May 15, 2016 Cubs.com Unbeaten Arrieta tops Bucs for NL-best 7th W By Carrie Muskat and Cody Stavenhagen CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta continued his hot streak, striking out 11 and giving up three hits over eight innings in the Cubs' 8-2 victory over the Pirates on a chilly Saturday. Anthony Rizzo smacked a three-run homer as part of a four-RBI day and Addison Russell hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who now have won Arrieta's last 21 starts, extending a franchise record. "It's unusual," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Arrieta. "It's very unusual what he's doing." All three Pittsburgh hits off the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner came in the fourth, including a two-run single by Francisco Cervelli. The Pirates have probably seen enough of Arrieta, who is 8-1 in 11 career starts against them. "We know the run of success he's had, which is so well-deserved," Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Locke said. "He's pitched fantastic, as well as anybody in the world. Really, anybody in history." With the win, Arrieta is 18-0 with a 0.75 ERA since Aug. 1 of last season, giving up 12 earned runs over 144 1/3 innings. He helped the Cubs improve to 27-8, their best start since the 1907 team opened with that record. Chicago now has outscored Pittsburgh, 37-11, in five games this season, and won each game by at least four runs. "We've fared well against them this far, but we know the quality they have over there," Arrieta said of the Pirates. "We've just been playing some quality baseball. You just want to see your guys stay as hot as they can for as long as possible." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Breaking through: After being unable to get a hit through three innings, the Pirates came through in the fourth to score two runs. Andrew McCutchen led off the inning with a double to left field before Gregory Polanco singled to move him to third. Polanco stole second and both runners later scored on a single by Cervelli. All three hits came on Arrieta sliders, and it was the first time Arrieta has given up more than one run in a start against the Pirates since September 2013. Still, the Pirates lost the opportunity for more runs when a Josh Harrison ball hit off Arrieta's foot and bounced to Ben Zobrist for what became an inning-ending double play. Fourth inning: Locke had given up one single over the first three innings, and the Cubs finally broke through in the fourth. Jason Heyward reached on an infield single and Kris Bryant walked to set up Rizzo's home run, his 11th of the season and second this year off a left-hander. Rizzo now has reached in a career-high 26 consecutive games, tops in the Majors. "He's quietly having a pretty good year," Maddon said of Rizzo. "We talk about what Zobrist has been doing and [Bryant] and Russell, and here in the middle, you've got the rock. He's been spectacular." Home sweet home: On Friday, Russell hit a go-ahead three-run homer against the Pirates, and on Saturday, he added a two-run shot. Before the game, Maddon was talking about how hard Russell was working in preparing for the afternoon game. It's paid off. He now has 13 RBIs in his last seven games.

"I felt I was a home run hitter," Russell said. "It's just tapping into that home run power, and it's just being a little more confident and barreling the ball and not being shy swinging the bat." Looking for answers: Arrieta baffled Pirates hitters, as five of his 11 strikeouts were looking, including two on McCutchen. McCutchen did extend his hit streak to eight games, but with the exception of the fourth inning, the Pirates were again frustrated and couldn't get anything going on their way to a fifth loss in five games this season against the Cubs. Arrieta struck out seven of the final 11 batters he faced. "A lot of strikes, a lot of shaving," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He threw a lot of strikes, a lot of quality strikes, especially the called third strikes. There were a lot of those, as well. He found a different rhythm and rhyme. I think he was using all four pitches, and the sequences, he was playing to what was going." Said Cubs catcher Miguel Montero: "Those pitches, I call them, 'Hall of Fame pitches.' There's not much you can do with them." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With Arrieta's outing, Cubs starting pitchers now have pitched through the fifth inning in the last 43 regular-season games, dating to Sept. 27 last season. That's the franchise's longest such streak since 1910. Arrieta is the fifth pitcher in the modern era with at least 18 consecutive winning decisions in the regular season. He joins Carl Hubbell (24-0 in 1936-37), Roy Face (22-0 in 1958-59), Rube Marquard (20-0 in 1911-12) and Roger Clemens (20-0 in 1998-99). EJECTIONS Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage was ejected during his fourth-inning mound visit with Locke and Cervelli. Locke had walked Zobrist after Rizzo's home run, bringing Searage to the mound. Home-plate umpire Brian Knight walked out to end the visit, words were exchanged, and Searage was tossed. "Obviously I can't share those words, but that's why we love Ray so much," Locke said. "He's got our back, just like we have his." GOOD INTENTIONS In the Chicago sixth, Knight issued a warning to both benches after Montero was hit by an 0-2 fastball from Locke. This came after Arrieta hit Jung Ho Kang in the fourth inning. "[It was] 0-2, eight-hole, pitcher on deck, I pitch in as much as anybody in the big leagues does," Locke said. "Coming inside to him, I didn't want to miss over the plate. It's as simple as that. That's what [the umpire] sees. It's his job to maybe stop something before it happens if that were the case, but there was no intent with that pitch to hit anybody." As for Arrieta's pitch to Kang, Locke speculated differently. "I think any time someone like Arrieta hits somebody, you have to assume automatically that one didn't just get away," Locke said. "He's been pretty sharp all year … so when he misses like that, maybe you raise an eyebrow or something like that, too. … I don't know what happened on the pitch. It got him pretty flush, though. It just seems a guy like that, with pinpoint accuracy, doesn't just miss in. "But at the same time, you're not trying to throw cookies to anybody, either. … Not intentional, by any means, is what I'm saying, but it would have been more intentional-looking than the one I threw to Montero, for sure." Told that the Pirates were upset about Arrieta hitting Kang, Montero defended his pitcher. "He doesn't want to hit him, I guarantee that," Montero said of Arrieta. "He was a little wild that inning." WHAT'S NEXT

Pirates: Right-hander Gerrit Cole starts for the Pirates in the finale of this three-game weekend series Sunday at 2:20 p.m. ET. Cole has struggled against the Cubs in his past two starts against them, but he is 5-1 in his career at Wrigley Field. Cubs: Jon Lester will make his second start against the Pirates this season on Sunday in the series finale. On May 4 in Pittsburgh, Lester scattered eight hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He's coming off a win over the Padres in which he picked up his first victory at home this season. First pitch will be 1:20 p.m. CT. -- Cubs.com Cubs' Russell tapping into home run power By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- When Joe Maddon is near Addison Russell whenever he's hitting, the Cubs' manager can hear the power. "When you have the chance to stand by the cage and watch him hit, the sound of the ball and how far it goes indicates a lot of power," Maddon said. "You shake his hand and he has huge hands, and they're very strong. ... You can absolutely project power with him." On Saturday, Russell hit his second home run in as many games to help the Cubs beat the Pirates, 8-2. It's the first time the 22-year-old shortstop has homered in consecutive games in his career. Russell knows he has power. "I felt I was a home run hitter," Russell said. "It's just tapping into that home run power, and it's just being a little more confident and barreling the ball and not being shy swinging the bat." Russell is soft spoken. He has his own pregame routine, and admits he's kind of a loner. "I go about my business the same way," he said, including some speed work, sessions with hitting coach John Mallee and time in the whirlpool as things on his to-do list. Russell is well aware of his age. His walk-up music is Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop," which he heard recently and liked. The song was released in 1993, before he was born. He shows a lot of maturity at the plate. Russell leads the Cubs in batting with runners in scoring position, and is second on the Cubs in RBIs with 27. That also ranks second to the Rockies' Trevor Story among National League shortstops. During his rookie season last year, Russell was asked to play second base and also change his mechanics at the plate and add a leg kick. Maddon likes to say that was Russell's sophomore slump, and the shortstop now is a junior. "It was just kind of a battle to get back to being the type of hitter I know I can be," Russell said. "I was trying to get that accomplished at the big league level, along with the switches of being at second and adding the leg kick. My first year was a pretty adverse year, and now we're just letting it flow." --

