April 15, 2017

Chicago Tribune, Cubs come up short after loading bases in eighth and ninth against Pirates http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-pirates-spt-0415-20170414-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Can the 2017 Cubs do what the 1986 Bears could not? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-replicating-bears-mcgrath-spt-0416-20170415-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs fine with billy goat as part of World Series ring design http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-billy-goal-rings-sullivan-notes-spt-0416-20170414-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Onetime Cubs fan finds himself following in Vin Scully's footsteps http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-vin-scully-successor-joe-davis-sullivan-spt-0416-20170415-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs put Carl Edwards Jr. on bereavement list; activate Brian Duensing http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-carl-edwards-bereavement-brian-duensing-20170414-story.html#nt=oft13a-6gp1

Chicago Tribune, Barry Bonds cemented Kris Bryant's bond with card collecting http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kris-bryant-topps-inc-spt-0416-20170414-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Commissioners who took Cubs' ticket offer violated rules, county watchdog says http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-cubs-world-series-tickets-county-commissioners-met-20170414-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Pirates get best of Hendricks, hold off Cubs’ rallies in 4-2 win http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/pirates-get-best-of-hendricks-hold-off-cubs-rally-in-4-2-win/

Chicago Sun-Times, Hendricks was unlucky, not yucky, in costly sixth inning http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/hendricks-was-unlucky-not-yucky-in-costly-sixth-inning/

Daily Herald, Offense not quite clicking in Cubs' 4-2 loss to Pirates http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170414/sports/170419179/

Daily Herald, Duensing comes up to fill in for Edwards, sees Wrigley Field http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170414/sports/170419239/

Cubs.com, Cubs' late rally falls short vs. Bucs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/224307356/gerrit-cole-deals-in-pirates-win-over-cubs/

Cubs.com, Never-say-die Cubs can't find big hit http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/224337378/cubs-leave-bases-loaded-in-8th-9th-in-loss/?topicId=27118368

Cubs.com, Duensing activated, logs scoreless debut http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/224262894/brian-duensing-activated-joins-cubs-bullpen/?topicId=27118368

ESPNChicago.com, City of Chicago names road after Cubs infielder Javier Baez http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/page/QTP_170414Javierroad/city-chicago-names-road-cubs-infielder-javier-baez

CSNChicago.com, Kyle Hendricks Shrugs Off Notion Of Rust In Second Cubs Start http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/kyle-hendricks-shrugs-notion-rust-second-cubs-start

CSNChicago.com, Gerrit Cole Shuts Down Cubs Again After Last Year's Trash Talk http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/gerrit-cole-shuts-down-cubs-again-after-last-years-trash-talk

CSNChicago.com, Cubs Taking Notice As Top Prospects Get Off To Red-Hot Start http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-taking-notice-top-prospects-get-red-hot-start

CSNChicago.com, Cubs Add Brian Duensing Into Bullpen Mix; Carl Edwards Jr. Will Miss Weekend Series http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/cubs-add-brian-duensing-bullpen-mix-carl-edwards-jr-will-miss-weekend-series

-- Chicago Tribune Cubs come up short after loading bases in eighth and ninth against Pirates By Paul Skrbina Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli shrugged as he stood frozen in no-man's land between second base and third Friday at Wrigley Field. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, momentarily stunned, gave chase before flipping the ball to shortstop Addison Russell, who tagged Cervelli trying to get back to second. That erased Cervelli from the bases but did nothing to undo the two-run double he just had hit off reliever Justin Grimm in the sixth inning of the Pirates' 4-2 victory before a crowd of 40,430 on the North Side. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks departed after allowing consecutive singles to Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco to open the inning. David Freese's seeing-eye RBI single to right field off Grimm tied the score 2-2. After a flyout, Cervelli gave the Pirates a two-run cushion. "You can't look at the results in the sixth inning and get all pissed off about it," Hendricks said. "You have to know you made some good pitches. That's where your focus has to be. If you keep it there over the long run, things will even out." The first inning was as easy as 1-2-3 for Hendricks, who needed only eight pitches to retire the side. But Hendricks needed 29 pitches to get out of the second and threw 91 in his five-plus innings. The normally steady Hendricks walked Polanco to start the second before wasting 12 pitches on Freese, who fouled off seven before doubling home Polanco for a 1-0 lead. Javier Baez spared his team a deeper deficit when he robbed John Jaso of a hit and the Pirates of a run with a dazzling play in short right field for the inning's first out. And Freese froze on third when a ball dribbled past Cubs catcher Miguel Montero before Cervelli flew out to short right for the second out.

