September 22, 2017

Daily Herald, Cubs magic number is 6 after rallying to beat Brewers http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170921/cubs-magic-number-is-6-after-rallying-to-beat-brewers/1

Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs keeping the faith in Lester http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170921/chicago-cubs-keeping-the-faith-in-lester

Daily Herald, Constable: Can Cubs fans grow tired of winning? http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20170921/constable-can-cubs-fans-grow-tired-of-winning

Cubs.com, Goodnight, Kris! Cubs great late vs. Crew http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/255482694/kris-bryant-cubs-defeat-brewers-in-10-innings/

Cubs.com, Replay mania: 5 reviews in Cubs-Crew thriller http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/255529654/cubs-brewers-features-five-replay-reviews/

Cubs.com, Arrieta looks, feels strong in return to mound http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/255522138/cubs-jake-arrieta-returns-against-brewers/

Cubs.com, Lackey, Woodruff up next in Cubs-Crew clash http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/255480514/lackey-woodruff-up-next-in-cubs-crew-clash

Cubs.com, Rivera's family fine after Maria hits Puerto Rico http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/255462838/cubs-rene-riveras-family-fine-in-puerto-rico/

ESPNChicago.com, How the Cubs turned an All-Star break deficit into a chance to put away the Brewers http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45791/how-the-cubs-turned-an-all-star-break-deficit-into-a-chance-to-put-away-the-brewers

ESPNChicago.com, All hands on deck as Cubs win Miller thriller, edge closer to Central title http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45802/all-hands-on-deck-as-cubs-win-miller-thriller-edge-closer-to-central-title

ESPNChicago.com, Real or not? Brewers fans will remember gut-punch loss to the Cubs http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/82914/real-or-not-brewers-fans-will-remember-this-gut-punch-of-a-loss-to-the-cubs

CSNChicago.com, Kris Bryant knocks out Brewers and knows what big-game experience means for Cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/kris-bryant-knocks-out-brewers-and-knows-what-big-game-experience-means-cubs

CSNChicago.com, As Cubs move closer to division title, Jake Arrieta looks ready for October http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-move-closer-division-title-jake-arrieta-looks-ready-october

CSNChicago.com, Cubs say this isn’t the beginning of the end for their ace: ‘I believe in Jon Lester’ http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-say-isnt-beginning-end-their-ace-i-believe-jon-lester

CSNChicago.com, Wade Davis is the big-game hunter Cubs need now - and maybe in the future http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/wade-davis-big-game-hunter-cubs-need-now-and-maybe-future

Chicago Tribune, 'Just an incredible baseball game:' Cubs thrive in extra-inning win over Brewers http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-jake-arrieta-wade-davis-20170921-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Jake Arrieta biggest positive on a night full of them for Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-jake-arrieta-cubs-brewers-haugh-spt-0922-20170921-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Budding rivalry with Brewers gets a jolt from Cubs rallying for victory http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-brewers-budding-rivalry-sullivan-spt-0922-20170922-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Wade Davis gaining confidence amid season-high workload: 'That’s a good sign' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-wade-davis-cubs-closer-20170922-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs come back for thrilling win over Brewers, lowering magic number to 6 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-brewers-spt-0922-20170921-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs insist Jon Lester is healthy and his recent problems are fixable http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-jon-lester-mechanics-cubs-notes-spt-0922-20170921-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Rene Rivera raising money for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-rene-rivera-raise-money-puerto-rico-20170921-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Brewers one pitch away — twice — but Cubs teach newbies a lesson http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/brewers-one-pitch-away-twice-but-cubs-teach-newbies-a-lesson/

Chicago Sun-Times, Minds, bodies in Milwaukee, heavy hearts in Puerto Rico for some Cubs http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/minds-bodies-in-milwaukee-heavy-hearts-in-puerto-rico-for-some-cubs/

Chicago Sun-Times, Jake Arrieta provides an answer for Cubs rotation full of questions http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/jake-arrieta-provides-an-answer-for-cubs-rotation-full-of-questions/

Chicago Sun-Times, Is Kyle Schwarber getting ready to pull another Kyle Schwarber? http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/is-kyle-schwarber-getting-ready-to-pull-another-kyle-schwarber/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs, White Sox weigh in on MLB’s ballpark safety-netting issue http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/white-sox-couldnt-bear-to-watch-frazier-foul-that-struck-girl/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs wives start and pitch in to GoFundMe for Puerto Rico http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-wives-start-and-pitch-in-to-gofundme-for-puerto-rico/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs ace Jon Lester addresses command woes on Twitter http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/lester-on-persistent-command-woes-theres-nothing-physically-wrong/

-- Daily Herald Cubs magic number is 6 after rallying to beat Brewers By Bruce Miles MILWAUKEE -- There were two big story lines heading into Thursday night's Cubs-Brewers game at Miller Park: Jake Arrieta's return to the Cubs' pitching rotation and the race in the National League Central.

Arrieta gave the Cubs what they needed in his first game since he left his Labor Day start in Pittsburgh with a hamstring injury. He worked 5 innings against the Brewers, giving up 5 hits and 1 run. And the Cubs scored the ultimate victory, winning the game 5-3 in 10 innings. Kris Bryant hit a 2-run homer off Oliver Drake to break a 3-3 tie. The Brewers fans in the crowd of 35,114 at Miller Park got up to leave as Bryant rounded the bases, and the Cubs-fan majority cheered as their team reduced its magic number to 6 for winning the National League Central. The Cubs (85-67) increased their lead in the NL Central to 4½ games over the Brewers (81-72). A four-game sweep this weekend by the Cubs will clinch the division. The teams went back and forth against each other's bullpens. The Brewers tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the seventh inning and went ahead in the eighth on a go-ahead single by Eric Thames of Justin Wilson. Javier Baez tied it for the Cubs in the top of the ninth with an RBI single. "Just an incredible baseball game, what I'm sure you guys felt like was a playoff game, just like we did," Arrieta said. "Two teams battling for a division. Four-game series. This is a really awesome time to be in an organization like this and in a division like the NL Central where there's a couple teams that have playoff aspirations on the line. "If we take care of business here over the next few days, we get a couple steps closer." Arrieta wound up throwing 71 pitches, and the velocity on the fastball was good, especially early. He gave up a fourth-inning home run to Domingo Santana. Kyle Schwarber had given the Cubs a 1-0 lead the second with a home run to left-center off Brewers starter Zach Davies. Anthony Rizzo singled a run home in the third. Davies gave it a game effort on a night when the Brewers' bullpen was in need of a rest He worked 7 innings, giving up 7 hits. "That was a pretty special game," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Javy's been there before, the hit in San Francisco (in last year's division series). Almost the same hit up the middle that he had in the playoff game. We had so many opportunities to do better, but so did they. Both teams really wanted to win that game tonight." Bryant's homer was his 28th of the season. "It'd be so nice to see him get toasty right now," Maddon said. The Cubs got good work overall out of their bullpen, with closer Wade Davis working 1⅔ and pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, when the Brewers had two chances to win the game. Davis wound up with 4 strikeouts as he improved to 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA. "That was a lot to lay on him today, but when you come from behind like that and you have a chance to win that game, to lose that game with him still out there just playing catch in the bullpen would have been wrong on my part," Maddon said. "We needed to get him in there." The weekend is far from over, and the Cubs know they're in for a fight. "It's different from last year," Bryant said. "This time last year, we knew we were in. I don't want to say it didn't matter, but we were just kind of on cruise control. Now we've got to win these games, and it's really kind of showing us what we're made of. That's a good thing." --

Daily Herald Chicago Cubs keeping the faith in Lester By Bruce Miles MILWAUKEE -- Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon and general manager Jed Hoyer expressed belief in ace lefty Jon Lester. Even though Lester is 3-1 in September, he has a 5.91 ERA. The ERA wasn't helped by Wednesday's start in Tampa Bay, where Lester was rocked for 8 hits and 7 runs in 4⅓ innings. He did not strike out a batter. Lester was on the disabled list from Aug. 18-Sept. 2 with shoulder fatigue. "Here's how I am about all that: I believe in Jon Lester," Maddon said before Thursday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. "It's unusual to see him struggle like that, primarily with his command, too. "The velocity was down, but it was where the pitches were going. I'm not used to seeing that. Even if the number is down velocity wise, he knows where the pitches are going. So I've got to believe that's going to get rectified soon. "I just want to be very patient with this. I think he's fine. Until I hear that he's not well, which I've not heard at all, I think he'll be fine." Hoyer and team president Theo Epstein had Lester in Boston. They signed him to a six-year, $155 million contract after the 2014 season. He was 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA in 2015. Last year, Lester went 19-9 with a 2.44 ERA, good for second in Cy Young balloting. Overall this year, he is 11-8 with a 4.56 ERA. "I think that obviously he hasn't been at the top of his game recently, but he such a competitor," Hoyer said. "He's always pitched well in big games. Hopefully he'll find it. He's been saying he feels good. He struggled to put some guys away last night. Pretty long track record of bouncing back from bad outings, and hopefully he'll do it again." Concluded Maddon: "Listen, I know a lot of people are concerned. I'm not overly concerned because the guy has been good for a long time. As long as he says he's healthy, which he has, I'm fine. If he's hurting at all that he's not revealing, that's a different story entirely. For right now, I believe he's well." Back to the bullpen: With the return to the rotation of right-hander Jake Arrieta, lefty Mike Montgomery is heading back to the bullpen. Montgomery started Tuesday at Tampa Bay, pitching 6 innings of 1-hit, 1-run ball and getting a victory. "Right now the plan is to put him back in the bullpen," Joe Maddon said. "(Wednesday) was off. Today is off. Maybe by Saturday he might be good to go. I anticipate keeping him in the bullpen." Rondon nears return: Reliever Hector Rondon is close to returning to action, possibly as early as Friday night. He has not pitched since Sept. 8 because of soreness in his right elbow. -- Daily Herald Constable: Can Cubs fans grow tired of winning? By Burt Constable The Chicago Cubs are on the verge of making Major League Baseball's postseason for the third year in a row. The last and only time the franchise managed a postseason three-peat, Teddy Roosevelt was president. Yet some sports fans would rather talk about the Chicago Bears, which are the lousy football version of the even lousier

