game 6 clincher in the NLCS last year against the Dodgers and then Game 7 of the World Series.

"Anyone on this staff could make this start," Hendricks said. "I think it's more about logistics. Trying to line it up with their rotation. It's definitely an honor. I'm going to take it that way."

Hendricks was 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA this season, but he was the best Cubs pitcher down the stretch. He compiled a 2.19 ERA after returning from the disabled list due to a sore tendon in his pitching hand.

"He's done such a good job for us," Lester said. "He's been consistent. He deserves this. It's a huge honor to pitch Game 1 of any series. I'm happy for him. This is kind of the next step."

Hendricks, who led the majors in ERA in 2016, has often been compared to Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux in style, and the results are starting to follow.

"He's doing it in a different method or way," Maddon said. "He's not that guy that lights up the gun. You talk to different pitching coaches, managers, even some GMs I've spoken with, he's their favorite. Probably because his style. He's fun to watch. He's a technician."

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NBC Sports Chicago How Ian Happ is driven to win the next World Series with Cubs By Patrick Mooney

Hours after the Cubs won the World Series, Ian Happ went to work at the team’s sprawling Arizona complex, meeting minor-league hitting coordinator Andy Haines at a batting cage that November morning.

Surrounded by Cubs fans the night before, Haines had watched the epic Game 7 with Double-A Tennessee hitting coach Jacob Cruz at Culinary Dropout, a Tempe restaurant, the TV audience multiplying to around 40 million viewers. Together, they saw the organization’s first-round picks from 2014 (Kyle Schwarber) and 2013 (Kris Bryant) jumpstart the 10th-inning rally that would beat the Cleveland Indians and end the 108-year championship drought.

Around 7:30 a.m. – while the Cubs were just beginning a World Series hangover that would last for most of this season – Happ and Haines talked about getting ready to win the next one and began early hitting before the Arizona Fall League action that afternoon.

Happ – the ninth overall pick from the 2015 draft – is so driven to make it in The Show and focused on earning a ring that he doesn’t need to see the symbolism in that moment.

“That’s my goal,” Happ said. “It just happened to be the time that we were there.”

In terms of timing, yes, Happ missed the unbelievable ride last October, seeing Schwarber up close while he trained briefly in Arizona before his dramatic, post-knee surgery World Series return and getting glimpses of playoff games on an iPad in the dugout in between innings with the Mesa Solar Sox.

But Happ maximized his opportunity in the middle of May when the Cubs dealt with the types of injuries that would contribute to their first-half funk, promoting him after only 26 games at Triple-A Iowa. Happ made his big- league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, launched a two-run homer 413 feet off Carlos Martinez and never went back to Des Moines.

What the Cubs initially framed as a temporary solution became a key piece to the 92-win team that is about to face the Washington Nationals in a best-of-five National League Division Series.

“Right away,” general manager Jed Hoyer said, starting in spring training, “the veteran guys really gravitated towards him. They loved the way he worked. They loved his intensity. It’s just a really serious demeanor. He fit right in with this group immediately. He had zero assimilation process, just because of the way he carries himself and the way he takes everything so seriously.”

During three years at the University of Cincinnati, Happ made the dean’s list five times and earned a 3.68 grade- point average as a finance major. Happ’s father, Keith, a longtime U.S. Golf Association agronomist, died of brain cancer two years ago. Happ’s mother, Mary Beth, is a Ph.D-level dean/professor at Ohio State University’s College of Nursing.

Except for the occasional faux TV interview in the dugout, Happ maintains the same game face. He plays with an edge, internalizing the idea that the Cubs drafted him because he would be on a faster track as a college hitter and could be marketed in a deal for pitching later.

The Cubs never traded Happ for a Jose Quintana or a Sonny Gray as manager Joe Maddon started him at second base, third base and all three positions across the outfield. Happ became the fastest player in franchise history to 20 home runs (89 games) and his 24 homers are the second-most all-time by a switch-hitting NL rookie (Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell put up 26 this season). Of Happ’s 68 RBI, 30 came with two outs. Of Happ’s 92 hits, 44 went for extra bases.

“He’s right in Joe’s wheelhouse,” Haines said. “He plays multiple positions. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s competitive. Winning is really, really important to him.”

So even if Happ’s name isn’t in Friday night’s Game 1 lineup at Nationals Park, there will be ways for him to impact not only this series, but make his mark in the playoffs as the Cubs try to become a dynasty.

“I think this team is going to be good for a long time,” Happ said in spring training. “It’s nice to be part of an organization that doesn’t feel like it’s a one-and-done situation. It feels like they’re building something here. And you’re going to have a chance to play for the pennant, for the World Series, for years to come.”

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NBC Sports Chicago Breaking down Cubs' NLDS rotation decisions By Tony Andracki

Friday will signal a passing of the torch as the Cubs take the field for the third straight October.

Jon Lester — the grizzled, battle-tested veteran — will be watching from the dugout as Kyle Hendricks — the unflappable, cerebral pitcher who looks more like an accountant — will take the ball in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals.

Joe Maddon announced the Cubs' rotation Wednesday morning, with Hendricks first, Lester second and then Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta in order for Games 3 and 4 back at Wrigley Field early next week.

Here's what went into the decision for each pitcher:

Kyle Hendricks — Game 1

The 27-year-old right-hander led the Cubs in ERA in 2017 despite making only three starts in June and July combined due to a hand/finger injury.

Since he returned from the disabled list, Hendricks has posted a 2.19 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 78 innings, permitting opposing hitters just a .658 OPS.

"Obviously Kyle's pitched really well," Maddon said. "We wanted to pop him right there."

Game 1 comes with all the "hoopla," as Lester called it, between the extra attention and build-up, plus the added wait time as each team is announced and the pregame ceremony lasts far longer than usual.

Hendricks, however, is the guy who beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers to clinch the Cubs' first pennant in 71 years last October. Then he went out and started Game 7, helping to set the tone for the game that ended a 108- year championship drought.

He's watched as veterans like Lester and Jake Arrieta have prepared for Game 1s and wild-card playoff starts and knows what type of work is needed to get up for this game.

As for controlling his emotions? Hendricks will have butterflies of course — he is human, after all. But the Cubs have no doubt he'll be able to manage it.

"More eagerness, I think," Hendricks said. "Excited to get out there. You're gonna have a little bit of butterflies, for sure, but I think it's just that excited feeling.

"This is what you live for. This is the time of the year you want to play in."

Jon Lester — Game 2

Lester took the ball for Game 1 of all three postseason series last October and has a long history of success in the playoffs with three World Series rings to his name.

And while his last two starts of the regular season were more vintage Lester, he also missed two weeks in late August with a lat/shoulder issue and posted a 5.91 ERA in his first four starts off the disabled list to begin September.

Maddon admitted Lester's injury played a factor in the Cubs brass opting to go Hendricks over the 33-year-old 12- year veteran.

"Injuries have played a part in the way this has been designed," Maddon said. "Kyle's injury happened early enough in the year that he was able to overcome it and come back.

"...Part of what you're seeing rotation-wise right now is based on some unfortunate moments during the summer, but may actually benefit us moving forward."

With the off-days built in for Sunday and Wednesday, if the series does stretch to five games, both Lester and Hendricks would be able to throw Thursday on normal — or extra — rest.

"There's not a whole lot other than we thought Kyle's pitching really well," Maddon said. "Jon's last outing really showed where he's at — I think he's coming on. We could've done it the other way, we just chose to do it this way right now.

"Kyle's got some good numbers against this particular team and I have so much confidence with Jon Lester pitching in the postseason period."

Jose Quintana — Game 3

This is as much about Arrieta's hamstring as it is about Quintana.

The Cubs gave up a pair of elite prospects to secure Quintana's services for the next several years and hope he will be a part of their postseason rotations for years to come.

But he still hasn't appeared in the playoffs yet and the Cubs will give him two games and a few days to get used to the whole ordeal before he has to go out and execute.

This also ensures he is guaranteed a start and his first taste of pitching in October even if the doomsday scenario happens and the Cubs are swept out of the best-of-five NLDS.

Plus, Quintana was 5-0 at Wrigley Field during the season, even if he did have a 4.76 ERA in eight starts at the "Friendly Confines."

Jake Arrieta — Game 4

Arrieta hasn't been right since he walked off the mound on Sept. 4 clutching his right hamstring.

He was in the middle of another unconscious run before that fateful moment in Pittsburgh, going 7-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 11 starts in July and August.

Arrieta admitted he rushed back from the injury to face the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 21 and after an abbreviated start in St. Louis the next week, the Cubs opted to shut him down and forego his last start that was scheduled for this past Sunday, the final game of the regular season.

The plan at that time was for Arrieta to throw a simulated game Wednesday at Wrigley Field during the Cubs' NLDS workout, but that was shifted to a bullpen, partially because of a slick field after some Chicago rain, but also because they want to ensure Arrieta doesn't pus anything.

That bullpen went well by all accounts and the Cubs maintain there is no concern right now over him being forced to miss the NLDS. They just want to give him as much time as possible.

"Had Jake been well the whole time, this order would've been different, no question," Maddon said. "We just feel it's wise to give him the most time to rest his leg before we have to pitch him."

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NBC Sports Chicago Jon Lester sees changing of the guard in Cubs rotation, but won’t concede anything else: ‘We should win the World Series’ By Patrick Mooney

Jon Lester is already bald and has white whiskers in his beard. He sounds older than 33, maybe because his nine seasons with the Boston Red Sox should be measured in dog years. He toasted his boy John Lackey’s presumed retirement last week as the Cubs celebrated their National League Central title.

Lester sees the changing of the guard at the front of the rotation and knows he already accomplished exactly what the Cubs wanted when they signed him to a landmark six-year, $155 million contract after a last-place season in 2014.

Lester sincerely respects Kyle Hendricks and believes he earned the Game 1 assignment against the Washington Nationals. But beyond that, Lester isn’t conceding anything in the best-of-five NL Division Series that begins Friday night at Nationals Park.

“Last year, we had all these expectations,” Lester said during Wednesday’s workout at Wrigley Field. “We won a bunch of games and we were supposed to win the World Series. That, to me, is harder than defending the World Series. Going forward, we have really nothing to lose. We’re still a really good team and we should win the World Series.

“But Washington was the second-best team in (the NL). The Dodgers, I think, have a lot to lose, just playing so well all year. So now you get into the playoffs with the added pressure on yourself – and you start pressing and not being who you are – and you look up and you’re heading home.

“We’re in a good place. I like this team being underdogs. We got some very prideful guys on this team.”

Like Lester, who started Game 1 in all three playoff rounds last year and earned his third World Series ring in a borderline Hall of Fame career. The Cubs still trust Lester will figure it out in Saturday’s Game 2 against the Nationals. Even manager Joe Maddon admitted Lester closing the regular season at full strength would have changed the calculus for this decision. But Lester watched up close last year as Hendricks grew into an ERA titleholder, a Cy Young Award finalist and the World Series Game 7 starter.

“I’m happy for him,” Lester said. “This is kind of that next step. Hopefully, the next step for him is to go through the whole playoffs like that and then be our Opening Day starter next year. That’s a cool step. I remember back in the day when the torch was kind of passed to me to do that.”

This isn’t an ego thing for Lester, who went 13-8 with a 4.33 ERA this season, the stress from pitching in 14 career playoff series probably catching up to him while Hendricks got into a groove and put up a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break.

“We’re a unit out there as our starting staff,” Lester said. “I’m not by any means mad. I’m not upset. I wasn’t going to be a Game 1 starter or an Opening Day starter for the rest of my career. At some point, somebody’s got to take it over. I’m really, really happy for him.”

Lester went on the disabled list with left lat tightness/general shoulder fatigue in late August and made it through six up-and-down starts in September. The surface-level numbers were fine (5-1, 4.18 ERA), but opponents generated an .828 OPS while Lester struggled with his command and location (36 hits and 14 walks allowed in 32.1 innings). Even in good times, it can look like Lester is second-guessing himself and unsure about what to do next, which makes his bubbling frustrations stand out against the blank stares from Hendricks.