Hendricks undid Josh Harrison's leadoff single in the third when he picked off the Pirates second baseman on his third throw to first. Good thing for the Cubs, too, because Starling Marte doubled to left-center three pitches later. Hendricks escaped unscathed this time when Polanco grounded out to first. "Kyle battled without his best stuff," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. So, too, did the Cubs offense. The home team loaded the bases in both the eighth and ninth innings but couldn't score. "We were in it, it just did not want to play out," Maddon said. Kris Bryant led off the fourth with a double and scored on Ben Zobrist's single for a 1-1 tie. The Cubs hit Pirates starter Gerrit Cole from left to right in the fifth inning when Baez deposited a double down the left-field line and scored on Kyle Schwarber's sharp single to right for a 2-1 advantage. However, the Cubs failed to take advantage early and late. After bouncing a double off the brick wall in left-center field with two out in the first, Rizzo accidentally stole third base on Zobrist's swing and miss. But the Cubs came up empty when Zobrist grounded out. Bryant walked, Rizzo was hit in the butt by a pitch and Jason Heyward dived headfirst into first for an infield single to load the bases with two out in the eighth, but pinch-hitter Willson Contreras grounded out to snuff the rally. With two out in the ninth, Schwarber walked, Bryant reached on an error and Rizzo was hit again, but Zobrist couldn't come through. "We put ourselves in a position to get a chance the last few innings to tie the game, at least," Zobrist said. "Right now, with a lot of us, the rhythm isn't quite there yet at the plate. Offensively, we have a lot in the tank. We're going to score a lot of runs this year. It's a matter of time." Something the Cubs ran out of Friday. -- Chicago Tribune Can the 2017 Cubs do what the 1986 Bears could not? By Dan McGrath Javier Baez is 24, with slightly more than a season's worth of major-league at-bats behind him and a street named for him in Chicago's Humboldt Park community. Illinois' state-sanctioned network to promote organ donations is running a public-service message featuring one lucky recipient who says she was around to celebrate the Cubs' World Series victory only because she had received a heart transplant. If you would like to paint your house or garage or kids a color that's an exact match with Wrigley Field's iconic marquee or its spruced-up exterior, a local big-box chain is your answer. Meanwhile, David Ross' "Dancing With the Stars" run eventually will be as ubiquitous a Chicago television presence as "Law and Order" reruns or those elegant Victory Auto Wreckers spots.