Cubs.com Montero: Arrieta throws 'Hall of Fame pitches' By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- As good as Jake Arrieta has been, Cubs manager Joe Maddon feels the right-hander can be even better. "He's not been as sharp as he can be," Maddon said. "I mean that. I'm not trying to be casual about it. There's another level of sharpness for him." On Saturday, Arrieta struck out a season-high 11 batters and held the Pirates to three hits over eight innings in the Cubs' 8-2 win. Arrieta's stats are staggering. • Arrieta now is 6-1 with a 0.75 ERA (five earned runs over 60 innings) in his last eight starts against the Pirates, including the postseason. He has struck out 49 while walking seven in that stretch. • He's now given up three or fewer runs in 28 straight starts, the longest streak in the Majors since 1893. • Arrieta has won his last 18 decisions, the fourth-longest streak in MLB history since 1913. The Cubs have been victorious in his last 21 starts, the longest streak in franchise history and tied for the fourth-longest streak since 1913. • Arrieta is the fifth pitcher in the modern era with at least 18 consecutive winning decisions in the regular season. He joins Carl Hubbell (24-0 in 1936-37), Roy Face (22-0 in 1958-59), Rube Marquard (20-0 in 1911-12) and Roger Clemens (20-0 in 1998-99). "It's unusual," Maddon said. "It's very unusual what he's doing." "I feel when any ace has it going, it's tough to hit that day, and right now, he's just locked in, dialed in," Chicago's Jason Heyward said. "I feel he has a lot of pitches he can beat you with, and he can throw them in any count at any time. I don't think he throws anything straight, and it's great to have that in your arsenal." Arrieta did run into some trouble in the fourth inning Saturday and needed a pep talk from catcher Miguel Montero to get back on track. Andrew McCutchen doubled to lead off, Gregory Polanco singled, and both scored one out later on Francisco Cervelli's single. "He came to me and pretty much said, 'Let it go. Stop trying to hold back and guide it. Use your aggressiveness and pitch to the bottom of the zone,'" Arrieta said of Montero's speech. "That was exactly what I needed to hear." Arrieta induced a double play to end the inning. Think about this: The last time Arrieta gave up three or more hits in one inning at Wrigley Field was July 25, 2015, against the Phillies. That's also the last time he gave up two or more runs in an inning at home. Arrieta was on track in the fifth, striking out both John Jaso and McCutchen looking. "I was aggressive with my fastball down in the strike zone and got some punchouts looking with the fastball, and when I do that, I know I'm in a pretty good spot," Arrieta said. A really good spot. "Those pitches were -- I call them, 'Hall of Fame pitches,'" Montero said. "There's not much you can do with them." Just ask the Pirates. --

Cubs.com Lester looking to help Cubs sweep rival Bucs By Cody Stavenhagen Gerrit Cole has five wins against the Cubs since the start of the 2014 season, more than any pitcher in baseball. But lately, the Cubs have had Cole's number. In last season's National League Wild Card Game, Cole gave up four runs in five innings and took the loss against the Cubs. In his May 2 start against Chicago, he surrendered six runs, five earned, in 4 2/3 innings on the way to another loss. Cole (3-3, 3.78 ERA) will look to correct that course Sunday at 1:20 p.m. CT when he starts in the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who are looking to sweep the three-game set, will throw left-hander Jon Lester, who is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA this season. Lester has given up one run or fewer in five of his seven starts, including May 4 against the Pirates, when he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Three things to know about this game • In games at Wrigley Field, Cole is 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA. • Anthony Rizzo and Dexter Fowler both have good history against Cole. Rizzo is a .364 career hitter against the righty with eight hits in 22 at-bats, and Fowler is a .368 hitter (7-for-19) with one home run. • Andrew McCutchen is only a .125 career hitter against Lester, with two hits and four strikeouts in 16 at-bats. -- Cubs.com Montero returns; Cubs carrying three catchers By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs have decided to carry three catchers on the roster, adding Miguel Montero before Saturday's 8-2 win over the Pirates after he was activated from the disabled list. Montero, who had been sidelined since April 25 with lower back tightness, joins David Ross and Tim Federowicz. "It gives us more freedom to do things in the latter part of the game," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "You've seen us pull catchers for different manuevers. 'Fed' has forced our hand to do this because he's played so well and he looks so good. That's how we chose to do it. It can change, but for right now, we thought it was the right thing to do." Federowicz, promoted from Triple-A Iowa when Montero was injured, was 4-for-20 in seven games so far. To make room on the roster, Ryan Kalish was designated for assignment. The outfielder was 2-for-7 with two RBIs in seven games, and had batted .368 with four doubles and two triples in 20 games with Triple-A Iowa. Montero was 2-for-10 in three games with Triple-A Iowa as part of his rehab assignment. He caught two of the games, and was the designated hitter in the other one. "The first day, I was a little skeptical about blocking, but I got to block a lot of balls," Montero said. "I felt pretty good blocking, and that was the turning point and I felt like I was good to go." Montero, who was batting .208 in 13 games before he was sidelined, said he has added more core exercises in hopes of avoiding any further back problems.

"I have to still do it and stay on top of that for the rest of the season, and for the rest of my career," he said. The Cubs were a little concerned about overworking Ross, 39, who has said he will retire at season's end. On Friday, Ross hit a three-run homer in a win over the Pirates. "I think we're going to give him a qualifying offer," Montero joked with Ross. • Matt Szczur, on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, has increased his activities and was making progress. He is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday. • Maddon doesn't believe in appointing a team captain, saying it's an "organic situation." He does have his "lead bulls," who are players he relies on to keep the clubhouse and players in order. "There's no 'C' on anybody's chest -- no 'L.B.' on anybody's chest," Maddon said. "I like the fact that it's spread out among them." • Addison Russell, who is the youngest player on the Cubs at 22, entered play Saturday leading the Cubs in batting with runners in scoring position at .368. "If you're talking about guys who are good in clutch moments, it's because they're able to stay in the present tense," Maddon said. -- ESPNChicago.com Miguel Montero on Jake Arrieta's 11 K's: 'I call them Hall of Fame pitches' By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- The domination continues. That would fit for both the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates and, more specifically, Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. Arrieta struck out 11 on Saturday in yet another masterful eight-inning performance, especially after the fourth inning when he gave up two runs. They were the only ones the Pirates would score. “I call them Hall of Fame pitches,” catcher Miguel Montero said after the Cubs' 8-2 win. “Not much you can do with them, and they’re strikes.” Montero is referring to some of the six called strike threes Arrieta earned from plate umpire Brian Knight -- all coming after the right-hander's fourth-inning struggles. “I was trying to guide it in the strike zone,” Arrieta said of that inning. “[Montero] came to me and said, 'Let it go.' “I knew I had my work cut out for myself. Was able to do some things effectively after the fourth inning. Got some punchouts looking with the fastball. When I’m doing that, I know I’m in a pretty good spot.” What ensued after the fourth was a clinic as Arrieta tied a career high in called strike threes, last achieved in September 2014, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The only player to reach after the fourth inning was Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke, who walked on four pitches with one out in the fifth. The next two batters struck out looking, and Arrieta never looked back. The scary part is that the Cubs think he has more. “He’s not been as sharp as he can be,” manager Joe Maddon insisted. “I mean that. I’m not trying to be casual about it. There’s another level of sharpness for him. ... He’s still doing a pretty good job.” If by “pretty good job” he means a 7-0 record and 1.29 ERA, then, yes, Arrieta is doing OK. So are the Cubs, who can sweep the Pirates for the second time in two weeks and open a 10-game lead on them in the NL Central. This