“Kyle’s the perfect guy for it – you never know what’s going through his head,” Lester said. “You hardly know he’s breathing out there. As an emotional guy out there, to me, that’s the most impressive part, how he doesn’t allow (anything to get to him).

“How he goes about his business out there, you’d never know if he’s up 10, down 10, if it’s Game 7 or if it’s an April 15 start.”

Lester always envisioned the Cubs being good for a long time – and not just a one-and-done champion – as he transitioned into more of a supporting role. You can see the future with Jose Quintana lined up for Game 3 at Wrigley Field and his first playoff experience. There is the worst-case possibility that looming free agent/Game 4 starter (if necessary) Jake Arrieta may have already thrown his final pitch in a Cubs uniform as he continues to try to strengthen a strained right hamstring.

Not that the Cubs are thinking in those terms or that Lester would ever sell this team short, even as he makes way for Hendricks and maybe sees the beginning of the end of his reign as the staff’s ace.

“We’re not anxious,” Lester said. “Basically 95 percent of our team has been through everything, so there’s not going to be anything that surprises us as we go along this journey.”

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NBC Sports Chicago Joe Maddon speaks for Cubs fans when it comes to Daniel Murphy By Tony Andracki

Daniel Murphy's name will always elicit groans from Cubs fans.

It doesn't matter that the Cubs won it all in 2016. Murphy's dominance over the North Siders in the 2015 National League Championship Series will serve as a black mark in the franchise's history.

Forget the fact that the Cubs hit just .164 with a .522 OPS against the New York Mets in the four games.

It was Murphy's performance — four homers, nine hits, 1.850 OPS — that sticks in the crawl of the fanbase, to the point where he still gets booed when he visits Wrigley Field.

Murphy will once again meet the Cubs in October, hitting in the middle of a relentless Washington Nationals lineup.

Joe Maddon spoke for every Cubs fan when he was asked about Murphy Wednesday.

"I still wish he was a Met," Maddon chuckled. "There's no question, I do. He was so good a couple years ago. He's still very good. He's outstanding. He has really reinvented himself during the middle of his career. He's one of the more dangerous hitters playing baseball right now."

Murphy — who signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal with Washington after the Mets lost to the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series — didn't homer last fall, but he did hit .438 and drive in six runs in the Nationals' five-game NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jon Lester will be tasked with slowing down Murphy and the Nationals lineup Saturday in Game 2 and the Cubs veteran southpaw said he believes the team has done better against Murphy lately.

While he's technically right, it's only because Murphy's 2015 NLCS numbers were so out-of-this-world.

In 2017, Murphy hit .360 with a 1.229 OPS in seven games against Cubs pitching, hitting three homers, driving in four runs and scoring nine.

Lester and Co. had better luck in 2016, when Murphy hit *only* .286 with a .726 OPS and did not homer in seven games against the Cubs.

"What makes him even more dangerous now is the guys around him," Lester said. "You think, 'Hey, I don't wanna pitch to [Bryce] Harper and this guy' and then all of a sudden, you got first and second or second and third with him up.

"And he's such a good contact hitter that it makes it hard to strike him out and it makes it harder to get those weak ground balls.

"...That'll be fun to face that lineup. It's a good lineup. He flat-out beat us in '15. Hopefully that's not the case this go-around."

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NBC Sports Chicago Cubs vs. Nationals: Joe Maddon’s ‘Godfather’ urban legend about Mike Rizzo By Patrick Mooney

Washington Nationals baseball boss Mike Rizzo grew up on Waveland Avenue and built a perennial playoff team in that image through old-school scouting more than sabermetrics, valuing guts and competitive nature and how those strong personalities would work together within a clubhouse.

This is the family business. The son of a longtime scout, Rizzo keeps his father, Phil, around as a senior advisor who still takes in games at Wrigley Field, tracks potential postseason opponents and watches prospects in the Arizona Fall League.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon wasn’t surprised when Rizzo made the Oakland A’s and Minnesota Twins offers they couldn’t refuse, completely rebuilding the shaky Washington bullpen on the fly this summer by acquiring Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler.

“Rizz and I go way back,” said Maddon, who managed the Class-A infielder in 1982 in Salem, Oregon, where the California Angels had a branch of their farm system. “There was also a really good urban legend about a player that was no longer heard from after Rizzo had been released in spring training. The guy that was chosen in front of him was no longer to be found right after that.”

That Godfather-style line drew laughter from the reporters gathered in the Wrigley Field interview room before Wednesday’s workout, Maddon just warming up for the national media he will love to see this October.

“So the next day, Rizzo was reinstated,” Maddon said. “So we’re trying to find him. If anybody knows where Dave Govea is living right now, please let us know.”

After years of shrewd draft picks (Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon), trades (Gio Gonzalez, Trea Turner) and free-agent signings (Max Scherzer, Daniel Murphy), Rizzo’s bullpen moves fixed the one glaring weakness for a 97-win team that heads into a best-of-five National League Division Series against the defending World Series champs on Friday night at Nationals Park.

Another lasting image of Rizzo, a University of Illinois graduate who signed future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas for the White Sox:

“Rizz started a tremendous fight that we had vs. the Bend, Oregon Phillies,” Maddon said. “A play at the plate ended up against the backstop, Rizz was right in the middle of the whole thing. That’s who he was. He was a gritty player.”

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NBC Sports Chicago Kyle Hendricks gets the Game 1 start for Cubs as Joe Maddon sets his NLDS rotation By Vinnie Duber

Kyle Hendricks will get the ball when the Cubs open the NLDS against the Washington Nationals on Friday.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced Wednesday that Hendricks will be the team's Game 1 starter. Jon Lester will start Game 2, Jose Quintana will start Game 3, and should it be necessary, Jake Arrieta will pitch Game 4.

Hendricks certainly earned the honor of being the first starting pitcher out of the gate for the Cubs this postseason. He led the starting staff with a 3.03 ERA during the regular season and was especially fantastic after returning from the disabled list, posting a 2.19 ERA in his last 13 starts.

Remember, too, the work Hendricks did last postseason en route to that curse-smashing World Series win. He threw 7.1 shutout innings opposite Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 of the NLCS, a win that won the Cubs their first NL pennant since 1945. Hendricks also got the start in Game 7 of the World Series.

Lester boasts a remarkable career's worth of postseason experience, a three-time World Series champion, but his numbers have not been up to his usual dazzling standards this season. He's got a 4.33 ERA, his highest since 2012.

Quintana, acquired in a midseason blockbuster trade with the White Sox, has been strong for the Cubs down the stretch. He had a 2.52 ERA in five September starts.

Arrieta is dealing with a hamstring injury that required him to miss his final start of the regular season. He has a 3.53 ERA on the season and was especially good over the season's final three months, posting a 2.26 ERA in his last 14 starts.

The Nationals counter with their own formidable starting staff that features reigning NL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, along with Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.

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NBC Sports Chicago How the Cubs plan to slow down Nationals speedster Trea Turner By Tony Andracki

There is so much star power and so many storylines to watch in the Cubs-Nationals NLDS. But 24-year-old Trea Turner - he of 198 career MLB games - could be the biggest game-changer.

Turner has 81 stolen bases while playing parts of the last three seasons with the Nationals, notching an 83.5 percent success rate.

Maybe more importantly, he has seven stolen bases in eight tries in four games against the Cubs this season.

He stole four bases in one game on June 27, swiping second and third off Jake Arrieta and Miguel Montero, prompting the rant that got Montero a one-way ticket out of town.

Against Willson Contreras, however, things are a bit different. Turner has three stolen bases off Contreras in three games, but he's also been caught once and the Cubs catcher also picked Turner off first base.

So yes, Contreras changes the landscape of the running game, even if he is only league average (27 percent) at throwing out would-be basestealers.

Joe Maddon knows game-changing speed is a nice advantage to have, but he wants his pitchers to keep their gameplan and not let their focus wander.

"It's just a matter of how you approach it," Maddon said. "Do you permit people like that to really alter your thinking from the pitching mound? Which I prefer not having happen. And then on top of that, when you have Willson catching, it takes a little bit of the edge off, knowing how well he can throw.

"...So as much as we're talking about [Turner], I know they're talking about Willson also. If you don't have Willson back there or somebody like that, [speed is] a great edge. Great edge. But I think Willson negates that a little bit, or puts some pause in their mind.

"Now from our pitcher's perspective, I prefer them worry about the hitter than the runner. But a major-league pitcher should be able to still do some different items before he delivers a baseball that helps control that part of it, which we will talk about.

"At the end of the day, my lesson learned is that you really don't want to negatively impact the pitcher's thinking at the expense of a baserunner that maybe get put in a gap or over a wall."

Cubs fans have seen some of those different looks from pitchers over the last few years as Jon Lester has found a way to help slow the opponent's running game despite his "yips" with throwing over to first base.

Turner did steal a pair of bases off Lester and Contreras in June, but there's another factor working in the Cubs' favor: Turner's splits are pretty jarring, especially for a right-handed hitter.

He is sporting just a .630 OPS against lefties, hitting .245 with a .311 on-base percentage. Against righties, he has hit all 11 of his homers to go along with a .296 average and .837 OPS.

Regardless of how the Cubs line up their NLDS rotation, they will be throwing two lefties out of the first four games (assuming the series is not a sweep for either side) as Jon Lester and Jose Quintana will both get a chance to start.

The Cubs also will have southpaws Mike Montgomery and Brian Duensing in the bullpen and may choose to keep fellow lefty Justin Wilson on the roster, as well, despite his struggles over the last two months.

The Nationals, as a team, are almost completely neutral against opposing pitchers (.780 OPS vs. RHP, .787 OPS vs. LHP), but Turner's splits alone are intriguing.

If the Cubs keep Turner off base ahead of Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman, their chances at neutralizing the Nationals' high-powered offense goes up.

"He's really good. We saw that earlier in the year," Maddon said. "Always the best method is to keep him off base. That's the best way to corral somebody like him. We've run into that with Hamilton in our division.

"There's some guys that are difference-makers when they get on the basepaths like he is. We'll have our gameplan and at the end of the day, you still wanna be more concerned with the guy at the plate as opposed to the guy on the base, too. I think the better baserunners split pitcher's concentration and you don't want to split to the point where the hitter gains an advantage."

The baseball world has seen what "speed do" in October with the Kansas City Royals' success in 2014 and 2015.

Maddon knows full well, too. During his time in Tampa Bay, the (Devil) Rays finished in the Top 6 in baseball in stolen bases every year from 2006-12. That includes leading the league in 2008-10 when Carl Crawford, B.J. (Melvin) Upton and Jason Bartlett led the charge, though current Cubs utility man Ben Zobrist (44 steals in those three years) and coach Eric Hinske (10 stolen bases in 2008) also chipped in.

"We tried to take advantage of it," Maddon said. "We pushed it, man. We kinda took pride at that time and I thought that it added to our edge because the other side was worried about us running all the time. And then there comes the edge.

"So what I've learned is, don't let that happen to you. Don't worry so much about their basestealing that it takes you out of your pitching edge.

"Listen, it can be very impactful, there's no question; I'm not denying that. But I don't want us to go into override regarding that as opposed to us doing what we do better."

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Chicago Tribune Cubs rotation set, but they hold off announcing plans for John Lackey By Paul Sullivan

The question the Cubs didn't answer when announcing the National League Division Series rotation Wednesday was what they will do with John Lackey.

Kyle Hendricks got the Game 1 nod with Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta following, thus leaving Lackey out as expected.

But will Lackey be the long man out of the bullpen, or off the NLDS roster completely?

Cubs President Theo Epstein said they won't announce the final roster until Thursday.

"We're certainly looking at him as a viable option in the pen, but we're not prepared to announce the roster yet," he said.

It's really a no-brainer though, considering Lackey's status on the team and the possible need for another starter because of Arrieta's recovery from a hamstring injury.

