April 29, 2018 • Chicago Tribune, Windy Wrigley Field helps Cubs earn another win against Brewers

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-windy-wrigley-field-sullivan-20180428-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Jose Quintana dominates in Cubs 3-0 win over Brewers http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-brewers-20180428-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Beaning gives Kris Bryant new perspective on playing career

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kris-bryant-20180428-story.html • Chicago Sun-Times, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist return to lineup as Cubs blank Brewers 3-0

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/kris-bryant-and-ben-zobrist-return-to-cubs-lineup-saturday-vs-brewers/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Manager Joe Maddon credits Cubs’ depth for their success without Kris Bryant

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/manager-joe-maddon-credits-cubs-depth-for-their-success-without-kris-bryant/

• Daily Herald, Cubs' Bryant on hit to head: 'I needed to take it seriously' http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180428/cubs-bryant-on-hit-to-head-i-needed-to-take-it-seriously

• Daily Herald, Cubs' Quintana dominant in win over Brewers

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180428/cubs-quintana-dominant-in-win-over-brewers • The Athletic, What does the emergence of Javier Báez mean for Addison Russell?

https://theathletic.com/334377/2018/04/28/what-does-the-emergence-of-javier-baez-mean-for-addison-russell/

• The Athletic, Kris Bryant returns to the game with a new appreciation, but won’t say if he suffered

a concussion https://theathletic.com/334202/2018/04/28/kris-bryant-gives-perspective-after-scary-incident-but-wont-say-whether-he-had-a-concussion/

• Cubs.com, Dominant Q backed by D as Cubs blank Crew

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/jose-quintana-cubs-shut-out-brewers/c-274264318

• Cubs.com, Have a day, Javy: Baez a bother for Brewers https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/javier-baez-does-it-all-in-cubs-win/c-274271606

• Cubs.com, Bryant back in lineup with renewed perspective https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/kris-bryant-returns-to-lineup-after-beaning/c-274259780

• Cubs.com, Cubs activate Zobrist from DL, option Bote

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-activate-ben-zobrist-from-disabled-list/c-274266246 • ESPNChicago.com, Cubs rotation finally delivering on its design to dominate

http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/46750/cubs-rotation-finally-delivering-on-its-design-to-dominate

• ESPNChicago.com, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist return to lineup for Cubs

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23344981/kris-bryant-ben-zobrist-return-lineup-chicago-cubs

• NBC Sports Chicago, No fear: The return of Kris Bryant has Cubs breathing a sigh of relief

http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/no-fear-return-kris-bryant-has-cubs-breathing-sigh-relief-rockies-concussion

• NBC Sports Chicago, Brandon Morrow has been a huge pickup for the Cubs — even when he

doesn't pitch http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/brandon-morrow-has-been-huge-pickup-cubs-even-when-he-doesnt-pitch-edwards-world-series-dodgers --

Chicago Tribune Windy Wrigley Field helps Cubs earn another win against Brewers By Paul Sullivan On a cold, windy April day back in 1990, Cubs outfielder Doug Dascenzo compared chasing down fly balls at Wrigley Field to “catching a Frisbee.” The ballpark has undergone several renovations in the 28 years since, but the wind off Lake Michigan hasn’t changed a bit. It still plays havoc with outfielders on days like Saturday, when an 18 mph incoming wind, combined with the sun’s glare, helped the Cubs defeat the Brewers 3-0 before a nicely chilled crowd of 40,147. Jose Quintana continued his dominance over the Brewers with seven shutout innings, extending his scoreless streak against them to 24 innings, and the Cubs shut out the Brewers for the fourth time in their seven meetings, improving to 6-1 in the season series. “The wind was severe,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “Today’s game was pretty much determined by the elements. I thought (Friday’s game) was also. They missed a couple homers. Earlier this year we pulled out a game against Atlanta. Same thing. “It’s just been a tough beginning of the season regarding weather, but our guys aren’t complaining.” So how do you deal with these conditions when it’s Frisbee season at Wrigley, making every fly ball an adventure? “It’s hard,” right fielder Jason Heyward said. “You just hope for the best. That’s honestly it.”

Some believe Wrigley’s right field is the most difficult in baseball, especially in April when the wind is blowing in. It has done so for eight of the Cubs’ 10 home games, with the other two featuring crosswinds. Heyward said it was difficult to choose the hardest between Wrigley and AT&T Park in San Francisco. “I feel like the ball moves a lot more here,” he said. “But there’s a lot more ground to cover in San Francisco, that combined with the brick wall and the wind and the corner. That’s tough too.” The sun and wind played havoc all day. Kyle Schwarber lost a ball in the sun in the first inning, only to watch Albert Almora Jr. swoop in front of him and make a sliding catch. Schwarber later was the beneficiary of the wind, when his sky-high infield pop-up in the fourth dropped a few feet behind the mound for a hit. Brewers starter Junior Guerra, whose ERA stands at 0.82 after four starts, was just as dominant as Quintana, allowing three hits in six innings. But he left with the Brewers trailing 1-0 on a fluke run in the third after center fielder Lorenzo Cain lost Javier Baez’s wind-blown fly ball in the sun. Shortstop Orlando Arcia raced over to short center field in the nick of time, but the ball popped out of his glove for a double, bringing Almora home with the game’s first run. “We did get some hits out of it, but usually you don’t get hits out of it when you hit it into that wind,” said Kris Bryant, who was 0-for-3 in his first game back after being beaned a week ago. “We lucked out a couple times. That sun was bright. It was tough to play the outfield today, infield too. “But it’s to be expected here. Day games, April, (wind) blowing in every game. ... We’ve just got to deal with what we’ve got.” The game was still 1-0 when Ben Zobrist, who returned from the disabled list, singled off reliever Oliver Drake to start the seventh. After Heyward doubled, pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella blooped a single into short left. Zobrist scored easily, and Heyward alertly hustled home when he saw Arcia holding the ball. “I was just trying to watch him the whole time and see if he was going to keep his eyes on me, and see if he was going to stay ready for me to move,” Heyward said. “As soon as he kind of looked away and didn’t, I said, ‘I’m home.’ ” Asked about the heads-up base-running, Maddon replied: “Jason has just looked good, period.” But no one looked better Saturday than Quintana, who is 4-1 with an 0.63 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers, his personal piñata. “I don’t know (why),” he said. “I just try to be focused every single pitch, and I needed that start.” -- Chicago Tribune Jose Quintana dominates in Cubs 3-0 win over Brewers By Paul Sullivan In the third straight pitching duel of the series, Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana threw seven shutout innings in a 3-0 win over Milwaukee, extending his scoreless innings streak against the Brewers to 24 innings.

