May 1, 2016 Daily Herald Baserunning just one of the many things Cubs doing right By Bruce Miles The Chicago Cubs ended April wielding umbrellas instead of baseball bats. For the second time on this homestand, the Cubs were washed out by rainy and cold weather. Saturday's scheduled game against the Atlanta Braves was postponed, with no makeup date announced. The two teams will try it again Sunday. So the Cubs enter May with a record of 17-5, good for first place in the National League Central. They went into Saturday second in the NL in runs scored and on-base percentage. No doubt you've heard about their crazy run differential of plus-79. If all that weren't enough for opponents to handle, the Cubs are doing something else very well: running the bases. It was all encapsulated in one play last week. Against the Milwaukee Brewers, Anthony Rizzo hit a ball against the shift into short right field, and none of the Brewers could quite flag it down. Rizzo looked up, saw that no one was covering second base and hustled into the bag for a double. "To this point, I've thought we've run the bases really well," said manager Joe Maddon. "We do emphasize it a lot in spring training. I've talked about that a lot. I thought Kris Bryant is among the best baserunners in baseball. Then you get Jason Heyward, who I also believe is among the best baserunners in baseball. "Anthony Rizzo is not the fastest, but he's a very good baserunner. You've got those three guys. Dexter (Fowler) is good on the bases also. Zo (Ben Zobrist) is here. Zo is very good on the bases. Addison (Russell) has gotten better. (Jorge) Soler has gotten better." The Cubs entered Saturday ranked seventh in stolen bases, but good baserunning goes well beyond that. Good baserunning is what Rizzo did. It's also going from first to third, second to home and even first to home, if the opportunity arises. The stats-oriented site FanGraphs (fangraphs.com) went as far last week to say the Cubs are the best baserunning team in baseball. "The area where the biggest impact can be made is taking extra bases and avoiding extra outs, and it's also the area where the Cubs have been the best in baseball," the FanGraphs article said. "They've done a better job advancing on tag-ups and taking advantage of balls that get past the catcher. They've made fewer outs on the bases, while being more aggressive. They've gone first-to-third, first-to-home, and second-to-home all at a better- than-average rate. There isn't anything not to like here. "Last year's Cubs were the second-best baserunning team in the league, and now they look better. The obvious place to look is the additions, and therefore Jason Heyward. Heyward hasn't yet hit much this year, but he's played his always-stellar defense in right field, and has also been the best individual baserunner in the game." I went to the source and asked Heyward about the importance of baserunning. "We as players all understand how much weight that can take off the guy behind you," Heyward said of good baserunning. "You're not always going to get hits. Sometimes playing against the better teams, little things like that help you get a slight edge, help you push a run across, help you keep that pitcher out there for an extra batter. And that helps your offense out. Heyward seems to relish his reputation as one of the best baserunners in baseball. "I love it," he said. "I love every aspect of the game. Once you get on base as an offensive player, there are other things you can do help your team win. I feel that the work never stops. If you hit a single or draw a walk or hit a double, even if you get to third base with less than two outs, there are still things you can to to have yourself ready to help the team. I feel if you're not trying to do that every time out, you're selling yourself short and selling your team short." Yes, the Cubs may run into an out on the bases now and then, but Maddon isn't going to get all over a player for making a smart aggressive play. "I think when you have a couple guys who really set the tone out on the bases, that is something that bleeds into the rest of the group," he said. "It comes down to the one things I've talked about: We're going to err on the side of aggressiveness. We're not worried about making mistakes. Historically, you screw up baserunners or baserunning when you get punitive, when you get angry with them when they make a mistake on the bases. That's when you get a station-to-station ballclub. "So right now, I think our guys are out there looking to make things happen. They're proactive, and that's the way I like it." Rain alters rotation: Saturday's rainout will alter the Cubs' pitching rotation slightly. John Lackey will pitch as scheduled in Sunday's series finale. The Cubs travel to Pittsburgh for three before coming home Thursday to face Dusty Baker's Washington Nationals. In the series at Pittsburgh, the Cubs will go with starting pitchers Jason Hammel, Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester. No. 5 starter Kyle Hendricks moves behind Arrieta and Lester to pitch Thursday night at home. One zany trip coming: Last year it was the onesie pajama trip to the West Coast, highlighted by Arrieta's no-hitter against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. For this week's short hop to Pittsburgh, Maddon has designated it "minimalist zany suit trip." Maddon said his suit will feature tulips. "If you're seen at any time without part of your suit, it's a $100 fine, unless you're working out," Maddon said. "One hundred bucks if you're seen without part of your attire, like going to and from the ballpark and the hotel, going out for Starbucks in the morning. It can just be the tie, the pair of pants, your shoes and socks, some form of the outfit." For a look at what the Cubs might look at as they board Sunday's charter to Pittsburgh, Maddon urged the media to visit shinesty.com, although he said multiple companies are involved. -- Daily Herald Otto: Chicago Cubs adjust nicely to help out Lester By Dave Otto Jon Lester might be one of the toughest players to ever put on a big league uniform. Lester's performance on Friday against the Atlanta Braves is an example of just how mentally strong he is. With men on first and second, nobody out, and a tie ballgame in the seventh inning, Lester fielded a bunt right back at him. What ordinarily is an easy toss to first base for most pitchers, looks to be pure anguish for him to execute. To use a baseball term, Lester instead "ate" the baseball, and did not make a throw to first base. In post-game comments, Lester mentioned he did not have a good handle on the baseball. Regardless, if he did not feel confident about making that toss, he probably would've launched it over first base, and one run, maybe two runs would have scored on the play. Instead Lester was faced with a bases-loaded situation. His reaction to that situation defines how tough he is. Instead of crawling into a hole, Lester attacked the next three hitters, getting 2 strikeouts and one weak groundball out to first. Amazingly, no runs scored, and Lester kept the Cubs in position to win the ballgame, which they ultimately did. So how can a pitcher throw a baseball 60 feet 6 inches to home plate with pinpoint accuracy, yet struggle making a simple toss to one of the bases? The simple answer is, it happens. It might be one of the greatest mysteries in the game and there are many players that have gone through what is commonly referred to as the "thing." One theory is that pitchers spend most of their time on the pitcher's mound either competing or practicing. Their pitching motion is fine-tuned through years of hard work, and they can practically pitch blind-folded. Lester is one of those truly gifted pitchers … on the mound. Off the mound, when throwing to a base or making a pickoff attempt, that is where Lester looks awkward. What's impressive is how this Cubs team has adjusted and worked on helping him get through this. Every opposing team is well-aware, and will continue to exploit with bunt attempts, big leads on the bases, or anything else that will force Lester to make a throw. When a bunt is a possibility, Joe Maddon and the Cubs have aligned their infield in a way that has minimized Lester's exposure to fielding a bunt. Sure, you might be giving up a few base-hits by playing further in at third than you normally would, but with the first baseman and third baseman charging on bunts there is a better chance that one of them could field that bunt. From the second base and right field position, Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward are doing their part by hustling to back up on plays. As for controlling the running game, Lester has an extremely quick delivery to the plate, which gives Cubs catchers a better chance of throwing out a would-be basestealer.