"Jake had a great day today," Epstein said of Arrieta's bullpen session. "But you're always looking for as much depth as possible, but that's on both sides of the ball, how to squeeze it all on the roster."

Lackey didn't seem too upset during the afternoon workout at Wrigley Field, though it should be noted there were no umpires around for him to sneer at.

He made one relief appearance in the final game of the regular season, which suggests he will be sitting out there again in October. Whether he will be dancing like the rest of the Cubs' relievers is a topic for another day.

When asked about the possibility of moving to the pen in July, when he was struggling with a 5-9 record and 5.20 ERA, Lackey replied: "That ship has sailed. That ain't gonna happen. There are two places for me to be: starting or at home, except for the playoffs. In big games we can compromise."

With Arrieta's hamstring still a question mark, it would appear that compromise was reached. By slating Arrieta for Game 4, the Cubs will give him more time to heal, and if the injury affects him then Lackey would be ready to step in early on.

How difficult is it to go from starter to reliever at this time of year?

"I've seen 'Lack' come out of the bullpen and get a hold in a World Series game before," Lester said. "That's one person I'm not worried about."

The game Lester was referring to was Oct. 27, 2013, when the Red Sox were trailing the Cardinals 2-1 heading into Game 4. Lackey entered in the eighth inning with the Red Sox leading 4-2, after starting and getting the loss in Game 2.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina reached second on a one-out error and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Lackey then retired Jon Jay on a popup to shortstop and David Freese on a groundout to escape the inning.

The Red Sox won, and Lackey took the mound again in Game 6, allowing one run in 62/3 innings, throwing 105 pitches while notching the victory in the Series-clinching game.

The Cubs have a tight-knit team, and everyone has stuck behind Lackey despite the criticism he has received in the media for his in-game meltdowns and ornery demeanor. The rotation as a whole has had its ups and downs this season, but if the Cubs plan on winning this thing the group will have to be at the top of its game.

Lester set the tone by praising the decision to give Hendricks the Game 1 start instead of him, despite his reputation as one of the best postseason starters of his era.

"We're a unit as our starting staff," Lester said. "I'm not by any means mad. I wasn't going to be a Game 1, opening day starter the rest of my career. At some point you have to take it over."

Lester recalled "back in the day when the torch was kind of passed to me to do that."

As for Hendricks, he added: "It's a cool thing for him."

Manager Joe Maddon said Hendricks was "at the top of his game," and Lester's last two outings showed "he is coming on" at the right time.

"We could've done it another way," he said. "Absolutely. We just chose to do it this way right now. … I have so much confidence in Jon Lester pitching in the postseason, period."

The Cubs headed to Washington on Wednesday with a good feeling, knowing they're considered the underdogs in the NLDS but playing their best ball.

Being the hunter instead of the hunted is fine with everyone, despite their "embrace the target" mantra from 2016.

"In my opinion we're the favorites to win it all again," Anthony Rizzo said. "In Bryce Harper's opinion, they're the favorites, and in (Cody) Bellinger's opinion (the Dodgers) are the favorites.

"So everyone is a favorite. You just have to go out and play."

Lester agreed, and said he likes the idea of the Nationals being the favorites.

"That's the fun part about this time of year," he said. "I think everybody is the favorite to win. If you don't think you should win, then you probably shouldn't be here.

"It's exciting. It's fun and obviously everybody in (our) clubhouse thinks we should win."

Epstein said the Cubs are "just excited to play October baseball," no matter who is the favorite.

"A lot of that stuff, whether you limp in or sprint in, is out the window with how you execute the first few innings of Game 1," he said. "That starts to set the tone for the series."

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Chicago Tribune Cubs chase history during an era in which repeating is harder than ever By Paul Sullivan

Now that the Cubs have found a cure for their World Series hangover and made it back to the postseason, they will begin their bid for a repeat Friday night in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Nationals in Washington.

No team has won back-to-back championships since the Yankees did it three straight years from 1998-2000, so the Cubs are hoping to vault themselves into elite company. No World Series champion has even been back to the postseason since 2012, which says a lot about the degree of difficulty involved.

"You would expect the World Series winner to be in the playoffs the next year every year," third baseman Kris Bryant said. "It just hasn't been the case."

Added Ben Zobrist: "It's hard, but it can be done. So that's what we plan on doing."

It won't be easy, and the odds are stacked against the Cubs as they begin their October trek.

The Cubs don't have home-field advantage against the Nationals in the NLDS and won't if they advance to play the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series — if LA gets past the Diamondbacks. Three of the four remaining American League teams, excluding the Yankees, also finished with a better record than the Cubs and will have the home-field advantage in any potential World Series matchup.

One of their two aces, Jake Arrieta, is battling a right hamstring injury, and a bullpen that ranked second in the National League in the first half with a 3.26 ERA was 10th in the second half at 4.48. The Cubs finished second in the NL in runs scored with 822 but were 12th with runners in scoring position with a .253 average.

Even if they fire on all cylinders, a repeat is extremely hard to pull off.

"Trying to do something really hard once is one thing," President Theo Epstein said. "Trying to do something really hard twice is another."

The Yankees did it in a different era when PEDs were widespread, analytics were still in their infancy and owner George Steinbrenner spent whatever was necessary to keep them on top.

The 1998-2000 Yankees' core included Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, but they also had some of the best starters in the game and the best closer of all time in Mariano Rivera.

The '98 Yankees featured a rotation of veterans David Cone, David Wells, Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte. They were first in the AL in ERA (3.82) and runs scored (965), winning 114 games en route to the AL East title.

In the postseason the Yankees held the Rangers to a .141 average and one run in a three-game ALDS sweep, knocked off the Indians 4-2 in the ALCS and swept the Padres the World Series.

For the repeat attempt in '99, the Yankees added Roger Clemens to the rotation while subtracting Wells. They were third in runs scored with 900 and second in ERA at 4.16, taking the AL East again with 98 victories. The Yankees swept the Rangers again in the ALDS, cruised to a 4-1 triumph over the Red Sox in the ALCS and swept the Braves in the Series.

The 2000 championship was the hardest of the three. They won 87 games and finished only 2 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox. The White Sox led the AL in victories with 95 and runs scored with 978, but the wild-card Mariners swept them in the ALDS while the Yankees eked out a 3-2 victory over the A's in the other division series.

After beating the Mariners 4-2 in the ALCS, the Yankees brushed aside the Mets 4-1 in the Subway Series for the three-peat.

Solid starting pitching was one of the keys to the three-year run, and having Rivera as their closer obviously was crucial. But in reality there never should have been a three-peat. The 2000 season was an anomaly as the Yankees fell to sixth in the AL in ERA at 4.76 while ranking sixth in hitting.

The Yankees had a boatload of talent, just as the 2017 Cubs do, but also had some luck on their side. And whether PEDs played a role is also debatable, though this was before MLB began drug testing, so steroids were prevalent throughout the game.

Still, in 2012, Pettitte testified in federal court he took human growth hormone in 2002 and '04 and said Clemens told him he had used it in 1999 or 2000. Clemens denied the charge — saying it was his wife that had used HGH. — but he has not been voted into the Hall of Fame, likely because of the suspicion of PEDs.

The three-peat is in the books, and no team has gone back-to-back since. Epstein pointed out there's more roster turnover now and "there are less obvious advantages to exploit." Limits on spending in the draft, technological advances in analytics and other factors have leveled the playing field.

And there's the aforementioned "World Series hangover" the Cubs experienced this season. Mental and physical exhaustion from a shorter offseason is an impediment to getting off to a good start, as the Cubs discovered the hard way.

But if the Cubs do repeat, what can they do next year to prevent another World Series hangover?

"What we did this year was pretty fun, to be honest," Anthony Rizzo said.

So the Cubs should start out playing poorly again and turn it on the in the second half?

"Our goal every year is to win the division," he replied. "You play 162 games for a reason. The cream always rises to the top, that's what I always say. What's written is written, but we're here."

The Cubs indeed are here.

But can they rise to the top again in the postseason and make a little history?

We're about to find out.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs pick Kyle Hendricks to open NLDS against Nationals By Paul Skrbina

Some of the Cubs' top brass made pitches to one another during a meeting Wednesday morning at Wrigley Field.

The group, which included President Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer, manager Joe Maddon and pitching coach Chris Bosio, concluded that the man who started the team's last playoff game will start its next one.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who started Game 7 of the World Series last year against the Indians, will lead the rotation going into the National League Division Series, which begins Friday against the Nationals in Washington.

Left-hander Jon Lester will start Game 2 Saturday, followed by fellow lefty Jose Quintana in Game 3 Monday and right-hander Jake Arrieta for Game 4, if necessary, Tuesday.

Though Hendricks earned the role, he wasn't always the team's No. 1 choice to be the No. 1 starter. Arrieta's ailing right hamstring and Lester's recent bout with left-shoulder soreness played into the equation.

"Anybody on this staff could be making that start," Hendricks said Wednesday before the team's workout at Wrigley. "I think it's just more logistics.

"(But) it's an honor. I'm going to take it in that way."

Maddon concurred, saying the order of the rotation likely would have been different if health had not been a concern.

Arrieta skipped his final start of the season to rest his hamstring. After missing two starts in September, the 31- year-old pitched twice more. He hasn't pitched since Sept. 26, when he allowed three earned runs and six hits in three innings.

Epstein said Arrieta "had a great day today," in reference to the side session he threw during Wednesday's workout. Quintana threw during the team's simulated game Wednesday.

Lester, who missed two starts at the end of August with his ailment, said his feelings weren't hurt about not receiving the nod for Game 1. He has started the first game of a playoff series nine times, including every postseason series for the Cubs during the last two years. He also started the 2014 American League wild-card game for the Athletics.

"I'm not by any means mad," said Lester, who has a 2.63 ERA in 22 career playoff starts. "I wasn't going to be a Game 1 starter, opening day starter for the rest of my career. I'm really, really happy for him.

"He probably threw the ball the best on our staff, start to finish, last year, including the playoffs. And nobody even talks about him."

Should the series against the Nationals reach five games, Maddon said both Hendricks and Lester would be candidates to start.

Hendricks is 3-2 with a 2.23 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 19 walks in 682/3 innings spanning his last 11 starts.

While injuries to other pitchers helped land Hendricks atop the playoff rotation, his own injury may have had something to do with him being there, too.

After some struggles early in the season, Hendricks found himself on the disabled list for nearly six weeks with tendinitis in his right middle finger. Before he was put on the DL, Hendricks was 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA.

"His velocity before that wasn't there," Maddon said. "It was 83-84 (mph) a lot. He came back and all of a sudden we're seeing 87, 88, 89 on his velocity.

"Whatever time he took off … definitely did help."

And helped him breathe some life into the pitching staff.

"You don't even know if his heart's beating out there half the time," Lester said.

The Nationals are expected to announce their starting rotation formally Thursday. It will be some combination of Stephen Strasberg, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark.

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Chicago Tribune With playoff stage set, the Javier Baez highlight show goes on for Cubs By Dan Wiederer

“Popped down the left-field line. Jay and Baez are over there. The slide. The catch? … What a play! Two-thirds of the world is covered by water, the other third by Javier Baez." — Television play-by-play announcer Len Kasper during the Cubs' June 26 game against the Nationals

Ask Javier Baez to identify his favorite defensive play from a summer full of jaw-droppers and the Cubs infielder looks toward the ceiling. Where do you even start on a menu that includes 308 assists and 205 putouts, many of the astonishing variety?

Is it a diving stab in the hole with Baez firing a bullet to first, much like the theft he committed on the Pirates' Jose Osuna in late August?

Is it a relay throw sizzling home, like the one to cut down Reds shortstop Zack Cozart six weeks ago?

Is it the most recent addition to his preternatural tagging compilation, an all-in-one-motion stab and helmet bop to extinguish Jose Peraza's steal attempt Saturday?

All of those are nice. But given a minute, Baez circles back to June 26. It's merely coincidence he has chosen a game against the Nationals, the Cubs' opponent for the National League Division Series. And yes, it's fitting that Baez can't settle on just one personal highlight from that night.