The Cubs shut out the Brewers for the fourth time this season, improving to 6-1 against their Central Division rivals in the opening month of the season. Brewers starter Junior Guerra, who has an 0.82 ERA in four starts was just as dominant as Quintana, allowing only three hits over six innings. But he left with the Brewers trailing 1-0 on a fluke run in the third after center fielder Lorenzo Cain lost Javier Baez’s wind-blown fly ball in the sun. Shortstop Orlando Arcia raced over to short center field in the nick of time, but the ball glanced off his glove for a double, bringing home Albert Almora Jr. with the go-ahead run. The sun and an 18 mph incoming wind played havoc with the fielders all day. Kyle Schwarber lost a ball in the sun in the first, only to see Almora swoop in front of him and make a sliding catch. Schwarber later was the benefactor of the wind, when his sky-high infield pop-up in the fourth dropped in a few feet behind the mound for a hit. The game was still 1-0 when Ben Zobrist singled off reliever Oliver Drake to start the two-run seventh. After Jason Heyward doubled, pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella blooped a single into short left. Zobrist scored easily, and Heyward alertly hustled home when he saw Arcia holding onto the ball, making it 3-0 with a headfirst slide into the plate. Quintana improved to 3-1 on the year and now has a career earned-run average of 0.63 against the Brewers. The Cubs are as season-high four games over .500 at 14-10 heading into Sunday’s series finale, and their starters have a combined 1.09 ERA over their last four games. -- Chicago Tribune Beaning gives Kris Bryant new perspective on playing career By Paul Sullivan Kris Bryant returned to the Cubs lineup Saturday after a four-game absence from being hit in the head, saying the incident gave him a new perspective on the game and his playing career. “We’re always out there and everyone wants to get hits and RBIs and runs and feel great about themselves,” Bryant said. “But once something like that happens, you’ve got to take a step back and realize this game can be taken from you very quick and really soon and unexpectedly. “And it’s really important to enjoy the game as much as you can while you can.” Bryant went 0-for-3 with a walk in his return — a 3-0 victory over the Brewers at Wrigley Field — and said he felt “completely normal” at the plate. “As much as it is a pain in the butt to play 162 games a year, it really does get you in a groove, just in terms of seeing pitches and velocity and stuff like that,” he said. “Whenever I take a day or two off, it might take me a little bit to get going again. But I should be really ready to go (Sunday).” While Bryant was said to have passed concussion protocol, he said his return was delayed by orders from the team physician.

“I wasn’t medically cleared by our team doctor,” he said. “That’s what it was. I think those types of situations, you have to wait until the experts say you can get out there. I don’t know, maybe it was miscommunication.” MLB instituted a seven-day disabled list for concussion management in 2011. Bryant wouldn’t discuss whether he was cleared of a concussion. “I’m not going to get into health and symptoms and stuff,” he said, adding: “I got wind that Joe (Maddon) thought I would be in there in a couple days or something, but I was just listening to my team doctor. He said, ‘We’re going to hold you out a little longer,’ and I’ve got to listen to him.” Bryant said the doctor told him he needed to think about playing “thousands” of games and not worry about missing a couple now. “I realize that, especially nowadays you see with football players, they take this stuff seriously,” Bryant said. “I needed to take it seriously and not try to out there and be Mr. Tough Man and play. And I get hit again, you never know what happens. “I thought our training staff and our doctors handled it really well. … It’s really the smart thing to do.” Bryant said he heard stories of NFL players playing through concussions and others who played through concussions in high school football, adding “it’s scary” to think about the consequences of playing with any type of head injury. “Even if it is a concussion or wasn’t, whatever,” he said. “I’m glad that it’s taken seriously enough.” Bryant did not believe he was thrown at and thanked Rockies pitcher German Marquez for an apologetic phone message. “I totally get this one was an accident,” he said. Extra innings: To make room for Ben Zobrist’s return from the disabled list, the Cubs optioned David Bote to Triple-A Iowa. … Tommy La Stella’s five pinch hits and five pinch-hit RBIs lead the majors. …Cubs starters have a combined 1.09 ERA over the last five games. -- Chicago Sun-Times Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist return to lineup as Cubs blank Brewers 3-0 By David Just Cubs star Kris Bryant, a 26-year-old with National League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards and two All-Star appearances to his name, learned a great deal from his four-game absence this week. After getting hit in the helmet by a 96 mph pitch from the Rockies’ German Marquez last Sunday, Bryant missed four games but gained some perspective. ‘‘Some things catch your attention,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘This certainly did. Everyone wants to get hits and RBIs and home runs and feel great about themselves. When something like this happens, you have to take a step back and realize this game can be taken from you really quick, really unexpectedly. And it’s important to enjoy the game as much as you can when you can.’’

Bryant returned to the Cubs’ lineup Saturday with Ben Zobrist, who came off the 10-day disabled list and hadn’t played since April 14 because of back tightness. With the lineup back at full strength, the Cubs and left-hander Jose Quintana shut out the Brewers 3-0 at Wrigley Field. Quintana allowed only two hits in seven innings and gave the Cubs their fifth consecutive quality start. Bryant, who received a standing ovation before his first at-bat, went 0-for-3 with a walk but said he felt good. Zobrist went 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored. Bryant declined to say whether he suffered a concussion or what, if any, symptoms he experienced after being hit by the pitch. He participated in full baseball activities Thursday and Friday but didn’t play on orders from the Cubs’ medical staff. ‘‘Our team doctor is making sure that I get to see my kids grow up and stuff like that,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘Because anytime you’re dealing with the brain, a lot can go wrong if it happens again.’’ Bryant wore a C-flap on his helmet, which is an attachment that protects the cheek and jaw. He joins a contingent of notable players who have donned that piece of equipment in recent years, including Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Cabrera. ‘‘I’d actually always worn a C-flap up to high school,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘I didn’t wear it in high school and college because the flap didn’t fit right. But . . . I probably should have been wearing it this whole time.’’ The new gear should help Bryant step to the plate with the same confidence he had before. It’s not hard to imagine a hitter being more cautious after a pitch to the helmet, but Bryant and manager Joe Maddon don’t think it will be an issue. Marquez reached out to Bryant and apologized through Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who served as a translator. Bryant said he appreciated the apology and knows it wasn’t intentional. ‘‘Anytime you feel like you can’t get out of the way of a ball, you kind of feel helpless,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘That was how I felt. It was going to hit me one way or the other, and I was just doing my best to get out of the way. It could have been a lot worse, so I’m feeling pretty thankful that I was only out four games.’’ -- Chicago Sun-Times Manager Joe Maddon credits Cubs’ depth for their success without Kris Bryant By David Just With Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist back in the lineup, the Cubs were back at full strength and earned a 3-0 victory Saturday against the Brewers. Zobrist hadn’t appeared in a game since April 14 because of back stiffness, and Bryant had been out since being hit by a pitch in the helmet last Sunday. But the Cubs went 6-3 in the nine games that one or both players were out and 4-1 without Bryant (including the game in which he was hit). Manager Joe Maddon credited the depth of the Cubs’ roster for that success.

