September 27, 2017

Chicago Sun-Times, Arrieta’s hamstring, short start add to Cub playoff rotation questions http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/arrietas-hamstring-short-start-add-to-cub-playoff-rotation-questions/

Chicago Sun-Times, Kris Bryant in a WAR zone for Cubs as they near another postseason http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/kris-bryant-in-a-war-zone-for-cubs-as-they-near-another-postseason/

Chicago Sun-Times, Will Joe Maddon drive you nuts? Sure, sometimes — but give him his due http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/will-joe-maddon-drive-you-nuts-sure-sometimes-but-give-him-his-due/

Chicago Sun-Times, Try another day: Cub rally falls short in 1st try at St. Louis clinch http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/heyward-zobrist-hrs-in-8th-cut-cards-lead-to-8-7-as-cubs-seek-clinch/

Chicago Sun-Times, Albert Almora Jr. suffers bruised shoulder hitting wall in St. Louis http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/albert-almora-jr-injured-in-fifth-inning-of-cubs-game-in-st-louis/

Chicago Sun-Times, 4-year-old girl sings of her love of Anthony Rizzo, and Rizzo replies http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-video-watch-little-girl-sing-her-own-love-ballad-to-anthony-rizzo/

Chicago Sun-Times, Pearl Jam at Wrigley: A thrill for Vedder and fans in ‘Let’s Play Two’ http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/pearl-jam-at-wrigley-a-thrill-for-vedder-and-fans-in-lets-play-two/

Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs' magic number stays at 1 after losing to Cardinals http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170926/chicago-cubs-magic-number-stays-at-1-after-losing-to-cardinals

Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs' Maddon applauds Russell helping 'Nacho Man' http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170926/chicago-cubs-maddon-applauds-russell-helping-nacho-man

Cubs.com, Cubs stage powerful rally, but unable to clinch http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/256212494/cardinals-beat-cubs-who-are-unable-to-clinch/

Cubs.com, Not yet fully healthy, Arrieta labors in brief start http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/256338582/cubs-jake-arrieta-lasts-3-innings-vs-cards/

Cubs.com, Almora hits wall, exits with bruised shoulder http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/256276100/cubs-albert-almora-jr-exits-with-injury/

Cubs.com, Baez out of Cubs' lineup with knee soreness http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/256200974/cubs-javier-baez-out-of-lineup-with-sore-knee/

Cubs.com, Cubs have mindset to pull off rare WS repeat http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/256239610/cubs-have-talent-to-repeat-as-champs/

Cubs.com, Foiled once, Cubs aim to clinch on rivals' turf http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/256212654/foiled-once-cubs-aim-to-clinch-on-rivals-turf

ESPNChicago.com, March to NL Central crown just might be Joe Maddon's best work as Cubs manager http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45917/cubs-joe-maddon-keeps-finding-ways-to-get-it-done

ESPNChicago.com, Jake Arrieta's struggles one of many things amiss as Cubs come up short http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45921/jake-arrietas-struggles-one-of-many-things-amiss-as-cubs-come-up-short

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs' Albert Almora Jr. exits with bruised shoulder after running into wall http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20831343/albert-almora-jr-chicago-cubs-exits-bruised-shoulder-running-wall

CSNChicago.com, Jake Arrieta and a Cubs playoff rotation look a little shaky as clinch party waits another day http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/jake-arrieta-and-cubs-playoff-rotation-look-little-shaky-clinch-party-waits-another-day

CSNChicago.com, The moment Theo Epstein knew Cubs would no longer fear Cardinals http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/moment-theo-epstein-knew-cubs-would-no-longer-fear-cardinals

CSNChicago.com, Believe it: Kris Bryant kept Cubs in contention with another MVP-level season http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/believe-it-kris-bryant-kept-cubs-contention-another-mvp-level-season

CSNChicago.com, Cubs' Albert Almora on injury scare: 'I thought I shattered my shoulder' http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-albert-almora-injury-scare-i-thought-i-shattered-my-shoulder

Chicago Tribune, Rally falls short as Cubs fail to secure second straight division title http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-cardinals-spt-0927-20170926-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cardinals and Brewers put a hold on Cubs' inevitable celebration http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-celebration-on-hold-sullivan-cubs-cardinals-spt-0927-20170926-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Albert Almora Jr. on clash in left center: 'The wall always wins' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-albert-almora-jr-20170926-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Reliever Justin Wilson suffers control problems in Cubs' loss http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-justin-wilson-control-problems-20170927-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Jake Arrieta's short outing complicates Cubs' postseason rotation puzzle http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-jake-arrieta--postseason-rotation-puzzle-20170926-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant motivated by more than numbers http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kris-bryant-war-conntributions-cubs-notes-spt-0927-20170926-story.html

Chicago Tribune, For Alex Avila, baseball is the family business http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-alex-avila-baseball-family-cubs-spt-0927-20170922-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Prepare to pay handsomely for season tickets to Cubs' new premier clubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-premier-clubs-ticket-prices-spt-0927-20170926-story.html

-- Chicago Sun-Times Arrieta’s hamstring, short start add to Cub playoff rotation questions By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. LOUIS — Just when it looked like the Cubs could breathe a little easier about their starting pitching and start locking in playoff-rotation plans, Jake Arrieta threw another question mark into the mix. Arrieta, who returned quickly from a hamstring injury to start Thursday in Milwaukee, struggled for three innings before his tight pitch limit ran out in an 8-7 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday. He gave up five runs, including three on a pair of home runs, but the numbers looked worse because of a two-out error by shortstop Mike Freeman that led to two unearned runs in the first. “Tonight was up and down physically,” said Arrieta, who said he has made adjustments to his delivery to compensate for the hamstring not being 100 percent yet. “I didn’t feel great. I intend to do everything I can in the next four days to recover and be ready for Sunday and go from there. “There’s still some recovering to do, but having said that, I’m plenty healthy enough to go out there and be really good.” Manager Joe Maddon sounded confident in Arrieta’s ability to progress and be ready for the playoffs. Meanwhile, left-hander Jon Lester continues to be a question in the playoff rotation plans despite responding Monday to concerns over his post-injury struggles with six impressive innings. “The guys that we have can pitch in big games in October and have done that for a long time,” Arrieta said. “Regardless of what the regular season stats are, we’ve got 3-4-plus guys that can go out there and really pitch well in October. I think we’ve shown that.” This and that Cubs infielder Javy Baez was out of the lineup Tuesday because of the bruised right knee he suffered in the eighth inning Monday, when he fouled a ball off the knee. He came off the bench as a pinch hitter, striking out to end the game. • The Cubs also started the game without shortstop Addison Russell because of a scheduled day off – part of the Cubs’ schedule for easing Russell back into full-time play after a lengthy foot injury. • Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who is in concussion protocol after taking back-to-back foul balls off his mask Monday night, may not play again this season. • Cubs president Theo Epstein on Russell’s encounter Monday night with the Nacho Man fan: “I thought that whole thing was cheesy.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Kris Bryant in a WAR zone for Cubs as they near another postseason By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. LOUIS — Reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant doesn’t seem to know a lot about “all these crazy numbers” used in modern baseball analytics.

But he also seemed happy to learn Tuesday that he had overtaken Washington’s Anthony Rendon for the NL lead in WAR, according to the Fangraphs.com website, on Tuesday – in the final days of a season many consider less productive than last year. “I think on the surface RBIs are a really nice stat, and it’s just been there for however long this game’s been played,” said Bryant, whose RBIs have dipped from 102 in 2016 to 73 this year as his chances with men in scoring position also has dipped. “But I guess when you look at the advance stuff maybe it doesn’t mean as much,” he said. “I take pride in just being a complete player, doing everything I can – base running, defense, taking the extra base. I think all of that comes into all those new numbers. “It’s just a byproduct of wanting to be a complete player.” Bryant’s batting average is up slightly over last year. He has 10 fewer home runs. He also has worked to drop his strikeout totals from 199 as a rookie, to 154 last year to 126 this year. He doubled in four at-bats during Tuesday’s 8-7 loss to the Cardinals after going 3-for-4 with a walk and his 29th home run during Monday’s 10-2 victory in St. Louis. -- Chicago Sun-Times Will Joe Maddon drive you nuts? Sure, sometimes — but give him his due By Steve Greenberg ST. LOUIS — Did we ever get to the bottom of what happened — figure out what ridiculous rationale was pinballing around inside his brain — when Cubs manager Joe Maddon decided to send overworked closer Aroldis Chapman to the mound to pitch with a five-run lead in Game  6 of the World Series? It was foolish. It was reckless. It was . . . what’s that? Why am I bringing this up now, nearly 11 months later, with the Cubs on the verge of entering a new postseason as defending champs? Because it still drives me nuts, that’s why. I imagine Maddon sitting in the dugout, stroking his chin and saying, “You know what? Aroldis just went an unprecedented 2 ‰ innings in his last outing. If we pitch him tonight and then again in Game  7, there’s a pretty good chance his arm will fall off. Get him loose.” There are things Maddon does, or has done, that drive a lot of people nuts. Like batting Kris Bryant second despite his seeming to be — with all that home-run power and RBI potential — born for the No. 3 hole. Or like batting Kyle Schwarber leadoff for a large chunk of the season, which made about as much sense as putting the Bears’ Kyle Long at wide receiver. There was sticking with Jason Heyward for so long last season despite painfully little offensive return, which left many observers rankled and flummoxed. And there was leaving Wade Davis in the game for a second inning just last weekend in Milwaukee, resulting in the closer’s first blown save in the ninth inning and a walk-off loss in the 10th. When it comes to Maddon’s decision-making, there’s something to get under anyone’s skin. My personal least favorite: taking out starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning of Game 7 against the Indians. Hendricks was a superstar in 2016. He was in full control of the game and had more than earned the chance to be a hero. But here’s the thing about all the sound and fury above: When you really get down to it, it signifies nothing. It’s spitting into the wind. For crying out loud, Maddon led the Cubs to a World Series title. And now he’s getting ready to lead them into the postseason for the third year in a row. Both are firsts in over 100 years, but chances are you knew that already.