He first picks out the scorching line drive hit by slugger Bryce Harper in the third inning. At shortstop, Baez took two quick steps right, launched and was nearly parallel to the ground as he snatched the liner and landed on his belly.

"That," Baez says with a grin, "was a pretty good one."

Harper stood halfway down the first-base line, first looking toward the outfield grass where his single should've landed, then to the Nationals Park scoreboard for confirmation of what he had seen.

Still, Baez is also partial to the catch he made five innings later, on a pop foul down the third-base line. Baez had it tracked from the instant it left Adam Lind's bat. His eyes danced back and forth — to the ball then to the wall; the ball then the wall; ball then wall — until he finally slid onto the dirt, contorting his body and making a backhanded grab.

"I ran forever," Baez says. "When I went for it, I was thinking about my teeth. I figured if I covered my teeth, everything else would be good."

Not to worry: Baez popped up with his magnetic smile glowing. Left fielder Jon Jay stood beside him with a profound appreciation for the show.

"You see a moment like that and you know it," Jay says. "He was built to do this. He was made to perform."

As a spectator sport, baseball has forever been a relaxed and rhythmic ride. But with Baez, it more often feels like a wingsuit flight off a cliff in the Swiss Alps. It's an adrenaline rush, where the fear of disaster tangos constantly with the potential for extraordinary achievement.

Inexplicable strikeout one minute, 457-foot home run the next. Diving stop plus laser throw in one inning, bungled grounder not long after.

"With Javy," says Cubs radio analyst Ron Coomer, "you just never know."

At any moment, Baez can create the spectacular. In the field. On the bases. At the plate. And with the Cubs plugging into the playoffs Friday, it's worth wondering whether Baez's electricity can help create a surge to a second consecutive World Series crown.

Rush hour

With fall's arrival, Baez is reminded of what's ahead. When he hears those two magic words — October baseball — his eyes light up. It's Pavlovian, really.

"It's hard to explain, man," Baez says. "October is just so much different. Whatever happened in the season doesn't matter anymore. The best of the best are here."

Baez is aware his stage is about to become much bigger, and the pressure of every playoff moment will intensify. He wouldn't want it any other way.

"I've been ready for this," he adds. "Everything begins now."

A year ago, Baez's postseason act proved breathtaking. In Game 1 of the NLDS, he accounted for the only run of a 1-0 Cubs victory, bombing an eighth-inning offering from Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto through a stiff breeze and into Wrigley Field's left-field basket.

Four nights later, Baez singled home the winning run in the ninth inning of the Cubs' clincher.

In the National League Championship Series, he stole home in Game 1, hit .318 over six games and ultimately shared MVP honors with Jon Lester.

Yet in the World Series, his plate patience disintegrated. Indians pitchers could have hurled rotten potatoes low and away and Baez would've swung out of his cleats. He struck out 13 times in 30 at-bats.

In Game 7, he went 1-for-5 with two whiffs, including a botched two-strike bunt attempt with the go-ahead run on third in the ninth.

Baez also committed two errors. Still, somehow, he salvaged his night with a homer to lead off the fifth, a key blast to right-center off Corey Kluber. Says Coomer: "Rarely does Javy let his mistakes linger."

Baez admits he's still growing but says he strengthened his resolve when he learned to separate his defense from his offense and vice versa. Success or failure.

"If I make an error in the field, obviously I wasn't trying to do that," he said. "And if I strikeout, I'm not trying to. So separating both things, that was a huge thing for me."

'You find a way'

"There's a base hit. Zobrist scores. Here comes the throw! Baaaeeeezzzz … scores! Cubs win!" — Kasper as the Cubs finished off a three-run 10th inning to stun the Blue Jays on Aug. 20

The end of the magic trick on a summer Sunday came with Baez sprinting from second base and around third. He was scurrying to turn what had been a 5-3, 10th-inning deficit into a 6-5 Cubs victory.

His slide home, past catcher Rafael Lopez and immediately into a pop-up celebration, was balletic. With arms outstretched, Baez was like Maximus in "Gladiator."

Are you not entertained?

Oh, and for the record, Baez reached that inning on a strikeout — on a pitch that bounced in front of home plate. Yet with hustle and a late throw, he made it to first.

That's the wizardry of "El Mago" in a nutshell — that he can somehow turn an ugly strikeout into the game- winning run. "You don't see that every day," he quips.

"That says a lot about a complete baseball player," adds Jason Heyward, behind Baez on the bases that inning. "When it's not all perfect, you find a way."

Heyward was also on the basepaths in August when Baez launched a fly ball into Triples Alley at AT&T Park, a ball that didn't clear the fence but ricocheted away from Giants right fielder Carlos Moncrief.

Baez admired the blast for a beat too long, then turned on the jets.

Heyward, after crossing the plate, turned back to help Baez finish his 360-foot dash.

Here came Javy. Here came the throw. Here was Heyward steering his teammate around the dart fired by Moncrief.

"It was a great throw. It really was," Hewyard says. "But one thing with Javy, when it comes to running the bases and making slides, he knows how to finish the play. Anyone could have run around the bases and just slid in straight. And if they were out, OK, nice try. But Javy had the awareness. He had his eyes on me, telling him to get over here (to his right). And he made the perfect slide for that situation."

Game of tag

Former Cubs director of amateur scouting Tim Wilken still remembers vividly what he never saw.

It was an overcast day at the 2011 Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Game, a high school showcase in Sebring, Fla. And with one massive cut, Baez blasted a baseball that disappeared in the gray sky.

For all Wilken knows, it could have landed on the eighth ring of Saturn. Still, he never forgot what he heard.

"Like an explosion," Wilken says. "Everyone was clutching for air. You could hear people gasping."

That's often the Baez soundtrack, the awestruck inhale, the vibe of amazement that initially drew the Cubs' scouting staff to the young infielder.

That elite feel? That artistry? Wilken calls it "zest." And what so many around baseball began marveling at during Baez's climb to the big leagues was that they had never really understood that tagging was considered a thing.

"Because it wasn't," Coomer says. "That's the kicker. That's what happens with guys who are extremely talented. They create the thing. That's what Javy did with the tag."

Now there are YouTube compilations, some more than five minutes long, with just Baez tags.

Arguably none is more fun than his putout of Nelson Cruz at the World Baseball Classic in March. There's Baez already smiling and celebrating before the ball arrives, before he drops a stunning no-look tag on Cruz's left knee.

After Saturday's tag on Peraza, Baez shrugged.

"To be honest," he says, "I just get my angles right with the way I look at them. And I let the ball get as deep as I can. Let the throw take you to the tag."

Adds Heyward: "On both sides of the ball, really, he gives you that juice. It's a mindset: that on defense, you can bring momentum to your team with things like that."

Why not?

In the scouting process, Wilken understood the knocks on Baez — plays out of control, gives away too many at- bats, tries to make too many plays he shouldn't. But Wilken also was drawn to the kid's passion and drive. That's why in predraft meetings in 2011, he knew Baez had to be the Cubs' first-round pick at No. 9.

"It's part of his DNA where he badly wants to be the best player on the field," Wilken says. "And I'm not so sure that's not going to happen somewhere down the road."

That's one of Baez's gifts — he expands the imagination of everyone around him. Just last weekend, pitcher Jake Arrieta stood in the clubhouse gushing over Baez's instincts and vim. Yet praising the blossoming 24-year-old as the prototypical five-tool player seemed too limiting. Arrieta remains convinced Baez is a five-tool player with nine- position potential.

Attention, Joe Maddon: keep the pitching rotation flexible.

"I really think he's that good of an athlete," Arrieta says. "He can throw 90-plus. For sure. And I promise you he could learn to spin the ball. He could probably throw a changeup (easily).

"He's like the Little Leaguer who's in a league of his own. And that's not me saying that he's better than everybody. But he has the athletic ability to do so many different things. The kid is special. And he's in the prime of his career."

Like Baez, Arrieta remains impressed by that sliding catch down the foul line in Washington. But he's also still awestruck by Baez's steal of home in Game 1 of last season's NLCS. Just when it seemed Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz had Baez picked off …

"There was no hesitation," Arrieta says. "As soon as the catcher came up out of his crouch, he was gone. Most people freeze. They realize the throw is going to third and they don't have enough time to get themselves out of it. He just went. It's that tenth-of-a-second where he's quicker than everybody else. That's what makes him special. … The way he moves on the field is different than everybody else."

Lights, camera …

"Long pause. Here's the pitch. Ground baaallll. Base hit! We're tied!" — Kasper in the ninth inning of the Cubs' Sept. 21 game in Milwaukee

Coomer wasn't going anywhere, not even tempted to begin stacking his notes and pushing back from his chair in the booth at Miller Park. Yes, the Cubs were down to the final strike of their final out in the first game of a tense September series. And sure, Coomer has watched enough of Baez's 371 career strikeouts to know what might be coming.

Heck, already in that at-bat Baez, had taken two swings that sent wind gusts through Waukesha.

"Almost fell over," Coomer says. "Matter of fact, on the one swing he did. All the way down to his knee."

But Coomer also considered that "you-never-know" factor — that the next offering from reliever Jeremy Jeffress would catch enough of the plate and Baez would do as he did, slapping the changeup into centerfield for a game- tying single.

As Ian Happ scored, Baez detonated, shouting and gesticulating at an enlivened Cubs dugout.

"Three months ago, that's a strikeout and the game's over," Coomer says. "But then, he grinds out the at-bat. All of a sudden, our dugout explodes because he gets the base hit.

"It changes the series."

The Cubs prevailed 5-3 and ultimately won threeof four in the series.

That, Wilken says, is the immeasurable exhilaration that comes from Baez's intrepid nature.

"The analytics don't have an equation for Javier Baez.," he says.

Adds Coomer: "For the Cubs, it's like a shot of adrenaline right to the heart. Just, 'Boom! Here we go!'"

Here they go indeed, back into the playoffs. The curtain lifts on the NLDS on Friday in Washington. And Baez can't wait.

This is what he lives for, an opportunity to show the baseball world the contagious gusto he brings to the park every day.

"When you're the same guy every day, it helps a lot," he says. "Because there are moments where there is a lot of pressure. But if you try to always play with the same passion and the same energy, you'll be ready for anything. … It's just the way that I am. It's the way that I play."

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Chicago Tribune Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts hopes to extend his wild trophy tour into 2018 By David Haugh

And you thought Todd would be the Ricketts brother most likely to share headlines with a head of state.

Yet Tom Ricketts, the Cubs chairman, came dangerously close last January while taking the World Series trophy into the office of Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina.

"It's fragile, and you can't grab the flags because you can pull one of them out of the trophy," Ricketts recalled Wednesday. "He got up and, without asking, grabbed the trophy and pulled on the flags. Our head of security, who was watching, stood up. Suddenly, the president's head of security stood up."

Ricketts laughed retelling the story like a guy who has enjoyed every minute of the last 11 months lugging around the 24-inch, 30-pound sterling silver Commissioner's Trophy.

"But the president realized the flags were loose and quickly put it back down and picked it up the right way," Ricketts said. "It was almost an international incident."

Not every place Ricketts traveled with the trophy left such a unique impression but many created special memories, such the line of Cubs fans that snaked around the block in March at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. Later in the summer, Ricketts just showed up one night with the trophy in tow at his buddy's local bar, and, another time, at a Lake in the Hills man cave for a fundraiser for a 17-year-old heart-transplant recipient.

He occasionally surprised more than a few Cubs fans at birthdays and anniversaries and randomly appeared at parties that produced actual World Series hangovers. He took it to a cigar plantation in the Dominican after leaving the president's office. He posed next to it at hospitals and legion halls, hockey rinks and basketball gyms, in parades and on stage.