was supposed to be the Cubs' biggest competition in the division. Instead, competing with them in hit batsmen has been the bigger subject, but that has nothing to do with the standings. “The thing I like most is we come ready to play every day. We’re [not] just going to show up -- that’s not how this club operates,” Maddon opined. “We’re holding ourselves to a high standard. Everyone wants to win every day. That doesn’t happen all the time. I’m telling you, it doesn’t.” Maddon believes talent is the driving force, of course, but there’s more going on inside the clubhouse pushing them, even when a series has been won. With a 5-0 mark against the Pirates this season and a run differential of 37-11, the Cubs are proving Maddon right: They aren’t letting up. “We have a good team here,” shortstop Addison Russell said. “We compete every pitch -- and we’re having some fun.” Most of it is at the expense of the Pirates, who must be looking in the mirror right about now wondering what it’s going to take to win a game against Chicago. The Cubs have beaten aces and fifth starters and everyone in between. Who’s on the mound is always the determining factor for Maddon. His team has the distinct edge so far. “Everybody participates, but for me it always comes down to starting pitching,” Maddon said. “It’s very unusual what [Arrieta's] doing.” That applies to the Cubs' start to the season as well. -- ESPNChicago.com Pirates upset by Jake Arrieta's HBP; Cubs deny pitch was intentional By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- This season's games between the Cubs and Pirates haven't been as competitive as many thought, but the rivalry has remained heated nonetheless. For the second time in as many series, both benches were warned Saturday after each side hit a batter. Catcher Miguel Montero happily raved about Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, who got called third strikes on six of his 11 strikeouts and improved to 7-0. Some Pirates thought Cubs starter Jake Arrieta's fourth-inning pitch, which hit Jung Ho Kang, was intentional, though the Cubs vehemently denied it. Both sides agreed that Pirates starter Jeff Locke's sixth-inning fastball, which nicked catcher Miguel Montero, wasn't intentional. But at that point, both benches were warned. "Anytime somebody like Arrieta hits somebody, you've got to assume automatically that one didn't just get away," Locke said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, after the Cubs' 8-2 win. "When he misses like that, maybe you raise an eyebrow or something. Jung Ho is as talented as anybody. You want to make good pitches to him, too, so maybe you get away from going in. ... I don't know what happened on the pitch. It got him pretty plush, though." Montero, who was catching Arrieta on Saturday, had issues with that assertion. "That's really stupid," he said when informed of what Locke said. "Seriously? That's stupid to say. He didn't want to hit him. I guarantee you that he doesn't want to hit him. He was a little wild in that inning. He was hit a few times and was a little wild." Arrieta's only rough inning came in the fourth, when the Pirates scored both their runs on three hits. Kang was hit one pitch after Arrieta threw a wild one that allowed a runner to move to third base. The idea that the Cubs would allow another base runner on purpose when already down 2-0 didn't register with the home team.

"Obviously, Jake was going through some command issues," Maddon said. "He hit Kang and that was unfortunate. I don't think the guy hit Miggy at all. He threw a lot of balls to that side of the plate." Pirates manager Clint Hurdle wasn't sure what was purposeful and what wasn't. "I'm not good on judging intent," Hurdle said. "You (the media) can judge intent." Locke hit Montero two innings later and was subsequently pulled from the game. That's when the warnings came from home plate umpire Brian Knight. "I don't think he was trying to hit me, either," Montero said. "I'm 100 percent sure on that." The incidents Saturday, and the rhetoric after the game, added to the bad blood brewing between the teams. Last year's wild-card game featured several hit batsmen, including Arrieta. It was then that the benches cleared, and Sean Rodriguez of the Pirates was eventually kicked out of the game. Ten days ago in Pittsburgh, the two teams also were warned in a game with Arrieta on the mound after Pirates pitcher Kyle Lobstein hit Ben Zobrist with a pitch. Maddon yelled out at Lobstein, after which Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli also joined the fray. The Cubs are 5-0 against the Pirates so far this season, outscoring them 37-11 in the process. "After that amount of games, that is surprising, but every game is a different story," Arrieta said of that run differential. "We've fared well against them so far. We know the quality over there. That hasn't changed." As for pitchers hitting batters, Maddon said he isn't interested in starting a season-long brawl over it. "The only people that are going to read into that is someone that wants to," he said. "Why would we want to hit anyone based on what happened last year? There are no dots to connect there." -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs' Jake Arrieta strikes out 11 Pirates in latest masterpiece By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta and The Chicago Cubs are approaching another milestone. With an 8-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, the Cubs have now won 21 consecutive times in the regular season when Arrieta takes the mound. The modern record is 23. With the way this team is playing is there any doubt they’ll reach or surpass that mark? Arrieta had one blip on Saturday against the Pirates when he gave up two runs in the top of the fourth inning, but other than that he was his usual self. Over the past few starts Arrieta has had some troubles with his sinker and overall command, especially early in the game. Saturday he went 1-2-3 in the first inning, throwing 10 pitches, and walked only two batters overall on the day. It didn’t hurt to have veteran catcher Miguel Montero back in the lineup. Montero provided great pitch framing, getting several called third strikes for his pitcher, who struck out 11 Pirates before leaving the game after eight innings. Down 2-0 once again, the Cubs played long ball against the Pirates as Anthony Rizzo erased the deficit with one swing, connecting for a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth.

Hot-hitting Addison Russell added a two-run home run in the sixth and yet another pull-away victory was at hand for the Cubs, who have now outscored the Pirates 37 to 11 over the span of five games in the series this year. They’re 5-0 against them and 27-8 overall. -- ESPNChicago.com Jake Arrieta's fastball freezes Pirates By ESPN Stats & Information By one measure, Jake Arrieta’s start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday was one of his worst since he has been with the Chicago Cubs. But by another, it was perhaps his most dominant. Arrieta gave up two earned runs in eight innings in the Cubs’ 8-2 win. That equates to a 2.25 ERA, his second-worst effort in nine starts he has made against the Pirates since the start of 2013. But Arrieta had several moments when he overmatched Pirates hitters. He struck out a season-high 11, including six on called third strikes. All of the called strikeouts were on fastballs. The six called strikeouts matched the most Arrieta has recorded while a member of the Cubs. Arrieta had a called-strike percentage of 37 percent Saturday. That’s his highest in his past six starts, a string of outings that followed called-strike rates of more than 42 percent in his first two starts of the season. The Pirates swung at 43 percent of Arrieta’s pitches, the third-lowest rate in Arrieta’s eight starts in 2016. Similar to Arrieta’s May 3 start against the Pirates, he worked the inside half of the plate with his fastball. Fifty-one percent of his fastballs Saturday were located there -- he threw 56 percent of them there in his earlier start against them. Pirates batters were 0-for-9 with four strikeouts Saturday in at-bats ending on fastballs on the inner half. The Pirates entered play Saturday first in the majors in batting average on fastballs on the inner half (.372) and second in slugging percentage (.541) against fastballs in that location. Did you know? Arrieta (7-0) has won 18 straight decisions. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, that’s the fifth-longest streak in baseball's modern era, which began with the 1900 season. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs activate Miguel Montero from disabled list By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Cubs catcher Miguel Montero was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Saturday while outfielder Ryan Kalish was designated for assignment as manager Joe Maddon has elected to carry three catchers. Montero had been sidelined by lower back tightness. He went 0-for-3 and scored a run in his first game back as the Cubs beat the Pirates, 8-2. "It gives us freedom to do things in the latter part of the game," Maddon said before the game. "(Catcher Tim) Federowicz has forced our hand because he's played so well and looked so good. It can change, but for right now it's the right thing to do."

Things could change as soon as Wednesday when injured outfielder Matt Szczur, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is eligible to come off the disabled list. At that point Federowicz is likely to be sent down if he can clear waivers. Meanwhile, Kalish could still wind up at Triple-A Iowa if he doesn't end up with another team. "(Szczur) is doing well," Maddon said. "(Strength coach Tim) Buss likes his progress. He seems to be going really well." Montero spent time at Triple-A Iowa this week for a rehab assignment, playing in three games while going 2-for-10 at the plate. "My back feels good," Montero said before the game. "The body feels nice and rested. ... I got to block a lot of balls. That was the turning point where I felt like I'm good to go now." -- CSNChicago.com Jake Arrieta, Cubs continue to own Pirates By Tony Andracki Are the Cubs in the Pirates' heads? It's a question that has been posed by reporters the last two weeks and every time, Joe Maddon and Cubs players have brushed it aside. Whether the Cubs have a psychological advantage over the Pirates or not, the simple fact of the matter is the head-to-head series has been completely one-sided after the Cubs picked up a 8-2 victory in front of 40,953 fans at Wrigley Field Saturday. That's now five straight wins over the second-place Pirates to open the 2016 season, as the Cubs have built a sizable lead in the National League Central (nine games over the Pirates, eight over the St. Louis Cardinals, who play the Dodgers Saturday night in Los Angeles). In those five wins, the Cubs have outscored the Pirates 37-11. "That's surprising," Jake Arrieta said. "But every game's a different story, really. We've fared well against them thus far, but we know the quality they have over there and that hasn't changed. "We've just been playing some good baseball. We've been throwing well. Bullpen's been great and obviously our offense has been doing their thing. You just want to see your guys stay as hot as they can for as long as possible." Arrieta actually permitted the Pirates to score a couple runs, but still wound up with a mostly-dominant start, going eight innings and striking out 11 (six of the looking variety). He seemed to lose things a bit in the fourth inning when he gave up three hits and hit a batter, leading to two runs. That ended Arrieta's streak of 26 straight shutout innings against the Pirates dating back to last September (and including that complete-game shutout in the one-game playoff). After Arrieta walked Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke on four pitches in the fifth inning, Cubs catcher Miguel Montero went out to have a chat with the reigning NL Cy Young winner. Montero thought Arrieta was getting too fine with his pitches. "We had a little talk and I said, 'You know, just throw the ball, man. Just let it go. Let it eat. That's when you're the best,'" Montero said. Montero called some of those called strike-three pitches "Hall of Fame" caliber.