Love him unconditionally or despite his quirks, but Maddon, 63, is doing legendary things. “Listen, it doesn’t matter, really,” he said. “I’m pleased in the sense that what I’ve always believed, I’ve carried here and I haven’t backed down on my belief system regarding how to work with a baseball team, how to run a game, how to help promote and develop young players. All that stuff, nothing has changed.” Yet Chicago as a baseball town is forever changed, and it’s as good a time as any to give Maddon his due. “He’s the perfect manager for a young team,” Bryant said, “that’s for sure.” Yes, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein probably has had an even bigger impact. No doubt, most any manager could look good with Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the rest of the Cubs roster on his side. But here the Cubs are, 21 games over .500 in the second half and all but certain to become the first defending World Series champs to reach the postseason since the 2012 Cardinals. They have 288 victories over Maddon’s three seasons, the most since Frank Chance’s teams won 300 from 1909 to 1911. “It’s important to take a step back and look at the big picture,” Epstein said. “What these teams have accomplished the last three years under his leadership has been really impressive. Every manager of any club, any market, is always going to be criticized, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with Joe. I think one of the best things we ever did was bring him here. He’s a perfect fit for our market and the talent we’ve assembled here.” Perfect? That’s debatable. But we might as well be honest here: It’s kind of nuts to be driven nuts by the guy. -- Chicago Sun-Times Try another day: Cub rally falls short in 1st try at St. Louis clinch By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. LOUIS — All the red. The Arch. The Clydesdales and Budweiser signs. The Cubs are keenly aware of their surroundings this week — and the significance of that as they closed in Tuesday on the moment they would clinch the National League Central division championship. The Cubs have won a few division championships; that by itself is nothing new. But to outmuscle the Cardinals in the fall for three consecutive years — and to do this one at their place — might suggest one of the top trend shifts in baseball these days. “When I got to the Cubs, I made it kind of clear that I feel like we’ve got some catching up to do as far as that goes,” said right fielder Jason Heyward, who signed as a free agent before last season — and who hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 8-7 loss at Busch Stadium. “Playoff wins and world championships, things like that. This is another opportunity to take a step in that direction if we want to continue to be known as a team that’s expected to be in the playoffs.” More specifically, as a team that expects to rip away some of that Midwest baseball mystique the Cardinals have nurtured for decades — maybe even build some long-term mystique of their own. “When I got here and people would talk about those [Cardinals] teams, I’d understand why they were beating them up,” said manager Joe Maddon, who entered the game on the brink of being 3-for-3 in playoff appearances with the Cubs. “You’ve got to feel confidence in yourself. You’ve got to believe you can do it to even be able to do it. “There’s nothing going to come easily when you play St. Louis, especially here.”

The Cubs got a taste of that quickly as the Cards jumped to an early 5-1 lead and held on to postpone the inevitable clincher. The Cubs’ magic number is at one with two left at Busch Stadium to try to clinch a title in St. Louis for the first time since 1938. “When I think back with my time with the Red Sox, I remember with the Yankees, when I first got there, I felt like we kind of feared them a little bit and then we were able to knock them off,” president Theo Epstein said. He said the Red Sox’ American League Championship Series comeback against the Yankees on the way to their historic 2004 championship changed that. “I think in a way the same thing is happening with the Cardinals.” When the Cubs eliminated the Cardinals from the race on Monday (with only the Brewers left to eliminate), they had suddenly won 31 of the last 49 meetings between the teams, including three of four in the 2015 playoffs. Bird feed no more. “Once we were able to beat them in the 2015 Division Series — that’s a series that’s not talked about enough,” Epstein said. “That was a really transformative moment for us. That was the point at which we no longer feared them. “We will always respect them; that’s what makes it meaningful to beat them and do to what we’ve done relative to them the last three years. But I think there’s no fear there.” The Cubs are 12-5 against the Cardinals this year, including 8-1 at home. They need merely a 2-3 finish to wind up with 90 wins despite a losing record and 5½-game deficit in the division at the All-Star break. Since then, they have the best record in the National League (45-24, .652 winning percentage). -- Chicago Sun-Times Albert Almora Jr. suffers bruised shoulder hitting wall in St. Louis By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. LOUIS — Center fielder Albert Almora Jr. bruised his right shoulder on a crash into the wall in the fifth inning Tuesday, leaving the game and putting his immediate playing status in doubt. X-rays were negative, and Almora – still significantly sore after the 8-7 loss to the Cardinals – said he plans to go through a normal pregame schedule Wednesday. “If it’s sore, then I’ll see what they want to do,” he said. “I can fight through it, or if they want to give it one more day. …” Almora said he was in “excruciating” pain after chasing Paul DeJong’s roller through the gap onto the warning track, then looking up and going face-first into the wall. “I tried to cut it off before it hit the wall, and when I went to slide I noticed I wasn’t going to get to it, and when I looked up the wall was right on me,” Almora said. “I was scared,” he said. “Luckily, nothing’s broken, nothing’s damaged.”

Almora, who might be best known for a heads-up base running play in Game 7 of last fall’s World Series, entered the game in the top of the fifth as a pinch-hitter for Kyle Schwarber. He’s hitting .295 this season with seven home runs. -- Chicago Sun-Times 4-year-old girl sings of her love of Anthony Rizzo, and Rizzo replies By Madeline Kenney There’s nothing more beautiful and innocent than young love. Four-year-old Eden Stembel loves Anthony Rizzo a lot — and she made that evident in a song that she sang for the Cubs first baseman from her the bottom of her heart. “I love Anthony Rizzo. Ohh,” Eden sang while laying on her mother, Betty. “I’m going to sing a song for him,” Eden told her mother. “Can you send it to him?” “I can try,” Betty said. “Anthony Rizzo is the best boy ever,” Eden began to sing. “Best. Cub. Ever!” Betty did just about the only thing she could do to get this love ballad to Rizzo; she posted it on Twitter. Since Betty posted her daughter singing on Monday afternoon, the tweet has garnered more than 80 retweets and 600 favorites. It also caught Rizzo’s attention. Rizzo said the song is “definitely a Billboard top 10” hit and said he plans to send her an autograph ball. Eden, who wants to go to a Cubs game but can’t because she lives in Carmel, Indiana, has been at daycare and has no idea Rizzo has seen her video or responded. Let’s hope no one breaks the tough news to Eden that Rizzo got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Emily Vakos, this past summer. -- Chicago Sun-Times Pearl Jam at Wrigley: A thrill for Vedder and fans in ‘Let’s Play Two’ By Richard Roeper “The first time you walk into Wrigley Field, it’s like stepping into Oz.” – Pearl Jam frontman and big-time Cubs fan Eddie Vedder. If you’re a Chicago Cubs diehard AND a hardcore Pearl Jam fan, AND you were lucky enough to be at Wrigley Field on the nights of Aug. 20 or Aug. 22 of 2016, that must have been heaven on Earth. The Cubs had yet to win the World Series, of course, but by that point in the season, it was clear they were the best team in baseball, and they had a chance to go all the way. The perennial doom-and-gloom attitude, the Billy Goat curse of 1945, the black cat in the on-deck circle crossing in front of Ron Santo in 1969, the Bartman ball

nonsense of 2003, etc., etc. — those black clouds were dissipating. Kris Bryant’s bat and Anthony Rizzo’s heart and Jon Lester’s arm were oblivious to doomsday history. So yeah. Good time to be a Cubs fan. As for Pearl Jam — well, they’re Pearl Jam. Middle-aged and a generation removed from their Grunge Era breakout years, to be sure, but still capable of rattling the ivy on the walls of Wrigley Field and filling the summer nights with the sounds of powerful and resonant anthems such as “Jeremy” and “Better Man” and “Hearts and Thoughts.” Watching “Pearl Jam: Let’s Play Two,” even this lifelong White Sox fan was blown away. I was stirred by the lush and pristine sounds of the band, including of course Eddie Vedder’s oft-imitated but never really duplicated guttural growl of a voice, and I was greatly impressed by the gorgeous visuals in the concert sequences. This is one of the most vibrant-looking rock performance films of recent years. I’ve even got to give a #Respect shoutout to the band’s frontman Eddie Vedder, whose passion for the Cubs (like Bill Murray’s) goes far deeper than the casual celebrity “fans” who show up only when the home team is on a roll, wearing newly minted jerseys with their names on ’em and hoping nobody asks them who their favorite player was when they were kids. We learn that when the Evanston-born Vedder was growing up, his favorite Cubs player was Jose Cardenal, a gifted but mercurial figure who played for some mediocre-to-lousy teams in the 1970s, once missed an exhibition game because crickets had kept him awake the night before, and begged off playing on Opening Day one year because he claimed when he woke up, one eyelid was stuck open. The talented director-photographer Danny Clinch respects Pearl Jam (and their fans) enough to show us unbroken performances of some of the band’s biggest hits, and to not get too tricky or showy with the camerawork or the editing. We’re with the band as they go over the set list, we’re onstage with the band as they rock out, we’re in the stands with the faithful, and we get some beautiful medium and long shots of the North Side’s definition of the Field of Dreams. You can’t help but drink it all in. Interspersed with the concert footage, we get scenes of the band jamming on the rooftop at Murphy’s Bleachers; shots of a CTA train festooned with Pearl Jam artwork; brief glimpses of Cubs game action old and new; Vedder playing catch on the field. This isn’t the most in-depth documentary about what it means to be a Cubs fan, but that’s not what it’s trying to be. “Let’s Play Two” is primarily a record of what surely had to be two of the most memorable concerts in Pearl Jam’s history — for the fans and for the man with the microphone. -- Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' magic number stays at 1 after losing to Cardinals By Bruce Miles ST. LOUIS -- The champagne will have to stay on ice at least one more day before the Chicago Cubs can party at Busch Stadium. Jake Arrieta, who pitched the Cubs to victory in the wild-card game two years ago in Pittsburgh, could not deliver against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Still not 100 percent coming off a hamstring injury, Arrieta lasted only 3 innings and 67 pitches as the Cubs rallied but fell short 8-7. The Cardinals took an 8-3 lead into the eighth inning, but the Cubs rallied with 4 runs in the top half, with Jason Heyward hitting a 3-run homer and Ben Zobrist adding a solo shot.