At least Ricketts never allowed the trophy to be damaged on his watch like Cubs President Theo Epstein, who passed it around in June at his benefit concert in Boston, where several flags were broken — and repaired before the next scheduled appearance. Every Cubs minor-league affiliate spent a day with the reminder of what every young player is chasing. Officially, the Cubs counted 232 stops with the World Series trophy since winning it last Nov. 2 but, unofficially, Ricketts guesses that's low.

"It's been an amazing year," Ricketts said. "When people tell you their story about how they sat with their father or grandfather to watch the game or would bring a family member, it is really meaningful and emotional. There's no way anyone can anticipate how much that trophy means to so many people."

No experiences with the trophy meant more to Ricketts than his first two: in Cleveland minutes after Game 7 and on the Cubs parade route that began at Wrigley Field and ended at Grant Park. Upon hoisting the hardware for the first time, victoriously, it struck Ricketts how his world immediately had changed — a sensation he remembered every time he introduced himself to a grateful Cubs fan.

"When you're finally holding that trophy in the Indians clubhouse, for me it was being able to pay back all the people who stayed patient and stuck with us, not just the seven years of the Ricketts era but all the years before that," Ricketts said.

The Commissioner's Trophy isn't like the Stanley Cup. It stays with the rightful owner rather than rotating after each season depending on what team wins. Its only keeper is the winner, forever. So while the Cubs don't have to give anything back to the league, Ricketts does feel like he would miss the responsibility of spreading goodwill, one photo op at a time.

"Obviously, we have to get another trophy if we want to take the trophy around again," Ricketts said. "But I think we're as well-positioned as we can be to do that. We're pretty healthy, very confident, playing well."

Elaborating, Ricketts credited Cubs players for fighting through the "World Series hangover" and Maddon for keeping "his eyes on the horizon." Ricketts' positive assessment of the state of the Cubs heading into the postseason fell short of the guarantee his more outspoken brother issued June 28 during a White House visit. With several players, coaches and front office members around President Donald Trump, Cubs board member Todd Ricketts was caught on camera saying of the Nationals: "We're going to run into these guys in the playoffs and you'll ... see them crumble."

A little more than three months later, Tom Ricketts merely chuckled when asked if he had to tell Todd to be a little more silent of a partner.

"He was just making smart talk, just joking around," Ricketts said. "I was like, 'You know everything you say gets picked up by somebody.' We know how good the Nationals are. They are loaded. It's going to be a great series."

Potentially too great — and too close — to add anything to the agenda no matter how close Nationals Park is to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"Ha, no plans for any White House trips this time, all baseball," Ricketts said. "Hopefully win a couple games, come back home and be in LA the following weekend."

Spoken like a guy not ready yet to end his trophy tour.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs seek to disrupt the timing of Nationals speedster Trea Turner By Mark Gonzales

Remembering how Trea Turner was during a four-game series in late June, the Cubs seek to mess with the timing of the Nationals speedster.

"We know Trea Turner is going to run," Cubs catcher Willson Contreras said. "Every time he gets on base, he tries to get to second base. (The pitchers) have to change the tempo, change the delivery a little bit and play with his mind."

Turner stole seven bases in a four-game series at Nationals Park, and the only time he was caught stealing was on a try for third base in the final game. By then the damage was done, and and the Cubs' frustrations reached a zenith when catcher Miguel Montero criticized Jake Arrieta for not holding runners more closely. Consequently, Montero was designated for assignment the following day.

But the truth hurts enough for the Cubs to be concerned with harnessing Turner during the National League Division Series, which starts Friday night.

"It can be very impactful, no question," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm not denying it. But I don't want us to go into override."

Turner went 6-for-14 with a .579 on-base percentage in that June series against the Cubs but didn't get a chance to face them at Wrigley because Cubs reliever Pedro Strop broke his wrist with a pitch that caused him to miss two months.

Turner knows there's a balance when it comes to base stealing, especially with Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon — strong hitters who also can run — batting behind him.

"If the stolen base is there or the extra base is there, then take it," Turner said Wednesday after the Nationals' workout. "If it's not, don't take it.

"If the Cubs execute the play and throw me out, hats off to them. It's stuff you can't worry about. I don't expect that them to change up too much of what they want to do to cater to me. I've still got to get on base and do a lot of things. We'll see. You've got to wait for the moment and see what happens."

But Turner, 24, realizes how disruptive he can be in the postseason.

"Speed, in general, in the postseason, is important," Turner said. "There may be an error that decides the game and maybe a pickoff that's thrown away.

"Unless you have speed, that's not going to happen. It's important for me to get on first base, whether it's an error, walk, hit, whatever it maybe."

Maddon said the Nationals would have a "great edge" if it weren't for Contreras, who threw out 23 base stealers in 84 attempts (27 percent).

"From our pitchers' perspective, I've said I'd prefer them more worried about the hitter than the runner," Maddon said. "But a major-league pitcher should be able to (hold the runner) before he delivers the baseball, which controls part of that."

First baseman Anthony Rizzo, who teamed with catcher David Ross last season to discourage baserunners from attempting to steal against Jon Lester, hinted the Cubs would use similar methods against Turner.

"You've got to keep him off the bases or make him uncomfortable at first base by throwing over or back picking," Rizzo said. "Other than that, a guy like him is going to steal no matter what.

"I'm sure we'll give him a lot to think about, If Willson makes a good throw to second base, I'm sure he's going to be out."

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Chicago Tribune Len Kasper gets a different vantage point with Cubs in playoffs By Phil Rosenthal

Len Kasper, the regular-season TV voice of the Cubs, sometimes finds himself doing play-by-play in his head while he watches them in the playoffs.

"I'm more of a fan during the game," he said. "I'm pacing more because I'm not talking on the air. But I enjoy that part of it."

The main thing, in Kasper's view, is he's doing his pacing at the ballpark, not his living room.

While Major League Baseball turns over its postseason TV exclusively to national outlets, he's contributing to WSCR-AM 670 radio broadcasts with Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer as well as working with Dan Roan on WGN-9's "Cubs Nightly" series of postseason specials.

"We would all rather do all the games, but I don't make up the rules on who does what in postseason," said Kasper, who has completed 13 seasons with the Cubs and is under contract through 2019. "My thing is to be able to travel and be around the team and the games and hang with the radio guys. I can't stress enough how great they've been to allow me to do it.

"I don't want to be sitting at home when my team is playing in the biggest games of the year. I just try to take it in stride, and I enjoy the hell out of it."

Kasper will call the fifth inning of playoff games on WSCR, continue to contribute to the pregame show and do post-victory player interviews from the dugout or the field.

"It's a very different vantage point," he said. "I don't get down there in the regular season. I was at Game 7 (of last year's World Series) on the field when we won and in the booth during the rain delay. All that stuff, I wouldn't trade that for the world."

Sometimes, during the games last season, if he thought of something that might be useful to Hughes and Coomer, he would scribble it on a piece of paper and hand it to one of them.

"We had a couple of funny moments," Kasper recalled. "I would give one of them a note and they would say, 'Len Kasper just handed me this.' And I would say: 'No! Just use it! I don't need credit for it!' I just enjoy being part of it in that way."

Not everything he wrote last year during the Cubs' run to their first World Series title since 1908 was shared with fans, however.

Kasper kept a daily journal of everything going on around him from spring training through the victory parade, then wound up deciding not to cash in by releasing it amid the glut of 2016 Cubs books despite interest from publishers.

"I haven't lost sleep over my decision," he said. "I feel pretty good about it and, to be honest, it's a little, like the Eric Karros (Cubs) video diary from 2003. He still hasn't released any of it. If people know I have a journal that I haven't released, they'll probably think it's better than it actually is because they haven't read it."

Older baseball fans will recall when local announcers from the two pennant winners — considered a wellspring of insight into the ballclubs they had lived with for the six-plus months each year — were accorded roles in network World Series TV coverage each year.

That tradition ended in 1976 in the broadcast booth and in '77 for the national pregame and postgame shows. Sometimes the network announcers have spent the season with a World Series team, such as with Vin Scully, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, but that's not by design.

Someday, perhaps, a network will supplement its national postseason baseball coverage with alternate "hometown" feeds featuring announcers from the participating teams the way it sometimes is done on major college football and basketball games.

Until then, some Cubs fans no doubt will try to sync Hughes' radio call to what's on TV at home, and Kasper is grateful he's not among them.

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Chicago Tribune Stephen Stasburg likely to start Game 1 of NLDS for Nationals against Cubs By Mark Gonzales

General manager Mike Rizzo's stated comfort with Stephen Strasburg increased the likelihood the Nationals have all but ruled out ace Max Scherzer for Friday night's Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Cubs.

"We haven't confirmed (Strasburg starting Game 1) that yet," Rizzo said Wednesday as Scherzer played catch in the outfield as he copes with a tweak in his right hamstring. "(Strasburg) is certainly a capable No. 1 starter in the playoffs. We feel good about running him out there if he were the guy. Who better? We have two aces and one of them will pitch Game 1."

As for Scherzer, who was 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA in the regular season, "He's going to pitch in this series, and we want to get him close to 100 percent as we can get him," said Rizzo, adding that "the reason for holding him back would be the concern on the hamstring."

Strasburg was 15-4 with a 2.52 ERA.

High on Hendricks: Nationals sluggers Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman spoke of the respect they have for Cubs Game 1 starter Kyle Hendricks.

"He's one of those guys you have to stay in your zone and find a pitch in your zone," Murphy said. "If you don't, he does such a good job of throwing marginal balls and marginal strikes that look good. And if you swing at those, you're going to be out. And you saw the success he had last year and this year."

Said Zimmerman: "He forces you to have a plan and stick with it. All those guys are good at what they do. The battle is to make him do what you want him to do, but they don't give in."

What pressure? Outfielder Jayson Werth tempered the declaration by the Cubs' Ben Zobrist that the pressure is on the Nationals in this best-of-five series.

"The hard part is getting here and being one of the teams that gets to the dance," Werth said. "We did that. In my mind, all the pressure is off. This is all gravy on top.

"When I signed here (in 2011), my goal was to win a World Series. I still have that opportunity, and I'm definitely grateful for that."

Extra innings: Rizzo hasn't ruled out adding outfielder Brian Goodwin to the postseason roster if Goodwin has fully recovered from a groin injury that has sidelined him since Aug. 14.

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Chicago Tribune Elisabeth Moss, Jake Johnson lead new wave of young celebrity Cubs fans By Phil Thompson

When the Cubs' series against the Nationals rolls around to Wrigley Field Monday, it's a good bet the TBS cameras will rove the crowd looking for the usual suspects: Bill Murray, Eddie Vedder, John Cusack, Bonnie Hunt -- you know the names.

But there's a new generation of celebrity Cubs fans, all under 45, that's taking center stage, some of them Chicago- area natives, others who rose up through the city's improv circuit, and a few who stumbled onto the Cubs in unusual ways.

Elisabeth Moss ("The Handmaid's Tale")

What Cubs fans had Moss on their radar before this season? This year's she has been everywhere talking about the Cubs and how she learned about her Emmy nomination for "Handmaid's" through a "Shirtless Rizzo" GIF.

"I'm a 4th generation Cubs fan so I was so lucky to have been born into it," Moss told the Tribune's Chicago Inc. via email.

Not that you'd doubt her bona fides, but she's a brother removed from the King Cubs fan himself, Bill Murray. "Joel Murray is a friend of mine from 'Mad Men' and he's obviously a giant Cubs fan. We always like each other's Cubs posts on Instagram and I hope to get to go to a game together one day. That would be fun!" she said.

She's in production for "Handmaid's," so "I will be watching every game on my iPhone on set from my MLB app, extremely stressed out and annoyed that filming is interrupting my viewing of the game. Any day off I have that coincides with a home game I'll be flying from Toronto to Chicago for it."

Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris and Hannah Simone ("New Girl")

Three of the five main actors on the "Fox" comedy count themselves as members of Cubs Nation. Glen Ellyn and Second City product Lamorne Morris and co-star Hannah Simone watched Game 5 of last season's National League Championship Series together at Dodger Stadium.

Not bad, but Jake Johnson, who grew up in Winnetka and Evanston, pulls rank.