"When you catch Jake, you don't need to even be on the same page," Montero said. "Any pitch he wants to throw is gonna be a really good pitch because he's got plus pitches. "As a catcher, you don't worry about him shaking you off or not because it's gonna be a good one." The Cubs immediately bailed Arrieta out on Anthony Rizzo's three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. Addison Russell stayed hot, chipping in a two-run shot of his own in the sixth inning. He now has nine RBI in his last four games and 13 RBI in his last seven contests. Dexter Fowler delivered a bloop single to score Miguel Montero later in the sixth and the Cubs rallied for two more runs in the eighth on four straight hits to close out the scoring on the afternoon. Arrieta is now 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.84 WHIP on the season. Since the start of 2015, Arrieta has a ridiculous 0.75 ERA and 0.617 WHIP against the Pirates, striking out 60 and allowing just 28 hits in 60 innings. Arrieta also became the first pitcher since 1893 to allow three or fewer runs in 28 straight starts. He has won his last 18 decisions and the Cubs have won his last 21 starts, which is a franchise record. Despite Arrieta's ridiculous run, the Cubs actually see room for their ace to grow and improve. "He's not been as sharp as he can be yet this year," Joe Maddon said. "I mean that. I'm not trying to be casual about it. He just hasn't been as sharp as he can be. There's another level of sharpness for him." Montero agreed, though he also offered that Arrieta hasn't lived up to the absurd expectations that have been placed on him after last year's second half. "He hasn't been as sharp as everybody wants him to be," Montero said. "Maybe he's thinking a little bit too much. He's trying to actually find his arm slot or make every pitch a perfect pitch, and that's pretty much impossible to do. "... Don't worry about pitching. Just worry about throwing the ball. Because that's when he's actually getting in trouble - when he's nibbling and trying to be too fine with pitches. He doesn't need that. He can throw it down the middle and it's gonna be hard to hit it." -- CSNChicago.com Montero: Pirates would be ‘stupid’ to think Arrieta, Cubs hit Kang on purpose By Tony Andracki "Bad Blood" might need to get promoted beyond just Anthony Rizzo's walk-up song. It may as well be the theme song for the Cubs-Pirates rivalry. Jake Arrieta and the Cubs have had the Pirates' number dating back to late last season and tensions have boiled over between these two teams, including a benches-clearing incident in the one-game wild-card playoff in October. The division rivals added a new chapter to the rivalry Saturday when the Pirates essentially accused Arrieta of hitting Jung Ho Kang on purpose in the fourth inning:

Arrieta's overall line (eight innings, two runs, 11 strikeouts) looks stellar, but he had some control issues, especially in that fourth inning when he allowed three hits and hit Kang. Arrieta's catcher Miguel Montero thought the notion that the Cubs hitting Kang on purpose was ridiculous. "Nah. I mean, c'mon. Really?" Montero said. "You guys saw him. He was wild. He walked the pitcher on four pitches. Nah. That's really stupid. Seriously, that's stupid to say. "[Arrieta] doesn't want to hit him. I guarantee that. He was a little wild in that inning." At the time Kang got hit, the Cubs were already down 2-0 with a runner on third base and only one out. Hard to believe they'd want to give the Pirates another free runner at that point. Montero said he is "100 percent sure" Arrieta didn't hit Kang on purpose, but since the Cubs veteran catcher was hit in the jersey two innings later, he also considers the Cubs and Pirates even. After Montero was hit, home plate umpire Brian Knight warned both benches, which surprised Cubs manager Joe Maddon a bit. "Obviously Jake was going through some command issues and he hits Kang. That's unfortunate," Maddon said. "I didn't think their guy hit Miggy on purpose at all." Kang just got back from the disabled list after suffering a nasty leg injury on Chris Coghlan's takeout slide last September. "The only people that are going to read into [Arrieta hitting Kang] is somebody that wants to," Maddon said. "Why would we ever want to hit him based on what happened last year? "That makes no sense whatsoever. There are no dots to be connected there." -- CSNChicago.com Why Maddon, Cubs opted to keep three catchers after Miguel Montero’s return By Tony Andracki Joe Maddon loves bucking convention. Whether it's forgoing batting practice or hitting the pitcher eighth, the Cubs manager doesn't play anything "by the book." So does it surprise anybody that he wanted to keep three catchers with Miguel Montero's return from the disabled list? Instead of sending backup catcher Tim Federowicz back down to the minors, the Cubs sent outfielder Ryan Kalish out by designating him for assignment. The Cubs were already one bench spot short because of the decision to carry 13 pitchers, so another catcher on the roster essentially reduces the bench players to Javy Baez and Tommy La Stella (as of Saturday's starting lineup) plus that extra catcher. Maddon likes the flexibility three catchers provides him, no matter how unconventional it may be. "It gives us more freedom to do things in the latter part of the game," Maddon said. "You've seen us pull catchers early for different maneuvers and then, when you're going with just one guy into extra innings, it's never comfortable.

"But 'Fed' has kinda forced our hand to do this because he's played so well and he's looked so good. So that's how we chose to do it. It can change, obviously. But for right now, we thought it was the right thing to do." Maddon has essentially had three catchers on the roster for most of his tenure as Cubs manager. The Cubs broke camp last season with Welington Castillo joining Montero and David Ross on the 25-man roster before Castillo was traded May 19. After Montero returned from a thumb injury last August, the Cubs moved Kyle Schwarber to the outfield, though still had him get some time behind the plate. This season, the Cubs' plan was to roll with Schwarber, Montero and Ross (with Schwarber obviously playing a bunch in left field) before Schwarber's season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season. Ross got the start Friday against Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano and figures to be behind the dish again Sunday with Jon Lester pitching. Montero got the call Saturday against Pittsburgh southpaw Jeff Locke. The Cubs could also get outfielder Matt Szczur (hamstring) back off the disabled list early in the coming week. Maddon said Szczur has been doing really well, working in the weight room. The young outfielder also took batting practice before Friday's game and the Cubs are encouraged with his progress. When Szczur returns, Federowicz figures to be the odd man out on the 25-man roster, but who knows? Maybe that's just simply too conventional for Maddon's Cubs. -- Chicago Tribune Day imperfect for Jake Arrieta, but it's just right for Cubs By Paul Sullivan Nothing lasts forever, and one of these days Jake Arrieta is going to lose a game again. "Obviously he's human," catcher Miguel Montero said Saturday morning at Wrigley Field. "He's going to be off sometimes. You can't just be nasty all the times he goes out there, which he has been. … Jake is Jake." But until that day comes, it's OK to imagine Arrieta's hot streak lasting well into the summer, assuming summer ever arrives. The Cubs' ace was not nasty all the time in Saturday's 8-2 victory, but he was tough enough to hold the Pirates lineup hitless in seven of the eight innings he worked. Arrieta (7-0) is now 18-0 since last July, the fourth longest winning streak in the majors since 1913, behind Carl Hubbell (24), Roy Face (22) and Roger Clemens (20). He has allowed three or fewer runs in his last 28 starts, the most of any starter since 1893, when the pitching rubber was set to 60-feet, 6-inches. "It's very unusual what he's doing," manager Joe Maddon said, adding he hasn't been as sharp as he could be this year. "There's another level of sharpness for him," he said without irony.