With the loss, the Cubs (88-69) saw their magic number to clinch the National League Central hold at 1, as the second-place Milwaukee Brewers beat the Reds to stay in the chase. John Lackey will try to clinch it Wednesday night as he takes on Michael Wacha shortly after 6 p.m. Arrieta was making his second start since injuring his right hamstring during a Labor Day start at Pittsburgh. He gave up 3 runs (1 earned) in the first inning and 2 more in the second on a homer to Tommy Pham. "I started out the first inning with a pretty extended pitch count," said Arrieta (14-10), who threw 35 in the first. Although he looked fine last week in Milwaukee, he was not nearly as sharp Tuesday. "I'm doing OK," he said. "I've had to adjust a couple things in my delivery. It's still there a little bit. But I'm fine. I'm plenty healthy enough to go out there and compete and pitch at a high level. I just wasn't able to do that tonight, unfortunately. "I don't have the drive (with the leg) that I do at 100 percent, but still plenty enough to be effective." Manager Joe Maddon saw enough after 3 innings. "Things just weren't working, sharpness wise," he said. "I didn't see anything overtly crisp, velocity or location or anything. It was not his night." Cubs batters struck out 15 times against St. Louis pitching, but Maddon said he liked the comeback. The Cubs got a huge scare in the bottom of the fifth inning. Center fielder Albert Almora Jr., who had gone into the game in the top half as a pinch hitter, fell awkwardly into the wall while chasing a double by Paul DeJong. Almora came out of the game with what the Cubs said was a right-shoulder bruise in the rotator-cuff area. X-rays were negative, but Almora was wearing a big ice pack in the clubhouse after the game. "I was scared," he said. "I really didn't move it. What you guys saw (at his locker) was probably the most I did for an hour. PJ (athletic trainer Mainville) was out there. He was like, 'Hey, it's not out of place.' I didn't want to move it just in case I hurt it and felt something I didn't want to feel. I just wanted to make it as easy as possible. I had excruciating pain out there. "I tried to cut (the ball) off before it hit the wall. When I went to slide, I noticed I wasn't going to get to it. And when I looked up, the wall was right on me. There was no slowing down. Luckily nothing's broken. Nothing's damaged." -- Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' Maddon applauds Russell helping 'Nacho Man' By Bruce Miles ST. LOUIS -- In spring training, one of the themes stressed by Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon was being "uncomfortable." That's why he was happy to see shortstop Addison Russell carry a tray of nachos out to a fan down the left-field line and taking a selfie after making a play and causing the fan to lose his nachos during Monday night's game. "The 'be uncomfortable' component, it's been uncomfortable for the most part," Maddon said of the season Tuesday. "And I think they kind of get that now. The authenticity, I have so much faith in our guys, and that's why I talk about trusting your players all the time. "Perfectly demonstrated last night by Addy bringing out a tray of nachos and then pausing for a selfie. That is so out of his comfort zone, it is fabulous. That, to me, is worth even a higher level of play than postseason.

"It just tells me that our guys are pretty confident, and they're confident in their own skin, which I really love. They also know there's not going to be repercussions coming from me, which I really love, too, that they can be themselves. "They know that I would probably giggle at something like that because what is it worth? Is that worth getting upset about? In 1,000 years it isn't." Cubs president Theo Epstein was asked about it, and he chimed in with a quip: "I thought that whole thing was kind of cheesy." Baez banged up: Infielder Javier Baez was not in Tuesday's starting lineup, one day after fouling a pitch off his right leg. Joe Maddon wanted to give shortstop Addison Russell the night off, so he started Ben Zobrist at second base and Mike Freeman at short. Maddon also said he needs to get a day off for catcher Willson Contreras. Light 'em up: Kris Bryant was surprised that fireworks went off after he hit a home run Monday night at Busch Stadium. "I didn't realize it until I got in the dugout, honestly," he said. "That was really funny. I'm sure it was accidental. It really makes you think it's a long season for those guys, too. It's all right." According to the Cubs and FanGraphs, Bryant leads the National League in wins above replacement, at 6.8. That trailed only the Yankees' Aaron Judge (7.6) and Houston's Jose Altuve (7.4) for tops in the majors. "I hear about it on TV every day," Bryant said of advanced stats. "You can't get away from it, all these crazy numbers … I take pride in just being a complete player and doing everything I can: baserunning, defense, taking an extra base, and I think all that encompasses into all these new numbers that are coming out. "It's just a byproduct of me wanting to be that complete player." -- Cubs.com Cubs stage powerful rally, but unable to clinch By Jenifer Langosch and Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- Seeking to delay the Cubs' clinch celebration while increasing the chances of extending their own season, the Cardinals built an early lead at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night and held on for an 8-7 victory that postponed any popping of champagne bottles for at least another day. Not only were the Cubs unable to wrap up their second consecutive division title with a seventh straight win over the Cardinals, but they also couldn't get any help from the Reds. The Brewers grabbed a 7-6 victory over Cincinnati to ensure the Cubs' magic number remained at one. "Let's just play tomorrow, let's not overreact to anything," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I love the comeback, I love the energy. [Jake Arrieta] just had a tough night." For the Cardinals, the win wasn't merely about spoiling a rival's celebration plans. It was also a necessary one. With the Rockies and Brewers earning victories on Tuesday, the Cardinals needed to snap a three-game losing streak to

remain within 2 1/2 games of the second National League Wild Card. St. Louis has five games remaining on its regular-season schedule. "You could certainly show up today flat and roll over and let them have their way with you," said first baseman Matt Carpenter, whose leadoff home run ensured the Cardinals they wouldn't trail all night. "Or you could come out like we did and send a message that, 'Hey, we're not going to just give this to you.' That being said, you have to give credit to them. They never quit either. It was a grind just to find a way to win today. But that's what games are like in September. Both teams are playing for something, and certainly they're going to fight to the end." In his second start since returning from a hamstring injury, Arrieta labored over a 67-pitch, three-inning start. Home runs by Carpenter and Tommy Pham helped St. Louis build a 5-1 lead by the end of the second. But the Cardinals hardly coasted from there. Starter Carlos Martinez allowed the Cubs to chip away with runs in the second, third and fourth before he exited with one out in the fifth. It was Martinez's shortest start of the season, but also a gutsy one. Twice he stranded the bases loaded, including the fourth inning, during which a catcher's interference call cost him two outs. "Amazing right there in that situation to get out of it with one run," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Martinez's escape act. "That's another big point in our game." The Cubs left 10 on base, went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and struck out 15 times in the game, which certainly didn't help their offense. "The thing that got us were the punchouts," Maddon said. "We've been working to get away from that. That was the difference in the game, not putting the ball in play." Solo homers by Jedd Gyorko and Randal Grichuk in the seventh then gave the Cardinals a five-run cushion they would need every bit of. Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward blasted a three-run homer an inning later, and Ben Zobrist pulled Chicago to within one when he connected for his 12th homer of the season. Juan Nicasio, summoned for the four-out save, stranded the potential tying run at second to close the frame. Nicasio then worked around two ninth-inning walks to seal the Cardinals' fifth victory in 17 tries against the Cubs this season. Four of those wins have come in games started by Martinez. "I knew I was going to have to come in and pitch with heart, to try to get those [four] outs," Nicasio said. "I'm going to try to do my best to help these guys have a chance to go to the playoffs." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Turn two, get none: Martinez's start at Wrigley Field earlier this month unraveled when he misfired while trying to start a double play with the bases loaded. He got the chance for a redo on Tuesday. With the bases full and nobody out in the fourth, Martinez induced a weak grounder back to himself off the bat of pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella. Martinez made the on-target throw home, and catcher Carson Kelly threw to first for the second out -- only to learn that the Cardinals would be credited with neither. Kelly was called for catcher's interference -- his mitt made contact with La Stella's bat -- meaning the run counted and La Stella was awarded a base and Kyle Schwarber scored from third to make it 5-3. "I just got a little close to him, reached out. It was a mistake on my part," Kelly said. "Everybody was a little confused. But at the end of it, I knew it was a mistake that I made." Martinez, however, quickly regained his composure, notched back-to-back strikeouts, and then retired Anthony Rizzo to strand the bases full and preserve a two-run lead.

"That was a turning point in regards to them having a better chance to win the game," Maddon said of how the Cardinals escaped in the fourth. "That was a seminal moment in the game." Fruitful first: A night after the Cubs pounced for four first-inning runs, it was the Cardinals who seized the early lead. Carpenter, 1-for-32 in his career against Arrieta, opened the first with a homer off his former college teammate. The damage would have stopped there had shortstop Mike Freeman not then bobbled a routine grounder with two out. His error allowed Dexter Fowler to score from third and brought the inning to Grichuk, who delivered an RBI triple. It took Arrieta 35 pitches to get through the frame. "Things just weren't working sharpness-wise," Maddon said of Arrieta. "I didn't see anything overtly crisp, velocity or location or anything. It was not his night. We made a mistake [with Freeman's error], but they hit the ball pretty good against him." QUOTABLE "Exhausting. It's exhausting." -- Kelly, on being behind the plate for a three-hour, 46-minute game with so much at stake "These guys are going to make it as tough as possible on us, as we expect. We have to do our best to take care of business tomorrow, and then we'll see what happens." -- Arrieta, on the Cardinals SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With Tuesday's victory, Matheny became the first manager in franchise history to begin his career with six consecutive winning seasons. INJURY UPDATES • Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. had to leave the game in the fifth inning after he crashed into the outfield wall trying to catch Paul DeJong's fly ball. Almora suffered a contusion to his right shoulder in the rotator cuff area. X-rays were negative. He was able to walk off under his own power. "I tried to cut [the ball] off before it hit the wall, and when I went to slide I noticed I wasn't going to get to it, and when I looked up the wall was right on me," Almora said. "There was no slowing down. Luckily, nothing's broken, nothing's damaged. All good." • Pham had to be replaced by a pinch-hitter in the eighth, two innings after being hit in the ribs by a 95-mph fastball. Pham was diagnosed with a left side contusion, but the Cardinals are optimistic that he'll be ready to return on Wednesday. UPON FURTHER REVIEW The Cardinals used their challenge in the third inning, contesting that Freeman had his hand on the foot of DeJong (not the base) when Martinez made a snap throw to second. Without enough evidence to change the safe call, it stood after a two-minute, 34-second review. Freeman scored later in the inning on a two-out, bases-loaded walk. Freeman was at the center of a fourth-inning challenge, too -- this one by the Cubs. Initially ruled out when he tried to beat a throw with a headfirst slide into first, Freeman was awarded the infield single following a 44-second review. WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Wednesday may be John Lackey's last regular-season start for the Cubs. The 38-year-old right-hander will be a free agent after this season. This will be Lackey's fourth start of the year against the Cardinals. So far, he's 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:08 p.m. CT from Busch Stadium.