‘‘We are doing fine; we just really haven’t gotten it all going yet,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s really nice to watch. The guys that jumped out there, even [David] Bote coming up. . . . You always look at the quality of the bench, and our bench is outstanding. So that tells you how good the team is.’’ Albert Almora Jr. started every game while Zobrist was out and hit .333 during that stretch. The victory gave the Cubs a season-high three-game winning streak and pushed them four games above .500 at 14-10. ‘‘We’re playing good baseball because we are catching it, we are pitching it and we’re just scoring enough runs,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘And that, to me, is the normal formula for 90-plus wins.’’ Russell rests Slumping Addison Russell got the day off, and Javy Baez took his place at shortstop. Russell has struggled at the plate through the first month of the season, batting .215 with a .303 on-base percentage and only five extra-base hits. Maddon said he’s not worried about Russell’s performance at the plate and noted the Cubs have been winning despite his lack of production. ‘‘Addison is going to start hitting,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘I know he is. He’s had some good at-bats, line drives to right-center or down the right-field line that have not played out for him. It’s April. He looks good to me.’’ Asked whether Russell’s biggest issues at the plate are the result of his approach or mechanical problems, Maddon said both. But he said it’s only a matter of time before Russell starts producing. ‘‘I think he’s moving really well, and he’s gotten even better on the bases,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘He’s throwing as good as I’ve seen him ever. There are a lot of positives with Addison right now.’’ Hitting streaks Almora and Baez extended their career-high hitting streaks to 11 games with back-to-back hits in the third inning. Almora had a two-out single and scored on a double by Baez for the first run of the game. Baez skied a fly ball to shallow center that the Brewers’ Lorenzo Cain lost in the sun. Left fielder Christian Yelich couldn’t make it to the ball in time, and shortstop Orlando Arcia got a glove on it before it fell to the ground. Baez was credited with a double and an RBI when Almora scored from first. Almora and Baez are the first Cubs teammates with simultaneous hitting streaks of at least 11 games since Aramis Ramirez and Starlin Castro in 2011. -- Daily Herald Cubs' Bryant on hit to head: 'I needed to take it seriously' By Bruce Miles

Give Kris Bryant credit for listening to the team doctor and for paying attention to what his body was telling him. And give him credit for not giving into the primitive nonsense that says, "You gotta play hurt." No, you don't. After careful consideration, Bryant returned to the Cubs lineup Saturday after missing all of four games and most of last Sunday's, when he was hit on the batting helmet by a pitch from the Colorado Rockies' German Marquez at Coors Field. "It could have been a lot worse," Bryant said Saturday morning after taking some grounders. "I'm feeling pretty thankful that I was only out four games." Bryant said he didn't wish to discuss symptoms or medical conditions. The Cubs this past week said he passed the concussion protocol, but Bryant didn't return until he was ready. "I wasn't medically cleared by our team doctors," he said. "That's what it was. I think in those type of situations you have to wait until the experts say you can get out there. "I was taking it easy. I realize that, especially nowadays, you see with the football players, they take this stuff seriously. I needed to take it seriously and not try to go out there and be Mr. Tough Man and play, and you get hit again and you never know what happens. I thought our training staff and our doctors handled it really well. As frustrating as it can be -- you feel you can get out there and play -- it's really the smart thing to do." Bryant talked about missing a few games with the view that he has thousands more to play. Give this 26-year-old all the credit in the world for using his head the right way and taking the long view. "It was our team doctor making sure I get to see my kids grow up and stuff like that, because anytime you're talking (about) your brain, a lot can go wrong if it happens again," he said. Bryant has been hit with 7 pitches this year, 1 more than teammate Anthony Rizzo, whose body seems to attract baseballs year in and year out. He termed the pitch from Marquez "just one I couldn't get out of the way of." Hitting a baseball thrown by a major-league pitcher has been called one of the hardest things to do in sports. Getting out of the way of one is right up there with it. "Anytime someone throws 97 miles an hour, that's milliseconds in terms of reaction time," Bryant said. "It's pretty impressive that we're actually able to hit that ball." Bryant wasn't without a sense of humor about the whole thing. When asked if he felt woozy for a while after being hit, he said: "Honestly, after all of it, I thought I would feel a lot worse but after the game, I felt super sharp. I am a smart kid. It could have been a lot worse. I was just thankful that I was able to joke around after the game and feel like my normal self a little bit." He also said he was heartened that Marquez made an effort to contact him afterward and apologize, a move helped out by Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez because Marquez's English might be limited.

Bryant was back on the field a short time later, wearing a C-flap, which is attached to his batting helmet. He received a nice hand from the crowd of 40,147. In the Cubs' 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, he went 0-for-3 with a walk. He gets applause here for using his head the right way this past week. "Some things kind of catch your attention," he said. "This certainly did. It kind of puts things into perspective a little bit just because we're always out there, and everybody wants to get hits and RBIs and home runs and feel great about themselves. When something like that happens, you've got to take a step back and realize that this game can be taken from you really quick and really soon and unexpectedly. It's really important to enjoy the game as much as you can while you can." -- Daily Herald Cubs' Quintana dominant in win over Brewers By Bruce Miles The Cubs have gone a full turn in their pitching rotation and have gotten five straight quality starts. Not surprisingly, they've won four of those games. That includes Saturday's gem by lefty Jose Quintana, who worked 7 innings of 2-hit ball in a 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at chilly and windy Wrigley Field, where the elements played a factor. The victory was the third straight for the Cubs, who improved to 14-10 and have their first three-game winning streak of the season. "You have to be able to win games like that, low-scoring games," said manager Joe Maddon. "We had not been able to early on. We just weren't pitching well enough, but now we are. And the elements. I know it was a beautiful blue sky, but I tell you what, it was kind of cool out there, and the wind was obviously severe. "Today's game was pretty much determined by the elements. I thought yesterday's was, too. They missed a couple homers (Friday). Earlier this year, we pulled out a win against Atlanta, same thing. It's been a tough beginning of the season regarding weather, but I've said it before, our guys, they're not complaining. They're just out there playing baseball. It's pretty interesting to watch. The dugout's good. The vibe is lively. Give our guys credit." The Cubs got a run in the third off Junior Guerra on a pair of two-out hits by Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez, each of whom extended hitting streaks to career-best 11 games. Almora singled to left field. Baez then lifted a high fly to center. The sun and a north wind at 18 mph created havoc. Center fielder Lorezno Cain couldn't see the ball. Shortstop Orlando Arcia made a long run and got a glove on the ball, but couldn't catch it. Baez got an RBI double out of it. Heads-up baserunning allowed the Cubs to score 2 in the seventh. Ben Zobrist, fresh off the disabled list, led off with a single. Jason Heyward doubled to the gap in left-center. Pinch hitter Tommy La Stella