"Lamorne and Hannah are not really Cubs fans. They're great people, talented actors, but they're not Cubs fans," Johnson told Inc. via email, adding a winking face emoji.

Johnson thought back to the Cubs' rally to the World Series in November. "Game 7 was the highlight of my baseball life. I don't see how the sport will ever give me more than it did that night. It was just a great night to be a fan of baseball and especially the Cubs. From now on, it'll just get worse and less satisfying and I'm okay with that." (Side note: On one episode, Johnson's character Nick's girlfriend Reagan, played by Megan Fox, tells him during an argument, "I hope that the Chicago Cubs win the World Series while you’re in a coma." The Cubs win later that year.).

This postseason, the Cubs are considered underdogs, but Johnson said, "I think we're the team to beat. I'm expecting a World Series rematch and I'll definitely make it back to Wrigley."

Roy Wood Jr. ("The Daily Show")

Wood struck comedy gold when he walked out on the show in his Cubs "victory robe" after the World Series clincher, and he has been mining that prop ever since. When the Cubs clinched this season's NL Central, he tweeted a video of himself watching the game with the lights offs and creepily rubbing his robe. "Victory Robeing in the dark," he wrote.

Wood explained to Dallas-based NBC Sports radio host Newy Scruggs in November how a Birmingham, Ala., native came to be a Cubs fan: Essentially, because of WGN's and TBS' superstations, he had a choice between watching the Cubs and Braves on cable.

"The Cubs had a better '80s than the Braves. I got on the Cubs train clearly on the back end of things right before the '89 NLDS where they lost to the Giants. That was like peak Cubdom for me. And I was like, ‘Wow, I picked a good team, they make the playoffs.' Aaaaaand it was a long time did anything else in the playoffs after that.

“And this is what people don’t understand: As a child once you buy a poster and put it on your wall. There was no more switching off."

Aimee Garcia ("Lucifer," "Dexter")

The Chicago native has thrown the first pitch at Wrigley a couple of times, including during a game against the Brewers in April.

She recalled to Chicagoly magazine last year how she was mortified when her mother was chatting with Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts at a post-World Series gala: "I didn’t even know this until she was telling Tom the story — apparently my mom and dad’s first date was at a Cubs game and she didn’t even like baseball. I’m like, 'Mom, you’re telling Tom Ricketts you don’t like baseball,' She’s like, 'But I do not like baseball.' I’m sure it cracked him up. She said it was a doubleheader and it was the longest game ever. Three months later they were married."

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Chicago Tribune Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo ready to face his hometown Cubs in NLDS By Paul Sullivan

The Nationals went from 103 losses in 2009 to perennial contenders under general manager Mike Rizzo, a Chicago native who doesn't rattle easily.

The pressure is now on Rizzo's team to get past the Cubs in the National League Division Series, after the Nats failed three times to get past the first round under three managers he hired: Davey Johnson, Matt Williams and Dusty Baker.

Ironically, the Nats are now in the Cubs' old shoes as the team whose history gets shoved in their faces every year, most recently in a drive-by swipe by Cubs board member Todd Ricketts while visiting the White House last June with players and the coaching staff.

Ricketts turned to President Donald Trump during the meeting and made a prediction.

"We're going to run into these guys in the playoffs and you'll come down and you'll see them crumble," he said.

The first part of Ricketts' prediction came to fruition. Soon we will see if the second part plays out.

Though most in the Nats' clubhouse are aware of the shot, Rizzo doesn't believe it will serve as motivation.

"The owners don't play, the GM's don't play, the players play," Rizzo said. "They usually dictate the outcomes of this game, and that's what we're looking into.

"If you need extra motivation to play these games, then you shouldn't be here."

Baker also shrugged off the remark, pointing to Ricketts' nonathletic background.

"That don't bother me, you know why? He's probably never played," Baker said. "Maybe we should just let the ownership play. I'd like to see that game. Not much worries me now."

Not much worries Rizzo either. He took the long route to big-league success, from driving thousands of miles as an area scout for the White Sox to rebuilding the Nats almost from scratch.

Rizzo, 56, grew up a Cubs fan on the 6200 block of West Waveland Ave., attending Holy Cross High School in River Grove and getting drafted by the Angels out of St. Xavier University in the 22nd round of the 1982 draft.

"I have great memories of Wrigley and used to go to a lot of games when we were kids," he said. "And Joe (Maddon) was my manager when I was in the minor leagues, so we have a history with him."

Maddon recalled Rizzo's first season with Class-A Salem in '82, and pointed out that Rizzo's father, longtime scout Phil Rizzo, was the partner of the scout who signed Maddon to his first contract.

"I'm the manager in Salem, and 'Rizz' started a tremendous fight we had against the Bend, Ore., Phillies," Maddon said. "A play at the plate, (players) ended up against the backstop. Rizz is right in the middle of the whole thing.

"And that's who he was. He was a gritty player. One day he played first base in Medford, Ore., and he made a couple, three or four errors, and he was not a first baseman. And I had to come to his defense after that game.

"Rizz and I go way back. There's also a really good urban legend about a player who was no longer heard from after Rizzo was released in spring training. The guy that was chosen in front of him was no longer to be found right after that.

"So the next day Rizzo was reinstated. If anyone knows where Dave Govea is living right now, please let us know."

Rizzo lasted three seasons in the minors before being released. He was visibly upset about his fate when his father sat him down for a long talk.

Phil Rizzo, now 88 and a member the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame, was a city worker for 45 years in Chicago, driving trucks for the Department of Streets and Sanitation while moonlighting as a bird-dog scout at local high schools. He could not only tell you if a player was a true prospect, but how to plow the streets during a Chicago blizzard.

Phil gave Mike a frank assessment, saying "You probably don't have the talent to play in the big leagues, but you have the talent to do something with your life."

So Mike stopped moping about the release and got on with his life. He eventually was signed as an area scout by White Sox GM Larry Himes, and began to follow in his dad's footsteps, making $11,000 and covering seven states and signing Frank Thomas, among others.

Working his way up, Rizzo became the Diamondbacks' director of scouting the year before they won the World Series in 2001, later moved on to the Nationals and became their GM in 2009.

All those lonely nights on the road finally paid off. Now Phil is his son's "senior advisor" and personally scouted the Cubs this year at Wrigley Field.

"My dad, my mom and the city I was born in made me who I am," Mike often says.

But the Cubs are now in his path, a significant obstacle on the road to the World Series. Rizzo has the talent and the manager he believes will get them to the promised land, and though he was happy for his Chicago friends last October, there is no love lost now between him and the Cubs.

"It was a great story last year for the city of Chicago," he said. "It was unbelievable, but obviously we have plans.

"The parade there in Chicago was great. We'd like to have a parade here this year in Washington, right down Pennsylvania Avenue."

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Chicago Sun-Times Whatever hand Cubs dealt, can they beat 3 aces to win it all again? By Gordon Wittenmyer

Whether the Cubs dodge the heat of Max Scherzer in the first round of the playoffs, their road to another World Series championship is paved with some of the most formidable, dominant aces in the game.

“I remember David Ortiz told me once he liked facing aces because they’re going to actually pitch to him,” said Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs’ three-time All-Star first baseman.

“The plate’s only so big, to where if you’re swinging, the big dogs throw it more in that area more than guys who are finesse,” he said.

Rizzo, the lefty slugger the Cubs’ lineup is built around, has had success in his career against four of the best who could stand in the Cubs’ way: Scherzer, the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, the Red Sox’ Chris Sale and the Indians’ Corey Kluber.

But he won’t go so far as to say he feels about those guys as Ortiz did.

“Not yet,” he said. “I wish I did feel that way. He said that was way later in his career.” Rizzo is a combined 16-for- 46 (.348) with four homers, two walks and eight runs batted in against those four in his career, including five postseason games against Kershaw and Kluber.

His thoughts on what makes them so tough:

On Kershaw:

“He throws all his pitches for strikes. You’re 0-2 in two pitches. And he has all three pitches — four pitches — that he can throw for strikes. And he’s got a quirky kind of delivery that’s hard to time. All of his stuff is very above average.

“And it’s not like he’s nit-picking. He’s coming right at you. So swing early; if you don’t get to him he’s in the eighth inning with 80 pitches. That’s tough to deal with.

“I tend to hit Kershaw well. I don’t know why. I see the ball really well from him. But looking at other guys, [the delivery] is something you’ve got to get used to. He kind of herks and jerks a little bit. It’s just different.”

On Scherzer:

“He’s got a big spin rate, too. And he’s got all three pitches [fastball, slider, changeup] that he throws for quality strikes. He’s attacking you, too — another guy where you’re 0-2.

“You can attack him and be aggressive, but that’s what they want. They don’t care if you’re aggressive, because the next thing you know you’re going to be in the eighth again with 90 pitches.”

“You know what you’re going to get. They’re not going to change their game plan to their scouting report. They’re going to pitch to their strengths, and that’s why they are who they are.”

On Sale:

“He’s coming from a weird angle, weird arm angle. There’s a lot of motion in his delivery. But he throws strikes. So that’s what you have to realize.

“All these guys, the big thing is they are who they are because they’re not scared, and they pitch like, ‘Here it comes.’ They’re not trying to strike everyone out. Their stuff’s just that good where it’s the quality of them that leads to them striking everyone out.”

On Kluber:

“All these guys will pitch to a report, but he’s more of a report-style pitcher. He’s another guy who’s got the stuff, but he’ll pitch to more of a pitching report.

“I just faced him in the World Series, which was a blur.

“Out of the four, he does have the most traditional delivery. But they all repeat their delivery, and they are who they are because of their mentality.”

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Chicago Sun-Times John Lackey in pen? Max Scherzer in doubt? Pitching questions persist By Gordon Wittenmyer

Just because the Cubs announced their rotation order for the first round of the playoffs doesn’t mean the shape of either team’s pitching staff is especially clear.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker again on Wednesday declined to declare a Game 1 starter, even though ace Max Scherzer’s strained right hamstring kept him from throwing the bullpen session he said he had planned.

When Scherzer merely threw on flat ground Wednesday, it seemed to make clear the Nationals’ intention of pushing him back to a Wrigley Field start in Game 3 or 4 next week – and made it even more obvious that red-hot starter Stephen Strasburg would start Game 1 on Friday against Kyle Hendricks.

That could set up a Game 4 matchup of Scherzer and Jake Arrieta, the former Cy Young winners who might have started the opener if not for their similar hamstring injuries.

And that could put a premium on a sweep for the series winner, getting significant extra rest for its key right- hander.

Meanwhile, for the Cubs, Arrieta’s status also puts an emphasis on the playoff bullpen.

The Cubs have tentatively made their decisions, team president Theo Epstein said, but weren’t ready to unveil a roster.

World Series veteran John Lackey, who was left out of the playoff rotation, has volunteered for bullpen work and could prove an important asset in particular if Arrieta is forced out of his start early.

“We’re looking at him certainly as a viable option out of the pen, but we’re not prepared to announce the roster yet,” Epstein said. “Jake had a great day [throwing Wednesday], but I think you’re always looking for as much depth as possible – but that’s on both sides of the ball.”

Lackey has three World Series rings as a starter for three different organizations. What could he bring out of the bullpen?

Command, experience and aggressiveness for a few things.

“I’ve seen Lack come out of the bullpen and get a hold in a World Series [in 2013],” longtime teammate Jon Lester said. “That’s one person I’m not worried about.”

Notes: The Cubs claimed right-hander Luke Farrell off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday to provide starting depth. The son of Red Sox manager John Farrell and brother of Cubs scout Shane Farrell and Cubs minor- league hitting coach Jeremy Farrell, Luke had a 2.61 ERA in nine relief appearances for the Reds after making his debut in a July start with the Royals. …Cubs manager Joe Maddon on facing Nats second baseman Daniel Murphy in the playoffs for the first time since Murphy’s monster postseason for the Mets in 2015: “I still wish he was a Met. He’s one of the more dangerous hitters playing baseball right now.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Kyle Hendricks excited about Game 1 start? Excited? OK, just trust him By Gordon Wittenmyer

Kyle Hendricks was thrilled to learn Wednesday that he’ll start Game 1 of the Cubs’ first-round playoff series against the Washington Nationals on Friday.