Cardinals: Michael Wacha entered the season eager to silence those who questioned his durability. He can consider that done as he makes his 30th -- and final -- start of the season. Wacha has a 2.61 ERA over his last five appearances. -- Cubs.com Not yet fully healthy, Arrieta labors in brief start By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- Jake Arrieta was supposed to be spraying champagne to celebrate the Cubs' second straight National League Central title on Tuesday night. Instead, the right-hander took the loss, and he left the team with more questions regarding how well he'd be able to pitch in October. "I've got 170 innings [for the season]," said Arrieta, who is officially at 168 1/3. "I'm good." What wasn't good was the right-hander's outing in the Cubs' 8-7 loss to the Cardinals. He scattered six hits, walked one and struck out four. "Things just weren't working, sharpness-wise," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. "I didn't see anything overtly crisp, velocity or location or anything. It was not his night." It didn't help that shortstop Mike Freeman committed an error which extended the three-run first inning. Arrieta needed 35 pitches to get through the first and threw 67 in the game. This was his second start since he had to come out of a Sept. 4 outing because of a right hamstring injury, which is still having an effect on him. "I've had to adjust a couple things in my delivery," Arrieta said of the repercussions of the hamstring problem. "It's still there a little bit, but I'm fine. I'm plenty healthy enough to go out there and compete and pitch at a high level. I just wasn't able to do that tonight unfortunately. Like I said, they had some good at-bats and made me work." What's the difference? "I don't have the drive that I do at 100 percent," he said, "but there's still plenty enough to be effective. The velocity was really good tonight. Stuff's not an issue. Tonight, what sticks out was a couple pitches I left out over the plate, and they did some damage with it." The one that nagged him was Tommy Pham's two-run homer in the second inning. Arrieta's TCU teammate Matt Carpenter also connected on a leadoff homer. Carpenter came into the game 1-for-32 against Arrieta, and that hit also was a home run. What's more troubling is that Arrieta doesn't have much time left to get stretched out for the postseason. He has not thrown 100 or more pitches since July 15. "It's going to be difficult," Maddon said. "We'll see how he feels and go from there. We were really looking to get more [innings] than that, I agree. I thought that was a lot of pitches for three innings. To get him out, I thought was the right move. "Of course, he's not 100 [percent]. He's doing fine. He's Jake. He's very strong and in great shape. Let's let him have a couple days off and bring him back again. It just wasn't his night, and he's working his way back in." Tuesday's loss was Arrieta's 10th of the year, and it's the first time in his career that the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner has reached double-digit losses. This was his second-shortest outing of the season. Arrieta knows what he wants in that final outing at Wrigley Field on Sunday against the Reds.

"You want some good results moving into October," Arrieta said. "[I just want] to go out there and feel close to 100 percent and feel good about the outing moving into my first postseason start. Tonight was up and down physically. I didn't feel great, and that's just how it goes. "I intend to do everything I can in the next four days to recover and be ready Sunday and go from there. There's still some recovering to do, but having said that, I'm plenty healthy enough to go out there and be really good." -- Cubs.com Almora hits wall, exits with bruised shoulder By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- As soon as the medical staff told Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. that X-rays showed his shoulder wasn't dislocated or broken, he could relax. Almora had to leave Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Cardinals in the fifth inning after he slammed into the center-field wall at Busch Stadium trying to catch Paul DeJong's fly ball. "Once they told me, 'Hey, nothing's broken, there's no structural damage,' I started moving it around," Almora said. "Like I've said, the wall always wins. I'm happy, I'm in a good spot. I could play." Almora suffered a contusion on his right shoulder in the rotator cuff area. "That's a scary thing," Chicago right fielder Jason Heyward said. "The wall is undefeated. That's one of the things we always have to worry about. What I love about [Almora] is that he's so fearless when it comes to that. It looked like he tripped into it going after the ball hard." The Cardinals had a runner at first and nobody out in the fifth when DeJong lofted the ball toward the gap in left-center. Almora and left fielder Ian Happ chased it, but Almora slid on his knees and hit the wall full force. DeJong was credited with a double and a run scored on the play, which gave the Cardinals a 6-3 lead. Athletic trainer PJ Mainville and Cubs manager Joe Maddon went out to check on Almora, who was able to walk off the field under his own power. "I tried to cut [the ball] off before it hit the wall and when I went to slide, I noticed I wasn't going to get to it and when I looked up the wall was right on me," Almora said. "There was no slowing down. Luckily, nothing's broken, nothing's damaged. All good. "I was scared. I didn't really move. PJ was out there and said, 'Hey, nothing's out of place.' I didn't want to move it just in case I hurt something. I just wanted to take it as easy as possible." -- Cubs.com Baez out of Cubs' lineup with knee soreness By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- The Cubs' Javier Baez did not start in Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Cardinals because of soreness in his right knee sustained when he fouled a pitch off his leg in the eighth inning of Monday night's 10-2 win over the Cards. But Baez entered as a pinch-hitter with the Cubs facing a one-run deficit with two outs in the ninth inning and runners on first and second, and he struck out swinging to end the game. On Monday, Baez fouled the pitch off his knee and crumpled to the ground in the eighth, and after he was checked by manager Joe Maddon and an athletic trainer, he stayed in the game. Baez then hit a single but was lifted for a pinch-runner.

"I thought it was really bad," Baez said after Monday's game. "After, it was just a big bruise and sore. It was like jumping into a cold tub, and my whole leg was freezing." The Cubs, who were one win away from clinching the National League Central for the second straight year, also were initially without Addison Russell, who was not in the lineup as part of a scheduled off-day. But he also struck out in a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth Tuesday, a day after diving into the stands and knocking a fan's nachos onto the field. Russell is coming back from a strained right foot injury that sidelined him more than one month. Ben Zobrist started at second base and brought the Cubs within one run with a solo home run in the eighth after Jason Heyward clubbed a three-run shot. Mike Freeman started at shortstop and had an eventful game, first committing an error that led to a run in a three-run first before making up for it with a nice defensive play an inning later. He also went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, and was involved in a pair of replay reviews. "I'm good with 'Free' going out there," Maddon said. "He's definitely involved and understands what's going on." -- Cubs.com Cubs have mindset to pull off rare WS repeat By Carrie Muskat ST. LOUIS -- It isn't easy to repeat as World Series champions, or even get to the postseason in back-to-back seasons. The last National League team to repeat as World Series champs was the Reds in 1975-76. "If I learned anything from the two previous times it's that it's tiring," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said about having a team play in the postseason. "You put so much of yourself out there nightly to accomplish that, and the residue is that it takes a part of you away from you. "What I learned was to be patient and emphasize not pushing too hard too quickly," said Maddon, who has made giving players rest a priority this season. That extra month of baseball most likely accounted for the Cubs' slow start this year. They were 5 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central at the All-Star break. A win on Tuesday over the Cardinals would have given Chicago its second division title in a row, but the party was delayed following an 8-7 loss. "It's tiring playing that extra month," the Cubs' Kris Bryant said. "There were times I was completely beat, just physically, mentally. You'd expect the World Series winner to be in the playoffs every year and it hasn't been the case. Hopefully, we can break that." The Cubs have won 11 of their last 14 games, and 19 of their last 28. "You cannot ask for a better time to start playing your best baseball of the year," Maddon said. "Fortunately, we're in a division that permitted that to happen. Right now, our guys, you watch them in the clubhouse and in the dugout, that look is back, that focus, that concentration is at its highest point among the whole group. You have to be there to understand it. I've seen groups with it and groups without it, and our group has it." The Cubs have had some tough series this month to tune up for the postseason, including a three-game series against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field from Sept. 15-17, and a four-game set in Milwaukee that ended Sunday. "When the other team provides that competition, it brings out the best in us," Bryant said. "We know the other guys are trying as hard as us. When those games come, it's what we've been able to do is put our foot on the gas and beat them. It's been an impressive [stretch]."