Chicago Bulls. Could it be that Cubs fans, having finally gotten to the baseball mountaintop, find the prospect of an opening-round playoff series this season a tad humdrum? "You tend to see some playoff fatigue," says Cameron Papp, communications manager for StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace. "The New England Patriots are an extreme example." Fans of the Patriots, which have won five Super Bowls and made the NFL playoffs 13 of the last 14 years, have a "been there, done that" attitude when it comes to early playoff games, and they often are more than willing to sell tickets to those games, Papp says. The Cubs, winner of one straight championship, aren't in that league, but fans still might be willing to sell postseason tickets. Ticket prices on StubHub reached record highs last season when the Cubs gave fans that "once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list" opportunity to see the Cubs become champs, Papp says. Twice-in-a-lifetime opportunities generally cost a little less. "We fully expect that to happen to the Cubs," Papp says, predicting more sellers and lower ticket prices this postseason. StubHub already offers tickets for a first postseason game at Wrigley starting at $199. Even though the supply will be greater, the demand for Cubs' postseason tickets still will be strong, Papp predicts, adding that season ticketholders will be able "to make your money in the playoffs." But to paraphrase French philosopher Voltaire and Spider-Man's Uncle Ben, "With great winning comes great etiquette." The idea of profiting by selling a Cubs postseason ticket is an affront to longtime season-ticket holder John Pellettiere Jr. of Long Grove, who waited a lifetime to see the Cubs win it all last season and would like to see his team do it again this season. The thought of scalping his Cubs tickets entered Pellettiere's head for the first and only time on June 7, 2003. The New York Yankees were coming to Wrigley Field for a nationally televised Saturday game. Pitching legend Roger Clemens was trying to win his 300th game, against Cubs ace Kerry Wood. Cubs season-ticket holders sitting near Pellettiere were offering their seats to Yankee fans for $1,800 a ticket. "Do you understand that our four tickets are worth more than $7,000?" Pellettiere told one of his sons, who immediately responded, "Dad, do you understand that we'll never see this again?" Exactly. Pellettieres kept their tickets. Wood, who threw 120 pitches, beat Clemens 5-2 as backup Eric Karros smacked a clutch 3-run homer after starting first baseman Hee-Seop Choi suffered a bizarre, career-altering head injury on a pop-up. Pellettiere, who also has season tickets for the Chicago Blackhawks, says he knows some fans, spoiled by three Stanley Cups since 2010, who scalp their first-round playoff tickets to help finance their season tickets. He once sold perhaps the most-coveted ticket in Blackhawks' history to his best friend at face value when a family obligation in Colorado forced him to miss the Hawks' victory in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup. But selling a postseason ticket just to make some quick cash? "None of us would think about selling first-round tickets, for the Cubs or the Blackhawks," Pellettiere says. "It's sacrilegious." -- Cubs.com Goodnight, Kris! Cubs great late vs. Crew By Adam McCalvy and Carrie Muskat MILWAUKEE -- This was not the postseason, but it sure felt that way Thursday night at Miller Park as the Cubs and the Brewers traded late-inning blows in Milwaukee's most charged September ballgame in years.

Javier Baez hit a tying two-out RBI single in the ninth, Wade Davis escaped a bases-loaded jam to force extra innings and Kris Bryant's two-run home run in the 10th sent Chicago to a 5-3 win in the opener of a four-game series that could decide the National League Central. "That was a pretty special game," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. The Cubs extended their lead to 4 1/2 games over the second-place Brewers with a week and a half to go, and the Cardinals looming just a half-game behind Milwaukee. If the Cubs, winners of eight of their last nine games, keep winning, they could clinch a second straight division title as soon as Sunday with their magic number now at six. "It was just an incredible baseball game," Cubs starter Jake Arrieta said. "I'm sure it felt to you like a playoff game like it did to us. Two teams battling for the division, four-game series -- this is a really awesome time to be in an organization like this and in a division like the NL Central where there's a couple teams that have playoff aspirations in mind. If we take care of business here, we can get a couple steps closer. This is a tremendous start to the series." The Brewers also missed another chance to gain ground on the Rockies in the race for the second NL Wild Card spot. Milwaukee remained one game behind Colorado after both teams lost Thursday. It marked Milwaukee's second loss in as many nights in an opponents' last at-bat. "It's two tough games but we're still sitting in a pretty good spot," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We can play well for the last nine days and still do something good. Every loss is going to be incredibly tough right now." The Brewers were 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position, including Eric Sogard's tying RBI single in the seventh inning and Eric Thames' go-ahead RBI single in the eighth, but they needed more. Baez's single off fill-in Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress tied the game with the Cubs down to their final strike before Chicago beat another right-hander, Oliver Drake, on Bryant's 28th home run in the 10th. "That's a tough one. The past two nights, we got kicked in our teeth," said Drake. "But we've still got baseball left. We've got three more left against the Cubs, and they're going to be big ones." Maddon said they knew the Brewers' "A" bullpen pitchers were unavailable. "It definitely played in our favor," Maddon said. Playing in the postseason the last two years also helped the Cubs. "We've done that so many times -- I guess it is experience," Bryant said of the late comeback. "Our heartbeats aren't going too fast when the game is on the line there. It kind of plays to our advantage. "This is really showing us what we're made of. It was nice -- their fans were loud, our fans were loud. It's always nice to play here. We get a nice draw from Chicago. Keep 'em coming." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Santana's steal: Brewers right fielder Domingo Santana finished with two hits, including a home run off Arrieta, two runs scored and one pivotal stolen base that helped the Brewers take a lead in the eighth. He doubled off Cubs reliever Justin Wilson, then stole third thanks to a 38.6-foot secondary lead from second base, according to Statcast™, about 10 feet further than the average on successful steals of third. That prompted the Cubs to play their infield in, which allowed Thames to line a single over leaping second baseman Baez for the Brewers' first lead of the night. Speed kills: Even with expanded rosters, the Brewers entered the day in a bullpen bind after using setup man Anthony Swarzak and All-Star closer Corey Knebel each of the previous three nights in Pittsburgh. With that backdrop, starter Zach Davies delivered seven quality innings and Jacob Barnes escaped a jam in the eighth, leaving

the ninth for Jeffress, who inherited a 3-2 lead but found immediate trouble when he was slow covering first base on Ian Happ's infield hit. The call stood upon review after the Brewers challenged, extending the inning long enough for Baez to golf a sinker below the strike zone for his game-tying hit. "I had a lot of conviction in that pitch," Jeffress said. "I was trying to go lower than low. I felt like that was the right pitch at the right time. What are you going to do? I've had a lot of balls sneak through like that." Leaving 'em loaded: The Brewers twice left the bases loaded in the late innings with the game tied, first in the seventh when Ryan Braun scorched an inning-ending groundout -- 105 mph off the bat, according to Statcast™ -- and again in the ninth against Davis. Braun was clipped on the elbow by a pitch and Travis Shaw singled to load the bags with one out for Santana, who struck out. Orlando Arcia then grounded back to the mound to end the threat and send the game into extra innings. "We had a chance in the ninth, certainly, where the strikeout hurt," Counsell said. "[Santana] had an at-bat where he chased out of the zone a couple of times and the strikeout hurt you. You don't put it in play, you put the pressure on the next guy." Davis has been busy, now pitching in five of their last six games. "I've thrown some pitches better than I have in the past month or so and getting good results," Davis said. "That was a lot to lay on him today," Maddon said. "When you come from behind like that and you have a chance to win that game -- to lose that game with him out there playing catch in the bullpen would've been wrong." QUOTABLE "You get used to it up here. I want to believe with the [close race] with Milwaukee, [the fans] will show up in good numbers. I think we just like loud. Even Dodger Stadium, it's just loud. I think we're a little bit of adrenaline junkies and we're used to 40,000 people a night. We just like loud." -- Maddon, on the large contingent of Cubs fans at Miller Park UPON FURTHER REVIEW Between challenges from both dugouts plus two crew-chief reviews, five different plays received a second look at Major League Baseball's replay center on Thursday, including Happ's game-changing dash to first base in the ninth inning and Anthony Rizzo's slide home in the 10th that resulted in a Cubs run coming off the board. More > WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: John Lackey will make his first start since he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes last Friday vs. the Cardinals. He went 4 2/3 innings in that outing. In three starts against the Brewers this season, Lackey is 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA. The only win was at Miller Park on July 30. First pitch on Friday at Miller Park will be at 6:35 p.m. CT. Brewers: Rookie right-hander Brandon Woodruff has already gone toe-to-toe with Bartolo Colon and Max Scherzer; now he will draw another veteran opponent in Lackey when the series continues. Woodruff has held opponents to a .237 batting average in his first six big league starts. This is his first career start against the Cubs. -- Cubs.com Replay mania: 5 reviews in Cubs-Crew thriller By Adam McCalvy and Carrie Muskat MILWAUKEE -- There were two plays at first base, one at third and one at home plate, plus a near home run to boot. The Cubs and Brewers kept Major League Baseball's replay center busy while they battled for the National League Central on Thursday night at Miller Park.

Five times on the way to the Cubs' 5-3 win in 10 innings crew chief Dana DeMuth donned the headset near the visitors' dugout. Here's a rundown of the close plays that dotted a thriller: Third inning: Crew's consolation prize The Cubs took a 2-0 lead on Anthony Rizzo's single through the right side of the infield off Milwaukee starter Zach Davies, but the Brewers were able to get an out on the play. Catcher Stephen Vogt stepped in front of the plate for right fielder Domingo Santana's high throw home and fired a strike to third base, where Travis Shaw applied two tags -- one as Kris Bryant slid in safely and another when it appeared he lost contact with the bag. The initial call was safe, but that was overturned after Brewers manager Craig Counsell challenged. Fifth inning: Cubs turn two It was the Cubs' turn in the fifth, when they turned a beautiful, replay-aided, 3-6-1 double play on Neil Walker. Walker -- who was coming off well-struck singles in his first two at-bats and batting with one out and two aboard for the Brewers' only at-bat with a runner in scoring position against Cubs starter Jake Arrieta -- ripped a ball down to Rizzo and was initially called safe at first base. But replays showed shortstop Addison Russell's throw to a covering Arrieta was in time, and Arrieta got his foot on the bag. "That double play, Neil Walker in the fifth, Rizzo, great play," Arrieta said. "They were able to make a good transfer. I had an idea where the bag was and I just wanted to receive the throw and give myself a chance to be in line with the bag. There were so many plays tonight that could've been the turning point." Ninth inning: Happ's hustle Fill-in Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress inherited a 3-2 lead but found immediate trouble when he was slow covering first base on Ian Happ's infield hit leading off the ninth. Jeffress initially thought it would be second baseman Eric Sogard's ball, but first baseman Walker fielded it instead as Jeffress tried to make up for lost time. The call stood upon review after the Brewers challenged, and it changed the game by extending the inning long enough for Javier Baez to deliver a tying two-out RBI single that sent the game to extra innings. "It felt a little slow at the end, so I don't know if JJ was a little bit late," Counsell said. "I have to look at the play again. Happ hustled down the line. It was a bang-bang play." "That's respecting 90 right there," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Happ's hustle. "It looked to me as though whatever the call was on the field would be the call. That's why the call on the field is so important. I told [Happ] that when he came in the dugout. We have to do that all year long. This time of year, when you don't do that, it stands out. I'm really proud of him." According to Statcast™, Happ sprinted to first base in 4.07 seconds, his fastest time in a non-bunt situation. "A play like that, in that situation, you hit a ball like that, you put your head down and go as hard as you can," Happ said. "Thankfully, I beat him to the bag. I think that's the fastest I've run, biggest situation I've had to get down the line." 10th inning: Two in one The final frame included two crew-chief reviews, including one that took a Cubs insurance run off the scoreboard. First, the umpires checked whether Rizzo's triple had cleared the fence (it did not), then went to the headsets again to look at Rizzo being called safe at home plate on Happ's fielder's-choice grounder. The result of the overturned call was a double play for the Brewers, with Rizzo out on the tag at home. --