Everyone has a bad start once in a while. Arrieta tends to limits his struggles to a bad inning here and there. On Saturday it was the fourth, when he gave up two runs on three hits but induced a 1-4-6-3 double play that deflected off his left foot to escape further damage. Anthony Rizzo's three-run homer off Jeff Locke in the bottom of the inning put the Cubs on top, Addison Russell added a two-run shot in the sixth, and you know the rest of the story. Arrieta struck out 11 and retired the last 11 batters he faced. Just Jake being Jake. "I was able to do some things effectively after the fourth inning," Arrieta said. "Was aggressive with my fastball down in the strike zone, got some punch-outs looking with the fastball. And when I'm doing that, I know I'm in a pretty good spot." Though backup Tim Federowicz was capable behind the plate in Arrieta's last two starts, Arrieta obviously was more comfortable on Saturday with his old pal, Montero, back from the disabled list. "I would hope so," Montero said. "If he's not comfortable with me, I don't know. I've caught him a lot of times in his career. I can help because he feels a little bit more trust." Arrieta conceded he was "tentative" at times early on, but Montero told him: "Let it go. Stop trying to hold back and guide it. Use your aggressiveness and just pitch at the bottom of the zone." Montero's words were perfectly timed. "That's exactly what I needed to hear from my guy back there," Arrieta said. "And we kind of got it rolling from that point on." With White Sox ace Chris Sale leading the majors with an 8-0 record and Arrieta unbeaten as well, it's anyone's guess as to which one will blink first. Like Sale, Arrieta has been able to shrug off some distractions along the way, including speculation about him using PEDs, and the recent hub-bub over the lack of movement in talks to extend him past 2017, when he is to become a free agent. The idea that Arrieta should accept a hometown discount to stay with the Cubs is as ludicrous as expecting President Theo Epstein to do likewise in his own contract talks with Chairman Tom Ricketts. Both have been game-changers in the organization. And both deserve fair market value for their contributions. Rick Sutcliffe was in a similar situation as Arrieta after his 16-1 season with the Cubs in 1984. After finally re-signing, Sutcliffe told the Tribune he stayed for less than he was offered from the Padres. "The thing might never have stopped," Sutcliffe said of the bidding war. "It was crazy. I finally got sick of seeing my name in the papers, and having reporters camped out on my front yard all night at our house." Hopefully the Cubs get a deal done before it gets that far, as we don't want to mess up Arrieta's front lawn. But for now, the only pressing issue for the Cubs is Sunday's series finale, when Jon Lester hopes to complete another sweep of the Pirates. With a nine-game cushion over their division rivals and the series already in the bag, a team can get complacent. Maddon admitted players can "almost talk yourself into being mediocre" for a finale when you already have won the series. But the Cubs don't do "mediocre" any more.

"Our guys really don't go there," Maddon said. "We're here to play and win every (game)." -- Chicago Tribune Double play helps save day for Jake Arrieta, Cubs against Pirates By Paul Skrbina A ball that bounced off Jake Arrieta's left foot found its way to second baseman Ben Zobrist, who hot-potatoed it to shortstop Addison Russell, who dispatched it to first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Saturday. The conclusion to the Pirates' fourth inning — officially a 1-4-6-3 double play — ended the worst inning of the season for Arrieta (7-0) and, paired with Rizzo's three-run homer in the bottom half, propelled the Cubs to an 8-2 victory at Wrigley Field. Josh Harrison's hot grounder came on the heels of a two-run, three-hit, one-hit-batter, one-wild-pitch ride. Because of those two runs in the fourth of his eight innings, Arrieta's ERA actually rose from 1.13 to 1.29. The play also encapsulated Maddon's team-first philosophy. "When (I) stand in the dugout, I tell myself, 'Trust your players; they're doing all the right things,'" Maddon said. "Nobody's mailing anything in. … Everybody wants to win every day. That doesn't happen all the time." It has been happening a lot for the Cubs, who are a major league-best 27-8, matching the start of their 1907 team that won the World Series. Meanwhile, Arrieta's teammates were quick to rise to the occasion when things turned "bad' for an inning for their ace. Like Rizzo, whose 11th home run extended his major league-leading streak of reaching base safely to 26 games and upped his baseball-best game-winning RBIs to seven. Maddon said he "could go on and on" about Rizzo, whom the Cubs "almost take for granted." And so he did, praising his defense, his leadership and his poise as well as his hitting. "We talk about (Dexter) Fowler's great start and what Zobrist has been doing recently, and (Kris Bryant)," Maddon said. "I've talked a lot about (Addison) Russell, and here you have the rock right in the middle of the batting order and on defense. He has been spectacular." So, too, have the Cubs. Jason Heyward had three hits and reached base four times in five plate appearances. Zobrist was on base four times, too, and has reached in 25 of his last 38 plate appearances. Russell drove in a pair with a two-run homer. Arrieta appreciated all of it, especially Rizzo's home run, which he called a "pick-me-up." Extra innings: Plate umpire Brian Knight warned both benches after Pirates starter Jeff Locke hit Miguel Montero with a pitch just after Russell's home run. Maddon said he didn't think Locke did it on purpose. … Knight ejected Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage, a former White Sox pitcher, in the fourth inning for arguing. --

Chicago Tribune Addison Russell performing as Mr. Clutch for Cubs By Paul Skrbina Addison Russell couldn't take his eyes off himself Saturday morning. While changing into his work clothes, the 22-year-old Cubs shortstop stopped to gaze at a television replay of his three-run homer on Friday. Russell allowed a grin then continued with his baseball day, which concluded with his team's 8-2 victory against the Pirates before a crowd of 40,953 at Wrigley Field and included another highlight long ball. "It never gets old," Russell said of his clutch hits. In the sixth inning Saturday he pulverized a Jeff Locke offering for a two-run shot into the left-field bleachers to give the Cubs a 5-2 advantage and get on the Pirates' nerves. It marked the first time he has homered in back-to-back games and put him at 27 RBIs, second most in baseball among shortstops behind the Rockies' Trevor Story (28). All the while, his nerves are steady, his heart beat slow, according to Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "The actions speak louder than my facial reactions," Russell said. "I've always been able to keep my emotions in a little bit … through a swing or whatever. Just keep it all in till it's time." And when the time comes, like it did Friday and again Saturday, it's beautiful for the Cubs. The high leverage formula used in advanced metrics — WPA (win probability added) divided by pLI (player's leverage index) — reads like it's straight out of an advanced physics book. But according to fangraphs.com, Russell is one of the best in big situations in the majors. Going into Saturday, Russell had 10 hits in 13 at-bats in the clutch for a .769 average, tops in the big leagues. He counted a pair of doubles, a triple, two home runs and 15 RBIs among those numbers. Add in the walk he received under such circumstances and he has a .786 on-base percentage. MLB.com uses a metric to measure degrees of clutch hitting late in close games. Russell was tops there among Cubs with four hits and six RBIs. But there's not a formula to measure nerves, something Russell said he hasn't really felt much in baseball. Except maybe that one time in high school. He recited the count (2-1), the pitch (fastball), the situation (runners on first and second), the number of outs (two) and the deficit (two). Oh, and the result (three-run homer). "We were playing for the district championship," Russell said. "I hammered it and we ended up winning that game by one run. "I remember stepping up to that at-bat, my high school coach, he's like, 'This is why people bought that ticket. They want to see you in that situation.'" Perhaps it will prove to be a training ground for Russell and giving people their money's worth. Maddon said Russell's results — he has reached base safely in a career-high 17 consecutive games as his batting average has risen to .263 — haven't appeared by accident. He used his own three-letter measurement — "Wow" — to describe his impression after spying Russell early Saturday morning.

"That was 10:15," Maddon said. "All the stuff he was doing to play a full baseball game today … with his 10 o'clock routine for a 1:20 game. He's (22) and he gets it already." Saturday's starter, Jake Arrieta, certainly agrees. "I'm always impressed with Addison," he said. "Whether he's hitting .320 or not, his defense shows up every day. "He's swinging the bat really well. It's just a matter of time before he comes into his own at the plate." Until then — and likely after as well — a lot of eyes will be on Russell. And that's fine with him. -- Chicago Tribune Former Cubs All-Star Starlin Castro settling in splendidly with Yankees By Colleen Kane With one out in the first inning Saturday, the chant came from the right-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium. "Star-lin Cas-tro." Clap-clap-clap-clap-clap. "Star-lin Cas-tro." Castro turned from his position at second base, pointed and saluted the Yankees Bleacher Creatures for his part of the roll call. After spending six seasons with the Cubs, the three-time All-Star misses the city of Chicago and the organization with which he spent his formative years, but he also is finding his place in his new home after the offseason trade to the Yankees. "(The Cubs) gave me the first opportunity," Castro said. "It was tough for me (leaving) in the beginning, but I feel happy now to be part of this organization and part of this team. It's a new opportunity for me." Castro has run with it. With an 0-for-4 outing Saturday, he ended an eight-game hitting streak that was the Yankees' longest this season. He hit .345 with three doubles, a homer, six runs and two walks over the stretch. Castro, who's hitting .289 overall, also has 13 extra-base hits in 34 games this year, while he had only 12 in the first three months — 74 games — with the Cubs last year. "He has been our most consistent hitter and is really learning how to play second base," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Thursday. "He has worked really, really hard. (Third-base coach Joe Espada) has worked really hard with him, and I applaud him for the way he has gone about his business." New York can be a tough environment, but Castro said he doesn't find the city or the fans much different from Chicago. And while he was a budding star on a rebuilding Cubs team, he now is one of many Yankees who have been All-Stars. Castro said joining the Yankees reminded him of when he first arrived in Chicago and he had veterans like Alfonso Soriano to guide him. "That's what I feel now here, a lot of veterans who can tell you something when you do something wrong," Castro said. "When you get in a slump, or you get in something they have experienced, that's the big difference. People here like (Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran) really talk to you and really want to help."