looped a single to left, to score Zobrist. Heyward stopped at third base, but when he saw left fielder Christian Yelich hesitate and hold the ball, he scampered home. "I just tried to watch him (Yelich) the whole time to see if he was going to keep his eyes on me and see if he was going to stay ready for me to move," Heyward said. "As soon as he kind of looked away and didn't, I'm rolling." Quintana improved to 3-1 and lowered his ERA from 7.78 to 5.74. In 6 career starts against the Brewers, including 2 this year, he is 4-1 with an 0.63 ERA. He has a streak of 24 scoreless innings against the Brewers. "I don't know," he said of his dominance of Milwaukee. "In my mind, I try to be focused on every single pitch. This is the place you want to be." Making a good first impression: Ben Zobrist came off the DL after suffering with back tightness. He made a nice catch from his spot at second base and went 1-for-3. To make room on the roster, the Cubs optioned infielder David Bote back to Class AAA Iowa. Bote made a positive impression even though he went only 1-for-9 in three games. Joe Maddon will file that for future reference. "I wanted to believe that after he had this brief experience, that he knows that he belongs here, he can do this," Maddon said. "That's really important. When you're a young player coming up, once you get past survival and just trying to hang on and you figure out, 'I could do this well,' that makes a big difference because that's the guy who can help us win. I think he's a guy that can help us win. He's got that kind of an attitude." -- The Athletic What does the emergence of Javier Báez mean for Addison Russell? By Patrick Mooney On the day the Cubs felt like full strength again — after medically clearing Kris Bryant and activating Ben Zobrist from the disabled list — Javier Báez was their starting shortstop. What does that mean for Addison Russell? Well, Joe Maddon isn’t going there yet, because the Cubs manager genuinely appreciates Russell’s steady nature on defense and still believes in the untapped offensive potential. Things always happen — like a 96-mph fastball smashing into Bryant’s helmet or Zobrist’s back flaring up again — so there’s no point in making any declarations. Theo Epstein’s baseball operations group built a roster that aligns with Maddon’s philosophy of maximizing matchups and keeping players fresh for a 162-game season. But if Báez continues to be a catalyst near the top of the lineup — and if Zobrist stays healthy and shows what once made him a World Series MVP — maybe Maddon starts studying a daily lineup matrix where Russell isn’t such an automatic at shortstop. “I’m not looking at that right now,” Maddon said before Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. “I actually think Javy and Addison have done a great job up the middle.

“Javy’s dynamic at second base. Addison’s going to start hitting. Offensively, I just think it’s almost a good thing, because we’re doing OK and Addison really hasn’t gotten traction yet. “He’s going to hit his home runs. Again, it’s April.” It’s almost May and Russell has zero homers, a .215 batting average and a .582 OPS, but that’s gone largely unnoticed because Javy is being Javy and the Cubs are 14-10 and beginning to click on all cylinders. José Quintana dominated the Milwaukee lineup again — that’s 24 consecutive scoreless innings against the Brewers dating back to last season — for the rotation’s fifth straight quality start. Pedro Strop, Brian Duensing and Steve Cishek combined to get the last six outs on a day when Carl Edwards Jr. and Brandon Morrow needed a break after back-to-back appearances. And Báez notched his 26th RBI on one of those crazy Wrigleyville plays when it’s sunny and 43 degrees at first pitch with the wind moving in from left field at 18 mph. Look at this 90-game snapshot of Báez from last year’s All-Star break through Saturday morning: .295 batting average, 20 homers, 67 RBIs. That includes the stretch last season when Báez made 30 consecutive starts at shortstop — and 40 out of 41 — while Russell was on the disabled list with a sprained right foot/plantar fasciitis. “Addison looks good to me,” Maddon said. “I think he’s moving really well. He’s gotten even better on the bases. He’s throwing as good as I’ve seen him — ever — so there’s a lot of positives with Addison right now. “Again, the good thing is to be able to move these guys all over the place. But it’s primarily about the fact that Javy’s doing what Javy’s doing right now. He’s leading the National League in RBIs. He’s the guy that’s really ascended for me.” Báez drove in the game’s first run with two outs in the third inning, when he lifted a ball into a no man’s land that Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain charged into while waving over right fielder Domingo Santana. Shortstop Orlando Arcia stuck his glove out and the ball bounced off it and onto the grass for a double that scored Albert Almora Jr. from first base. Báez then stole third base and got stranded when Bryant struck out. The next inning, with Cain on third base, Báez saved a run with a sliding stop, twirl and strong throw to first base to steal a hit from Santana. El Mago also committed an error in the seventh inning that reminded you why Maddon loves Russell’s smooth defense and consistent feel for — as the manager likes to say — “making the routine play routinely.” Like Báez, Russell is a former first-round pick with an elite-prospect pedigree and huge moments from the 2016 World Series run. Whether it’s the rise and fall and weight loss of Kyle Schwarber, or Ian Happ’s homer/strikeout binges, or Almora going from the bench to new leadoff guy/Gold Glove-caliber center fielder within a couple days, sometimes it’s best to let these things play out before making summary judgments. Zobrist will celebrate his 37th birthday in May, so it’s not like he’s going to be an everyday second baseman. Russell is only 24 with a 21-homer, 95-RBI, All-Star season already on his resume to go along with his World Series ring.

But whether it’s the Manny Machado rumors or the financial realities as all these young players get expensive through the arbitration system, it will be interesting to see where Báez levels off and how Russell responds the rest of this season. “I just think he’s like a click off right now,” Maddon said. “There’s nothing I can tell you that is horrible. I think he’s missing his pitch a little bit. But overall I’m kind of happy where he’s at. I think he looks physically good. He’s moving well. He’s running well. He’s throwing well. Who knows how much the cold weather plays a part in this? I’m fine with where Addie’s at right now.” -- The Athletic Kris Bryant returns to the game with a new appreciation, but won’t say if he suffered a concussion By Patrick Mooney Kris Bryant answered questions for eight minutes, speaking thoughtfully about how fragile this game can be while crediting the Cubs’ medical staff and dismissing any concerns about stepping back into the batter’s box. But Bryant declined to say whether or not he suffered a concussion when a 96-mph fastball crashed into his helmet six days ago. “I’m not going to get into any of that,” Bryant said Saturday morning inside the Wrigley Field clubhouse. “I’m not a doctor. I’m a baseball player. All I know is that I was just listening to the doctors and [their] advice saying I shouldn’t get on the field too early, because it’s only two games when I hope to play thousands more in my career.” Bryant actually missed four full games, plus almost nine more innings on April 22 at Coors Field, where German Marquez drilled him in his first at-bat. Bryant appreciated the apology from Marquez, who communicated through Colorado Rockies teammate/translator Carlos Gonzalez. This marked Bryant’s first public comments since the accident. Given the sensitive nature of the situation, there had been some uncertainty about when Bryant would return to the lineup. Cubs manager Joe Maddon had been getting daily questions about Bryant’s status. The former National League MVP saw doctors in Denver and Cleveland before getting examined on Thursday by Dr. Stephen Adams in Chicago and going through back-to-back days of workouts as part of the final checklist. “It was just our team doctor making sure that I get to see my kids grow up and stuff like that,” Bryant said, “because any time you’re talking about your brain, a lot can go wrong if it happens again. “I got wind that Joe thought I would be in there a couple days [ago], but I was just listening to our team doctor. “Those type of situations, you have to wait until the experts say that you can get out there. I don’t know, maybe it was a miscommunication or something like that. But I wasn’t medically cleared until today.” Bryant trotted out to third base at 1:18 p.m. on a sunny Saturday when the wind chill made it feel like 37 degrees. Bryant wore a helmet with an extended ear flap that covered the left side of his face and worked a six-pitch walk in his first at-bat against Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra. Bryant insisted that he wouldn’t have to overcome any mental blocks and he played all nine innings during a 3-0 win. “It’s all baseball,” Bryant said. “We’ve all been through certain things that set us back a little bit. But hitting in the cage and on the field — all of it — it’s like I was five years old again. I’ve played this game