Cubs.com Arrieta looks, feels strong in return to mound By Carrie Muskat MILWAUKEE -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon admitted he did not know what to expect from Jake Arrieta, who was back on the mound Thursday night at Miller Park for the first time since Sept. 4, when he exited his start against the Pirates due to a right hamstring strain. Turns out the Cubs' right-hander is just fine. Arrieta did not get a decision in the Cubs' come-from-behind 5-3 victory over the Brewers, but his outing was encouraging as Chicago closes in on a third straight postseason berth and second straight division title. With the win, the Cubs have a 4 1/2-game lead over the Brewers in the National League Central with 10 games to play. The plan was to have Arrieta throw 75 to 80 pitches, and he was pulled after 71 pitches over five innings. The former NL Cy Young Award winner allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out two. After hustling over to cover first base on a double play to end the fifth inning, Maddon decided that was enough for the returning right-hander. "After covering on the double play awkwardly, I thought, 'Let's get him out of there,'" Maddon said. How important is Arrieta to the Cubs? In his 11 starts prior to that Pittsburgh game, he was 7-2 with a 1.69 ERA. "That was really encouraging to all of us," Maddon said of Arrieta's start Thursday. "I did not know what to expect. An injury like that, taking some time off and then coming right back into the swing of things, I thought he was really sharp. I thought his command was really good. "The delivery looked good, the finish looked good. I was really surprised -- and I don't mean that as a negative [toward Arrieta] -- at how good he looked." Arrieta said he didn't feel any discomfort in his right leg after the outing. "I can tell that something happened," Arrieta said. "I think it's the residual feeling of something like that, a hamstring strain. ... [Friday] is the biggest indicator moving forward of how we'll be able to approach this." As far as Arrieta was concerned, the only unknown was how his leg would feel coming out of the batter's box and covering first base, which he had to do on the final play of his start. "I had an idea where the bag was, and I just wanted to receive the throw and give myself a chance to be in line with the bag," Arrieta said. If all goes well, Arrieta will likely get two more regular-season starts, including the finale on Oct. 1 against the Reds at Wrigley Field. That would put him in line to start Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Thursday's win had a postseason vibe, with 35,114 fans at Miller Park, including many boisterous Cubs fans who made the trek north. "It's just good to be back out there," Arrieta said. "These are big games. I want to be a part of as many as I can, especially to try to clinch the division as quick as possible and then line things up for October. "We have to get there first." -- Cubs.com Lackey, Woodruff up next in Cubs-Crew clash By Carrie Muskat The winner of the National League Central could be determined in this four-game series between the Cubs and the Brewers, but both teams are trying to keep things in perspective.

"They're all the most important series," Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said prior to Thursday's opener. "The most important game is the next one on the schedule. I think that's something good teams do is they treat every one the same. That's what we've done. No need to put any more emphasis on a certain game. We know what it means." With a thrilling 10-inning win in the opener on Thursday night, the Cubs increased their NL Central lead over the Brewers to 4 1/2 games while lowering their magic number to six. Milwaukee is one game behind Colorado for the second NL Wild Card spot. "There's one thing I really want to harp [on] and that's 'present tense,'" Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "You don't look too far into the future. You only worry about Thursday night's game and that's it. When this is over, you worry about Friday night's game. You really have to stay focused in the moment." On Friday at Miller Park, it'll be Cubs veteran John Lackey starting against Brewers rookie Brandon Woodruff, who will be making his seventh big league start. Lackey has made seven postseason starts in the last three years. Woodruff, 24, most likely won't be intimidated. He already has had to face Bartolo Colon and Max Scherzer. When Lackey was 24 years old, he was in his second season in the big leagues with the Angels. What's important is today. Maddon isn't the only one with that message to his players. Brewers manager Craig Counsell feels the same way. "These are the games you want to play in," Counsell said. "You feel like you're playing for something. You've worked really hard to get to this point. You've been on a long journey and have earned the right to play in these games. But you feel like there's a lot ahead of you. More than anything, I think you feel like you've earned the right to play in these games and that's what makes it exciting. Everybody looks ahead a little bit, everybody knows what's at stake and what could happen. You should allow yourself to do that." It's September baseball, and they all count. "This is a fun time of year, September, it's getting late in the year," Chicago's Kyle Schwarber said. "To be able to have the kind of race we're in now, it's exciting and it's good for baseball, I think." Things to know about this game • According to Statcast, Woodruff has thrown his four-seam fastball about 62 percent of the time, ranking seventh among pitchers with at least 500 pitches in a starting role this season. In fact, Milwaukee's rotation as a whole has MLB's third-highest fastball rate (also counting two-seamers/sinkers) at nearly 59 percent. • This will be Lackey's first start since he was ejected after arguing balls and strikes, pitching an abbreviated 4 2/3 innings against the Cardinals last Friday. He threw 74 pitches in that outing. So far this season, Lackey is 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA against the Brewers, with his only win on July 30 at Miller Park. • The Cubs' bullpen may get Hector Rondon back for this game. He's been sidelined because of inflammation in his right elbow and hasn't pitched since Sept. 8. Over the last 10 games, Cubs relievers have been lights-out. Wade Davis, Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr. have pitched 18 innings and not given up a run in that stretch. -- Cubs.com Rivera's family fine after Maria hits Puerto Rico By Carrie Muskat MILWAUKEE -- Communication with family and friends in Puerto Rico has been difficult since Hurricane Maria ripped through the island, but Cubs catcher Rene Rivera was able to talk briefly to his mother on Thursday to get an update.

"They're fine, they're in the house," Rivera said. "[I could talk] only for a little bit because phone service was coming and going. They're trying to fix it. They're trying to fix the towers. "I just talked to her for a little bit and they're fine." However, Puerto Rico is not. "It's destroyed. It's destroyed," Rivera repeated. "It was something that she could not explain how bad it is. At least they're alive. They're good. They're in the process to try to rebuild, try to start again, and that's the next step." Cubs rookie catcher Victor Caratini had yet to talk to his family. "They said the streets aren't safe, there's some bridges down," Rivera said of the report he received. "Some rivers are high, so you have to be careful. The government says they want you to stay at your house until at least Saturday. It's not safe to be out there. Everybody's fine. I didn't hear that any people are in bad shape. Everybody's fine." Worth noting • Cubs manager Joe Maddon was still puzzled about what happened on Wednesday in Jon Lester's outing. The left-hander had a difficult time with his command against the Rays and gave up seven runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. "I'm not overly concerned because the guy's been good for a long time," Maddon said Thursday. "As long as he says he's healthy, which he has, I'm fine. If he's hurting, that's a different story entirely. For right now, I believe he's well." This was Lester's fourth start since he was on the disabled list with fatigue in his left shoulder. After the game, Lester said he was fine physically. "I believe in Jon Lester," Maddon said. "It's unusual to see him struggle like that, primarily with his command, too. Even if the number is down velocity-wise, he knows where the pitches are going. I've got to believe that will get rectified soon." • Reliever Hector Rondon, who has been battling inflammation in his right elbow, may be available on Friday. The right-hander has not pitched since Sept. 8. -- ESPNChicago.com How the Cubs turned an All-Star break deficit into a chance to put away the Brewers By Jesse Rogers MILWAUKEE -- The Chicago Cubs' second-half turnaround began with a home run. That isn't a shock, considering the record number of long balls hit this season, but nonetheless, Addison Russell's game-winning blast in the ninth inning of the first game after the All-Star break had a big impact. For a team that struggled through an up-and-down first half, Russell’s shot against the Orioles set the tone for a second-half rise. Thanks to their play in the two months since, the Cubs lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 4½ games as the teams play Game 2 of their four-game series at Miller Park. The standings are reversed from midseason, as the Cubs went into the break trailing by 5½ games. How did the reversal happen?

In that game against the Orioles, the Cubs blew an 8-0 lead, and it was fair to wonder if the break did the world champions any good at all -- until Russell's home run cleared the Camden Yards wall. At that time, the four days off seemed like a much-needed chance to start over, as very little the Cubs tried in the first half reminded anyone of what they did all of last season. They didn’t hit, field or pitch to their capabilities. “It’s on us,” team president Theo Epstein said at the time. “We have to wear the way we played in the first half knowing we can be better.” And then the Cubs were. That first win snowballed into a six-game road winning streak, providing the Cubs the mojo that isn’t always identifiable. They started having fun again, coming up with new hand gestures to acknowledge their teammates when they reached base. And they began to pitch again. A second consecutive short offseason ruined any chance that the Cubs would be ready to throw the ball in April or May. In fact, the Cubs were still in spring mode when it came to their pitching early on. So manager Joe Maddon bided his time until the arms came around. “I always say it starts with pitching,” Maddon explained. “We have to pitch better than good pitching.” They did just that. The starting staff’s second-half ERA is down over a full point, but it wasn’t a meeting or a change in strategy that made the difference. It was time that became the Cubs' friend -- and then a sense of urgency set in. “We know we’re good,” Kris Bryant said. “It just has to show up. No one is panicking in here.” But even their rise in the standings wasn’t a straight line. It felt more like one or two steps up the ladder, followed by one down -- mostly because of a maddening offense. Double-digit run-scoring days followed by a fight to score at all. But time was on their side, and even the offense started to give off a 2016 feel. “We have to move the ball more,” Maddon often said during the inconsistent times. He means contact -- making more contact in crucial situations was essential. In the first half, the Cubs were last in baseball at getting a runner home from third base with less than two outs, successful just 45 percent of the time. That has slowly changed, to the point that they score in that situation about half the time, which is about league average. Depth played a role as well. Epstein built the Cubs so they would not fall apart with a handful of injuries or underachieving performances. When Russell went down with a foot ailment, Javier Baez stepped right in. When Jake Arrieta or Jon Lester went down, lefty Mike Montgomery and newcomer Jose Quintana picked up the slack. Slowly but surely, the Cubs made their move. “Their mental energy is at a season high right now, and it’s fun to watch,” Maddon said during the seven-game win streak that ended Wednesday. It’s said that teams can’t turn it on and off in baseball, but the Cubs might be the exception. A sleepy first half has turned into a dynamic march to the postseason, despite the rough patches. They’ll attempt to finish the job by putting away the upstart Brewers once and for all this weekend. “Nothing is given to you,” Maddon said. “You have to take it.” The Brewers are attempting to take what the Cubs own right now: the division title. The next few days might be Milwaukee’s last stand. The Cubs hope it’s a steppingstone to even bigger things to come. --

ESPNChicago.com All hands on deck as Cubs win Miller thriller, edge closer to Central title By Jesse Rogers MILWAUKEE -- From the jaws of defeat, the Chicago Cubs stole a victory from the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday after the Brewers almost stole it from them first. If Game 1 of the four-game weekend showdown between the two teams is any indication, we’re in for a heck of a ride as the Cubs are inching their way to another National League Central title -- thanks in part to Thursday’s 5-3, 10-inning victory. “Just an incredible baseball game,” Cubs starter Jake Arrieta said after the Cubs stretched their lead over the second-place Brewers to 4½ games with 10 to play. “Two teams battling for a division. ... This is really an awesome time to be in an organization like this and a division like the NL Central where there are a couple teams who have playoff aspirations in mind. Just a tremendous start to the series. “There were so many plays tonight that could have been the turning point -- it’s hard to pinpoint one.” Arrieta went five innings in his return from a hamstring injury, throwing 71 pitches and looking as sharp as could be expected. His return could be huge considering the (negative) results teammate Jon Lester has been getting lately. If Arrieta picks up where he left off before he got hurt, he would have to be strongly considered for a Game 1 start in the postseason. “The only unknown was getting out the box or covering first base,” Arrieta said of testing the hamstring. He did just fine covering first on a nifty 3-6-1 double play, just one of the eye-popping moments in a game full of them. But not all went as planned. With Arrieta able to go only five innings due to pitch-count limitations, Cubs manager Joe Maddon needed perfection out of his top four relievers to claim victory at Miller Park. But a 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit as once again walks from his relief staff came back to haunt, and Maddon was forced to turn to struggling lefty Justin Wilson, who gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth. But that’s when the fun began. Ian Happ beat out an infield hit to lead off the Cubs' ninth, and the tying run was aboard. “You just put your head down and go as hard as you can, and thankfully I beat him to the bag,” the rookie outfielder said. “I think that’s the fastest I’ve run in the biggest situation.” A few batters later, Happ was on second with two out and Javier Baez was the plate. If there is one advantage the Cubs have over the Brewers, it’s experience. They said as much before and after the game. Baez has been in this situation several times, and he came through with a two-strike single up the middle to tie the game. The second baseman put away his big swing and opted to take what was given to him. “Javy has been there before,” Maddon said. “The two strikes. Almost the same hit he had up the middle in the playoff game.” The hit Thursday looked very much like the one he produced last fall in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants. It led to the Cubs popping champagne after winning a playoff round, just as it might lead to more bubbly if Chicago can close out the division. After tying the game, the Cubs still had some work to do. Closer Wade Davis was called upon in the ninth inning and eventually needed to get out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam. He struck out Domingo Santana, then got Orlando Arcia to ground one back to him. “Watching Wade Davis pitch was awesome,” Happ said. “Watching Wade compete there. Man, that’s really impressive. He never panics. He has such an unbelievable presence on the mound.”