It was nine months ago that Cubs manager Joe Maddon benched Castro for his inconsistent play and Addison Russell settled in at shortstop, where Castro has played 844 games in his career. The Cubs then asked Castro to move to second base. In the long term, the move is working out for Castro because he filled a Yankees need and has started 34 games at second this year, five more than he did there in 2015. He said he continues to learn the nuances of the position. He has committed one error while turning 18 double plays, though his fumble on a potential double play in the second inning Saturday potentially cost the Yankees one of two outs. "(Being benched) was a really difficult moment, especially because it was the first time that it happened to me in my career," Castro said. "But we were really playing good, and it's all about the team. I just tried to focus on my new position. "(Learning to play second) is difficult because to make the double plays, it's different. At short you have the runner in front of you. I just prepare all the time and try to be comfortable every day like I was at short." Castro said he's happy for his former teammates who have burst out to a 27-8 record. The Yankees have started 15-20, but he said it's not difficult to watch the Cubs' success without him because he knew it was coming after last year. He does, however, miss the players. Anthony Rizzo uses Castro's walk-up song, "Ando En La Versace," as one of his in tribute to his former teammate. "I appreciate it because he's a guy who works hard and is a really good teammate," Castro said. "I miss him." -- Chicago Tribune With his tie-dye and 'shaggin' wagon,' Maddon is dream hippie boss By Mary Schmich Man, it would be groovy to have Joe Maddon as a boss. Imagine the American workplace full of bosses like him, propelled by his kind of freewheeling spirit, unafraid to wear tie-dye, unembarrassed to say groovy, driving around in shaggin' wagons and letting the employees know that sometimes they gotta let it all hang out. OK, visualizing your own boss that way is probably creepy, but Maddon, the manager and guru of the Chicago Cubs, makes it look bitchin'. "He's the embodiment of everything the hippie era was supposed to be," says a friend, who was sharing her Maddon-as-boss fantasy the other day. "We are all in love with him, and I think it's because he embodies that hippie spirit." Maddon's hippie spirit goes beyond wearing tie-dye and a bandanna, as he did when he arrived at spring training in Arizona this year, but such conspicuous displays contribute to his hippie vibe. After he drove his 1976 Dodge van — which he has called his "shaggin' wagon" — onto the field in Mesa, one report referred to him as "straight up hippie." A Washington Post writer, meanwhile, dubbed him, less romantically, "a weird dude." A genuine hippie spirit goes beyond appearances, of course, and my Tribune sportswriting colleague Paul Sullivan suggested a deeper current of Maddon's hippie streak in a piece he wrote after Maddon ordered the team to wear "zany" suits on a trip to Pittsburgh.

"Maddon, channeling his inner hippie," Sullivan wrote, "said he doesn't care about tattoos, long hair or any other thing a person does to show some individuality. As they said in the '60s, let your freak flag fly." He went on to quote Maddon: "Diversity is interesting, and it makes everything a lot more fun. So when it comes down to methods of dress, style of hair, whatever, bring it on, man. I think it makes the world a better place." Peace, fraternity, openness, individuality. That's the hippie spirit. (It's worth noting, however, that when you wear something zany because the boss told you to, it's not totally zany or hippie. And Maddon, in his zany suit covered in tulips, looked more GQ than Deadhead.) What is a hippie, anyway? If you've never said groovy or bitchin', if you've never worn tie-dye without irony, if you're not sure of the meaning of shaggin' wagon, then you're probably too young or too old to be sure what a hippie is, or was. Frankly, there is no single, simple definition. "No two hippies had the same notion of what the movement was all about, but there were some values they all shared," Danny Goldberg wrote in a widely circulated 2011 essay on hippie culture. "As Time put it in 1967, 'Hippies preach altruism and mysticism, honesty, joy and nonviolence.'" Goldberg noted that over the years, hippie culture "has been distorted by parody, propaganda, self-hatred, and, from its earliest stirrings, commercialism," but that "at their core, the counterculture types who briefly called themselves hippies were a spiritual movement." And who called themselves hippies? There's no short answer to that either. It's been argued that almost everyone who was between 15 and 30 years old in the years from 1965 to 1975 belonged to hippie culture, if only at the margins, brought into the movement by music and a pervasive social mood. Maddon, who is 62, falls into the zone. Many people I knew in those years were cafeteria hippies, a little bit of this, a little of that. They may have been turning on and tuning in, but they weren't dropping out, at least not for long. In the early '70s, I wore the requisite flowered bell-bottoms, did a little hitchhiking, lived in some guy's van for a while, but drugs? No way. Pass the Almaden jug. My friend who so admires Maddon's hippie vibe, meanwhile, did do drugs but doesn't think she earned full hippie credentials either. "I think I was never exactly free-spirited enough," she says. "I always had a competitive, achieving gene that got in the way." Me too. And that's part of Maddon's magic. He marries his hippie aesthetic to competitive rigor. When he promotes fun and free thinking, it's as a path to winning. That's what makes him such an appealing model as a boss. We all want a boss who helps us shed our inhibitions, be our natural selves and also hit the ball out of the park. And if Maddon can keep that kind of hippie vibe going, Chicago is in for the 2016 summer of love. --

Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ Javy Baez deserves to start at third, but it’s complicated By Rick Morrissey The Cubs don’t have problems. They have options. Javy Baez has Gold Glove talent and should be a fixture at third base, sending Kris Bryant permanently to left field. The problem – oops, the fun issue! – is that Tommy La Stella is hitting .340/.417/.604 in 53 at-bats. He plays third base, too. Fielding should be as valued as hitting, but it isn’t. Baseball people talk a good game about the importance of defense but almost always choose offense if there’s a decision to be made. And stats freaks spend most of their time figuring out new ways to describe numerically what the eye can see, that someone is a great hitter, but haven’t come up with as many ways to quantify what makes someone a good fielder or a bad fielder. Baez is phenomenal, whether making the tough stop to either side of him on a hard-hit ball or, particularly, charging a slow roller, picking it up barehanded and firing a strike to Anthony Rizzo at first. This will be heresy, but he’s a better fielder than shortstop Addison Russell, who isn’t as flashy but always makes the plays he can get to. No, I don’t know where the nearest effigy-burning supply store is. Baez doesn’t have Russell’s stature, so finding at-bats for La Stella means finding them at Baez’ expense. La Stella’s natural position is second base, but the Cubs certainly aren’t going to take plate appearances away from Ben Zobrist, who is ridiculously hot. Zobrist can play left field, but if you think the Cubs would take at-bats from Bryant so La Stella can play second base, please report immediately to the drug-testing lab. And let’s not even get into what will happen whenever left field/catcher Kyle Schwarber returns from his knee injury. Somewhere down the line, maybe in a year or two, the Cubs will have some hard decisions to make involving trades. Some good, hard decisions. -- Chicago Sun-Times Montero back from disabled list; Federowicz stays; Kalish out By David Just The Cubs decided to keep three catchers on the roster Saturday after activating Miguel Montero from the 15-day disabled list and designating outfielder Ryan Kalish for assignment. Montero, who was out with lower back tightness, returned from a rehab assignment with Class AAA Iowa and was inserted right into the starting lineup Saturday to catch Jake Arrieta. Montero joins David Ross and Tim Federowicz on the roster. Federowicz, who was promoted when Montero went on the DL, has appeared in seven games, hitting .200 with a walk and an RBI. “[Carrying three catchers] gives us more freedom in the latter part of the game,” manager Joe Maddon said. “You’ve seen us pull catchers for different maneuvers. So when you go in with one guy for extra innings, it’s never comfortable. But Fed has forced our hand to do this because he plays so well and looks so good. It can change, but we thought it was the right thing.” Montero said he still isn’t quite 100 percent. “I don’t think you’re ever 100 percent,” he said. “But 80 to 90 percent is good enough to play. My back feels good. That’s the main key.”