for a long time. Some things kind of catch your attention. This certainly did. It kind of puts things into perspective a little bit. “We’re always out there and everybody wants to get hits and RBIs and home runs and feel great about themselves. But when something like that happens, you got to take a step back and realize that this game can be taken from you really quick and unexpectedly. It’s really important to enjoy the game as much as you can while you can.” The Cubs are built upon layers of depth and versatility. Even without Bryant, they won that emotional game on getaway day in Colorado, then split a two-game 2016 World Series rematch in Cleveland and won back-to-back one-run games against the Brewers at Wrigley Field. This is a 14-10 team with a sense of momentum. The Cubs also revolve around the idea that their players are human beings, not robots. The rest of Bryant’s career might be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But as Maddon said, Cubs officials have to take into account a young man’s quality of life 30 or 40 years from now. “Especially nowadays, you see with the football players, they take this stuff seriously,” Bryant said. “I needed to take it seriously and not try to go out there and be Mr. Tough Guy and play. You get hit again and then you never know what happens. Our training staff and our doctors handled it really well. As frustrating as it can be — you feel like you can get out there and play — it’s really the smart thing to do.” After an 0-for-3 afternoon, Bryant showered and changed into a gray Vegas Golden Knights hooded sweatshirt and black Lululemon pants. When he saw the pack of reporters approaching his locker, he jokingly barked: “What?” “Just another ballgame,” Bryant said. “I felt completely normal. It’s weird when you take four days off, you feel like you’re a little behind. But that was the only thing — I wasn’t as sharp as I [had been]. I felt great.” For now, that scary incident at Coors Field will be a before-and-after moment, because at that point Bryant looked primed for another All-Star/MVP campaign (.319 average, 1.003 OPS). “As much as it is a pain in the butt to play 162 games a year,” Bryant said, “it really does get you in a groove, just in terms of seeing pitches and velocity and stuff like that. That’s why I like to play every day. But I think it only takes one game. I should be really ready to go tomorrow.” -- Cubs.com Dominant Q backed by D as Cubs blank Crew By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Jose Quintana was stingy, Javier Baez was dazzling, and the wind created havoc at Wrigley Field on Saturday in the Cubs' 3-0 victory over the Brewers. "You have to be able to win games like that, low-scoring games," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We had not been able to early on, we just weren't pitching well enough, and now we are. I know it was beautiful blue skies, but it was cool out there and the wind was severe. Today's game was pretty much determined by the elements."

It was the Cubs' fourth shutout of the Brewers in seven meetings this season, and it's the first time they've done that against an opponent four times in a calendar month since shutting out the Padres in May 1969. "We'll have a bat ceremony tonight and try to figure out a way to score some runs," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. "We haven't scored runs. They've pitched well. The conditions here are low-scoring. But we've got to have better at-bats, no question. More pressure and better at-bats. Eventually, you'll break through if you keep doing that." Pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella smacked a two-run single in the seventh to back Quintana, who held the Brewers to two hits over seven brilliant innings, striking out seven and taking advantage of the crazy conditions. "I'm trying to be focused on every single pitch, and I did that," Quintana said. "We have a long season ahead, and I think that's a really good start for us." Maddon could tell Quintana was in a good groove when he saw the lefty hit 93 mph on the radar gun. Quintana got some help from his defense as well as the elements. Center fielder Albert Almora Jr. ran to shallow left field and stepped in front of Kyle Schwarber to catch Ryan Braun's fly ball to end the first inning. Second baseman Ben Zobrist, in his first game off the disabled list, made a diving catch of Jonathan Villar's liner to close the second. "We lucked out a couple times," said Chicago's Kris Bryant, who was back in the lineup for the first time since being hit by a pitch in the head last Sunday. "The sun was bright. It was tough to play the outfield today, and infield, too. It's to be expected here -- day games, April, [the wind] blowing in every game. You have to deal with what you've got." Baez made a sparkling defensive play to strand a baserunner at third base and also drove in a run with two out in the third on an RBI double that Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain probably has no trouble with on a normal day. Saturday's conditions weren't normal. Cain lost the ball in the sun and the 18 mph northerly wind, and it ended up dropping in shallow center after deflecting off the glove of shortstop Orlando Arcia. "The first [inning] of the game -- Albert running off Schwarber told the entire story," Maddon said. "When we scored on the popup [by Baez] -- you could see as soon as the ball went up that Cain could not see it. I love the way our guys covered one another." In the third, Baez also deked Brewers catcher Manny Pina into throwing to second, then stole third base. How difficult was it to deal with the sun and the wind and the cold? "It was just hard," Chicago's Jason Heyward said. "You just hope for the best. … Today was worse than yesterday. I felt [the wind] stayed more consistently blowing in across, and the sky was tougher today with a lot less clouds." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED One-two punch: For the second straight day, Almora and Baez extended their hit streaks with back-to-back hits. With two out in the third, Almora singled to left off Brewers starter Junior Guerra to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. Baez matched that with his "Wrigley Field double," driving