• Heading into Tuesday's game, Bryant led the NL with a 6.8 WAR, according to Fangraphs, and was trailing only the Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Astros' Jose Altuve for the top spot. What's interesting is that Bryant's RBI numbers are down compared to last season. "I guess when you look at that, RBI is a nice stat, and it's been there for 100 years or however long the game has been played, but when you look at the advance [sabermetrics] stuff, maybe it doesn't mean as much," Bryant said. "I take pride in being a complete player and doing everything I can, baserunning, defense, and I think all of that goes into all these new numbers. It's just a byproduct of me wanting to be that complete player." What Bryant is happy about is that he's reduced the number of strikeouts from his rookie year, when he fanned 199 times. He's struck out 126 times this season. "It's just at-bats, better contact, more hits with two strikes," Bryant said. "It makes me really proud that I've been able to do that." • On Monday, Bryant hit his 29th home run, a solo shot in the second inning. Someone at Busch Stadium accidentally set off the fireworks, which are typically reserved for the home team's players. "I didn't realize it until I got to the dugout," Bryant said. "That was really funny, though. I'm sure it was accidental. It's a long season for those guys, too. It's all right. It was an honest mistake." • Cubs catcher Victor Caratini finally got word from a cousin that his family was all right in Puerto Rico, which was ravaged by Hurricane Maria. "He said all of my family is good and safe," Caratini said Tuesday. -- Cubs.com Foiled once, Cubs aim to clinch on rivals' turf By Carrie Muskat The Cardinals denied the Cubs a chance to party on Tuesday. Can St. Louis do it again on Wednesday? Despite a late rally, the Cubs lost, 8-7, on Tuesday and still need one win or a Brewers loss to clinch their second straight National League Central title. They'll turn to veteran John Lackey on Wednesday to get the job done against Michael Wacha. "Let's just play [Wednesday], let's not overreact to anything," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said after Tuesday's loss. The Cardinals also have something to play for. With the Rockies and Brewers earning victories on Tuesday, the Cardinals needed to snap a three-game losing streak to remain within 2 1/2 games of the second NL Wild Card. St. Louis has five games remaining on its regular-season schedule. This will be Lackey's final regular-season start. Will it be his last regular-season start for the Cubs overall? Lackey, 38, will be a free agent after this season and has dimissed talk about retiring, saying he wants to talk to his family and see how he feels. "I didn't come here for a haircut. I came here for the jewelry," Lackey said last year when asked about the expectations placed on the Cubs. He did get his ring, helping Chicago win the World Series in 2016. Wacha has one win in his last nine starts against the Cubs, and is 4-6 with a 6.32 ERA in 15 career outings (13 starts) against them. He took the loss on Sept. 16 at Wrigley Field, giving up three runs over 5 2/3 innings.

This will also be Wacha's final start of the regular season, barring a tiebreaking Game 163, if needed, on Monday. What was encouraging for Wacha this year is that he's remained healthy for a full season after shoulder injuries sidelined him for much of 2014 and '16. This will be Wacha's 30th start of the season, tying a career high. He's been finishing strong, too, and has a 2.61 ERA over his last five games. As Wacha struggled over a three-start stretch from Aug. 13-25, opponents went 20-for-42 (.476) with a .738 slugging percentage against his four-seamer, two-seamer and cutter. But in five outings since, Wacha's assortment of fastballs has yielded just a .247 average (20-for-81) and .321 slugging percentage. The Cubs still have a 12-5 edge in the season series despite Tuesday's loss. "They're all absolutely hard to get," Chicago's Jason Heyward said, echoing the feeling the Cardinals most likely have as well. "We've got the quote-unquote 'luxury' that we've taken care of business here." "These guys are going to make it as tough as possible on us, as we expect," Chicago's Jake Arrieta said. "We have to do our best to take care of business tomorrow, and then we'll see what happens." Things to know about this game • This will be Lackey's fourth start of the season against the Cardinals. So far, he's 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA. His outings include an abbreviated start on Sept. 15, when he was ejected after 4 2/3 innings for arguing a call with the home-plate umpire. • The Cardinals will be without catcher Yadier Molina again on Wednesday, as he remains in concussion protocol after being hit in the mask by a foul ball on consecutive pitches Monday. Rookie Carson Kelly will start in his place. • St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong and first baseman Jose Martinez are questionable for Wednesday's game. Martinez has been out of the lineup since Friday with a left thumb sprain, but was intentionally walked in a pinch-hit appearance Tuesday, while Wong has been dealing with nagging back tightness all month. • The Cubs hope Javier Baez can return to the lineup on Wednesday. He fouled a ball off his right knee on Monday night, stayed in the game and singled, and was then lifted for a pinch-runner. He entered as a pinch-hitter with two outs in the ninth Tuesday and struck out to end the game. Shortstop Addison Russell, who also struck out in a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth Tuesday, is expected to be back in the lineup. He was given Tuesday off simply as a day of rest after playing three days in a row. Russell missed more than a month because of a right foot strain. -- ESPNChicago.com March to NL Central crown just might be Joe Maddon's best work as Cubs manager By Jesse Rogers ST. LOUIS -- How did Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon do at least one thing San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy wasn’t able to accomplish in three tries? Something Kansas City Royals skipper Ned Yost and Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell also couldn't do? All three won at least one World Series in recent years, but none returned to the playoffs the next season. Maddon’s Cubs are on the verge of doing just that despite losing to the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 on Tuesday night. Their magic number to clinch the NL Central remains one. “If I thought I learned anything from the two previous times, it’s that it’s tiring,” Maddon said before Tuesday’s game. “It takes a part of you away from you.”

Maddon won a ring as a bench coach with the Los Angeles Angels in 2002, then went to the World Series in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Rays. His worldview has developed over time, and it isn’t hard to understand: Rest trumps all, especially after winning a championship. After all, the Cubs were playing baseball in November. “What I thought I learned was really be patient and really emphasize not pushing too hard too quickly,” Maddon said. “The two other times I’ve been involved in that, wow, you definitely burn out. You run out of gas and have no chance.” Maddon navigated the first half of this season in fantastic fashion. The moment he realized his team wasn’t ready to push hard -- while injuries piled up on him -- he did the only thing possible: nothing. He rotated his players in and out while using the good fortune of the division the Cubs were in to simply survive. No team ran away and hid. Maddon pointed toward the second half, in which he thought his players would be healthier and have their legs underneath them. “The hangover effect is real, if you look at what teams have done,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of, but I think there is always an opportunity to focus and elevate the caliber of play at a really important time. Our guys have absolutely done that.” They elevated exactly when Maddon asked them to. He didn’t call a team meeting but addressed it individually, and the urgency became obvious. The Cubs stormed out of the second half, winning their first six games, all on the road. Once again, the tactics that Maddon has honed over the years worked. “He’s very positive,” Epstein said. “Manages with the big picture in mind. Look at what we’ve done in the second halves under him. He’s done a great job.” Maddon added: “I’m pleased in the sense that what I’ve always believed, I carried here and haven’t backed down regarding how to work with a baseball team, how to run a game, how to develop young players. All that stuff, nothing has changed. If you had seen me in previous years, nothing has changed. It’s nice to see your methods are validated.” In his opening news conference in 2014 at a bar near Wrigley Field, Maddon was asked if he would bring his unconventional ways to a big market. He never hesitated: Of course he would. He figured his style would work anywhere -- and it has. Asked to assess himself, he wasn’t about to go on a long diatribe. “I’ll concede to one thing,” Maddon said. “These last three years, overall, have validated my teaching principles in this game and how to go about it.” The evidence is in the results. Nine of Maddon's past 10 seasons have been winning ones, compiled in two different markets. When the Cubs clinch this year, it’ll be Maddon's seventh playoff appearance in 10 seasons. Meetings aren’t the answer. Creating the right environment is. And Maddon did it again in 2017. “I’m pleased how our guys have responded to the method,” he said with a smile. -- ESPNChicago.com Jake Arrieta's struggles one of many things amiss as Cubs come up short By Jesse Rogers ST. LOUIS -- Fortunately for the Chicago Cubs, they have some margin for error in their quest for a second consecutive division title because in their first attempt to win it, almost nothing went right. In fact, about the only positive the Cubs could take away from their 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday was that they avoided a major injury. That was no small feat after seeing center fielder Albert Almora Jr. crash into the wall in left-center field at Busch Stadium.

"I was scared," Almora said after the game while wearing an ice wrap around his right shoulder. "I had excruciating pain out there." Almora was trying to track down a ball hit by Paul DeJong that had already landed in the outfield, so even if he had cut it off, it still would have gone for a double. It was that kind of night for the Cubs, who hope to have their best defensive center fielder available in the next day or two. "When I went to slide, I noticed I wasn't going to get to it, and when I looked up, the wall was right on me," Almora said. "I'm OK." He might be fine, but the rest of the game was anything but. Here's a rundown of what is important because the actual loss isn't very noteworthy -- not with 10 chances to clinch between now and Sunday. The Cubs need just one win or a Brewers loss to pop champagne; it's back on ice after Tuesday's game. Jake Arrieta: He lasted only three innings in a start in which he was supposed to ramp up his pitch count after returning from a hamstring injury five days earlier. It never happened, as he didn't look sharp while giving up two home runs and hitting the showers after just 67 pitches. He said his hamstring is affecting his motion. "I don't have the drive that I do at 100 percent," Arrieta said. "It's still plenty enough to be effective ... There's still some recovering to do, but having said that, I'm plenty healthy enough to go out there and be really good." He wasn't really good on Tuesday, which means his final start this weekend, against the Cincinnati Reds, probably won't be treated as a quick tune-up for the postseason. Arrieta might not throw 100 pitches, but he'll need to be sharp in the same way Jon Lester needs to be in his final outing. "Get some work in, and be crisp," Arrieta said of his final outing on Sunday. "You want some good results moving into October." Willson Contreras: This is actually good news, considering Contreras continues to have good at-bats and is showing no issues with his own hamstring injury, which is further and further in the rearview mirror. He stole a base Tuesday and tagged from first on a fly ball to center. That all came after he took no fewer than three foul balls to his right knee in recent days, including two on Tuesday. "That's just part of the game," he said. "I wanted to win today. That was my mentality. I didn't care how much lead they had. I was trying to push my teammates even in the ninth." Justin Wilson: Joe Maddon handed Wilson the ball with the Cubs trailing by a run in the eighth inning. He promptly walked the first batter, then went to 2-0 on the next one. The Cubs manager had seen enough and pulled him after ball two. "Based on his last performance, I thought he would be OK," Maddon said. "I was trying to not have two guys on and then bring in C.J. [Edwards]. It's a big boy's game. He'll be fine. We'll get him back out there. Just wasn't going to work tonight." Wilson's narrative since coming to the Cubs hasn't been a good one, but after a confidence-building performance against the Milwaukee Brewers, many thought he might have turned the corner. It didn't show up Tuesday. In a nothing-went-right kind of game, the Cubs lost by only a run. The champagne will still be on ice for them on Wednesday. The Cubs can only hope they perform a little better to earn it. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs' Albert Almora Jr. exits with bruised shoulder after running into wall By Jesse Rogers

ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. left Tuesday night's 8-7 loss to the Cardinals with a right shoulder contusion after running into the wall in left-center field in the bottom of the fifth inning. X-rays were negative, according to the Cubs, and Almora said he thinks he'll be "OK" in a day or so. "When I went to slide, I noticed I wasn't going to get to it, and when I looked up, the wall was right on me," he said after the game, while wearing an ice wrap around his right shoulder. "I'm OK." Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong sent a line drive to the gap in left-center, where Almora went to chase it down. As the ball bounced off the wall, Almora lost his footing and crashed into the wall. After being attended to by the training staff, he was able to walk off under his own power while favoring his shoulder area. "I was scared," Almora said. "I had excruciating pain out there." He also took to Twitter to thank fans. Almora had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth inning and struck out, before leaving in the bottom of the inning. Leonys Martin took over for Almora in center. -- CSNChicago.com Jake Arrieta and a Cubs playoff rotation look a little shaky as clinch party waits another day By Patrick Mooney ST. LOUIS – “Woof,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said when asked how comfortable he feels about this rotation heading into the playoffs compared to last year’s World Series group. “Let’s (see) Jonny Lester getting back to normalcy and that Jake (Arrieta) is well.” Popping champagne bottles and toasting another National League Central title is still only a matter of time. But what are the Cubs going to do once they get there and have to game plan for an explosive Washington Nationals lineup and match zeroes in a five-game series where Max Scherzer can start twice? Not trying to be a buzzkill here, but Arrieta didn’t erase all the doubts after Tuesday night’s 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, admitting that the right hamstring he strained on Labor Day is still not 100 percent and lingering as a potential glitch in his carefully wired mechanics. “I’ve had to adjust a couple things in my delivery,” Arrieta said. “It’s still there a little bit. But I’m fine. I’m plenty healthy enough to go out there and compete and pitch at a high level. I just wasn’t able to do that tonight, unfortunately.” Arrieta – whose transformation into a Cy Young Award winner really started the run of clinch parties in 2015 – couldn’t get it done this time. The magic number remained stuck at one with the Milwaukee Brewers closing out a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park, where Arrieta looked sharp five days ago against a playoff contender in his first start in 18 days. Arrieta watched St. Louis leadoff guy/old college buddy Matt Carpenter launch his fifth pitch over the center-field wall. That first inning came unglued when Mike Freeman – a bench player starting at shortstop with Javier Baez resting his sore right knee and Addison Russell taking a scheduled day off – committed an error that led to two unearned runs.

As the Cardinals desperately try to stay alive for the second wild-card spot – now 2.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies with the Brewers still in front of them – Tommy Pham launched a 92-mph Arrieta pitch 426 feet into the second-deck, left-field seats in “Big Mac Land” for a two-run homer in the second inning. Already capped by a conservative pitch count, Arrieta got pulled after 67 for a pinch-hitter in a bases-loaded situation in the fourth inning, a reality check before the Cubs can party in a visiting clubhouse covered in plastic. “I don’t have the drive that I do at 100 percent, but it’s still plenty enough to be effective,” Arrieta said. “The velocity’s really good tonight. Stuff’s not an issue.” This comes at a time when Lester is searching for answers (4.79 ERA since the All-Star break) and trying to get into rhythm after spending two-plus weeks on the disabled list with left lat tightness/general shoulder fatigue. Maddon also sees Kyle Hendricks “throwing the ball as good as I’ve seen him” and Jose Quintana thriving amid the pennant-race pressure. But the playoff rotation could revolve around Arrieta, the NL pitcher of the month for August and perhaps the best pitcher on the free-agent market this winter. Before Game 1 in Washington, the Cubs are planning to start Arrieta in Game 162 on Sunday against the Reds in what could be his final start at Wrigley Field. “You’re just trying to get to October,” Arrieta said. “And then the guys that we have can pitch in big games in October. They have done that for a long time. Regardless of what the regular-season stats are, we’ve got three, four-plus guys that can go out there and pitch really well in October. I think we’ve shown that in the past. “But, yeah, we still got to get there. We need one more win. And we’ll figure that out after that.” -- CSNChicago.com The moment Theo Epstein knew Cubs would no longer fear Cardinals By Patrick Mooney ST. LOUIS – After a century of waiting, the Cubs won their first playoff series at Wrigley Field on October 13, 2015, unleashing so much energy that you could feel the press box shaking, hear the crowd deliriously chanting “LAC-KEY! LAC-KEY!” and sense the heated rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals would never be the same again. “That was a really transformative moment for us,” Theo Epstein said. “That was the point at which we no longer feared them.” Epstein spoke carefully before Tuesday night’s game at Busch Stadium, not wanting to jinx it or get too far ahead of himself, and the magic number to celebrate a second straight National League Central title would remain stuck at one with an 8-7 loss in front of 41,944. But Epstein didn’t need to be drenched in champagne and have a beer in his hand to appreciate how the Cubs have already shifted the balance of power in the division. After building two World Series teams for the Boston Red Sox and ending an 86-year championship drought that haunted New England, Epstein took over baseball operations at Clark and Addison with a “Baseball is Better” press conference on Oct. 25, 2011 that featured his name up in lights on the iconic marquee and a promise to build a scouting-and-player-development machine. Three days later, the Cardinals won their 11th World Series title in the walk year for Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols, giving Epstein a new Evil Empire to take down after his epic battles against the New York Yankees. “When I think back to that time with the Red Sox,” Epstein said, “I remember with the Yankees when I first got there I felt like we kind of feared them a little bit. And then we were able to knock them off in ’04. It changed the dynamic a little bit, at least how we felt about them. We respected them, but didn’t fear them. “I think, in a way, the same thing is happening with the Cardinals.”

Epstein feels like that 2015 NL Division Series is the one that gets overlooked while accounting for this golden age of baseball on the North Side. The Cubs have won 288 regular-season games since the beginning of the 2015 season, the franchise’s best three-year stretch in more than a century (300 wins between 1909 and 1911). Since 1940, the Cubs have only had two other runs with at least three consecutive winning campaigns: 1967-72 and 2007-09. In beating the Cardinals, Anthony Rizzo validated his faith during the rebuilding years and Kyle Schwarber added to his legend by launching a ball onto a Wrigley Field video board. Young players like Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Javier Baez developed their muscle memory in big games. Kyle Hendricks – who would get the ball in a World Series Game 7 for the ages – made his first career playoff start. That postseason surge also helped underwrite an offseason spending spree on free agents that zoomed toward $290 million, landing World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, ex-Cardinal Jason Heyward, future Cardinal Dexter Fowler and John LAC-KEY, who gets to start a Big Boy Game on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium, a place where The Cardinal Way doesn’t have the same intimidation factor anymore. “When you can win a division with them in it, it means a lot,” Epstein said. “When you can get by them in the postseason, it means a lot, because they’re very successful at what they do. “We will always respect them. That’s what makes it meaningful to beat them and to do what we’ve done relative to them the last three years. But I think there’s no fear there.” -- CSNChicago.com Believe it: Kris Bryant kept Cubs in contention with another MVP-level season By Patrick Mooney ST. LOUIS – Kris Bryant doesn’t drink, but even he felt the World Series hangover, admitting there were times this season where he felt “completely beat” mentally and physically after playing into early November last year and handling face-of-the-franchise responsibilities as the National League’s reigning MVP. But by the final week of September, the Cubs are where they thought they would be, still on the verge of celebrating their second division title after Tuesday night’s 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. And Bryant is a money player who’s quietly moved to the top of the NL leaderboard for Wins Above Replacement (6.8) on FanGraphs. If Bryant’s 2015 Rookie of the Year campaign proved he could live up to the hype, and 2016 became all about the quest to end the World Series drought in Wrigleyville, then 2017 again showed his internal drive, ability to adjust and unbelievable consistency. “Performing when the team needs you most down the stretch when you could be sluggish,” Bryant said, “or sometimes it’s hard to wake up and come to the field every day for a 1:20 game when you just had a night game, I take pride in those things. “I just want to show up for my teammates when they need me most. That’s what I’m most proud of.” Where everything sped up on Kyle Schwarber to the point where he needed a Triple-A Iowa reset, and Addison Russell dealt with a series of injuries and off-the-field issues, Bryant remained steady, hitting almost .300, blasting 29 homers, getting on base 41 percent of the time and putting up a .954 OPS that’s 15 points higher than where he finished his MVP season. The next five NL position players on that FanGraphs leaderboard: Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6.7), Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (6.5), Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton (6.4),

Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (6.3) and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (5.7). WAR, what is it good for? “I hear about it every day on TV,” Bryant said. “You can’t get away from it because of all these crazy numbers. I guess when you look at that on the surface, RBI is a really nice stat. It’s just been there for 100 (years) and however long this game has been played. But I guess when you look at the advanced stuff, it maybe doesn’t mean as much.” Bryant hasn’t generated much buzz as an MVP candidate, probably because the Cubs underachieved during the first half of the season and Anthony Rizzo should get votes after putting together another 30-homer, 100-RBI season with Gold Glove-caliber defense. Bryant’s RBI total (73) also won’t stand out to the old-school voters, though his evolving approach dramatically dropped his strikeout percentage – from 30.6 in 2015 to 18.9 this season – without draining power or losing patience. “I take pride in just being a complete player and doing everything that I can,” Bryant said. “Base running, defense, taking the extra base, I think all that encompasses into all these new numbers that are coming out. I guess it’s just a byproduct of me wanting to be that complete player.” That all-around game will help push the Cubs into October for the third straight year. Where Hall of Famers like Ernie Banks and Ron Santo never played in a postseason game during 33 seasons combined with the Cubs, Bryant has played 454 regular-season games for this franchise and not once has his team been eliminated from playoff contention. “I was just sitting there thinking about it,” Bryant said. “People go their whole career and never make the playoffs. “Definitely got to take advantage of the opportunities where you do have a team that can make the playoffs – and go far in the playoffs. Not to be taken for granted at all.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs' Albert Almora on injury scare: 'I thought I shattered my shoulder' By Charlie Roumeliotis On a night the Cubs could have locked up the National League Central, they nearly lost one of their best defensive players in the process. Running full speed trying to track down a ball in the gap in the fifth inning of Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Almora Jr. toe-picked the warning track dirt and collided hard into the wall, landing awkwardly on his shoulder. He stayed down for a while before exiting the game under his own power, and it was hard not to think of the worst in that moment. But Almora and the team received encouraging news afterwards, with X-rays turning out to be negative and the 23-year-old outfielder suffering nothing more than a bruise. "Honestly, I thought I shattered my shoulder, the way it felt," Almora told reporters after the game. "I guess I don't have a good tolerance for pain, but at that moment I was just scared. ... The thought that my season could have been over and I couldn't help the guys any more, that's the scary part. "Once they told me the X-rays were negative — and I saw it myself —I'm a new person. I had a smile on my face, I was moving around andI felt like going back out there. But it's all good."