Montero’s stint in Iowa also might have been beneficial for Willson Contreras, 24, the Cubs’ 2015 minor-league player of the year whom many consider to be the team’s catcher of the future. Contreras told the Des Moines Register that he was “taking advantage of every opportunity” he had to work with Montero. He also said he’s ready for the majors. Montero said Contreras is still “a little immature” but has the talent for the big leagues. “I think he’s ready,” Montero said. “I don’t see why not. He’s on a team where you got a lot of veteran pitchers, and it takes a little time for him to feel it out and call a game. But the only way he’s going to find out how is to catch them. Other than that, you’re never going to know if you’re ready. The talent is there.” Arrieta draws Locke’s ire Arrieta’s mastery of the Pirates continued. He’s 6-1 with an ERA of 0.75 in his last eight starts against them, including the playoffs. Whether that had a role in Pirates starter Jeff Locke’s comments after the game is debatable. Locke implied that Arrieta’s pitch that hit Jung Ho Kang in the fourth inning had a purpose. “I think anytime someone like Arrieta hits somebody, you have to assume automatically that one didn’t just get away,” Locke said. “He’s been pretty sharp all year, so when he misses like that, maybe you raise an eyebrow or something. “Not intentional, by any means, is what I’m saying, but it would have been more intentional-looking than the one I threw to Montero.” Plate umpire Brian Knight warned both benches when Locke plunked Montero in the sixth. Montero said Locke’s insinuation was “really stupid.” “He doesn’t want to hit him, I guarantee that,” Montero said. “He was a little wild that inning.” -- Chicago Sun-Times MLB leaders have plenty of leaders on, off field By David Just Leadership was the theme of Joe Maddon’s pregame conversation Saturday, one day after the Cubs rebounded from their first losing “streak” of the season. Leadership has come from all sorts of places. David Ross, 39, has emerged as a key piece on and off the field during his last season before retirement. Addison Russell, 22, continues to impress Maddon with his preparation and workout regimen. Maddon said leaders aren’t just the players who bat .330 or hit 30 home runs or win 20 games. They’re the players who listen to teammates and put someone else first on a daily basis. “Leadership is taken,” Maddon said. “You can’t give leadership. Guys have to take it. It just happens. You can’t anoint a leader.” The Cubs also provide plenty of leadership through their approach, hustle and execution. All three were on display during their 8-2 victory against the Pirates on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

For example, Jason Heyward beat out an infield single to open the fourth inning, and Kris Bryant rallied from an 0-2 count to draw a walk. Those little moments set the stage for Anthony Rizzo’s three-run blast to right field that gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead they never relinquished. Russell, who had received Maddon’s praise before the game, padded the lead with a two-run homer in the sixth. “I was in there this morning watching Addison get ready for today’s game,” Maddon said. “Wow. That was 10:15, and all the stuff he was doing in there to play a full game of baseball today. I was really impressed with his routine at 10 o’clock in the morning for a 1:20 game. He’s 22, and he gets it already.” Russell picked up pieces of his pregame routine from other players, and his dedication rubs off on others. “Everyone has an individual gameplan,” Russell said. “Being so young, I try to grab and pick and talk to guys a little bit about how they prepare for the game. I incorporate it into my routine.” And then there’s Jake Arrieta, a textbook case of a player who, as Maddon said, “leads by example.” Arrieta, who has more no-hitters (two) than losses (one) in his last 28 starts, became the first Cubs pitcher to start 7-0 since Carlos Silva in 2010. He gave up two runs and three hits in the fourth inning and posted zeroes in the other seven innings he pitched. Arrieta also struck out 11, a season high. “I knew I had my work cut out for me and needed to tighten it up,” Arrieta said of the fourth inning. “I had to do some things a little better and was able to after that point.” Arrieta has allowed three runs or fewer in 28 consecutive starts, the longest streak in the majors since 1893. His last 18 decisions have been wins, and the Cubs have won 21 consecutive games he has started. At 27-8, the Cubs are off to the best start through 35 games since the 1984 Tigers went 30-5. Strong starts are great, but good leadership will make for a strong finish, too. “If you come to this group now and have not had a good work ethic or a questionable work ethic,” Maddon said, “I promise you it’s going to get pushed in the right direction quickly.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Enjoy Arrieta’s artistry, worry about contract later By Dan McGrath The burden of halting the Cubs’ dream-shattering two-game free fall fell not on Jake Arrieta but on Jason Hammel, and he obliged with 6⅓ innings of stout pitching and the backing of three home runs in the Cubs’ 9-4 victory Friday over the Pirates. Good in that it quelled the panic that enveloped the North Side after the Cubs dropped a doubleheader to the Padres, but bad if it restored the belief that .800 baseball is the team’s measuring stick for success this season. After all, after Saturday’s game, the Cubs are 15-2 within their division and 11-1 against the Pirates, Cardinals and Nationals, who have similar designs on National League supremacy. But .800 baseball is unheard of, even by teams bearing Mike Ditka’s blessing, which presumably was conferred on the Cubs during a dinner Joe Maddon had with Da Coach last week. Not much matters more hereabouts. The Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox have combined for 10 championships in the 31 years since the Bears’ last one, but it’s Ditka and his ’85 roustabouts who still exemplify how Chicagoans like to feel about themselves.

The Cubs would have to play .800 ball at minimum, storm through a take-no-prisoners postseason unscathed and activate Dan Hampton along the way to change that. Maddon’s disclosure of his man-date with Ditka was one of two ancillary Cubs stories invading the news cycle since Arrieta’s last start, a five-inning no-decision against the Nationals last Sunday in which he looked suspiciously human. The other: How Stephen Strasburg signing a seven-year, $175 million agreement to stay in Washington and off the free-agent market will affect the Cubs’ negotiations with Arrieta. Never mind that the rest of this season and all of the next will be played before Arrieta’s future becomes an issue — let’s panic now! Arrieta, as thoughtful off the field as he is focused and driven while pitching, inadvertently gave the story legs when he scoffed at the idea of a hometown discount. Surprised? Strasburg isn’t the only Powerball-winning pitcher Arrieta has outperformed over the last two years. Moreover, he wasted three years of his career in Baltimore resisting the Orioles’ attempts to turn him into something he isn’t. Plus he’s 30, so the next contract he signs probably will be his last. Who can fault him for envisioning a whopper? Hometown discount, my beard. The Cubs have turned every nook and cranny of renovated Wrigley Field into a revenue stream, with more on the way as amenities within the surrounding footprint take shape. Their ticket prices, already among the highest in baseball, won’t be coming down as demand increases, and there’s no talk of a loyalty discount for fans who stuck with them through 286 losses from 2012 to 2014. Plans are in the works for a TV package that could elevate the Cubs to the elite level of the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox in baseball’s real game of moneyball. Hometown discount? Other than the unquestionably max effort he puts forth every five days and the maniacal preparation that goes into each of his starts, Arrieta owes the Cubs nothing. The “discount” notion might have originated with free-agent signees Jon Lester and Jason Heyward, who were said to have taken less money for the privilege of becoming Cubs. Lester got $155 million over six years, and Heyward will get $184 million over eight. Truly magnanimous of them. With Arrieta on the mound, the deep-freeze matinee Saturday with the Pirates at Wrigley looked like a mismatch — he was 7-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 10 career starts against Pittsburgh, including a five-hit shutout in last season’s wild-card game. He looked uncommonly vulnerable in the fourth inning — two runs scored on three sharp singles and a hit batter — but he was on cruise control thereafter, starting a double play to end the fourth and retiring the next 12 hitters, six on strikeouts. Anthony Rizzo won it for him with a three-run bomb off Jeff Locke in the bottom of the fourth, and Addison Russell defied the wind with an even longer blast two innings later. Cubs 8, Pirates 2. Arrieta is 29-6 with a 1.67 ERA these last two seasons and 43-13 with a 2.15 ERA as a Cub. Yet there’s no hurry to sign him long-term. Pitching is an extremely high-risk proposition, even for a top-end, prime-of-his-career starter with Arrieta’s meticulous devotion to conditioning and nutrition. He may look indestructible, but so did Mark Prior. Enjoy the show while it’s running. It’s the hottest thing north of Chris Sale. --