Davis would strike out the side in the 10th to earn the win, completing an incredible seven days during which he's pitched in five games -- with two outings of more than three outs. The right-hander has been amazing. “I actually felt better when I went out for the second inning so that’s a good sign,” Davis said. “I feel great. I’ve always gotten a little bit stronger as the season’s gone on.” Davis wasn’t afraid to throw a breaking pitch on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and the winning run at third. That says everything you need to know about his makeup. “That was a lot to lay on him today,” Maddon said. “To lose that game with him still in the bullpen would have been wrong on my part.” Maddon pulled out all the stops, using several double switches to get his relievers into the right spots in the batting order. At least he had his top arms available, whereas the Brewers were short a couple because of recent workloads. The Cubs took advantage, with Baez coming through in the ninth against Jeremy Jeffress instead of regular closer Corey Knebel, before Kris Bryant hit the go-ahead, two-run homer off Oliver Drake, who has a 4.62 ERA. “Part of it was their ‘A’ bullpen was unavailable,” Maddon admitted. To lose the game without Milwaukee pitching its top guys while the Cubs had theirs on the mound could have been devastating. But talent, experience and poise took over, leading to a heart-stopping victory that could have nailed down the division. The final two innings that turned things in the Cubs' favor began with a rookie running his heart out. It represented what the Cubs were on this night. “Respect 90,” Maddon said, repeating the mantra about running hard for the 90 feet between bases. “That’s what it’s all about.” -- ESPNChicago.com Real or not? Brewers fans will remember gut-punch loss to the Cubs By David Schoenfield If the Milwaukee Brewers end up missing the playoffs by one game, their fans are going to spend all winter having nightmares about Thursday's ninth inning. It was a great game at Miller Park against the Chicago Cubs, a game that had that postseason feel, with tension and deeper breaths between pitches and players hanging over the dugout railing and Brewers fans cheering loudly -- half enthusiastically, half nervous energy. With a slim chance at chasing down the Cubs in the NL Central -- a four-game series sweep would mean the Brewers move into first place -- the series opener was essentially a must-win game for Milwaukee. Win and they would be 2.5 games back with nine left and have a puncher's chance; lose and they're 4.5 back. With an overworked bullpen, the Brewers needed a strong effort from Zach Davies, and he delivered, departing after seven innings with a 2-2 tie. The Brewers scored the go-ahead run in the eighth as Domingo Santana doubled, swiped third against a sleepy Justin Wilson, and then scored as Eric Thames lined a single over the drawn-in second baseman. Then came the ninth inning. Corey Knebel and Anthony Swarzak were unavailable after pitching three days in a row. Josh Hader had pitched twice in three days and thrown 42 pitches. So Craig Counsell had to dig deep into his bullpen. He called on Jeremy Jeffress, the former Brewers closer reacquired at the trade deadline, who had thrown 30 pitches Wednesday.

The inning started with Ian Happ beating out an infield hit. Here's the play. Note what went wrong: 1. Neil Walker -- who had played 64 innings at first in his career -- ranged well off first base to field the ball. But look at second baseman Eric Sogard. He was in position to make the play. 2. Jeffress hesitated just a bit coming off the mound. If he gets to first a blink quicker, Happ is out. 3. Happ chugged it down the line. This kid is a terrific athlete. Still, you have to get the out there. Javier Baez would later tie the game with a two-out, two-strike little grounder up the middle. Just like Knebel's errant toss to first hurt them in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates, infield defense was once again painful. In the bottom of the ninth, the Brewers loaded the bases with one out against Wade Davis. Joe Maddon went to five infielders. Santana struck out on a fastball up and out of the strike zone. Orlando Arcia worked the count to 3-1, took a cutter down the middle and then bounced back to the mound. The Brewers would strand 12 runners. They fanned 11 times (they have the second-most 10-strikeout games in the majors with 78). You knew what was coming next. Hello, Kris Bryant: Bryant had actually been terrible in the big moments all season, hitting .162 in late & close situations before this game. I guess he was due. The Brewers fell to 4-10 in extra-inning games. How many similar moments were there in some of those losses? We don't talk enough about the little things that can decide a baseball game. On this night, they did. One final note. I'm not going to pound Counsell for not using his best relievers. Nobody pitches four days in a row anymore -- it has happened only nine times all season (Edwin Diaz and Jerry Blevins did it twice, plus Jose Alvarez, Peter Moylan, Hansel Robles, Fernando Salas and Nick Vincent). Knebel had thrown 44 pitches over his three outings. Here's how many those others had thrown in their first three outings: Alvarez: 26 Blevins: 22 Blevins: 22 Diaz: 42 Diaz: 51 Moylan: 34 Robles: 36 Salas: 15 Vincent: 37 Mariners manager Scott Servais used Diaz twice for a fourth day despite similar pitch totals to Knebel. He's also the most comparable pitcher to Knebel, a hard-throwing closer. If there was ever a game to use Knebel for a fourth straight game, this would have been it. (To be fair, Jeffress wasn't hit.) Anyway, the NL Central race is just about over, but the wild card is still in the play. The Brewers remain a game behind the Rockies. I predict Knebel, Swarzak and Hader will be available if needed Friday. Wild-card winner of the night. You know how this is going to end, America. Baseball writers, you might as well reserve your World Series hotel rooms in St. Louis right now. The Rockies lost 3-0 to the Padres, the Brewers lost, and the Cardinals are now just 1.5 behind the Rockies for the second wild card. Wild-card loser of the night. The Angels lost 4-1 to the Indians in an afternoon game, and then the Twins pounded the hapless Tigers 12-1. So the Angels dropped 2.5 behind the Twins and have actually been caught by the Rangers, who completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners. Hmm. Cardinals-Rangers World Series?

Indians win again. I just mentioned that. Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer in the game, his 32nd, and they've won 27 of 28 games, which is an incredible thing to type. Here's another to look at it: Lindor's surge during this streak -- he has hit .349 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs -- is earning him some MVP talk. I'm going to disagree. The entire season counts. Jose Ramirez has an OBP 30 points higher and slugging percentage 64 points higher with good defensive metrics while playing two positions. Ramirez is still the best MVP candidate on the Indians, although Lindor has maybe climbed into the top five or six overall. Jose Bautista's Blue Jays career might be winding down. The Royals beat the Jays 1-0 as Jason Vargas and four relievers combined on a two-hitter. Bautista hit cleanup, as he has been doing since late August but went 0-for-4. At one point, the fans in right field starting chanting his name, as if their collective will alone could summon some greatness from Bautista. Back in spring training, the popular story was Bautista was poised for a big season, ready to prove everyone who ignored him in free agency had made a mistake. He was forced to take a one-year deal from Toronto. Instead, he has had a miserable season, hitting .203/.309/.369. Injuries aren't an excuse, as he has played 148 of the Jays' 153 games. Manager John Gibbons moved him from second or third in the lineup to leadoff back in late June in an attempt to get going, and then to cleanup. Bautista never did get going. Of 148 qualified hitters, Bautista ranks 139th in wOBA. Once one of the most feared hitters in the game, he has been one of the worst in 2017. As Dave Cameron wrote a couple days ago on FanGraphs, this could be it for Bautista. He turns 37 in October, will be coming off a bad season and has limited defensive value, and nobody wanted him last offseason. There's certainly the sense that at the minimum his Blue Jays career is coming to an end: Gibbons says #BlueJays dugout would love to see another memorable Jose Bautista moment this weekend. "I know everybody's rooting for him" The Blue Jays wrap up their home schedule this weekend against the Yankees before finishing with a road trip to Boston and New York. Let's hope he gives Blue Jays fans one final home run. -- CSNChicago.com Kris Bryant knocks out Brewers and knows what big-game experience means for Cubs By Patrick Mooney MILWAUKEE – Teammates swarmed Kris Bryant in Miller Park’s visiting dugout late Thursday night, flinging sunflower seeds and forming a mosh pit around the National League’s reigning MVP. Are you not entertained? The Cubs haven’t always played with this urgency or made it easy while nursing a World Series hangover. But they can feel it now, how close they are to October and how much they learned last year while making history. It’s too early to pop champagne bottles, but the Cubs won a huge swing game in the NL Central race, beating the Milwaukee Brewers in the 10th inning when Bryant blasted Oliver Drake’s 92-mph fastball off a beam underneath the gigantic video board. The Cubs watched it ricochet back onto the right-center field grass for a go-ahead two-run homer, bumping up the division lead to 4.5 games while cutting the magic number to clinch the division down to six. After a head-spinning 5-3 victory that lasted 3 hours and 57 minutes and ended at 11:08 p.m., Bryant didn’t sound surprised or overexcited, the same way he didn’t overreact when the Cubs struggled to gain traction before the All-Star break and the Brewers swept the defending World Series champs two weekends ago at Wrigley Field.