Phewf. Bullet, dodged. -- Chicago Tribune Rally falls short as Cubs fail to secure second straight division title By Mark Gonzales The last step to winning a second consecutive National League Central title remained taxing for the Cubs. "It's tiring," Anthony Rizzo said Tuesday night before the Cubs fell short of overcoming a five-run deficit in the eighth inning before falling 8-7 to the Cardinals at muggy Busch Stadium. "You put so much of yourself nightly to accomplish that, and the residue takes a part of your offseason away. There are more demands." The combination of their loss and the Brewers victory over the Reds kept the Cubs' magic number to clinch at one. The Cubs, trying to clinch a postseason berth for the third consecutive season for the first time since 1906-08, were on the ropes from the start as Jake Arrieta was pounded for five runs in the first two innings in his second start since returning from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. To compound matters, center fielder Albert Almora Jr. suffered a right shoulder bruise after crashing into the wall in left-center field while trying to retrieve Paul DeJong's RBI double in the fifth. Almora immediately left the game. Infielder Javier Baez didn't start because of a right knee bruise suffered Monday, and shortstop Addison Russell was given a rest after playing three consecutive games. Russell missed nearly six weeks because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. But the Cubs rallied in the eighth behind Jason Heyward's three-run homer and Ben Zobrist's solo shot. Kris Bryant kept the rally alive with a ground rule double, but Anthony Rizzo popped out to end the threat. In the ninth, Willson Contreras drew a leadoff walk and stole second base with two outs. Heyward drew a walk, but pinch-hitter Baez struck out. After being dominated by the Cardinals for most of the previous six seasons, the Cubs made a statement when they eliminated their rival in the 2015 NL Division Series and then taking the division title the next season. There is some symbolism for Cubs President Theo Epstein, who oversaw another transformation when his Red Sox overtook the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series. "I felt like we feared them a little bit, and then to be able to knock them off in 2004 changed the dynamic about them, at least how we respected them but didn't fear them," Epstein said. "In a way, the same thing is happening with (us and) the Cardinals. Once we were able to beat them in 2015, it really was a transformative moment for us, I think that was the point we no longer feared them. And we'll always respect them." But that wasn't on manager Joe Maddon's mind when he elected to pull Arrieta in the top of the fourth inning after the Cubs loaded the bases with no outs and a 5-1 deficit. Pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella reached first when catcher Carson Kelly was charged with catcher's interference, but the top of the order failed to add more runs. Clinching the division would put a stamp of satisfaction on a Cubs team that overcame a 43-45 first-half record and 5 1/2-game deficit to start the second half with an impressive stretch reminiscent of their 2016 team that won 103 games in the regular season and overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series.

"We know we're young, but we have experience," Rizzo said. "We've come together very well as a unit of late, more than in the past. The talent is there, but when you play together, it's scary." -- Chicago Tribune Cardinals and Brewers put a hold on Cubs' inevitable celebration By Paul Sullivan When the Cubs took sole possession of first-place for the first time in two months on July 26, Jake Arrieta boldy declared the National League Central race over. "We expect to remain in first place throughout the remainder of the way," he said. It was fitting then that Arrieta went to the mound on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium with a chance to clinch it and show he's deserving of the Game 1 slot in the playoff rotation. But Arrieta was bombed early and left after three innings in the Cardinals' 8-7 victory, and with the Brewers beating the Reds the party was put on hold for at least one more day. In a game that dragged from the outset, the Cubs didn't look like there was any real urgency to get it done until scoring four in the eighth on Jason Heyward's three-run homer and Ben Zobrist's solo shot, pulling to within a run. But pinch-hitter Javier Baez struck out with two men on in the ninth to end it. Despite the loss, it's only a matter of time, and with five games left, time is on their side. Still, many of the players wanted to get it over with quickly if only to reclaim the clubhouse from the media horde, which doubled in size in anticipation of a celebration that never started. Everyone knows this team's story by now. The proverbial World Series hangover humbled them in the first half as they finished it two games below .500 and looking like a team in in dire need of a heart transplant. "If that wasn't the storyline, what would it be?" Anthony Rizzo said. "It's just part of the territory, part of our job. Things are going to be said about us, and about our team, and it's up to us to control all that." The acquisition of Jose Quintana from the White Sox at the break shored up one of the starter's spots that Brett Anderson failed to keep, Kyle Schwarber rebounded after a short demotion to Triple-A Iowa, Willson Contreras carried the team in August and the Rizzo-Kris Bryant combo platter was suddenly back in the groove. Going into Arrieta's start, Cubs starters were 33-13 in 68 games in the second half, a sharp turnaround from their first-half malaise. All in all, President Theo Epstein called it a "fun" year, despite the struggles that seemed so few and far between in 2016. "Through some of the tougher times, we've broken in a lot of the young players, we've had guys step up, other players have responded to their struggles the right way," he said. "There have been a lot of rewarding arcs for individual players, and ultimately for the team if we're able to finish this thing off." The mantra in the Cubs clubhouse was the same. The game is hard enough with a 41/2 month offseason. When you're playing into early November, the recovery time is longer.

Epstein said "the post-World Series effect is real," while manager Joe Maddon simply said "it's tiring" after all the offseason demands. "You put so much of yourself out there nightly to accomplish that (goal), and the residue is that it takes a part of you away from you," Maddon said. "It's tiring playing that extra month," Bryant said. "There were times this year I was just completely beat — physically, mentally, just everything that this game brings. … You would expect the World Series winner to kind of be in the playoffs the next year every year. That just hasn't been the case. But hopefully we can break that." The 2012 and '14 Giants, 2013 Red Sox, and 2015 Royals all failed to make the playoffs the year after their championships. The last team to win the World Series and go back to the postseason the next year was the 2011 Cardinals, who lost in the NLCS in 2012. "I can't really explain it, but it's not easy to do," Rizzo said. "We're on the verge of doing it, and on the verge of doing that after the greatest championship ever." The 2016 season was a runaway train for the Cubs, before the playoffs proved to be a roller coaster of emotions. Perhaps this year's wild ride will result in a smoother postseason. Or maybe not. "This year there have been long stretches where everyone was kind of pulling their hair out or searching a little bit," Epstein said. Including Epstein? "I have to do it while I still can," he said. No matter the zig-zag route they took or the widespread belief they should have done it by now, the Cubs were not going to tone down the party one iota. No one said it would be easy ... except for their fans, the media experts and Las Vegas oddsmakers. "Always celebrate achievement," Maddon said. "You never know when the next opportunity is going to come your way. The moment you start getting jaded by celebrating achievement, stop doing whatever you're doing." -- Chicago Tribune Albert Almora Jr. on clash in left center: 'The wall always wins' By Mark Gonzales Albert Almora Jr. lost the battle with the wall in left center field Tuesday night, but he might have gained a victory by not breaking a collarbone. “The wall always wins, but I’m happy,” Almora said as his right shoulder was wrapped in ice as the result of colliding with the wall while trying to cut off a double by Paul DeJong in the fifth inning of the Chicago Cubs’ 8-7 loss to the Cardinals. Almora said he was in “excruciating pain” as trainer PJ Mainville poked around his shoulder but assured him the shoulder was not out of place. Almora walked slowly off the field and was “definitely scared” that he might have suffered a serious injury, but he said his shoulder starting feeling better after he learned that X-rays were negative.

“I tried to cut if off before it hit the wall,” Almora said. “I went to slide and noticed I wasn’t going to get to it. When I looked up, the wall was right on me. There was no slowing down. Luckily nothing is broken. Luckily nothing is damaged. It’s all good.” Almora plans to go through his normal pre-game routine Wednesday and believes he might be able to play. Meanwhile, catcher Willson Contreras was struck twice on the right knee by foul balls in the same spot where he was struck last weekend in Milwaukee. Contreras managed to stay in the game and even steal second base in the ninth. “He’s going to be sore,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We’ve had some issues with our knees lately. “It’s part of the game.” -- Chicago Tribune Reliever Justin Wilson suffers control problems in Cubs' loss By Mark Gonzales Cubs manager Joe Maddon reiterated his faith in left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. But Maddon was forced to pull Wilson with a 2-0 count on Harrison Bader after Wilson walked Carson Kelly to start the eighth inning. "I did not want the game to get beyond one run right there," Maddon said Tuesday night. "I thought we could win it. Based on his last performance, I thought he’d be OK. I was trying not to have two guys on and then bring in C.J. (Edwards)." Edwards walked Bader but managed to keep the Cubs' deficit at one as they fell short in an 8-7 loss to the Cardinals that postponed their National League Central clinching hopes by at least one more night. As for Wilson, he continues to be an enigma since joining the Cubs in a July 30 trade from the Tigers. Wilson has walked 18 in 15 2/3 innings but showed some promise Sunday by striking out three in 1 1/3 innings at Milwaukee. Those control problems need to be corrected before the Cubs set their 25-man roster for the first round of the playoffs, presumably against the left-handed hitting heavy Nationals. "It’s a big boys’ game," Maddon said. "He’ll be fine. We’ll get him back there. I still have a lot of confidence. It just wasn’t going to work (Tuesday). I thought I had to move it along." -- Chicago Tribune Jake Arrieta's short outing complicates Cubs' postseason rotation puzzle By Paul Sullivan So what now for the Cubs’ playoff rotation? Every day seems to change the pecking order of the four likely starters for the National League Division Series, with Jake Arrieta’s poor outing on Tuesday throwing a monkey wrench into the picture and making his final start a bigger one than expected. “Things just weren’t working, sharpness-wise,” manager Joe Maddon said.