Daily Herald Otto: Ross brought from behind the plate By Dave Otto In this young season, the Cubs got hit with a double whammy at the catching position when they lost Kyle Schwarber for the year, and then Miguel Montero since late April. With the Cubs activating Montero, it's time to acknowledge the job David Ross has done in his place as the regular starting catcher. This Cubs pitching staff appears to have not missed a beat by having Ross as the regular catcher during Miggy's time on the DL. Watching Ross go about his business behind the plate has been impressive. Particularly, the way he has handled the pitching staff. When you have a catcher that can nurse a pitcher through some of the bad times, roll with the pitcher when they are dealing, get on them when they are screwing up … well, that can be invaluable. The catching position poses so many challenges, and the really good ones are worth their weight in gold. Like Ross, the really good catchers are part psychologist, coach, arbiter and leader all rolled into one. On Friday, the Cubs had a big lead, but Jason Hammel gave up 2 quick runs in the sixth inning. There was a throwing error and an infield hit mixed in, and Hammel was faced with 2 runs in and a man on first. Hammel is a veteran and probably would have maintained control of the game on his own, but Ross and pitching coach Chris Bosio paid him a visit on the mound. Hammel calmly struck out the batter, and got the next one to ground into an inning-ending double play. There is that constant chatter from Ross, the PHD, making sure that his pitchers are in the right frame of mind. A pitcher's delivery to the plate can occasionally derail. If a pitcher is dropping his arm, or flying open with his front side, a really good catcher can point those things out. It amazes me that a catcher like Ross can track a 95 mph fastball, while also watching a pitcher's mechanics. In a typical game, the catcher will get in that crouch for about 150 pitches. That takes a toll on his legs and his ability to come out of the chute to throw out would be basestealers, or pickoff baserunners. At 39 years old, Ross is doing a really good job in controlling the running game. Good catchers also delicately arbitrate with home plate umpires on balls and strikes. This delicate, and sometimes not so delicate, interaction all occurs with the home plate umpire breathing down their necks. Junior Ortiz, a former backup catcher, used to dab a little cologne on for the benefit of the home plate umpire. On particularly warm summer days, it seemed Junior would get the "strike" call on those borderline pitches. As for leadership, catchers have to keep track of each pitcher on a staff and gain a feel for what kind of pitches each one likes to throw in certain situations. After Friday's game, Jason Hammel mentioned that he only shook off the signs from Ross one time. That's powerful for a pitcher to have a catcher who's on the same page. If a pitcher thinks he has a really good curve ball in a game, and the catcher immediately puts down the sign for that curve ball, that pitcher is even more confident in the next pitch he will throw. With his home run on Friday, Ross is 1 shy of 100 for his career. While quite a milestone for a predominantly backup catcher, these other facets that David Ross brings to the game are even more impressive.

• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame. -- Daily Herald Cubs catcher Montero returns from DL By Bruce Miles Cubs catcher Miguel Montero returned from the disabled list Saturday and went right back into the starting lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The interesting thing about the corresponding roster move is that it gives the Cubs three catchers on the roster. Instead of sending catcher Tim Federowicz out, the Cubs designated outfielder Ryan Kalish for assignment. Federowicz is the third catcher behind Montero and David Ross. "It gives us more freedom to do things in the latter part of the game," said manager Joe Maddon. "You've seen us pull catchers early for different maneuvers. When you're going with just one guy into extra innings, it's never comfortable. Fed (Federowicz) has kind of forced our hand to do this because he played so well and he looks so good. So that's how we chose to do it. It can change, obviously, but for right now, we thought it was the right thing to do." The Cubs will have another roster move to make soon, as outfielder Matt Szczur is due to come off the DL Wednesday in Milwaukee. A rehab stint for Szczur would buy the Cubs some time. They go from 13 pitchers to 12 when Szczur comes back. Montero was 2-for-10 with 2 RBI in his rehab assignment at Class AAA Iowa. He was 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in Saturday's 8-2 victory. "It's a good feeling to be back, a little nervous, coming up for the game," he said. "But it feels good. It's always nice to be back in the lineup, playing and healthy." Montero was on the DL with lower-back tightness, a condition he has dealt with in the past. "It felt good," he said of his three games at Iowa. "At first, I was a little skeptical of blocking and all this. I got to block a lot of balls. All of the issues I had going (were) in my mind, not my body, because I was feeling good. I felt pretty good blocking, and that was kind of a turning point, where I felt I'm good to go now." Not much to nitpick: Cubs ace Jake Arrieta has pitched at least 8 innings three times this season. He is the first Cubs starter to open a season 7-0 since Carlos Silva began 8-0 in 2010. Over his past 8 starts against the Pirates, including last year's wild-card game, he is 6-1 with an 0.75 ERA. Aside from giving up 2 runs in the fourth inning Saturday, about the only thing he did wrong was walk pitcher Jeff Locke in the fifth. "At least he's slow on the bases," Arrieta joked. This and that: Ben Zobrist was 2-for-3 with 2 walks. He has reached base safely in his last 21 starts since April 18 ... Jason Heyward had his second 3-hit (all singles) game of the season and extended a hitting streak to six games ... Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage was ejected in the fourth inning by home-plate umpire Brian Knight for complaining about ball-and-strike calls.

-- Daily Herald Arrieta, home runs lead Cubs over Pirates By Bruce Miles Starting to detect a pattern here? You don't want to term what the Cubs are doing as "wash, rinse and repeat." Not only would that be cliché, but it wouldn't do justice to what they're accomplishing. It's more like "power blast, douse and repeat." They did it again Saturday, crushing the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 at cold and windy Wrigley Field. The Cubs got home runs from Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell and 8 strong innings from ace Jake Arrieta to win their second straight over the Pirates to improve to 27-8 for the season. That's the best start through 35 games since the 1984 Detroit Tigers went 30-5. The decisiveness of the Cubs' victories is something to behold, both against the rest of baseball and against their division-rival Pirates. The Cubs have outscored all opponents 213-103 for a run differential of 110. They've outscored the Pirates 37-11 in five games -- all victories -- this season. The Pirates must be wondering if their supposed window of opportunity in the National League Central is being slammed cruelly on their fingers. "The thing I like most is we come ready to play every day," said manager Joe Maddon. "We don't (say), 'Oh, we have a nice record. We won a series, and we're just going to show up.' That's not how our guys are. I have greater opportunity now to see them work because of this (new) clubhouse. I'm talking about away from the field. "I was talking about Addison (Russell). It was spectacular watching him get ready for the game today. I see relief pitchers in there constantly doing things in the morning. When you stand in the dugout, I just tell myself: 'Trust your players, trust the guys,' because they're doing all the right things, and they're getting ready to play, and nobody's mailing anything in. "We're holding ourselves to a high standard. Everybody wants to win every day. That doesn't happen all the time. I'm telling you, it doesn't." Arrieta might be the biggest workout freak on the team, if not in all of baseball. He started strong Saturday before hitting a speed bump in the fourth, when the Pirates scored twice to take a 2-0 lead. But he finished strong, giving up 3 hits while walking two and striking out 11. He ran his record to 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA. "We fared well against them thus far," Arrieta said. "We know the quality they have over there. That hasn't changed. We've just been playing some good baseball. We've been throwing well. Our bullpen has been great. And obviously, our offense is doing their thing. You just want to see our guys stay as hot as they can for as long as possible. When somebody's struggling, we have guys who can pick them up." The scary thing about Arrieta is that his manager says there's more his ace can do. "He's not been as sharp as he can be this year," Maddon said. "I mean that. I'm not trying to be casual about it. He just hasn't been as sharp as he can be. There's another level of sharpness for him."

On the offensive side, Rizzo put the Cubs ahead in the bottom of the fourth with a 3-run homer, his 11th of the year, giving him 33 RBI. The home run was a high drive to right field that got a bit of boost from a northwest wind howling at 17 mph. In the sixth, Russell hit one out to left field. It was his fourth homer of the season and second in two days. "I'm just trying to see the ball right now," he said. "I'm seeing the ball well. I'm laying off some pretty good pitches and swinging at some pretty good pitches." The 22-year-old Russell is wowing his manager and teammates with his maturity. He came up last year at 13 home runs in 142 games. "A little bit more confident," he said of the difference between this season and last. "I want to do more damage with the bat, for sure. I was trying to work the count, get the count deep and get something to hit, or hit something early in the count that's good to hit." --