in Almora. Baez now has a career-high 11-game hitting streak, too. On Friday, the two had back-to-back hits in the first inning to keep their hitting streaks alive. "He's been playing really good baseball," Maddon said of Baez, who now has 26 RBIs, tops in the National League. "He picked up another RBI in a very unique manner, but he got one." Baez's defense: Cain doubled to lead off the fourth for the first hit off Quintana, and he reached third on a wild pitch. But he was stranded there, thanks to a dazzling play by Baez, who was playing shortstop and slid, then snared Domingo Santana's grounder, spun around and threw in time to first. Santana evened the score in the seventh when he reached on an error by Baez, who couldn't get his glove on the grounder. "[Baez] made a couple good plays -- and Zobrist made a good catch, too," Quintana said. "That pushed me a little bit extra. I tried to get zeros on the score." SOUND SMART Quintana now has thrown 24 scoreless innings against the Brewers, dating to last July. That includes a shutout last Sept. 24 at Miller Park and six scoreless innings on April 8 in Milwaukee. Quintana's outing also was the fifth straight quality start by a Cubs pitcher. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Zobrist singled to lead off the seventh against the Brewers' Oliver Drake and reached third on Heyward's double. Both runners then scored on La Stella's bloop single to left, thanks to heads-up baserunning by Heyward. "I just tried to watch [Arcia] the whole time to see if he was going to keep his eyes on me and see if he was going to stay ready for me to move," Heyward said. "As soon as he kind of looked away, I said, 'I'm going.'" HE SAID IT "We love playing the Cubs. It's a very competitive series all the time, and it's always good to win. At the same time, we've been grinding out there. The wind today helped them. The time we had a chance, Baez made a great play. We just have to keep grinding, keep going out there and playing hard." -- Santana "We're playing good baseball because we are catching it, we are pitching it and we are just scoring enough runs. That, to me, is the formula for 90-plus wins." -- Maddon UP NEXT Tyler Chatwood will close the series against the Brewers on Sunday. He's coming off his first win with the Cubs in which he gave up one run over six innings against the Indians. That's the good news. However, his walks are still high -- he issued five vs. the Indians. He's 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Brewers in his career. First pitch will be 1:20 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field, and Milwaukee will counter with right-hander Zach Davies. -- Cubs.com Have a day, Javy: Baez a bother for Brewers By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Javier Baez continued to add to his personal highlight reel on Saturday. Baez, starting at shortstop, collected his National League-leading 26th RBI with a bloop double and thwarted the Brewers' best scoring opportunity with a stellar defensive play to end the fourth in the Cubs' 3-0 win. "He's a good shortstop. He's a good baseball player," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He's been playing really good baseball. He picked up another RBI in a very unique manner, but he got one. He was very upset at himself with that last strikeout [in the seventh], which I'm happy he was upset with himself because he knows [he can do better]. All of that stuff is good." In the third inning, Albert Almora Jr. and Baez each extended their hitting streaks with back-to-back hits. With two out against the Brewers' Junior Guerra, Almora singled to left to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. Baez matched that with a "Wrigley Field double" to score Almora. The wind and bright skies were not kind to Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who signaled that he lost Baez's ball, which then deflected off shortstop Orlando Arcia's glove. Baez now has a career-high 11-game hitting streak, too. "At the last second I saw [Cain signal]," Brewers right fielder Domingo Santana said. "At the same time, I still thought he would have had it. As soon as I saw him [motion] and I saw the ball, I saw Arcia coming straight ahead of me. It was just too late." Brewers manager Craig Counsell thought Cain had it. "It was tough out there," Counsell said. "It felt like a day to not hit the ball in the air, but it might have actually been a day to hit the ball in the air and make guys have to catch it. It was difficult if you got it up in the air pretty good. Orlando made a pretty good attempt at it, but it just came out of his glove." Baez -- who even craftily stole third base after his double when Brewers catcher Manny Pina tried to pick him off at second -- saved a run for starter Jose Quintana in the fourth inning. Cain was on third after hitting a double and advancing on a wild pitch. Quintana struck out Christian Yelich and got Ryan Braun to pop up to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Santana hit a grounder to Baez, who slid on the grass and snared the ball, then spun around and threw in time to first. "It didn't surprise me because he's a very good shortstop and second baseman," Santana said. "He's very quick. I thought it was going to be a base hit, but [no]." Baez is now batting .400 (20-for-50) during his 11-game hitting streak, and he is the second Cubs player since 1908 with 26 RBIs before the end of April, joining Derrek Lee, who drove in 28 in 2005. -- Cubs.com Bryant back in lineup with renewed perspective By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant returned to the Cubs' lineup against the Brewers on Saturday, relieved that he missed only a few days after being hit in the head by a pitch. Bryant walked in his first plate appearance and went on to go 0-for-3 in the Cubs' 3-0 victory.

"I know he's going to be fine," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It's like anything else, you have to get back on the horse when something bad happens to us, and not just getting hit by a pitch, but other situations." Bryant missed four games after being hit by a 96.3-mph fastball from Rockies starter German Marquez on Sunday. "Any time you feel you can't get out of the way of a ball, you feel helpless," Bryant said Saturday. "That was how I felt. It was going to hit me one way or another. It could've been a lot worse. I'm pretty thankful I was only out four games." Bryant will now wear a C-Flap on the front of his helmet, which he said he wore until he got to high school. "I've always worn it -- I probably should've been wearing it the whole time," he said. Neither the Cubs nor Bryant would say if he suffered a concussion. He simply wasn't medically cleared to play until Saturday. "I was taking it easy," Bryant said. "I realize, especially nowadays with the football players [and concussions], they take this stuff seriously, and I needed to take it seriously and not try to go out there and be Mr. Tough Man and play and get hit again, and you never know what happens. "Our team doctor was making sure I could see my kids grow up, because any time you're talking about your brain, a lot can go wrong if it happens again. I got wind that Joe thought I'd be in there in a couple days. I was just listening to the team doctor, and that's all it was. [The doctor] said, 'We're going to hold you out a little longer,' and I had to listen to him." Marquez did reach out to Bryant last Sunday to say he was sorry, with Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez acting as interpreter. Bryant said he was wearing sunglasses because it was so bright in Colorado and tough to see. "Any time someone throws 97 miles an hour, it's like milliseconds of reaction time," Bryant said. "It's pretty impressive that we can hit that ball." Even though he was hit in the head, Bryant said he felt "super sharp" after the game. "It could've been a lot worse," Bryant said. "I was thankful I could joke after the game and feel like my normal self." Bryant has been doing baseball activities the past two days at full speed and was eager to get back in a game. "It kind of puts things in perspective a little bit, because we're out there and everybody wants to get hits and RBIs and home runs and feel great about themselves," Bryant said. "When something like that happens, you have to take a step back and realize that this game could be taken from you really quick and really soon and unexpectedly. It's really important to enjoy the game as much as you can." --

Cubs.com Cubs activate Zobrist from DL, option Bote By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs' Ben Zobrist, who was out because of tightness in his lower back, was activated from the disabled list on Saturday, and versatile David Bote was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Manager Joe Maddon said he'll be careful with Zobrist, who was batting .326 before he was sidelined April 14, and not play him two games in a row right away. Bote filled in ably for Kris Bryant at third base, logging five assists and knocking a double over nine plate appearances. "I wanted him to believe after he had this brief experience that he knows he belongs here and he can do this," Maddon said of his conversation with Bote after Friday's game. "When you're a young player coming up, and once you get past survival and you're just trying to hang on and you figure out, 'I can do this well,' it makes a big difference, because that's a guy who can help us win. I think he's a guy who can help us win. He's got that kind of attitude." It must be the bat Yu Darvish collected his first hit with the Cubs and second career double on Friday, lining the ball into the right-field corner. He was using a Shohei Ohtani model bat, courtesy of the Angels' pitcher, who had sent it two days ago. So, was it good hitting? "A good bat," Darvish said. 'He's got the look' New Cubs closer Brandon Morrow is 6-for-6 in save opportunities so far, picking up his sixth on Friday. "Morrow, this is his first taste of doing this thing," Maddon said of the right-hander, who hasn't been a full-time closer in his career. "I love the look. He comes out there and he's focused and he's got the look. I like that a lot. The way he's doing it rubs off on the guys in front of him." What's the look? "A 1,000-yard stare?" Morrow said. "I don't know that there is [a look]. You still go out and attack guys. That's No. 1, especially in the ninth in a closing situation." Maddon confident in Russell Addison Russell is off to a slow start, batting .215, but Maddon isn't concerned. "He's had some really good at-bats, line drives to right-center that have not played out for him," Maddon said. "He's going to hit his home runs. It's April. He looks good to me. I think he's moving really well. He's gotten even better on the bases. He's throwing as good as I've seen him ever. There's a lot of positives with Addison now." Russell did not start on Saturday, giving him a breather.