There are now more Cubs souvenir shops than bars or condos in Wrigleyville, which explains the preponderance of blue clothing in the Wrigley Field grandstands. These fans know how to dress for success. And we thought the Cubs' bandwagon was crowded last year. The team's "official champagne provider" has been joined by an official fruit-juice drink and official bourbon as Cubs sponsors this season, so no one should go thirsty in that party room. It figures to be a busy place again this summer. Cubs fans have had all winter to let the vibe from an unfathomably joyful season settle over them. Last week's raising of the banner and distribution of World Series rings not only affirmed an end to 107 years of futility, it ignited a craving for more of the magic that made 2016 so … what to call it? But it's hard to replicate. Very hard. Different sport, but remember the '85 Bears? If the acclaim lavished on their backup catcher is any indication, the 2016 Cubs could challenge Mike Ditka's reign as Chicago's most beloved sports entity. There is one noteworthy parallel: Like these Cubs, those Bears were not only their league's most talented squad, they were probably its youngest. But they won only one championship as egotism and infighting ate away at the Bears' dominance. So did the injuries that derailed Jim McMahon's career. It's hard to imagine smooth operators Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon allowing toxic attitudes to pollute the Cubs roster, but neither man has control over a McMahon-type injury and the devastation it can bring to the most meticulously crafted plans. The '85 Cubs seemed capable of going the '84 division winners one better when they reached mid-June with a 35-19 record. They proceeded to go 42-65 from there as every one of their starting pitchers joined a parade to the disabled list, resulting in a 77-84, fourth-place finish. The importance of Joe Borowski's 33 saves to the 2003 Cubs was underscored the following season when a sore shoulder limited him to 21 innings. The '04 Cubs never found a replacement to secure the ninth inning, and multiple bullpen failures kept them from repeating as division champs even though they added Greg Maddux and Derrek Lee to the roster. A roster subtraction was the current Cubs' most significant offseason move; they rolled the dice in allowing Dexter Fowler to leave for the Cardinals. Some witnesses may have been dismissive of Fowler — Dexter Who? — after watching Albert Almora Jr. run down three well-struck drives with eye-catching ease during Thursday's shutout of the Dodgers, but Fowler is a totally competent two-way performer on the field and an engaging, cheerful presence in the clubhouse. His value goes beyond his numbers. The White Sox took a similar plunge after their 2005 championship, sending tone-setting grinder Aaron Rowand to the Phillies for Jim Thome and his treasured left-handed bat. The Sox got 42 homers from Thome and career years from Joe Crede and Jermaine Dye but dropped from first to third and didn't challenge in the American League Central, largely because Brian Anderson couldn't cut it as Rowand's replacement in center field. Sometimes the most meticulously crafted plans … Brett Anderson, a well-traveled, oft-injured left-hander trying to settle in as the Cubs' fifth starter, labored through five innings of Thursday's series-clinching victory over the Dodgers. The Cubs led 2-0 when two walks and a single loaded the bases and brought volatile slugger Yasiel Puig to the plate in the Dodgers' fifth. Maddon stayed with Anderson, hoping he would retire Puig and complete the five innings required to qualify for the victory. Puig obliged by lofting a foul popup to first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Maddon's other options weren't known to us spectators because both teams' relievers have been moved to undisclosed locations during the latest Wrigley renovation. I miss the bullpens. In past seasons it might have been a good idea to keep Cubs relievers out of sight — hello, Mel Rojas — but this wouldn't seem to be one of those years. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs fine with billy goat as part of World Series ring design By Paul Sullivan The Cubs' decision to put an image of a billy goat on their World Series ring as a nod to the famous curse was either a stroke of genius or silly, depending on your point of view. Outfielder Jason Heyward said he's fine with it. "That's cool," Heyward said. "Kind of get it all out there. It's cool that they recognized everything. There's some detail in it. I know they asked me and some of the guys what logo should be on there, to try to decide whether it should be the small bear or whatever. I just said 'Do whatever logo the team won it in.' We broke the curse, so I felt like that logo deserves to be on there." A source said the Cubs originally considered a goat image with the "no symbol" (a circle and diagonal slash over it), but it was too complicated to produce and difficult to decipher it was a goat. John Lackey liked the ring so much he called it "sick." Heyward pointed out that Lackey's three rings have some symmetry. "Lack ironically has an 'A' ring for the Angels, a 'B' ring (for) Boston and a 'C' ring with us," Heyward said. "So it's cool for him. One of the cool things in baseball, or in sports, that it happens that way." Perhaps Detroit would be wise to sign Lackey next year. Flu Sox: The Red Sox were forced to fumigate their Fenway Park clubhouse last week after Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Mitch Moreland and Robbie Ross Jr. were among those sidelined with the flu. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said his players also have had flu-like symptoms, but weren't complaining like some other unnamed team. "I know we have a lot of guys who aren't 100 percent with it, but so do a lot of clubs," Showalter said. "So nobody really wants to hear somebody else complain about it. Our guys have done a good job not broadcasting it to the world." According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays brought two Synexis Biodefense high-tech air filtration units to use this weekend in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park, one of the smallest in baseball. Though the flu problems were confined to the Red Sox clubhouse, the Rays were concerned stadium workers who worked in both clubhouses could infect theirs. They also told players to "avoid contact" with the Red Sox and wash their hands frequently, which is always good advice. Hughes awarded ring and a Ring: One day after being given his Cubs' World Series ring, veteran radio announcer Pat Hughes was handed the Ring Lardner Award for broadcast excellence during a ceremony Thursday night at the Union League Club of Chicago. I asked his WSCR-AM 670 partner, Ron Coomer, if he ever had seen Hughes ruffled at the ballpark.