You could tell how thrilled just by how he, uh, the way he . . . uh, never mind.

You’ll just have to take his word for it.

“I’m just going to be excited to get out there,” he said, “with the energy that’ll be there in Game 1.”

See?

Trust him. The Cubs do, and that’s all that counts.

“He assimilates his adrenaline in different methods as opposed to other people,” manager Joe Maddon said.

That’s one way to put it. More important, that’s one big reason the Cubs are putting their faith in the cerebral command pitcher with the 88-mph fastball to set a tone in the first postseason series they’ll enter as an underdog since their 2015 wild-card run.

He’s expected to pitch opposite Stephen Strasburg in the 6:30 p.m. game Friday, although Nats manager Dusty Baker has not formally announced his starter.

“He’s just that guy that channels his inner energy so well,” Maddon said of Hendricks. “His focus is so strong, and his mental commitment to himself is so strong. He’s just a different animal.”

Hendricks, who led the majors in ERA last year, also is pitching better than anyone on the starting staff heading into the playoffs.

The right-hander, who beat Clayton Kershaw to clinch the National League pennant and started Game 7 of the World Series last fall, has a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts since returning from a hand injury July 24.

“I think he’s pitching better right now than I’ve seen him at any time last year,” said Maddon, who has last year’s postseason ace, Jon Lester, following Hendricks in his playoff rotation with Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta scheduled for Games 3 and 4 at home next week.

Lester, the NLCS co-MVP a year ago, struggled coming back from a lat injury in September before finishing with two good starts. Maddon said the more recent injury was a factor in the Game 1 decision.

Because of the additional off day during the series, the Cubs also have the luxury of using either of the first two starters in a potential, decisive Game 5 on regular or extra rest. The bigger decision involved where to slot Arrieta, who was compromised by a right hamstring injury in his two starts back from a 2½-week recovery.

The former Cy Young winner — who won two road games in the World Series last year — gets the call in the game that might not get played.

“We just feel it’s wise to give him the most time to rest his leg before we have to pitch him,” Maddon said.

Meanwhile, Hendricks (7-5) takes the hot hand and a career 2.67 ERA against the Nationals (five starts) into Friday’s game.

He has held the middle of the Nationals’ order — Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon — to a combined 10-for-48 (.208) in his career. And with the Nats a dangerous base-stealing team — specifically, leadoff man Trea Turner — Hendricks also offers the best move to first among the Cub starters. Whatever happens Friday, or next week in a possible Game 5, not even the Cubs envisioned this when they traded Ryan Dempster to the Rangers for a Class A changeup pitcher out of Dartmouth.

“We did bet on his makeup,” team president Theo Epstein said. “That was a primary driver in the trade. We were pretty convinced he would get the most out of what he had and continue to keep learning and adjusting. That part’s come true. But he’s taken it to another level.”

Said Hendricks: “I’m just having fun out there really. I’ve dreamed about this my whole life. There’s so much that goes on, on the outside — the attention and all that, but it really doesn’t matter.

“All that matters is between the lines when you’re out on that mound. That’s what I live for.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs have fifth-best odds to win World Series By Dan Cahill

What are the odds the Cubs win consecutive World Series after a 108-year drought? Much higher than they once were.

At most sports books, the Cubs entered this season as a 4.5-1 co-favorite to repeat as World Series champs. Those odds rose throughout the season, though, as the Cubs struggled to get on track.

Even though the Cubs finished strong with the best record in the NL since the All-Star break, Bovada lists the defending champs at 8-1 to win it all.

The Indians and Dodgers are the co-favorites at 10-3. The Houston Astros are next at 9-2. The Nationals, whom the Cubs will face in the NLDS, are listed at 7.5-1.

Interestingly, the Red Sox, who along with the Cubs were the pre-season favorites, also fell to 8-1.

While the Cubs’ odds seems high for a team that’s on a roll, gamblers are likely figuring that the Cubs will have to go through the Nationals, Dodgers and Indians to repeat.

Some other samplings:

—FanGraphs give the Cubs an 10.9 percent chance of winning the World Series. —FiveThirtyEight has the Cubs at 10 percent with the Indians (25), Dodgers (17), Astros (16) and Nationals (11) all ahead of them.

Last year heading into the MLB Playoffs, the Cubs were 7-4 to win it all.

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Chicago Sun-Times MORRISSEY: Time for Joe Maddon to let Kyle Hendricks pitch deep By Rick Morrissey

Joe Maddon got it right Wednesday, naming Kyle Hendricks the Cubs’ Game 1 starter for the N.L. Division Series.

Now let’s see if Maddon can get it right by resisting the urge to pull his best pitcher early in playoff games this season. Joe with the chance to tinker in the postseason? On national TV? It’s like a 40-year smoker being given the key to a hookah bar.

Some of us are still scratching our heads over the manager’s decision to yank Hendricks after 4 2/3 innings of Game 7 of last year’s World Series, this after his pitcher had allowed just one earned run. Think of all the headaches Maddon might have saved himself and Cubs fans if he had let Hendricks continue to battle hitters.

Perhaps Jon Lester or someone else could have pitched in the eighth inning if Hendricks had gone seven. Perhaps there wouldn’t have been Rajai Davis’ home run off an overworked Aroldis Chapman in the eighth. Perhaps Chapman wouldn’t have been in tears in the dugout afterward. And perhaps Maddon wouldn’t be known as much for almost blowing a Cubs World Series as he is for winning one.

When in doubt, stick with your best pitcher, Joe.

That’s what Maddon did in choosing Hendricks for Game 1 against the Nationals on Friday. The right-hander has been excellent since coming back from a finger injury in late July, after missing about seven weeks. You’d have a hard time finding many better pitchers over the past two seasons than Hendricks, who finished third in last season’s N.L. Cy Young voting.

On Wednesday, someone asked Maddon when Hendricks had gained the manager’s “total confidence.’’ All I could think was, did I miss something? If anyone is down a quart on respect and trust, it’s Hendricks.

He started five games in the 2016 playoffs, and Maddon kept quite a grip on his innings: 3 2/3, 5 1/3, 7 1/3, 4 1/3 and 4 2/3. In other words, he treated the NL’s regular-season ERA leader the same way he treated a middling John Lackey. Does that sound like “total confidence?”

“He’s just grown over the last couple years,’’ Maddon said. “Right now, I think he’s at the top of his game.’’

The good news for the Cubs and their fans is that Hendricks doesn’t appear to need anyone’s affirmation.

“If you worry yourself with that, you’re going to be worried for a long time,’’ he said. “For me, that’s kind of always been my road – kind of under the radar. I kind of like it that way, in a way.

“My focus has always just simple: Just go out there and make good pitches. I’m not worried about the respect or anything else. I’ve just got to go out there and get outs.’’

Lester will pitch Game 2, Jose Quintana gets Game 3 and Jake Arrieta is scheduled for Game 4, if there is one, though he is still dealing with a strained hamstring. Hendricks would pitch a Game 5.

Let’s not try to make Hendricks’ Game 1 start into something it isn’t. It isn’t about his ascension to star status as much as it is Lester’s returning Sept. 2 from a shoulder injury.

“If Jon had not been injured more recently (than Hendricks), we probably would have gone the other way,’’ Maddon said.

Hendricks is nicknamed “The Professor’’ because he went to Dartmouth and because he beats hitters with guile, not gas. And he’s smart enough not to bite when a certain columnist asks him if he thinks he’ll be allowed to pitch deeper in games this time around.

“I’m going out there taking it pitch by pitch,’’ he said, offering an Ivy League-level cliche. “That’s the only way you can do it. That’s how it is any time you get to the playoffs. You’ve got all hands on deck. You really just have to see how the situation plays out, how every game goes. I’m going to go out there and be ready to go and just give Joe and the team as many pitches as I can.’’

He had only 63 in Game 7 of the World Series. That’s like an appetizer for a starter. Lester was asked if Hendricks should have been allowed to pitch past the fifth inning.

“I don’t know, that’s tough to say,’’ he said. “I know everybody keeps talking about Game 7, Game 7. I think when you have a Game 7 in the World Series, there’s things that happen that you normally don’t do in a regular-season game or even an NLCS game, or even a Game 5. So I feel like it was kind of a no-holds-barred, we’ve-got-to-make- decisions-as-we-go, and that’s what Joe did.

“But he was throwing the ball really well. He’d settled back down and was throwing the ball well.’’

Maddon would not commit Wednesday to giving Hendricks more breathing room, innings-wise.

“It just depends,’’ he said. “It just depends on how it’s going. You can pull guys if you have the right guys behind that guy. If you don’t have the same kind of backup, you might not be able to do the same things. Every situation is different. Right now, I anticipate him pitching well into this game on Friday night. I think he’s there. I think he’s there emotionally, physically, mentally.

“Every game’s different, man.’’

Uh-oh.

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs announce starting pitching rotation for NLDS By Madeline Kenney

Kyle Hendricks will open up the National League Division Series on the mound for the Cubs against the Nationals on Friday.

Jon Lester will take the bump on Saturday for Game 2 at Nationals Park. Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta will round out the rotation back at Wrigley Field for Game 3 and 4 (if necessary) on Monday and Tuesday.

The way the rotation is set up allows the Cubs to potentially utilize Hendricks and Lester in a Game 5 situation.

But this isn’t the lineup Joe Maddon originally envisioned his postseason rotation would look like.

This season, the Cubs starters have dealt with a variety of injuries, some occurring late in the season. Hendricks missed nearly all of June and July with a hand injury. After returning from a seven-week leave, Hendricks was able to find consistency, rounding out the regular season 3-2 in 13 starts with a 2.31 ERA.

Lester and Arrieta have also caught the injury bug, which is the reason the rotation didn’t start with Lester and Arrieta was assigned to the fourth spot.

Maddon said he believes the pitching lineup “would’ve gone a different way” if the Cubs didn’t put Lester on the disabled list with a lat tightness and shoulder fatigue in August. Lester missed two weeks before returning, but has been pitching well since. He is 5-1 in six starts with a 3.90 ERA in September.

On the other hand, Arrieta is still struggling with his hamstring injury.

Arrieta left the mound on Sept. 4 after pitching 2 1/3 innings with a hamstring strain. Arrieta has thrown two games for 8 innings since the injury, but he’s still dealing with soreness. The former Cy Young winner is expected to throw a bullpen session Wednesday.

But despite the injury drama, Maddon is still confident in Hendricks as his starter for Game 1.

“He does it with a different method. He’s a technician,” Maddon said. “I think he’s pitching better right now than at any time last year.”

Hendricks has also had plenty of success during the postseason — beating Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in last season’s NLCS clincher and started Game 7 of the World Series against the Indians. Hendricks said the Game 1 starting role isn’t a position he’s taking lightly.

“It’s definitely an honor. I’m going to take it that way,” Hendricks said. “I’m going to be excited to get out there, with the energy that will there in Game 1.”

But just because the always cool, calm and collective Hendricks has been there and done that, doesn’t mean he won’t still have the same level of excitement that he had last year.

“You’re going to have a little bit of butterflies for sure. But I think it’s just that excited feeling,” Hendricks said. “This is what you live for. This is the time of year that you want to be playing … and we’re ready for it.”

Lester has had an off year this season. He’s 13-8 with a 4.33 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 180 2/3 innings. To put it in perspective, Lester was 19-5 last season with a 2.44 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 202 2/3 innings.

Lester said he’s ready to put his regular season performance behind him and start off the postseason with a clean slate.

“That’s what’s cool about the postseason. No matter what your regular-season numbers look like, no matter how good or bad, it starts back at zero,” Lester said. “You don’t have to turn around and see [on the scoreboard] that high ERA or whatever else stands out.”