“We’ve done that so many times,” Bryant said. “We’ve had a nice run with that. I guess it is experience. The heartbeats aren’t going too fast when the game’s on the line there. It kind of plays to our advantage.” So did the Brewers pushing their bullpen so hard this week trying to catch up that Cubs manager Joe Maddon would have to admit “their A-listers were not available,” meaning Corey Knebel, Anthony Swarzak and Josh Hader. Classic response from Bryant, who has 28 homers and likes to think of pitchers as nameless, faceless opponents: “I didn’t find out their top three guys were down until after the game was over.” Maybe that changes the ninth-inning rally against Jeremy Jeffress where Ian Happ sprinted for a “Respect 90” single and scored the game-tying run when Javier Baez delivered a two-out, two-strike single up the middle. But the Cubs are in their element now, playing games that matter, not what-if. “I just think we like loud,” Maddon said. “I think we’re a little bit like adrenaline junkies with the fact we’re used to 40,000 people a night.” Just look at the stone face Wade Davis made in the ninth inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam by striking out Domingo Santana swinging at an elevated 95-mph fastball and forcing Orlando Arcia to chop a 3-2 pitch back to the mound. The All-Star closer who’s 32-for-32 in save chances went back out for the 10th inning and struck out the side to notch the win. That is a five-out playbook Maddon can use in October. “You definitely feel it,” Davis said of the playoff atmosphere in a road stadium filled with Cubs fans. “It’s a lot easier to get up for the moment itself instead of having to create it yourself. You feel that.” -- CSNChicago.com As Cubs move closer to division title, Jake Arrieta looks ready for October By Patrick Mooney MILWAUKEE – This was the type of game Jake Arrieta visualizes, a loud atmosphere with 35,114 fans on their feet and an opponent that really doesn’t like the Cubs at all. This one would ultimately be out of his hands, lasting 10 innings and almost 4 hours on Thursday night at Miller Park, but Arrieta looked like a Game 1 starter as the Cubs roared back for a 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Those playoff plans are coming into focus, the magic number to win the National League Central title down to six and Arrieta managing the Grade 1 right hamstring strain that has been one of the biggest question marks hanging over the defending World Series champs. “It’s just good to be back out there,” Arrieta said. “These are big games, and I want to be a part of as many as I can, especially to try and clinch the division as quick as possible and then kind of line things up for us in October. But we got to get there first.” Arrieta threw his first real pitch in 18 days at 7:16 p.m., firing a 92-mph fastball toward Brewers leadoff guy Eric Sogard and giving the Cubs a shot of adrenaline. That always wears off, but the Cubs are a different team when Arrieta sticks his chest out and triggers his perfect posture into a crossfire delivery. Arrieta looked sharp in his first real action since Labor Day, even as his five-inning, 71-pitch limit exposed how fragile this pitching staff might be right now. If it’s not Jon Lester laboring at the top of the rotation, it’s the softer spots in the middle of the bullpen, or questions about how much wear and tear the Cubs can take after a deep playoff run in 2015 and last year’s World Series madness stretched into early November. But Arrieta basically picked up where he left off as the NL pitcher of the month for August, realigning his unique mechanics and generating enough power from his right leg, restarting the momentum in a second half where he’s shown the flashes of dominance you saw during his 2015 Cy Young Award season.

Arrieta exited this game with a 2-1 lead – before it spun out of control – and passed one test by hustling to cover first base to complete an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play in the fifth. He walked just one of the 20 hitters he faced and could really only regret one pitch in the fourth inning, the 92-mph fastball Domingo Santana drilled off the batter’s eye in center field. “I felt OK,” Arrieta said. “I can tell that something happened. I think it’s just the residual feeling of something like a hamstring strain. But no pain, really no discomfort. That’s a good sign. “Tomorrow is the biggest indicator moving forward of how we’ll be able to approach this. I don’t see any reason that I won’t feel good tomorrow.” Arrieta is scheduled to make two more regular-season starts, but this dramatic comeback means the Cubs might be able to treat those as controlled experiments instead of must-win situations. “Just an incredible baseball game,” Arrieta said. “This is a really awesome time to be in an organization like this, in a division like the NL Central, where there’s a couple teams that have playoff aspirations in mind. If we take care of business here over the next few days, we get a couple steps closer.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs say this isn’t the beginning of the end for their ace: ‘I believe in Jon Lester’ By Patrick Mooney MILWAUKEE – Cubs executives bet on Jon Lester because they had so much inside information from their time together with the Boston Red Sox and believed he would age gracefully with his fluid left-handed delivery, imposing physical presence and competitive personality. The Cubs also went into it with their eyes wide open, knowing the history of nine-figure contracts for pitchers and how those megadeals usually lead to a crash. “I think it’s way too early to talk about that,” general manager Jed Hoyer said Thursday at Miller Park, where Lester’s mysterious struggles overshadowed the beginning of a four-game showdown against the Milwaukee Brewers that could decide the National League Central race. The night before at Tropicana Field, Lester got rocked in an 8-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving him with a 5.91 ERA in four September starts since coming off the disabled list. Lester has a body of work that will make him a borderline Hall of Famer, but he’s given up 27 hits and 12 walks in 21.1 innings since the Cubs activated him after a left lat tightness/general shoulder fatigue diagnosis in the middle of August. “With any pitcher, you want to have that guy pitching at the top of his game going into October,” Hoyer said. “There’s no question. The timing of last night’s game, obviously, isn’t ideal. But we have two starts and we’ll hope he bounces back from that. We can’t control the timing.” Almost exactly halfway through a six-year, $155 million commitment, the Lester investment has already paid for itself, because the Cubs are the defending World Series champs and couldn’t have done it without him. Period. But Lester is also 33 years old and has already thrown almost 2,200 innings in The Show, plus nearly another season in 14 career playoff series. “Nope, nope, nope,” manager Joe Maddon said when asked if Lester was getting examined. “Listen, I know a lot of people are concerned,” Maddon said. “I’m not overly concerned, because the guy’s been good for a long time. As long as he says he’s healthy – which he has – I’m fine. If he’s hurting at all – but he’s not revealing – that’s a different story entirely. “But for right now, I believe he’s well, so I anticipate good.”

Maddon’s answers left a little wiggle room, but Lester didn’t want to make excuses and said there’s nothing wrong physically. If that’s the case, it would be foolish to write off someone who’s survived a cancer scare, thrived in the American League East, embraced the challenge of playing in two of baseball’s biggest markets and won three World Series rings. “He has evolved as a pitcher,” Hoyer said. “When we first had him with the Red Sox, he was throwing 97 (mph). With most guys, you have to get past that loss of velocity, and the great ones do that. “He’s always thrown hard, but he’s been kind of 93-94 tops the last few years. He’s got four pitches. He’s got a good sinker now. He’s got a good cutter. A changeup, curveball – they all come out of the same place. I think right now it’s about making some mistakes at the wrong time, and his stuff hasn’t been probably as dominant as he would want.” This could just be a blip on the radar. But the Cubs didn’t earn the luxury of treating late September like spring training and warming up for the playoffs. These games matter, and that usually brings out the best in their ace. “I believe in Jon Lester,” Maddon said, writing it off as a few “hiccup” games. “It’s unusual to see him struggle like that, primarily with his command. The velocity was down – but where the pitches were going – I’m not used to seeing that. “I got to believe that’s going to get rectified soon. Guys like him, I’m normally not into physical mechanics this time of the year. But I’d bet if, in fact, there’s something wrong, it’s going to be more mechanically speaking. “I just want to be very patient about this. I think he’s fine. Until I hear that he’s not well – which I’ve not heard at all – I think he’ll be fine.” -- CSNChicago.com Wade Davis is the big-game hunter Cubs need now - and maybe in the future By Patrick Mooney ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The origin story of Wade Davis transforming into a dominant closer goes back several years ago and involves a black bear on Canadian hunting grounds about 90 minutes outside of Toronto. This is the rare animal that didn’t make the video tribute the Tampa Bay Rays cut for Cubs manager Joe Maddon when their ex-zookeeper returned this week to Tropicana Field. But if Davis could stay cool facing a 300-something-pound beast, Maddon reasoned, then a late-inning jam shouldn’t seem so daunting. “You don’t get much reaction from Wade,” Dave Martinez, Maddon’s longtime bench coach, said on the Cubs Talk podcast. “What you see is what you get. I (asked): ‘Hey, I got a place to go bear hunting, you guys want to go?’ “If you can imagine (Wade) and Jeff Niemann — Jeff Niemann’s 6-10 — they sat up in a tree stand. They saw a black bear come out and he shot it. I wish we had the video. The video’s floating around somewhere. “We were just talking about it the other day. (Former Rays travel director) Jeff Ziegler went with us, too, and he never did get his bear rug. And he got a little bent out of shape about it.” Martinez doesn’t know where that trophy wound up. But Davis remains the big-game hunter the Cubs need now — and maybe for the future. “I’m not thinking past the next two weeks, honestly,” team president Theo Epstein said. “It’s bad form to be talking about offseason stuff at this time of the year.

“He’s had a great year. He’s been perfect in save situations. He’s been a leader out there. Any team would love to have him. But we’re not into the winter yet.” Are the Cubs willing to pay the price for an All-Star, World-Series-tested closer? Can they afford not to? Epstein’s front office has been philosophically opposed to making long-term investments in closers. But the Cubs are running out of young hitters to trade for short-term fixes, shipping an elite prospect (Gleyber Torres) to the New York Yankees in last summer’s blockbuster Aroldis Chapman deal and getting Davis by moving a diminishing asset (Jorge Soler) to the Kansas City Royals in a winter-meetings swap. The Cubs also haven’t seen that alternative ninth-inning solution organically develop this season. It’s hard to picture the Cubs just handing Carl Edwards Jr. the closer’s job heading into his second full season in the big leagues. Pedro Strop also looks more like a very good setup guy than a first-choice candidate to be the 2018 closer. Justin Wilson (5.79 ERA) hasn’t distinguished himself since coming over from the Detroit Tigers at the July 31 trade deadline, the Cubs now using the lefty reliever in low-leverage/mop-up situations to help restore his game. Hector Rondon — who has 77 saves in a Cubs uniform and a checkered medical history — is dealing with right elbow inflammation. All those moving pieces make Davis (32-for-32 in save chances) an anchor heading into the four-game showdown against the Milwaukee Brewers that begins Thursday night at Miller Park, where Jake Arrieta will be making his first start since straining his right hamstring on Labor Day and limited to 75-80 pitches. The Cubs have a 3.5-game lead on a Brewers team that hasn’t gone away yet and a single-digit magic number (eight) to clinch the National League Central. Maddon has already signaled that he will deploy Davis for multiple innings when necessary. “It’s a good feeling to know that he can do it,” Martinez said. “But all in all, you still have to have these other guys contribute, which they have, and get all the bullpen onboard. “Now each moment is critical and moving forward they’re going to be put in some pretty tough situations. Each one of them has to step up and do their jobs. “Do we count on Wade? Absolutely. But we also count on these other guys to go out there and perform.” During the All-Star festivities in Miami, Davis said “some of that seems unrealistic” when asked about the massive free-agent contracts the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers gave Chapman (five years, $86 million) and Kenley Jansen (five years, $80 million) last winter. But this October will be another huge platform for Davis, who said it already felt like that all season at Wrigley Field. “Every game, there’s always a constant buzz here,” Davis said. “They’re into it. They’re getting loud. It’s a great atmosphere all year long.” -- Chicago Tribune 'Just an incredible baseball game:' Cubs thrive in extra-inning win over Brewers By Mark Gonzales After reflecting on several plays that could have been the turning point in the Cubs' 5-3 victory over the Brewers in 10 innings Thurday evening, Jake Arrieta perfectly summed up the events. "Just an incredible baseball game," Arrieta said after the Cubs pulled out all the stops to finally beat the Brewers and cut their magic number for winning the National League Central to six.