"I would say 10 minutes before Game 7 of the World Series we saw him a little ruffled," Coomer said. "Just to the point of nervous energy. Not terrible, but very nervous energy. To me, our booth had that. I love that about him, that he still has butterflies and still has the adrenaline before doing big games. If he didn't, something wouldn't be right. I still get chills listening to that (final out) call." Dumb quote of week: TSN baseball analyst Steve Phillips on how to shorten games: "My solution to this — and nobody likes it, yet I think it is something to consider — three balls is a walk and two strikes is a strikeout." Maybe nobody likes it because it's such a bad idea. Stop making sense: The Tigers played seven straight day games on their opening homestand, knowing the weather in daylight tends to be warmer than at night and they are playing April games in a Midwestern city. Being considerate of their fan base and players? Such a novel concept. Numbers game: The Mariners' idea to sell $4 cups of toasted, salted grasshoppers at Safeco Field was brilliant. They sold out of the chapulines the first three nights. About 900 orders, or approximately 18,000 grasshoppers, were sold. … Betts entered the weekend hitting .174, but was the only player with 20 or more at-bats with no strikeouts. … Umpire Joe West is closing in on becoming the third ump to work 5,000 games, only 48 games shy as of Friday. Bill Klem (5,375) and Bruce Froemming (5,163) are the leaders. -- Chicago Tribune Onetime Cubs fan finds himself following in Vin Scully's footsteps By Paul Sullivan When Brent Barry signed a six-year, $27 million deal with the Bulls the first season after Michael Jordan's retirement, Heat coach Pat Riley wasn't too impressed. "If he does well in Chicago, then obviously they think they have the next Michael Jordan," Riley said. "Whatever." Barry wasn't brought in by general manager Jerry Krause specifically to replace Jordan, but as the new shooting guard, obviously comparisons were bound to be made. "It has been said hundreds of times that you can't replace the guy," Barry told the Tribune's Terry Armour. "There's only one Michael. It's not about that for me. The commitment they made to me here was that I'm going to be part of the Bulls for six years. I'm part of a plan and a piece to the puzzle. They're going to try to put together a championship team again within the next three or four seasons." That didn't happen, of course, and Barry wound up being just a footnote in Bulls history. Replacing the greatest player of all time isn't easy, nor is replacing the greatest baseball broadcaster of all-time, as 29-year-old Joe Davis is discovering. Davis, the Dodgers' TV announcer, already has been asked a million times about replacing Vin Scully, who retired last fall after 67 seasons behind the mic with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. "If you look at it as replacing (Scully), you have no chance, because nobody is going to replace him," Davis said before a game at Wrigley Field. "When you look at it as a responsibility to be one of the next people in that chair, for an organization with as much history as the Dodgers have, and an organization whose history is as closely tied to its broadcasters as the Dodgers' is, when you consider Vin's 67 seasons, and before him another Hall of Famer in Red Barber, it is a tremendous responsibility and part of what made the job attractive to me."

Davis grew up a Cubs fan in Potterville, Mich., listening to Len Kasper on TV and Pat Hughes on radio. He attended Beloit College, where he played football and had been recruited in 2006 by a famous alumnus, Tribune Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson. "They knew my career aspirations and used K.C. as someone who could vouch for what Beloit could do for someone in the sports journalism industry," Davis said. "He shared his Beloit experiences with me, and once I got to Beloit I came down and shadowed him at a Bulls game when I was a sophomore. He introduced me to a bunch of people in the industry." That sophomore year, Davis came to a game at Wrigley Field with a note to Kasper, but lost the letter before he got to the press box entrance. Fortunately the manager of the Wrigleyville Taco Bell called him and said someone had found the letter and turned it in. She delivered it to Kasper, who e-mailed Davis back and became a mentor to him. Davis joined the Dodgers' broadcast team last year, doing 55 road games, as Scully mostly worked only home games. He also works games for Fox, and previously worked for the Schaumburg Flyers, ESPN and three years of minor-league play-by-play with the Montgomery Biscuits, a Rays' farm team. While stepping into a legend's shoes can lead to some unfair comparisons, Davis said he has been "blown away" by the positive response he has received from Dodgers fans. "Of course your worst nightmare is that people aren't going to like you," he said. "So far, so good. People have been very kind with their feedback." Scully's support also has helped. In an interview with Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke, Scully gave Davis some good advice. "My prayer for him, for anyone, is maybe the hardest thing — be yourself," Scully said. "When he starts, and for the 100 years he might be there, the big thing is to be yourself." Now that he has to bleed Dodger blue, Davis has been forced to put his Cub fandom in a blind trust of sorts. He admitted it was strange last June doing a Dodgers game at Wrigley after he had grown up rooting for the Cubs. "What kind of timing is that?" he said. "You sign away your Cub fandom before the 2016 season? The first game I did for Fox was a Pirates-Cubs game a couple of years ago. It was like I was floating, an out-of-body experience with Len to my right, Pat to my left, guys who have mentored me. There are constant reminders of 'Holy Cow, I'm really here.'" -- Chicago Tribune Cubs put Carl Edwards Jr. on bereavement list; activate Brian Duensing By Paul Skrbina Brian Duensing made his first trip to Wrigley Field on Friday. But the eight-year big-league veteran relief pitcher's arrival to Chicago on an early morning flight came under unfortunate circumstances. Duensing was activated from the disabled list to take the roster spot of fellow reliever Carl Edwards Jr., who was put on the bereavement list after the death late Thursday of someone close to him. Cubs officials declined to say who died, but manager Joe Maddon expressed sympathy for the right-hander before Friday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates. "Oh, my God," Maddon said. "It's horrible. He's such a good kid. Absolutely devastated by it.

