Cubs

Cubs Start Title Defense With Wild 4-3 Loss To Cardinals

... Seung Hwan Oh with one out in the top of the ninth. The blast traveled an estimated 414 feet at Busch Stadium. Oh hit Ben Zobrist to open the ninth, and Jason Heyward took advantage of a bobble by Matt Carpenter at first for an infield hit to set up Contreras' home run. After Montgomery loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, Grichuk drove in the winning run on a long drive to the left-center wall. Maddon made a gesture to his title-winning squad by starting Zobrist in right field, Heyward in center and Javier Baez at second base, with planned regular starting center fielder Albert Almora Jr. not in the starting lineup. "It's a tribute to the World Series," Maddon claimed. "That's it. Those are the guys who were on the field in the seventh game of the World Series so I wanted to, as a tribute to them, what they've done for us, put them on the field tonight. It's no more complicated than that.". Maddon said Sunday's alignment could be used in the future, with an emphasis on rest for his players and for everyone to remain patient. The Cubs' ...

Cards-cubs Division Duel Begins With Martinez-bryant Showdown

... Five consecutive years of fifth-place finishes allowed the Cubs to pick annually in the first half of the first round, and they did so at a time when power and position players were at a premium in the draft. Bryant was the second overall pick in 2013, infielder Javy Baez was ninth overall in 2011, outfielder Albert Almora sixth overall in 2012 and Schwarber was fourth overall in 2011. The Cubs traded for Addison Russell, who was the 11 th overall selection in 2012. The Cardinals never had a crack at drafting those talents, never picking higher than 19 th. In three of those four drafts, the Cardinals selected pitchers. College. Predictable. Data-approved. Pitchers. Their prototype. Wacha was one, at 19 th overall in 2012. “When you’re looking at markets and market inefficiencies, I would say they were trying to optimize offense,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “At the same time, we would have done that, too. The game has gravitated toward runs being scored. That is important. But you can’t fake it. If you don’t have the ability to draft it, then you don’t. You find another way. … We were thrilled ...

Cubs Drop Opener To Cardinals

... the first no-pitch intentional walk in major league history, part of baseball’s offseason rule changes designed to speed up the game. With two outs and the bases loaded, Grichuk lined a 1-2 pitch into the gap in left-center for his second career game-ending hit. He was mobbed as he rounded first in the rain, and what was left of a sellout crowd of 47,566 cheered wildly. The Cardinals appeared set for a tidy 3-0 win before the Cubs rallied in the ninth. Ben Zobrist was hit by a pitch from Seung-hwan Oh and Jason Heyward singled before Willson Contreras hit a drive to left for a tying homer. Before the dramatic finish, the night belonged to St. Louis right-hander Carlos Martinez, who retired 12 in a row and 18 of 19 over one stretch against the defending champions. The ace right-hander struck out 10 and walked none in 7 1/3 innings in his first start on opening day. Jon Lester kept Chicago in the game with five effective innings despite not having his best stuff. Kyle Schwarber reached three times in his first game as the leadoff hitter since Dexter Fowler left the Cubs for an $82.5 million, five-year contract with the ...

Cubs Pick 'that's Cub' As 2017 Slogan

... that's Cub. "They also use it to call each other out. A guy doesn't back up one of his teammates on a throw: 'Hey, wait, why didn't you back him up? Like, that's not Cub,' " she said. Minor-league staffers, such as mental skills program officials Josh Lifrak and Darnell Mc Donald , incorporated the saying in their training, and prospects such as Albert Almora Jr. and Carl Edwards Jr. rose to the pro ranks having already adopted the phrase as part of their dialect. During 2014's "On Deck" event, a sort of state-of-the-Cubs address, president Theo Epstein shared the slogan with season ticket holders to give a positive outlook on the team's direction after a 96-loss season in 2013. The Cubs tweeted a rally video using the theme this month, and Epstein, chairman Tom Ricketts and manager Joe Maddon explained the meaning behind the slogan when they addressed players during the first full-squad workout last week. Players also were given T-shirts with ...