"I just think he's a click off right now," Maddon said. "There's nothing I can tell you is horrible. I think he's missing his pitch a little bit. I'm fine with where Addy is at right now." Special first pitch Hailey Dawson threw out a ceremonial first pitch on Saturday. The 8-year-old's goal is to throw out a first pitch for every Major League Baseball team, and she has done so wearing a robotic hand designed in each team's colors. "It's pretty cool what she's doing, and I'm happy the teams are letting her come out and throw first pitches," Bryant said. "It's such a cool story. Of course, I was going to be out there to catch it for her." Dawson has Poland syndrome, and she was born without a right pectoral muscle due to a lack of blood supply during the sixth to seventh week of gestation. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs rotation finally delivering on its design to dominate By Bradford Doolittle CHICAGO -- When the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, breaking a title drought for the ages, they did it on the backs of a dynamic starting rotation. Yes, Kris Bryant was the MVP, and David Ross was on the most fun farewell tour of all time, and Anthony Rizzo drove in 109 runs, and Aroldis Chapman was throwing 103 mph out of the bullpen. But it was a rotation that sported a 2.96 regular-season ERA -- 64 points better than that of any other team in the majors -- that allowed Chicago to keep its pedal to the metal from March to November. It seems like just last night that the Cubs celebrated that championship, but do you know how many members of that club’s core rotation are still around? Two: Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester. In 2018, Chicago is trying to get back to that pinnacle with three-fifths of a turned-over rotation. Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel and John Lackey are out. Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood and Yu Darvish are in. For this week at least, that seems like a good plan. “I felt good,” Quintana said Saturday after his best outing of the season. “My stuff was really good. I’m happy we are winning. Tomorrow, we will try to keep going.” Quintana held the Milwaukee Brewers scoreless on two hits over seven innings of a 3-0 Cubs victory. Chicago has won the first three games of this series against its National League Central foe and has held Milwaukee to a grand total of two runs in the process. Only one of those runs was allowed by a starter, but it was unearned. Finally, the starters are complementing a lineup and bullpen that were doing the heavy lifting in the early going. “You have to be able to win games like that,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “We had not been able to early on. We just weren’t pitching well enough to do that. But now we are.” Chicago’s rotation has posted five consecutive quality starts, and the Cubs have now won five of six. It’s only one turn through the rotation, but it has looked very 2016-like:

• April 24: Chatwood, one run in six innings (win) • April 25: Lester, three runs in seven innings (loss) • April 26: Hendricks, zero runs in seven innings (win) • April 27: Darvish, one unearned run in six innings (win) • April 28: Quintana, zero runs in seven innings (win) Five of Chicago’s 12 quality starts this season have come in the Cubs’ past five games. Quintana’s outing was the best by a Cubs starter all season. His game score of 79 topped Hendricks’ 74 in the series opener as the best by a Cubs starter in 2018. “I thought he had a really good fastball,” Maddon said of Quintana. “I thought his fastball was better, I thought his two-seamer was better. His curveball was sharp. He had everything going on today.” To put numbers to the skipper’s observation: Quintana’s average fastball velocity Saturday (91.2 mph) was just off his season high, and he threw his fastest pitch of the season, at 93.2 mph. In other good news for the Cubs, Bryant was back in the lineup. He missed four games after being hit in the head by a pitch on Sunday in Colorado. He didn’t get a hit, but he seemed pleased to get back to his normal routine. “It was nice to be back out there,” Bryant said. “It was just another ballgame. I felt really normal. It’s really weird: You take four games off, you feel like you’re a little behind.” Really, it was the same old, same old for Quintana when it comes to facing the Brewers. Quintana’s game score Saturday was tied for the 10th-best of his 188 career starts. His best career game score (90) came Sept. 24, 2017, when he shut out the Brewers on three hits. Why does he get the best of Milwaukee? “I don’t know,” Quintana said. “A couple of people have told me that. I just try to focus on every single pitch.” In six career starts against Milwaukee, Quintana has averaged a 74 game score, better than against any other opponent by a mile. His 65.5 average against the Dodgers ranks second. Overall, Quintana’s career average game score is 54.1, so you'd better believe he likes it when the Brewers are in town. “I’m going to keep on the same page,” Quintana said. “I’m going to keep trying to throw the ball well, no matter who is the other team.” Before this week, the Cubs’ rotation was languishing in a sea of question marks. Quintana’s ERA entering Saturday’s game was 7.78, with his only effective outing coming April 8 against -- you guessed it -- the Brewers. Overall, before this flurry of quality starts, Chicago’s rotation ERA (5.27) ranked an unsightly 25th in the majors. After Quintana’s gem, that ranking has climbed to 16th. No, it isn't 2016 redux just yet. But you can finally see where team architects Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer hoped this configuration would lead.

“Q was great today, lights-out,” Bryant said. “He definitely needed that. I expect a lot of that out of him this season.” -- ESPNChicago.com Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist return to lineup for Cubs By Bradford Doolittle CHICAGO -- The Cubs will welcome back a pair of regulars on Saturday, with Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist returning to the lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers. Bryant has missed four games after being hit in the head by a pitch from the Rockies' German Marquez last Sunday. "I feel good. The last few days, it felt good to do full baseball stuff," said Bryant, who leads the National League in hit by pitches with seven. "You can't get out of the way of a ball that close. It was going to hit me one way or another, and I was just doing my best to get out of the way. Could have been a lot worse, so I'm feeling pretty thankful for that and to only miss four games." Bryant, who wouldn't go into specifics about the diagnosis or symptoms of his injury, said he'll now wear a C-flap helmet to provide extra protection. "You take this stuff seriously," Bryant said. "Especially nowadays, you see with the football players, I needed to take it easy and not go out there and try to be Mr. Tough Man, play and get hit again." Bryant said the Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez called to apologize on behalf of Marquez, who doesn't speak English. "He called over and said [Marquez] really wanted to say he was sorry," Bryant said. "I really appreciated that." The Rockies will visit Wrigley Field for a series beginning Monday. Zobrist was activated Saturday from the 10-day disabled list after recovering from back tightness. To clear a roster spot for Zobrist, the Cubs optioned infielder David Bote to Triple-A Iowa. While Bryant and Zobrist are returning to the lineup, they will be slotted in unfamiliar spots on Joe Maddon's batting order. Bryant, who typically has hit second during his career, will hit third against Milwaukee. Zobrist, whom Maddon often deploys in either the leadoff or cleanup spot, will hit seventh. The top two hitters in the lineup -- Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez -- are both working on 10-game hitting streaks for the Cubs, who have won seven of their past 10 games. -- NBC Sports Chicago No fear: The return of Kris Bryant has Cubs breathing a sigh of relief By Tony Andracki