Arrieta threw only 67 pitches in his second start back from a hamstring injury, giving up a pair of home runs to Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham and getting yanked for a pinch-hitter after only three innings. “I think the big blow in the game for me was the two-run homer to Pham,” he said. “The actual location of the pitch was pretty good. I intended it to be down and away, but action in is also a good pitch in that situation. He did a good job of keeping his hands inside and hitting the ball a long way.” Arrieta said he’s “plenty healthy enough,” but his right leg is still not 100 percent, which obviously affects his mechanics a bit. He wasn’t making any excuses for the outing, but said he’s not worried about being ready for the postseason. “He was making a lot of mistakes with his fastballs,” catcher Willson Contreras said. “His cutter wasn’t there, the command wasn’t good … He just made a lot of pitches the first two innings.” Arrieta is scheduled to start the last game of the season Sunday at Wrigley Field, which should’ve been a simple tune-up if the Cubs clinch by then, as they should with the magic number at one. But now it’s going to be important for Arrieta to pitch more than five innings at least. Getting his pitch count up isn’t going to be easy. Arrieta threw 71 pitches in Milwaukee over five innings in his last start, and was supposed to get back to the 100-pitch vicinity by the playoffs. “It’s going to be difficult,” Maddon said. “We’ll see how he feels and work it from there. Really looking to get more than that, I agree, but I thought that was a lot of pitches for three innings. To get him out I thought was the right thing to do … He’s doing fine. He’s Jake. He’s very strong, in great shape. Let’s just let him have a couple days off and bring him back again. It just wasn’t his night, and he’s working his way back in.” Jon Lester pitched well on Monday night after a rough month returning from his shoulder fatigue, but Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana are the two most consistent starters of late. Still, Lester and Arrieta figured to get the first two starts against the Nats, either as 1-2 or vice-versa, based on their status and experience pitching in big postseason games. The Cubs don’t have to make any decisions until next week, and certainly aren’t going to discuss it until after the division is clinched. “Just trying to get to October,” Arrieta said. “The guys that we have can pitch in big games in October, and have done that for a long time. Regardless of what the regular season stats are, we have 3-4 plus guys that can go out there and pitch really well in October. I think we’ve shown that in the past. -- Chicago Tribune Kris Bryant motivated by more than numbers By Mark Gonzales Kris Bryant's 73 RBIs suggest a decline in production, but the Cubs' slugger was amused to learn that his FanGraphs listed him as the National League leader in WAR. "I hear about it every day on TV," Bryant said Tuesday. "You can't get away from it, all these crazy numbers." Bryant acknowledged RBIs are a statistic that has been used for decades but suggested that he values other categories. "I take pride in being a complete player doing everything I can — baserunning, defense, taking the extra base and all that encompasses into those new numbers coming out," Bryant said.

Furthermore, Bryant seemed most pleased that he has been able to reduce his strikeout total from 199 his rookie season in 2015 to 123 entering Tuesday's game. Bryant also is batting .332 (with only 49 strikeouts) in the second half, compared to a .269 mark (with 74 strikeouts) in the first half. "I'm making more contact, more hits with two strikes, a more competitive at-bat," Bryant said. "Makes me proud I've been able to do that." Bryant's production in the second half has dimmed memory of his struggles with runners in scoring position in the first half. "I think it's more meaningful because the games mean more," Bryant said. "Performing when the team needs you most down the stretch, and you could be sluggish and sometimes it's hard to come to the field every day for a 1:20 game when you just had a night game. "I'm 25 but don't feel it." OK with Jay: Bryant is lobbying for the Cubs to re-sign outfielder Jon Jay, whose contributions run deeper than his .293 batting average and 12 pinch hits to Bryant. "You see what he does on the field," Bryant said. "He always gives you a good at-bat, but he's a good teammate, a good guy in the clubhouse. "He's definitely a guy I would love to see around here next year and plenty of years after that. He fits perfectly in here. When you're a good person, a good guy, it goes a long way in the clubhouse. I can't say enough about him." -- Chicago Tribune For Alex Avila, baseball is the family business By Chris Kuc During his tenure as Tigers general manager, Al Avila has called many players to tell them that they had been traded. For one of them, he had a special message. "At the end of the call he was the one guy where I said, "I love you,'" Avila said with a hearty laugh. That's because the player he had reached on the phone soon after the Tigers had landed in New York on the eve of the July 31 trade deadline to tell him he was headed to the Cubs was his son, Alex. Baseball always has been in Alex Avila's blood. In addition to playing for his father for seven years with the Tigers, his grandfather, Ralph, was in the Dodgers organization for nearly 50 years and formed strong bonds with a couple of legendary figures in the organization, Al Campanis and Tommy Lasorda. How strong? Alex Avila's birth certificate reads: Alexander Thomas Avila. Al and Tommy. "My grandfather knew Tommy for decades working for the Dodgers as well as Al Campanis," Alex, 30, said. "Their friendship spilled over into a family friendship and as a kid I remember going to Vero Beach every spring training.

"My whole family, our lives have revolved around baseball," Alex added. "I grew up on a baseball field. That's the way it was and is now. ... Everything that had come up to this point as far as being traded has kind of prepared me for that because me and my dad and our family, we understand it's just part of the game." "Alex grew up basically in the business," Al Avila said. "He was pretty much school and baseball, that's it." That education, which included a standout career at the University of Alabama that led to the Tigers selecting him in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the 2008 draft, is a key asset as the Cubs seek to repeat. When starting catcher Willson Contreras was injured shortly after the trade deadline, Avila kept the Cubs and their pitching staff afloat. "There were actually about four clubs other than the Cubs that were interested in Alex but at the end, it was the best fit there because they did have the need for him," Al Avila said. "I know that they did their due diligence. ... That's what you're supposed to do. I feel good about it." So do the Cubs, who snagged a player who appeared in eight postseason series with the Tigers for 2011-14, including the '12 World Series. "The experience matters," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Alex having been there before and just watching him up to this point, he's totally invested and he's really bright and he does follow the game plan well." Alex Avila also knows about calling games for some of the top pitchers in baseball, working with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for the Tigers. With Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, John Lackey and Jon Lester in the rotation, Avila believes the Cubs have the right pitching mix. "You can look at any winning team and you're going to see a few horses ... guys who can really take charge of a game and give the bullpen a rest," he said. "I've been fortunate enough to catch a lot of very good pitchers so I know what that guy looks like and we have a few of them." The stint with the Cubs is Avila's second time with a Chicago baseball team; he spent the 2016 season with the White Sox before re-signing with the Tigers in the offseason. He said he has fond memories of his time on the South Side. "They are good people there," Avila said. "I really enjoyed playing for Robin (Ventura). He was tremendous. I think (Rick) Renteria there is great. I loved working with him last year as the bench coach. I think he's going to do really well there." Avila and his immediate family, which includes young daughters Avery and Zoey, again are enjoying everything Chicago has to offer, including the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier. "My kids were there quite often last year," Avila said. "(And) I really try to take advantage of the many great restaurants here. That's what my wife, (Kristina), and I like to do on off-days." The Avilas spend the winter months in South Florida where Alex enjoys offshore fishing and "stuff that revolves around the kids — they have a lot of activities that we're taking them to." But Avila has some unfinished business before he can start putting lines back in the water and shepherding his children to different activities. "The last couple of years I haven't had the opportunity to play meaningful games at the end of the season," he said. "This is exciting." -- Chicago Tribune Prepare to pay handsomely for season tickets to Cubs' new premier clubs By Chris Kuc

The Cubs promise the new premier clubs under construction at Wrigley Field will allow some fans to "experience the magic of Cubs baseball and Wrigley Field in a whole new way." Fans purchasing season tickets for the clubs will certainly have to dip into their pocketbooks in a whole new way. Prices for the four new clubs — including the "American Airlines 1914 Club" that will open next season in the lower deck behind home plate —have been revealed, and fans will have to pony up to experience games in luxury. The cost of 600-plus season tickets for the 1914 Club will range from $400-$695 per ticket per game—as much as $56,295 for the 2018 season. The price includes taxes, food, soft drinks, beer, wine and liquor. The most expensive tickets will be closest to the field and decrease in price the higher the row. The clubs set to open in time for opening day 2019 are the "Maker's Mark Barrel Room," located just past the visitor's dugout down the first-base line, where tickets will range from $395-$495 per game and include taxes, food, soft drinks, beer, wine and liquor; and the "W Club" near the left-field corner, with tickets ranging from $285-$375 per game and including the same food and beverage options sans liquor. Tickets for the "Catalina Club," which will be located beneath the press box behind home plate also beginning in 2019, will run from $235-$325 per ticket per game. The Cubs didn't set the ticket prices without doing their due diligence, according to Cale Vennum, the team's vice president of ticketing. "We spent a lot of time coming up with the plan," Vennum said. "We did a lot of work visiting other experiences throughout the country to get a good bead on what were the premier deliverables and prices that some of our counterparts were delivering. "We went to everything in-market in Chicago (and) LA, Minnesota, Atlanta — all over — looking at new buildings (and) experiences before offering (our ticket plans) and then making sure we were still feeling good about the value we were providing to our customers." Ticket buyers sign a contract that includes an escalator clause ranging between 4 to 7 percent to ensure price certainty through the length of the deals that typically will run two, four or six years for the W Club and three, five or seven years for the other three clubs. Vennum said the response for the 1914 Club "has been fantastic" and is trending toward a sellout. Much like at the conclusion of the historic 2016 season, construction on the clubs scheduled to open in 2019 will begin almost immediately after the final pitch of the '17 campaign. The work will include moving both dugouts farther down their respective lines. --