"We'll just wait and see when he gets back. In the meantime, we'll hold down the fort. Awful." Duensing, 34, had been on the DL to begin the season with lower back tightness. Duensing, a free-agent signee, said he was in unfamiliar territory about 45 minutes after arriving Friday morning. "I got a tour but I don't even know where I'm at right now," he said. "I need to go to the bathroom. I don't know if I can find it." He found his way to the mound, though, where he struck out one and needed just eight pitches to get through the sixth inning. Edwards has allowed a hit and three walks with four strikeouts in 42/3 innings this season. What a relief: A collision at home plate Wednesday with the Dodgers' Chase Utley left Hector Rondon's left knee sore. But it's sore no more, the Cubs reliever said Friday. Rondon had a precautionary MRI on the knee Thursday and said he felt fine. He showed it by pitching an inning of scoreless, soreless relief Friday, striking out one and allowing one hit. "I felt it pop when I tried to tag him. Right now it's nothing big," Rondon said. "It bothered me a little bit to walk, but after 10 minutes the soreness went away." Hey, lookalikes: Cubs reliever Mike Montgomery was in the Blackhawks locker room last season when Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook did a double take. Seabrook didn't mistake Montgomery, who forever will live in Cubs lore as the man on the mound for the final out of Game 7 of the World Series, for teammate Marian Hossa. But he was struck by the resemblance. "Seabrook's like, 'You guys look alike,'" Montgomery said with a laugh. Hossa has his own place in Chicago sports history, helping the Hawks win three Stanley Cups. -- Chicago Tribune Barry Bonds cemented Kris Bryant's bond with card collecting By Phil Thompson Kris Bryant's first baseball card was Barry Bonds, his favorite player, and no, he doesn't have any misgivings about it. "I had (his) posters in my room. I had stickers on the wall," the Cubs third baseman told Inc. So does the poster boy for clean-cut athletes see the irony in idolizing a player who, for many baseball followers, symbolizes the Steroids Era? "I think you look at just him as a baseball player. He was a lot of people's favorite player. I grew up wearing No. 25 until I was in high school just because they didn't have 25 in high school," he said.

Bryant's card collection has grown since signing an endorsement deal to be the cover athlete for Topps' MLB BUNT 2017 app. "I get the chance to collect more and more and get the chance to ask for certain things that I like. I got a lot of my (Cubs) teammates," he said. Last week, Bryant was autographing images of his own cards on an iPad to be uploaded to Topps' system. One of Bryant's new cards depicts him as a icy figure striking a home run pose over the words "frozen ropes." "We're releasing new cards 365 days a year, probably hundreds of Kris Bryant cards," said Chris Vaccaro, director of mobile production. "What I want to do is get some special Kris Bryant digital-only exclusive material out there. That can be something (like) cards when he was in Little League and depicting digital aspects of his early days in the minors." -- Chicago Tribune Commissioners who took Cubs' ticket offer violated rules, county watchdog says By John Byrne Three Cook County commissioners accepted the Cubs' offer to buy face-value tickets to World Series games at Wrigley Field and violated county ethics guidelines in the process, the county's watchdog announced Friday. County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard's office launched an investigation after a brouhaha erupted last fall over whether Chicago aldermen could accept a special offer to buy playoff tickets at retail prices. Scalpers were charging regular fans hundreds or thousands of dollars for those tickets. Of the three commissioners to have taken the Cubs up on the tickets, two had checked with the county ethics board in advance. They were told the transaction was no problem because the team wasn't asking the county for anything or trying to do business with it, Blanchard said in his quarterly report. Blanchard disagreed, though, saying special access to tickets amounted to "the appearance of impropriety in the eyes of the public." "It is without question that in the days leading up to the World Series, the general public was not able to contact the Cubs organization directly and purchase World Series tickets, while the possibility of purchasing a ticket for face value in the secondary market was highly unlikely," Blanchard's report states. "Media outlets reported that World Series tickets with a face value of $175 to $450 were selling from $1,500 to $5,000 on the secondary market." "By accepting the offer, the commissioners were receiving what amounts to a discount worth thousands of dollars that most members of the public undoubtedly would have pursued if available to them," Blanchard's report adds. Blanchard said he recommended in March that the county provide training for officials to avoid such conflicts in the future and that the county had not responded. Frank Shuftan, spokesman for County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, said the county will review Blanchard's recommendation. The report did not name the commissioners who accepted the tickets, in accordance with county rules. Shuftan said Preckwinkle did not accept playoff or World Series tickets from the team. The Cubs withdrew a long-standing playoff ticket offer to the City Council after the city Ethics Board last October ruled that any city officials who accepted the deal would have to perform some sort of "ceremonial duty or action" such as throwing out the first pitch or standing on the field with other elected officials. Aldermen faced widespread criticism when they continued to press the issue. Northwest Side Ald. Milly Santiago, 31st, said the seats offered for earlier playoff games weren't that great, and she didn't have the money to pay the exorbitant mark-ups demanded by scalpers.