The lasting image of the 2018 season could've been Joe Maddon clutching a visibly shaken-up Kris Bryant a few feet from home plate at Coors Field. San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt lost months of his career after taking a 79 mph pitch to his head last season, but the Cubs appear to have dodged a bullet with Bryant after he was drilled with a 96 mph fastball from German Marquez Sunday. Less than a week after that scary scene, Bryant was once again back in the Cubs lineup and all is right with the baseball world. Bryant passed all of the protocols and the Cubs team doctors feel good about letting him step into the batter's box again. Bryant missed four games, but went through baseball drills Thursday and Friday at Wrigley Field and had no issues. He said he felt totally normal after playing in Saturday's game, even if he was a little rusty with almost a week off. He reportedly passed concussion protocol after the incident, but given the extremely unsteady nature of head injuries, the Cubs were making sure no symptoms presented themselves in the days after the incident. Bryant was wearing sunglasses when he got hit and admitted it was hard to see at Coors Field given the bright day. But he and the Cubs are confident he'll be able to get back to the player he was before the incident, with no fear stepping back into the box. "That was just a pitch I couldn't get out of the way of," Bryant said. "I'm usually pretty good at dodging them or making sure they hit me in my elbow pad or something like that. But that was just one I couldn't get out of the way. "...Anytime somebody throws 97 mph, that's like milliseconds in terms of reaction time. It's pretty impressive that we're able to actually hit that ball," Bryant added with a smile. He showed no issues in his first trip to the plate Saturday, sporting a "C-flap" providing more protection for the first time in his big-league career, though he said he used one his entire life before high school. Bryant walked on six pitches in the first inning after receiving a nice ovation from fans at Wrigley Field. He struck out, popped out and grounded out in his other three tips to the plate as he works through the rust of the time off. When something like this happens, everybody talks about the perspective they've gained from it. Bryant has always had a good head on his shoulders and is incredibly mentally strong. So it should speak to the potential severity of this incident that it got even him thinking about the big picture and looking at his career from a different lense. "We've all been through certain things that set us back a little bit," Bryant said. "Hitting in the cage, hitting on the field, all of it was like I was 5 years old again. I've played this game a long time. Some things kinda catch your attention. This certainly did. "It kinda catches your attention a little bit, just 'casue we're always out there and everybody wants to get hits and RBIs and home runs and wants to feel great about themselves.

"And when something like that happens, you gotta take a step back and realize that this game could be taken from you really quick and really soon and unexpectedly and it's really important to enjoy the game as much as you can when you can." Immediately following Sunday's game, Bryant said he felt like his normal self, joking around with teammates in the clubhouse. Head injuries have been a huge point of contention in professional sports the last few years and Bryant is thankful everything was handled well and all the necessary caution was applied. Even if the sports world hadn't undergone a revolution in head traumas, Bryant thinks he would've taken all the same steps. "Just me being who I am and aware of my body, I think I would've handled it the same way," he said. "Any time you talk about your head and stuff like that, it is a little scary. With the NFL and stuff, people are playing through concussions all the time and they're getting better at it. "Just hearing some stories around the clubhouse here and guys playing high school football, they've probably played through many and it's scary. I'm glad that even if it is a concussion or wasn't whatever, I'm glad that it's taken seriously now." Bryant refused to get into any detail on what his symptoms were and only said he is glad he didn't push himself to prioritize only a few games over the rest of his career and what he hopes will be "thousands more" games. Four different times, Maddon said he was hoping Bryant would be back in the lineup the following day and the star third baseball may possibly be available during the game. Yet four games went by without Bryant as the Cubs were extremely cautious with their franchise player, and rightfully so. Bryant acknowledged before Saturday's game that he wasn't medically cleared by team doctors until Saturday. "You have to wait until the experts say that you can get out there," Bryant said. "I don't know, maybe it was a miscommunication or something like that. But I wasn't medically cleared." Bryant said he heard from Marquez after the incident, with the Rockies pitcher speaking through outfielder Carlos Gonzalez as a translator. Marquez apologized for the pitch and wished Bryant well, which is something the Cubs star appreciated. -- NBC Sports Chicago Brandon Morrow has been a huge pickup for the Cubs — even when he doesn't pitch By Tony Andracki The symbolism is undeniable. When Brandon Morrow first walked out to the Imagine Dragons song "Whatever It Takes" at Wrigley Field, I couldn't help but think how it was the perfect song.

The 33-year-old pitcher has done whatever it takes to stick around in his career, withstanding injury after injury to reinvent himself from a top starter to one of the more dynamic relief pitchers in the game. Morrow is the man the Cubs tabbed to replace Wade Davis, who set records as the Chicago closer in 2017 and then showed his "big balls" in the postseason. The move has worked out just fine in the first month of the season, with Morrow yet to give up a run and going 6-for-6 in save opportunities. (He did, however, allow an inherited runner to score in that 17-inning marathon in the second game of the season in Miami.) But Morrow's greatest impact may not even be when he pitches. Carl Edwards Jr. has looked absolutely dominant as Morrow's main setup man and earlier in the season, the young right-hander credited the Cubs veteran pitchers with helping him fully realize the need to attack hitters. [READ: Carl Edwards Jr., self-actualized] Edwards has had issues in the past in getting too fine with his pitches instead of going right after guys with his A+ stuff. "He's been awesome," Morrow said of Edwards. "Talking about it all spring — attacking. You see when he puts guys on the defensive what he can do. It's impressive. "His shit's great and when he throws it in the strike zone, they really have no chance." Edwards and Morrow set down the Brewers in the first two games of this weekend series, working the eighth and ninth inning, respectively, in one-run Cubs victories. On the season, they've combined to allow just 1 run and 13 hits in 21.2 innings with 30 strikeouts. "They've been outstanding," Maddon said. "The thing with those two guys is let's not overuse them right now. It's early. You want to make sure they're frisky all year long. "They've been really good. Morrow, this is his first taste of doing this thing. I love the look. He comes out there and he's focused, man, and he's got the look. I like that a lot. I think that the way he's doing it rubs off on the guys in front of him." Morrow throws 98 mph like it's nothing — "I just make it look easy," he quipped — and said he's actually still felt rusty to begin the season before a shutdown inning Friday was the best he's felt his stuff play. When the weather starts heating up, watch out. "A well-located fastball — regardless of speed — is always weapon No. 1," Morrow said. "I try and spot the fastball and put them on the defensive by attacking and getting them into swing mode and you'll see some swings out of the zone. You can get ahead and then dictate pretty much whatever you want." That mindset has worked for Morrow the last few years, as he's walked just 15 batters in 68.2 innings as a reliever since the start of the 2016 season.

He's always had strikeout stuff, even leading the league in K/9 in 2010 (10.2) while working as a starter with the Toronto Blue Jays. The thing with Morrow has always been health. He appeared in 45 regular-season games with the Dodgers in 2017, the first time since 2012 he's pitched in at least 20 games in a year. The Cubs definitely want to be cautious of him moving forward, especially after he appeared in all 7 World Series games last fall and pitched in 14 of the Dodgers' 15 postseason games. Maddon is certainly glad to be on the same side as Morrow now. "He might've thrown the best game I've ever seen that was not a no-hitter against us in Toronto a couple years ago," Maddon said, referring to his time as the Tampa Bay Rays manager. "... He's different in all the best ways. His stuff is that good. "Combine that with the way he goes about his business and it's kind of interesting to watch." --