"I’m sure what you guys felt like was a playoff game, just like we did," said Arrieta, who pitched five innings of one-run ball in his first start since suffering a right hamstring strain on Sept. 4. "Two teams battling for a division, a four-game series. This is a really awesome time to be in an organization like this, and a division like the National League Central, where there are a couple teams with playoff aspirations in mind. "If we take care of business here over the next few days, we’ll get a couple steps closer." Closer Wade Davis, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, concurred with Arrieta's assessment of the playoff-type atmosphere. "It is right now," Davis said. "(This) was a game we needed to win. If we can win a couple more here, it would be good. You can feel it. You definitely get up for the momentum itself instead of having to create it yourself." Arrieta said his hamstring felt "OK" as he had to cover first base twice, and manager Joe Maddon elected to pull him after Arrieta stretched far to catch a throw at first base to complete a double play and end his performance at five innings and 71 pitches. "I can tell that something happened, but it’s just the residual feeling of something like that (injury)," Arrieta said. "Something like a hamstring strain, but no pain, no discomfort. That's a good sign. But Friday is the biggest indicator of moving forward of how we’ll be able to approach this." Arrieta is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday night at St. Louis, which could be a division-clinching game. "These are big games, and I want to be involved in as many as we can," Arrieta said. "We'll try to clinch and line things up for us in October. But we got to get there first." -- Chicago Tribune Jake Arrieta biggest positive on a night full of them for Cubs By David Haugh If the Cubs had to choose Thursday between beating the Brewers and Jake Arrieta returning to form, they would have chosen the latter. Winning the National League Central means little without a healthy Arrieta around to help the Cubs go deep in the playoffs, their ultimate goal. So while the Cubs celebrated wildly in the dugout after a dramatic, statement-making 5-3 comeback in 10 innings to increase their division lead to 4 1/2 games, the biggest takeaway occurred earlier when Arrieta looked like the Jake the North Side loves — and the National League fears. Chicago unofficially welcomed playoff-style baseball back when Javier Baez, down to his last strike, tied the game with a two-out, ninth-inning single and closer Wade Davis got the last five outs but Arrieta earlier captured the city's postseason imagination with his first outing in 17 days. "I didn't know what to expect (from Arrieta),'' Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I thought he was really sharp. I was really surprised at how good he looked.'' Arrieta's line: Five innings pitched, five hits, one earned run, one walk, two strikeouts, 24 happy teammates and millions of relieved Cubs fans. Showing good command and velocity, Arrieta popped his fastball as high as 94 mph and mixed his pitches as well as before the injury. Arrieta labored in his fifth and final inning, leaving with a 2-1 lead the Brewers erased two innings later. But the right-hander showing familiar stuff meant as much in the context of this Cubs season than the bullpen blowing it.

Of the 71 pitches Arrieta threw at Miller Park, none left a deeper impression than the catch he made covering first base in the fifth. Racing over on his healed right hamstring, Arrieta stretched as shortstop Addison Russell's throw hit his glove to complete a slick inning-ending double play that first baseman Anthony Rizzo started. First-base umpire Carlos Torres originally ruled Neil Walker safe but a reversal on replay review required 90 seconds – much longer than it took to conclude Arrieta made major progress in his first start since Sept. 4. "The effort was in the right place, I felt like I had good command,'' said Arrieta, who downplayed any discomfort. "I could tell that something had happened but it was a residual feeling. The real test will come (Friday).'' Looking at the big picture, Arrieta pitched well enough to offset any unsettling feelings about Jon Lester. Both general manager Jed Hoyer and Maddon sounded concerned pre-game about the Cubs' supposed ace with a 5.08 earned-run average since July 1. Nobody wants to overreact to Lester's struggles but every vote of confidence comes across as an abstention. "I just want to be very patient about this,'' Maddon said. "I think he's fine.'' Lester has two more starts to prove it, conceivably enough time still to be the Game 1 starter in a playoff series — if the Cubs hold off the pesky Brewers. Barring a setback, Arrieta lines up to start Game 2. Kyle Hendricks, imitating his 2016 self lately, figures to go Game 3 at Wrigley Field with Jose Quintana looking like a Game 4 fit. "Quintana looks fresh to me, thriving in the moment,'' Maddon said. After a summer full of inconsistency, Maddon knows the moments created in the fall will be the ones that matter most — ones like an action-packed Thursday night produced. An enthusiastic Maddon took one step into the dugout before batting practice when the 90-degree humidity immediately announced its presence. "Oh, my God, it's so warm here,'' he said. The muggy weather felt like July but the baseball vibe definitely resembled October, thanks largely to the heat applied by the Brewers, one of the best stories in baseball. They returned home having won often enough down the stretch for Craig Counsell to likely finish ahead of Maddon on most Manager of the Year ballots. The Cubs ultimately benefited from the Brewers' emergence, which created a 51/2 game lead at the All-Star break that was the best cure imaginable for their World Series hungover. Since that point, the Cubs have the best record in the National League. "It's good to be pressed,'' Maddon said. "It's good for us. It's good for baseball.'' It only promises to get better given the talent in the Brewers system. With an air of wistfulness, Hoyer looks at the 2017 Brewers, young and loose and fearless, and sees the 2015 Cubs. "Maybe they weren't supposed to be doing this but they're just having fun — and they're good,'' Hoyer said before the game. Yet good seats remained available at "Wrigley North.'' Cubs fans again made their presence felt, such as when the crowd of 35,114 roared after Kyle Schwarber homered to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. The most confused guy at the park must have been Ryan Braun, greeted every at-bat by boos loudly enough to match the cheers. An appreciative Maddon called the Cubs "adrenaline junkies" who don't care if they get cheered or booed away from home as long as the place is loud. "It's one of those things that you kind of get used to,'' Maddon said of the Cubs fan coup. Even Maddon's counterpart conceded. Counsell marveled how the transformation "creates a great atmosphere.'' "It's not new to us,'' Counsell said. "I get irritated by other things. I look at it as Brewers fans selling their tickets to go to more Brewers games. Sell one so you can come to five. That's good business.''

Game 1 of the series was all pleasure for the Cubs. "That,'' Maddon said, "was a special game.'' -- Chicago Tribune Budding rivalry with Brewers gets a jolt from Cubs rallying for victory By Paul Sullivan With four of the six division races already decided before school resumed, baseball desperately needs the Cubs and Brewers to put on a show this weekend. All the pieces certainly are in place to make it happen: Big city vs. small. Scrappy, low-paid team vs. overconfident World Series champions. Loud, beer guzzling fans vs. louder beer guzzling fans. ESPN, Fox and TBS will televise games the next three days, giving the nation a taste of a divisional race no one predicted last spring. But before the Cubs 5-3 victory over the Brewers on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game showdown, no one seemed quite sure if this rivalry would have legs. "Obviously they're a fun, young team and they've played us really hard this year," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said of the Brewers. "So for 2017, certainly. But then I think they're going to be here for a while. It has the potential to turn into something really fun, but calling it that is hard because obviously a rivalry is Cubs-Cardinals, with more history." The only historical moment in a Cubs-Brewers game was when WGN-AM 720 broadcaster Ron Santo yelled "Oh, nooooo" when Brant Brown dropped a fly ball at Milwaukee's County Stadium to blow a game in the final week of 1998. So maybe this is where the rivalry really begins, in a tense game in a tight race on a pleasant night at Miller Park, with 35,114 fans of both stripes chanting and screaming from beginning to end. The ending was about as good as a pennant race gets, from Javier Baez's two-out, two-strike game-tying single in the ninth, to Wade Davis escaping a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning to Kris Bryant's two-run, go-ahead home run in the 10th. Just when you thought it was over, they pulled you back in. The triumph extended the Cubs lead over the Brewers to 4 1/2 games in the National League Central. As usual, at least half of the crowd was Chicago-centric, though manager Joe Maddon said that probably wouldn't be a factor. "We just went through that almost at Tampa Bay," Maddon said. "It's one of those things you kind of get used to. You get used to it up here. I want to believe though, that with the situation in Milwaukee, their fans are going to show up in pretty good numbers here.

"I just think we like loud … I think we're a little bit like adrenaline junkies with the fact we're used to 40,000 people a night. So I don't know that it really matters as much." In other words, the Cubs don't mind being hated as there's some real passion involved. "It's OK to be booed once in a while," he said. "It's good for the soul. We like loud." If that's the case, they got what they wanted on Thursday, and it should be even more raucous the next three games. The Brewers once had a great rivalry with a Chicago team, though it was with the White Sox during the 1990s when Milwaukee still played in the American League. Back in 1993, Sox announcers Ken "Hawk" Harrelson and Tom Paciorek accused the Brewers of throwing at Sox hitters, which prompted manager Phil "Scrap Iron" Garner to retort: "Obviously, they are two idiots. My challenge is for them to come down here and I'll fight them right now." It didn't happen, but Garner did wind up fighting Sox coach Doug Mansolino. Two years later the Sox and Brewers had two bench-clearing brawls in less than one month — one involving Pat Listach charging the mound after Rob Dibble threw at him and another that featured a rare, managerial fight in which the Sox's Terry Bevington put Garner in a headlock. Can you imagine the Twittersphere's reaction if Maddon put Craig Counsell in a headlock? The following year, a newspaper ad for a Sox-Brewers telecast depicted a cartoon Bevington with a giant brain and a thought balloon over his head that read: "I will outsmart Scrap Iron!" Bevington blamed the media for blowing the rivalry out of proportion, calling it "women's stuff." A couple days later, Sox outfielder Tony Phillips took himself out of a game at County Stadium, went out to the bleachers in his street clothes and punched out a fan who had been taunting him all night. Now that was a rivalry. This remains a rivalry in progress. Hating the Cubs is easy enough. But not enough Cubs fans truly dislike the Brewers, with the obvious exception of Ryan Braun. Maybe they'll learn this weekend. Some say it's good for the soul. -- Chicago Tribune Wade Davis gaining confidence amid season-high workload: 'That’s a good sign' By Mark Gonzales As Wade Davis receives more work, the Cubs closer gets stronger. Davis pitched a season-high 1 2/3 innings Thursday night and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning that enabled the Cubs to pull out a 5-3 victory over the Brewers in 10 innings. Davis has pitched in five of the Cubs’ past six games, starting with a Sept. 15 outing against the St. Louis Cardinals in which he was used for more than one inning for the first time. In his past two outings, Davis has struck out seven while not allowing a run. Davis struck out Domingo Santana and induced Orlando Arcia to hit a feeble grounder back to the mound with the bases loaded to end the ninth inning Thursday.