Starting pitching always plays a crucial role in October baseball, but it’s even more important with the Cubs facing the Nationals’ triple threat: Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez.

Strasburg has been dominant since the All-Star break, especially over the last month of the regular season. He’s 4- 0 in his five most recent starts with a .083 ERA. He also recorded 40 strikeouts in the 32 2/3 innings he pitched in September, which helped him earn the National League Pitcher of the Month honor.

But the trio took a ding as question marks surround Scherzer. His starting status remains uncertain after he “tweaked” his hamstring, a similar injury to Cubs’ Jake Arrieta. Despite the injury, Scherzer is confident that he’ll be pitching in the NLDS. He’s expected to throw a bullpen session Wednesday.

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Daily Herald Why the Chicago Cubs have Kyle Hendricks starting Game 1 By Bruce Miles

In late September of 2013, the Chicago Cubs brought a fresh-faced pitcher still working his way through Dartmouth to Wrigley Field to honor him as their minor-league pitcher of the year.

Just four years later, Kyle Hendricks has gone from an intriguing prospect to a Game 7 World Series starter and now a Game 1 starter in the National League division series.

The Cubs made it official Wednesday: Hendricks will start Game 1 of the NLDS in Washington on Friday followed by lefty Jon Lester in Game 2 on Saturday.

When the series comes to Wrigley Field on Monday, Jose Quintana will get the call in Game 3, and if there is a Game 4, the starter will be Jake Arrieta.

Manager Joe Maddon has talked up Hendricks for the past two weeks, based on his performance since coming off the disabled list in late July.

"Obviously, Kyle has pitched really well," Maddon said before the Cubs worked out at Wrigley Field and took off for Washington. "We wanted to pop him right there. We also know that the guys who pitch in the first two games can pitch in the fifth game. We thought putting 'Q' right in the middle was the right thing for him, also."

Hendricks has no bigger backer than Lester, the ace of the Cubs' staff and the man who relieved him in Game 7 of last year's World Series.

"That's kind of the evolution of the game and the evolution of him," Lester said. "He's done such a good job for us. He's been consistent. Obviously, he deserves this. It's a huge honor to pitch Game 1 of any series.

"I'm happy for him because this is kind of that next step. It's a fun step to have. Hopefully the next step for him is to go through the whole playoffs like that and be our opening-day starter next year."

For his part, Hendricks was his usual cool self about getting the news.

"It's definitely an honor," he said. "In some way, I'm going to take it that way. I'm just going to be excited to get out there, the energy that will be there in Game 1. Just go out there and try to pitch my game, make pitches, keep my team in the game, do what I do, treat it as any other game, really."

Lester said Games 1 and 3 of a postseason series are the toughest for a starter because of all the pregame hoopla, with teams lining up on the field and other pregame ceremonies.

It has been an interesting season for the 27-year-old Hendricks, who won the major-league ERA title last year with a mark of 2.13.

He went on the disabled list June 8 with a hand ailment and didn't return until July 24. At the time he went on the DL, he had an ERA of 4.09. After the all-star break, he posted an ERA of 2.09.

From Aug. 15-Sept. 23, he put up 8 straight quality starts. Even though his final start of the season was not technically a quality start, Hendricks pitched 5 shutout innings Sept. 28 at St. Louis.

"Obviously, he's doing it in a different method or way," Maddon said. "He's not that guy who lights up the (radar) gun. He knows how to pitch.

"You talk to a lot of different pitching coaches, a lot of different managers, even some GM's I've spoken with, he's their favorite, I think probably because of the style of his pitching and the ability to pitch -- the fastball command, the movement on the fastball, the changeup.

"He's just fun to watch man. He's a technician, and what he's done coming from Dartmouth to here, what he's done for himself and his career, almost winning a Cy Young last year, being in the mix, really impressive.

"And even this year, I've said it before, I think he's pitching better right now than I've seen him at any time last year. Why? Because the velocity is heavier. The velocity is better so the other pitches are working well off the greater velocity.

"So I think he's at the top of his game right now."

The Cubs obtained Hendricks in a July 2012 trade with Texas that sent veteran pitcher Ryan Dempster to the Rangers. Even team president Theo Epstein said he did not envision this.

"No, we certainly did not envision it at the time (of the trade)," Epstein said. "But he deserves a ton of credit for always growing. We did bet on his makeup. That was a primary driver in the trade. We were pretty convinced that he would always get the most out of what he had and continue to keep learning and adjusting.

"That part's come true, but he's taken it to another level with his understanding of the game and his ability to execute at a very high level on a consistent basis. It's so impressive, and he's unflappable."

Hendricks said he has not reflected on the journey since that time.

"It's been crazy," he said. "I haven't even really gotten to think about all of it. It's kind of happened in a flash, for sure. You come in here and take every day as it's presented to you.

"So I'm trying to just live in the moment and not really look back on it right now. Maybe when everything's over and done with, you can look back at the path. But right now it's just exciting to be able to pitch in these kinds of game for this kind of team, really."

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Daily Herald Constable: Once haunting, Cubs' memories now inspire By Burt Constable

Last season, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon had his team prepared to make it through the playoffs, seven games of a World Series, a rain delay and an extra inning to win a championship. We fans weren't quite as free and easy.

During the previous 71 years without so much as a trip to the World Series, fans had accumulated a lot of postseason baggage. We had bundles of black cats and billy goats, files of foul balls and infamous fans, a spilled Gatorade and crying over a missed groundball. As confident as Cubs fans might have seemed at the start of last year's playoffs, we had suitcases filled with anxiety at the ready.

With the San Francisco Giants' Johnny Cueto throwing a two-hit shutout going into the eighth inning of that first 2016 playoff game in Wrigley Field, Cubs fans had historical evidence that things might not go well. We could reach into our bag of misery and pull out the 2015 playoff series against the New York Mets, when ace pitchers mowed down the Cubs hitters in a four-game sweep.

Then Javy Baez hit a home run and closer Aroldis Chapman got through the ninth inning to give the Cubs and pitcher Jon Lester the win that started it all.

But fans weren't off the hook. In Game 4 of the National League division series, the Cubs were behind 5-2 going into the ninth inning in San Francisco, with the likelihood of coming back to Wrigley Field to face a determined Cueto in the climactic game. Fans carrying memories of 1984's crushing loss after being up two games to none to the San Diego Padres knew how quickly a series lead could get away from the Cubs.

Then Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Willson Contreras and Baez pounced again to deliver the Cubs a 6-5 win and propel them to the next round against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, hailed by announcer Joe Buck as an immortal wizard from a better planet, pitched a two-hit shutout to beat the Cubs 1-0 at Wrigley Field, teammate Rich Hill followed with another shutout back in L.A., and the Cubs were down two games to one, knowing they'd have to face Kershaw again. Some Cubs fans probably remembered how the Cubs had the best record in the National League in 2008 only to see the team shut down by the Dodgers in a three-game sweep from the playoffs.

Then the slumping Rizzo and Addison Russell hit homers to tie up the series. That pair drove in runs the next game before the Cubs won the pennant behind a two-hit shutout from Kyle Hendricks and more homers from Rizzo and Contreras.

Cubs fans unloaded their remaining remnants from 1969, 1989, 1998 and 2007 during an emotional World Series that saw the Cubs fall behind three games to one to the Cleveland Indians. When the Cubs were just four outs away from winning Game 7, memories of the Cubs' 2003 collapse poured out as Chapman gave up a game-tying homer to Cleveland's Rajai Davis.

Then the heavens opened up and the Cubs stormed back to take a lead, hold on, win the World Series and forever drive a stake through the myth of myriad curses and memories of misery.

If things take a bad turn this year, the modern Cubs fan can just open a fanny-pack filled with examples of how last year's Cubs team rallied from likely defeats, beat other teams' aces and never gave up. It's nice to be able to travel light.

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Daily Herald Keep an eye on these guys in the NLDS By Scot Gregor

Looking at the bigger picture, can the Chicago Cubs become the first team in 17 years to repeat as World Series champions?

In their fourth attempt, can the Washington Nationals win a division series for the first time?

While we wait to find out, here are three key players from both sides who should have big says in the final outcome:

Cubs

Javy Baez

The defensive wizard has been an offensive terror in the NLDS the past two years, batting a combined .476 (10-for- 21) with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

Baez is still strikeout prone, but he slashed .291/.340/.511 after the all-star break with 13 home runs and 42 RBI while thriving in clutch situations.

Mike Montgomery

Quality relief pitching is a must for teams looking to stay alive in the playoffs, and the Cubs are fortunate to have a good one in Montgomery.

The versatile left-hander made 14 starts this season, going 5-5 with a 4.15 ERA. Montgomery also made 30 relief appearances and was 2-3 with a 2.49 ERA.

Anthony Rizzo

The slugging first baseman was 1-for-15 in last year's NLDS against the San Francisco Giants, and the Cubs narrowly advanced to the next round.

Rizzo was back to his old self in the NLCS and World Series, batting a combined .340 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI. The Cubs need their leader to be good from the jump against Washington.

Nationals

Sean Doolittle

Acquired in a trade from Oakland on July 16 to plug a big hole in the bullpen, Doolittle proved to be a huge addition.

The 31-year-old lefty converted 21 of 22 save opportunities with the Nats while posting a 2.40 ERA. Doolittle's ERA was 1.86 before he allowed 2 runs in 1 inning during his final appearance.

Bryce Harper

One of the game's top hitters, Harper missed 42 games late in the season with a hyperextended left knee.

He returned to Washington's lineup on Sept. 26 and was 3-for-18 with no homers or RBI in five games. If Harper's still rusty, the Cubs catch a significant break.

Stephen Strasburg

With Max Scherzer unlikely to start Game 1 of the NLDS after "tweaking" his right hamstring, it looks like Strasburg is moving up a spot for the Nats.

That could be bad news for the Cubs. While Scherzer is a horse, Strasburg had the lowest ERA (0.86) in baseball after the all-star break, and the right-hander was the NL pitcher of the month in September (4-0, 0.83 ERA).

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Daily Herald Chicago Cubs still undecided on final NLDS roster By Bruce Miles

The Chicago Cubs have not made their final roster decisions for the NLDS.

The big question is whether veteran starting pitcher John Lackey will make the roster as a long reliever or emergency starter. Lackey pitched an inning of relief in the regular-season finale.

"We're not prepared to talk about the roster yet," team president Theo Epstein said. "We're looking at him certainly as a viable option out of the pen, but we're not prepared to announce the roster yet."

Right-hander Jake Arrieta, scheduled to pitch a Game 4 (if necessary) of the NLDS, threw a bullpen session Wednesday as the Cubs worked out at Wrigley Field in preparation for their trip to Washington and Friday's Game 1.

Jose Quintana pitched a simulated game, and the Cubs also got work for some of their top relievers.

It appears a go for Arrieta, who has battled back from a hamstring injury he suffered on Labor Day.

"Jake had a great day today, but I think you're always looking for as much depth as possible," Epstein said. "That's on both sides of the ball. You've got to try to figure out how to squeeze it all on the roster."

Arrieta will throw another bullpen session in the next few days. The Cubs will work out late Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. The Nats will work out late in the morning.

Feeling good about things:

Theo Epstein likes his team's demeanor entering the National League division series against the Washington Nationals.

"Good, confident," Epstein said of the team's pulse. "I think our guys are excited to go play in the postseason. There's no anxiety, no nervousness in a negative way.

"I think it's pure excitement. I think once you've tasted success in the postseason, it makes you really, really eager to get back there and do it again. Our guys are really roaring to go.

"We're feeling really good about where we are and excited to go play October baseball."

All in the family:

The Cubs on Wednesday claimed right-handed pitcher Luke Farrell off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. To make room on the 40-man roster, they designated pitcher Felix Pena for assignment.

Farrell was 0-0 with a 2.61 ERA in nine games with the Reds this year. He also has been in the Kansas City and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations. His father, John Farrell, manages the Boston Red Sox. Luke Farrell's brother, Shane, is a scout for the Cubs.

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