The Cardinals Next Three Games Are Scheduled Against The Cubs

... for the regular season. That’s really about it, with Albert Almora in line for more playing time in the outfield. Tonight, the Cardinals will host the Cubs with Jon Lester facing off against Carlos Martinez. Lester is really good, but if any runner gets on base and doesn’t immediately take a 20 foot lead, I will yell at the television. I know that the Cardinals made a bunch of outs on the bases last year, and it remains to be seen whether that will improve this season, but this is one out I am willing to sacrifice. Just go out there and don’t dance off the bag to try and break up his rhythm. Don’t take a lead a little bit longer than usual. And don’t break back to first base if he steps off the the rubber. Take a mammoth, gargantuan lead and force him to do something. Carlos Martinez has been the Cardinals best pitcher the past two seasons, and he has been rewarded with a contract extension and the Opening Day start despite a healthy Adam Wainwright. El Gallo is ...

A Plane Ride With The Champs? Cubs Prospects Fly First Class For A Day

... Cubs: 2017 Season Preview. For the first time since 1909, the Cubs enter a season as champs. Gear up for their defense mission. Inside Epstein's mastermind ». Happ was “in the corner” reading a new biography from HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gaines, but Young was “on the aisle” so it was tough not to be distracted. “It’s not scary or anything like that but it’s different, and being around the guys is pretty cool,” Young said. Manager Joe Maddon felt it was important for the young players not only to be around the veterans, but also play in a major-league ballpark. When they eventually get called up they’ll at least have something they can relate to having been on this trip. “We can’t forget what it’s like,” Maddon said of rookies experiencing big league life for the first time. “Sometimes you do forget. These guys don’t care if it’s an exhibition game or not.”. It wasn’t just the flight or playing in a big-league stadium ...

Catching Coach Mike Borzello Relishes Rings From Cubs And Yankees

... said Sunday night. "I don't want to even see it until I open that box.". Borzello joined the Cubs at the start of their rebuilding process in 2012, so he was able to put the significance of his latest ring in perspective. Borzello won his first championship with the Yankees in 1996 as a bullpen catcher and the next three (1998-2000) as catching coach. "One thing that separates this championship from other ones I've been on is where we were (with the Yankees)," Borzello said. "We were always expected to win. "So not that this is any more special. It just seems like way more of an achievement. In New York you would win and it was a relief. Here, it was jubilation. That's the difference for me.". Borzello hasn't downplayed the significance of his ring from 1996, when the Yankees won their first title in 18 years. "It was Derek Jeter's rookie year and Mariano (Rivera's) first full season," Borzello said. "So we were all young then. Just to be part of that team. the fan base was electric every night and into it. That season was so special for that ...

Theo Epstein Impressed By Cubs Handling Business, Push For Title Defense 'the Right Way

... edge off just enough in a good way. You still are totally invested and you really care, but it puts you in a good place mentally.”. Epstein has accomplished the impossible for the two most jinxed and hexed baseball franchises in the long history of the game. He built the Red Sox’s championship teams in 2004 and 2007 before leading the Cubs to the title last year. That puts him in line with all of the best executives of all time and has left MLB commissioner Rob Manfred impressed. “When you think about it for a relatively young man, he has had an unbelievable career,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “When you break two streaks like the two he broke, people are going to say good things about you. He is a great manager, a great talent evaluator and more importantly really loves the game.”. The 43-year-old Epstein came to Chicago in October 2011 and promptly declared there would be a “Cub Way” of operating. Epstein refreshingly envisioned long-term success over the course of a decade instead of building year-to-year to win a random World Series. That hope now continues with a group of players who in Epstein’s mind have the inner ...

World Series Goal Achieved, Theo Epstein Sets Sights On Cubs Empire

... hero was almost nonexistent after the Red Sox ended their drought. A Vanity Fair article in 2005 reported Epstein "stopped working out in local gyms and, by all accounts, does not enjoy the fact that he not infrequently receives marriage proposals, to say nothing of the gifts of women's undergarments.". With Radar Pictures planning to make a movie based on retired catcher David Ross' memoir and two documentaries already in the can, who knows what else is in the works? Here's a dream-team cast for future Cubs movies. (Phil Thompson). Now happily married for 10 years and the father of two boys, Epstein's crazy days are in the past, though he and his staff ate goat in the bleachers to mark the demise of the Cubs' famous Billy Goat curse. In Chicago, Epstein is able to watch oldest son Jack's Little League games or head to the local Jewel for a carton of milk without having to go incognito. He's still a local celebrity but without the hassle of having to live up to anyone's preconceived ...