Davis wanted to throw a cut fastball to Arcia but couldn’t do so until the count was full. “Once I got to two strikes, I thought it was a good time,” Davis said. “He saw enough fastballs.” Davis has worked in 56 games this season — well below the 70 appearances he averaged with the Royals between 2014 and 2015. “I feel good,” Davis said. “I actually felt better when I went out for the second inning. That’s a good sign. “I’m definitely thrown some pitches better than the last month or so and executing a couple pitches that need to be executed and getting good results.” -- Chicago Tribune Cubs come back for thrilling win over Brewers, lowering magic number to 6 By Mark Gonzales For all the attention surrounding the likes of marquee players such as Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer warned Thursday night about the necessity of receiving contributions from other resources. "You want your best players to play best in these situations, but ultimately that won't always happen," Hoyer said before the Cubs' National League Central showdown against the Brewers. "And you'll need contributions from other guys." After blowing a 2-0 lead, the Cubs pulled out all the stops as Javier Baez hit a tying single with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning off reliever Jeremy Jeffress. Closer Wade Davis worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth, and Jon Jay led off the 10th with a double. Which brings us to Bryant, who clobbered a 3-2 pitch from Oliver Drake well over the fence in right-center to vault the Cubs to an emotional 5-3 victory that increased their division lead to 4 1/2 and reduced their magic number to six for clinching the division title. The Cubs' players danced in the dugout as Bryant's homer highlighted a roller coaster of emotions. Jake Arrieta, in returning from a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for 2 1/2 weeks, did his part by pitching five innings of one-run ball. Kyle Schwarber continued his power surge by smacking his 29th home run in the second to give Arrieta an early lead. The feisty Brewers took advantage of wildness by relievers Brian Duensing and Pedro Strop to tie the game in the seventh. They then took a 3-2 lead on Eric Thames' line-drive single that went over the glove of a leaping, drawn-in Baez. "Every year we're reminded how long the season is," Hoyer said. "When you're in (a playoff race), you realize how many ups and downs there are. There are ups and downs in a month. There are ups and downs in a two-week period. "Things happen. You get toward the end of the year and think that everything has happened, and then you get injuries in September that can change a race. It's a six-month grind." Arrieta showed no signs of rust after pitching for the first time since suffering a Grade 1 right hamstring strain Sept. 4. His fastball was clocked at 94 mph, and he fooled formidable Travis Shaw on an 81 mph pitch, getting him to pop softly to second to end the first inning.

Arrieta didn't walk a batter until one out in the fifth, when Eric Sogard drew a free pass to move the potential tying run to second. But Arrieta quelled any doubts about his leg after inducing Neil Walker to hit a grounder to first. Rizzo threw quickly to second base for the force play, and Arrieta sprinted to first and reached high to catch the return throw from Addison Russell. Walker initially was ruled safe until a replay overturned the call to end the inning with slugger Ryan Braun on deck. The Cubs missed a chance to retake the lead in the eighth when Rizzo chased a high fastball out of the strike zone for a strikeout and Willson Contreras grounded into a double play. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs insist Jon Lester is healthy and his recent problems are fixable By Mark Gonzales General manager Jed Hoyer has watched left-hander Jon Lester evolution as a Red Sox rookie throwing 97 mph in 2006 to a more polished starter with four effective pitches. But after a string of inconsistent outings that included a short one Wednesday night, Hoyer and other Cubs staffers can only hope Lester can regain his effectiveness with two starts left in the regular season and the National League Central title at stake. "Right now, it's about making mistakes at the wrong time, and his stuff probably hasn't been as dominant as he would want," Hoyer said Thursday regarding the possibility Lester, 33, might be showing the effects of wear and tear on an arm that has thrown 2,173 1/3 regular-season innings. "But it's way too early to talk about that." Less than 24 hours after Lester allowed seven runs on eight hits with three walks and no strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of a loss to the Rays, manager Joe Maddon reiterated his faith in him. "His velocity was down, but where the pitches were going, I'm not used to seeing that," Maddon said of the lack of command and Lester's inability to keep his sinker in the lower part of the strike zone. "Even if (he's) down velocity-wise, he knows where the pitches are going. "I have to believe that's going to get rectified soon. Guys like him normally are not into the physical mechanics this time of year, but I want to bet if something is wrong, it's going to be more (mechanical). Not everyone is peaking. I just want to be very patient about this again. I think he's fine." Extra innings: Left-hander Mike Montgomery will return to the bullpen despite throwing six innings of one-hit ball on Tuesday, Maddon said. Montgomery, who threw 81 pitches, may be available as soon as Saturday. ... Reliever Hector Rondon, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 8 because of right elbow inflammation, could be availableFriday night. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' Rene Rivera raising money for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria By Mark Gonzales and Paul Skrbina Cubs catcher Rene Rivera took to Twitter in an effort to help raise money for his native Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria on Wednesday.

One-hundred percent of the territory is without power and, according to published reports, it could be for months. Rivera linked to a gofundme page in his tweet and said he would match donations. "I talked to my mom this morning," Rivera said before the Cubs' game Thursday night at Milwaukee. "Everyone is fine. Now it’s the process of what’s next? She said (the island) is destroyed. It’s the worst thing that ever happened. The entire island has stopped. Now it’s in the process of getting it back." Rivera said he involved fellow Puerto Ricans Javier Baez and Victor Caratini in the gofundme page. "Anything the people in Chicago, the Puerto Rican people and community in Chicago can help would be appreciated. "Puerto Rico is a great, beautiful island. We want to do everything we can to get it back on its feet so people can enjoy the island." Rivera and fellow Puerto Rico native and Cubs catcher Victor Caratini talked about the hurricane on Wednesday. -- Chicago Sun-Times Brewers one pitch away — twice — but Cubs teach newbies a lesson By Steve Greenberg MILWAUKEE — The Brewers were one strike away from victory. But that’s when Javy Baez said, “Not tonight, fellas,” and snuck a ninth-inning single through the middle of the diamond, scoring Ian Happ to tie the game. The Brewers were one ball away from victory. But that’s when Cubs closer Wade Davis — pitching in the bottom of the ninth in a rare non-save situation — said, “Maybe next year,” and battled back from a 3-1 count on Orlando Arcia with the bases loaded to notch his biggest strikeout of the year. On to the 10th Thursday’s opener of this crucial four-game series went, and that’s when the Cubs pounced on an opponent that just hasn’t wanted to die in the National League Central race. Kris Bryant crushed a two-run homer to center off reliever Oliver Drake, the decisive blow in a 5-3 game both teams will remember for a long time. “That was awesome,” manager Joe Maddon said of Bryant’s blast, his 28th of the season and the Cubs’ 212th, tied for second-most in franchise history. “He had a really good night.” For nearly four hours, it felt like a playoff game at Miller Park. By the end, though, it felt more like a playoff-tested team teaching a harsh lesson to a bunch of newbies. “Just an incredible baseball game,” said Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, who was back in action for the first time since Sept. 4 and threw a solid five innings of one-run ball. “I’m sure you guys thought it felt like a playoff game, just like we did. Two teams battling for a division, a four-game series. This is a really awesome time to be in an organization like this, in a division like the NL Central where there’s a couple teams that have playoff aspirations in mind.” The loss was a gut punch and then some to the Brewers, who were dealt a walk-off defeat in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and now trail the Cubs by 4½ games in the division. If both endings had been different, the gap between the teams would be a paper-thin 1½ games — scary stuff for the Cubs, who have a long way to go in this series. But now? Fans of both teams had to walk out of the ballpark thinking the race is essentially over. The players themselves might be experiencing similar inklings. The Cubs have a magic number of six with 10 games to play. Scary? No. Quite comfortable, thank you very much.

The Brewers can take solace in remaining squarely in the hunt for the NL’s second wild-card spot, but the thought of overtaking the Cubs must be pretty difficult to conjure. A look across the field at the Cubs’ dugout — a party scene straight out of the 2016 postseason — had to be intimidating. Playoff intensity has taken over. “You definitely feel it,” Davis said. Buckle up, folks. -- Chicago Sun-Times Minds, bodies in Milwaukee, heavy hearts in Puerto Rico for some Cubs By Gordon Wittenmyer MILWAUKEE — Cubs catcher Rene Rivera finally got through to his mom in Puerto Rico on Thursday morning. Rookie Victor Caratini and Javy Baez still were not able to reach family or friends by late Thursday, more than 24 hours after Hurricane Maria pounded Puerto Rico with the strongest storm force to hit the island territory in 89 years. “I called my mom today like 20 times,” Caratini said before the game against the Brewers. “I called all my friends and sent texts. Nothing. “I haven’t heard from anybody.” Caratini’s family, which was hunkered down at his home in a rural, mountainous part of the island, already had been without power since Hurricane Irma sideswiped Puerto Rico two weeks ago. It was the sobering undercurrent many Cubs from the Caribbean islands dealt with as the team opened what could be a decisive four-game National League Central showdown at Miller Park. “You’ve just got to wait,” said Baez, who talked to family members just before Maria hit and trusted they were safe in his home in Bayamon. “I’m obviously concerned. But they should be good. Obviously, Puerto Rico’s in danger right now. There are trees down everywhere. Hopefully, nobody passed away from the hurricane.” Rivera, who helped create a GoFundMe account to help hurricane victims of Irma, has joined with Puerto Rican teammates to help raise even more through the fund for the latest round of damage (https://www.gofundme.com/ayudando-a-los-ninos-de-PuertoRico). “It’s tough,” said Rivera, who was most thankful he was able to reach his mother and learn his family was safe. “She said she can’t believe how bad the situation is.” There has been widespread flooding, power outages that are expected to last months, damaged buildings and roads and trees down across the island. “It’s destroyed,” said Rivera, who hopes to evacuate his family to the United States after travel restrictions there are lifted. “It’s Mother Nature. You can’t control it.” Montgomery to pen Left-hander Mike Montgomery, who pitched six exceptional innings in a road victory Tuesday against the Rays, returned again to the bullpen, where he’s expected to remain through the final days of the season.

Manager Joe Maddon said he expected Montgomery to be available to pitch in relief Saturday. But keep an eye on the rotation the next few days, with Jake Arrieta returning from a hamstring injury (five strong innings) and Jon Lester struggling in four starts since coming off the disabled list. Montgomery, who threw 81 pitches Tuesday, is stretched out enough to be ready for an emergency start down the stretch if necessary. This and that Right-hander Hector Rondon, who has been slowed by elbow soreness much of the month, could be available out of the bullpen Friday, Maddon said. † Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 29th home run in the second inning, ranks second to Anthony Rizzo on the team in homers despite a midseason demotion to the minors and platoon play since. -- Chicago Sun-Times Jake Arrieta provides an answer for Cubs rotation full of questions By Gordon Wittenmyer MILWAUKEE — Don’t be fooled by the crowd size, fan reaction and media attention devoted Thursday to the opener of a late-September showdown between the top two teams in the National League Central. For the first-place Cubs this was much less about whether they beat the second-place Brewers on this night than how former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta looked in his return from a hamstring injury – especially the way the rotation’s other big postseason hope, Jon Lester, has looked this month since his own injury. Arrieta had the right answers Thursday to the growing questions surrounding the Cubs’ potential playoff rotation, looking healthy and handling five strong innings of work on a limited pitch count. One night after Lester raised eyebrows – and blood-pressure levels – in the organization with his worst of four shaky outings since a lat injury, Arrieta gave up a solo homer in the fourth among five hits and left with a 2-1 lead. He showed good velocity (94 mph) and good command (one walk) to allay at least some fears over the late-season cracks in a rotation that was the backbone of last year’s postseason and this year’s second-half drive toward another playoff berth. “To have his presence on the mound – everybody knows what he’s done the past two years and what he does in big games,” teammate Kris Bryant said of Arrieta’s return. “You saw what he did in the World Series. It’s nice to have him back.” It might even be critical to the Cubs’ chances to compete against the likes of the Nationals and Dodgers – assuming they close out the division to reach the playoffs – if Lester doesn’t find a way to fix what has ailed him since his lat and shoulder ailed him. “I know Jon’s been battling some injuries and arm trouble that I don’t think he’s had to really experience so far,” Bryant said. “He’s been a very durable type of pitcher. “Jake had that first half that he didn’t want to have, and look at him now,” he added. He’s right back where he needs to be, typical Jake form. Having him come back from his tweaked hamstring definitely provides a little spark for us.”

Arrieta, the National League pitcher of the month for August, was 7-2 with a 1.69 ERA in July and August combined before his Sept. 4 injury. If Thursday is an indication of what the Cubs can expect as they stretch him to full pitch counts in his final two starts, it could go a long way toward allowing the kind of patience with Lester manager Joe Maddon preached Thursday. Not to mention some other questions about the rotation. Newcomer Jose Quintana has never pitched in playoff pressure in his career. Tested veteran John Lackey, who turns 39 in two weeks, has managed nagging aches and pains through much of the season, and the club has put him on a once-a-week starting schedule this month. But the big one is the Cubs’ big Opening Day starter – the three-time champion signed to be the rotation horse through multiple Octobers. “Obviously, he hasn’t been at the top of his game recently,” general manager Jed Hoyer said of Lester. “But he’s such a competitor. He’s always pitched well in big games. Hopefully he’ll find it. He’s been saying he feels good.” Maddon said he has no reason to believe Lester is pitching with lingering injury issues. Lester insisted Wednesday he was physically fine. And Maddon said Thursday the Cubs had no plans for any medical exams. “With any pitcher you want to have that guy pitching at the top of his game going into October, there’s no question,” Hoyer said. “So the timing of [Wednesday] night’s game isn’t ideal. But we have two starts, and we’ll hope he bounces back from that. We can’t control the timing.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Is Kyle Schwarber getting ready to pull another Kyle Schwarber? By Steve Greenberg MILWAUKEE — The time for bravado, for daring declarations and empty rhetoric, had long passed. If we all know one thing about the 2017 Cubs, it’s that they’re related to the 2016 Cubs in name only. What came easily a year ago has been won this season a single bloody, grueling inch at a time. So Kyle Schwarber wasn’t about to waste anybody’s time with bold promises about the critical 11-game, regular-season-ending stretch that awaited his team. Standing at his locker before the series opener Thursday against the Brewers, he let the stone-cold truth come out. “It has been crazy,” he said. “You know how this team is. You don’t know what’s going to happen.” That applies to eight games against the pesky Brewers and Cardinals and three against the last-place Reds. It applies to a starting rotation that keeps flirting with disastrous injuries. In a broader sense, it applies to a defending World Series champion that has spent nearly an entire season dropping hints that it’s probably some other team’s time to party with the trophy. Perhaps most of all, it applies to the 24-year-old Schwarber himself. You want to talk crazy? Let’s consider a guy who has spent much of the season tragically lost at the plate yet, after homering in the second inning, is one long ball away from his 30th of 2017. Care to guess how many Cubs have hit the 30 mark in a season at Schwarber’s age or younger? Anthony Rizzo, that’s how many. Again looking more broadly, could Schwarber have had a more promising, exciting, maddening and confusing first three years in the big leagues if he tried? He was a Ruthian figure in 2015, a slugger of cartoonish power and

potential. He was injured for essentially all of 2016 before a sudden, incredible reappearance in the World Series. And he was a bum in 2017 — Worst. Leadoff. Hitter. Ever. — who earned an overdue demotion to Class AAA. Yet here he is, in a Cubs uniform — detractors be damned — and always a swing away from something magical. He may never amount to the great player many thought he was destined to be. Then again, if he gets hotter than all get-out as he has in back-to-back early autumns, he could be the hero these wayward Cubs desperately need. “It has been a crazy few years,” he said. “It’s all about learning. You learn how to fight through the adversity of an injury, then you come out, and you have some struggles and get demoted and learn from that. I’m still progressing. It’s all part of the game. You can’t just shut down on yourself because adversity hits. That’s not me. I love this challenge.” A year ago at this time, Schwarber was still rehabbing the left knee he’d shredded in April. He spent the season in Chicago, eagerly hanging around teammates when the Cubs were at Wrigley Field and watching games at home on TV when they were away. “There were a lot of those lonely times where I was like, ‘Man, I really want to play baseball right now,’ ” he said. “Deep down inside, I also felt these guys were just going out there and doing what they did without me. They didn’t need me, but I kind of needed them. I wanted to be there.” What Schwarber got from teammates — Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jon Lester, John Lackey, David Ross — went beyond acceptance. They put smiles on his face. Even though he wasn’t playing, he knew they cared. “So that’s what I’ve tried to do all this year, no matter how I’m playing — put a smile on a guy’s face,” he said. “Because those guys did that for me. They picked me up. My goal in baseball is — No. 1, overall — to be a good teammate.” If he really wants to be a great teammate, he’ll demonstrate that 400 feet (OK, maybe more like 450) at a time the rest of the way. The signs are there that he might. Schwarber has homered in three consecutive starts and in five of his last nine games. Here’s crazy for you: How ridiculously fun would it be if Schwarber went and pulled another Schwarber? Talk about putting smiles on faces. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs, White Sox weigh in on MLB’s ballpark safety-netting issue By Daryl Van Schouwen White Sox players strongly advocated expanded netting at major-league ballparks Thursday, a day after a 2-year-old girl was struck by a 105 mph foul ball off the bat of former teammate Todd Frazier at Yankee Stadium. Frazier and other players were visibly distraught after seeing the girl, sitting in the fifth row beyond the third-base dugout with her grandparents, receive attention as the awful scene unfolded. The toddler was carried off on a stretcher and transported to a hospital, where she remained Thursday, as some players cried on the field. “I couldn’t watch it,’’ Sox infielder Tyler Saladino said. “You should find a way to protect that area. It’s not something you accept and say, ‘This is the way it is, we’re going to leave it and we’re going to accept the fact that somebody can get hurt badly.’ ’’ Commissioner Rob Manfred said he will increase baseball’s efforts to install protective netting in ballparks. “The events at yesterday’s game involving a young girl were extremely upsetting for everyone in our game,” Manfred said in a statement. “Over the last few seasons, MLB has worked with our clubs to expand the amount of netting in our ballparks. In light of yesterday’s event, we will redouble our efforts on this important issue.”

The Cubs and Sox are among 20 teams that don’t have protective netting beyond the dugouts. The Reds announced they would install additional netting that spans across the length of the dugouts on each side of Great American Ball Park by Opening Day 2018. The Sox extended netting behind home plate from dugout to dugout before the 2016 season “based on the recommendations made by the commissioner’s office,’’ Sox vice president of communications Scott Reifert said. “Our netting does not go to the ends or beyond the dugout. No one wants to see a fan injured at the ballpark, and our hearts go out to the young girl and her family. We felt badly for Todd, as well. ‘‘We work closely with MLB to continually review fan-safety recommendations and protective netting. It’s a topic that we regularly discuss with MLB, and it will likely be discussed on a leaguewide basis during the offseason, as well.” The Cubs also use the minimum requirement on netting. “We will continue to work with Major League Baseball to discuss and explore ways to ensure the safest possible environment for fans,’’ Cubs vice president of communications Julian Green said. Players have long advocated more protection for fans. “Players don’t want to hurt somebody,’’ Sox right-hander James Shields said. ‘‘I’ve seen too many foul balls go in the stands and hurt people. Safety is needed. Not everyone brings a glove to the stadium, not everyone can catch a baseball, let alone one that is moving 110 miles an hour and slicing.’’ Saladino said players in the dugout will back away from the top step or “scoot over” on the bench when certain hitters are prone to fouling pitches off depending on the pitcher they’re facing. Sox shortstop Tim Anderson tries to get seats behind a screen for his wife and toddler-aged daughter. “I don’t like them sitting above the dugout or down the line,” Anderson said. “It’s the danger zone.’’ -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs wives start and pitch in to GoFundMe for Puerto Rico By Madeline Kenney Cubs catcher Rene Rivera and his wife Mariel Perez are heartbroken about the tragedy in Puerto Rico. The couple, who are both native to Bayamon, Puerto Rico, have continued to send prayers and share heartbreaking videos of Puerto Rico on Twitter and Instagram after Hurricane Maria nearly destroyed the island. Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told CNN Wednesday that he thinks some of his residents will be out of power for months. Seeing the tragedy down south sparked Perez to start a GoFundMe titled, “Ayudando a Puerto Rico,” which translates to “Helping Puerto Rico” on Sept. 12. In eight days, Perez is already more than halfway to her $6,000 goal. Although her campaign has been shared nearly 220 times, only 30 people have actually donated it. Several of the Cubs’ wives have donated to Perez’s cause. John Lackey’s wife, Kristina, pitched in $500 to Perez’s campaign and Jon Lester’s wife, Ferrah, gave a $250 donation. Nicole Jay, who is married to Jon Jay, donated $100. --

Chicago Sun-Times Cubs ace Jon Lester addresses command woes on Twitter By Gordon Wittenmyer ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With 11 games left and their closest rivals staring them in the face this weekend, stuff just got real for the Cubs. An 8-1 loss to the Rays on Wednesday night didn’t prove costly in the standings because the second-place Brewers lost later in Pittsburgh on a ninth-inning walk-off. But Opening Day starter Jon Lester isn’t right — struggling for the fourth time in as many starts since returning from the disabled list. And that’s by far the more costly deficit for the Cubs this final week-plus of the season, because the $155 million left-hander has suddenly become the biggest question in the Cubs’ rotation. Game 1 assignment or Game 2? Please. Lester has two starts before a potential first-round playoff series to show he’s well enough to compete against anyone in October. Lester addressed the situation Thursday morning with a tweet. His velocity was down and his command was off yet again as the Rays peppered him with eight hits and seven runs in just 4.1 innings. “Obviously, there is some concern,” said manager Joe Maddon, who didn’t dismiss the possibility of lingering physical issues, while emphasizing Lester has offered no indications he’s not 100 percent. “I’m OK with lesser [velocity] numbers,” Maddon said. “It’s about the command, because he is so good at throwing a strike when he wants to. But ball out of the hand right now is not really where he wants it to be all the time. I don’t have a great explanation.” Lester has struggled the first three innings of all four starts since returning from the DL (10 runs in 12 innings). This was the first of the four in which he didn’t regroup to finish strong. But he insists he is healthy and strong enough after spending two weeks on the DL for lat tightness and shoulder fatigue. “We’re not going to make excuses and say that’s why I didn’t throw the ball well,” said Lester, who nonetheless had no explanation for the persistent command problems. “Physically, it’s September. You’re going to have ups and downs. I feel fine. There’s no lingering effects from anything. There’s nothing physically wrong.” He has two starts — Monday at St. Louis and Sept. 30 at home against the Reds — to “figure out a way,” as he says, to be prepared to give the Cubs a chance in the playoffs. “I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’ve had good seasons and I’ve had a couple bad ones. When you pitch a long time in this game you’re going to have ups and downs. “We’ll make the adjustment and figure it out. The good thing is it’s not physical. It’s just a matter of getting back to what’s worked for me in the past and making those adjustments.”

Meanwhile, the Cubs face the fire of Miller Park and the Brewers, who swept the Cubs at Wrigley Field barely a week ago, for the next four games. The Brewers had won nine of 11 until Wednesday and trail the Cubs by 3½ games. “They’re not going to go away,” Maddon said. “At least we got the split here, which is good obviously. Moving it forward, man, you’ve got to beat them straight up some time, and that’s what we’re going to have to do.” --