"First of all, those tickets were not front-row tickets, they were all the way in the upper deck, and if I went like this, I would touch the ceiling. That's how bad those tickets were," she said then. "So it's kind of embarrassing in my part. I don't know how the rest of my colleagues feel. I think this should be a matter of individual and personal choice because those who are not Cubs fans should just say, 'No, I'm not interested.' But those of us who would like to get a chance to go to one of those games and be part of history, we should have that choice," Santiago said. "I'm a poor alderman, I cannot even afford to buy a $1,000 ticket," she said. "I cannot afford that." -- Chicago Sun-Times Pirates get best of Hendricks, hold off Cubs’ rallies in 4-2 win By Jeff Arnold The Cubs captured a World Series championship last season behind a three-word mantra: We never quit. Ten games into a new season, the never-say-die attitude is alive and well. The Cubs loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth innings Friday against the Pirates, but both rallies fell short in a 4-2 loss in front of 40,430 at Wrigley Field. Trailing by two with two outs in the ninth, the Cubs threatened when Kyle Schwarber walked, Kris Bryant reached on an error and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch. But Pirates closer Tony Watson got Ben Zobrist to ground out to end the suspense. The Cubs, who left 11 men on base, also failed to capitalize in the eighth. Felipe Rivero got pinch hitter Willson Contreras to ground into a force out at third base after Bryant, Rizzo and Jason Heyward loaded the bases. “Right now, with a lot of us, I think the rhythm just isn’t quite there yet at the plate,” Zobrist said. “But it’s just kind of early in the season, it’s chilly, it’s kind of been tough to get it going this week for everybody, but I like how we battled late in the game.” Zobrist wasn’t alone. “We just couldn’t get the hit when we needed it,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I loved the effort right down to the very end of the ballgame. We were in it. It just did not want to play out.” The Cubs, who already had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, fell behind by two in the sixth, when the Pirates scored three times. They strung together three singles against starter Kyle Hendricks and reliever Justin Grimm to start the rally. David Freese’s single off Grimm tied the score. After Grimm got John Jaso to fly out, Francisco Cervelli doubled in Gregory Polanco and Freese. Hendricks (1-1) wasn’t at his best. He allowed three runs and six hits, struck out three and walked two in 5⅓ innings. A year after leading the majors with an ERA of 2.13, Hendricks’ ERA through two starts is 5.73. The Cubs weren’t as successful against Pirates starter Gerrit Cole (1-1), who scattered six hits in six innings and struck out five. After Freese’s single in the third gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead, Zobrist singled in the fourth to score Bryant, who had doubled. Schwarber put the Cubs ahead in the fifth with a single that scored Javy Baez.

But even after failing to mount much offense early, the Cubs made things interesting late, which Zobrist said bodes well for when they have more at stake than they do in April. “Offensively, we’ve got a lot in the tank, and we’re going to score a lot of runs this year,” Zobrist said. “It’s kind of just a matter of time before everybody starts clicking.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Hendricks was unlucky, not yucky, in costly sixth inning By Jeff Arnold Even on his best day, Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks understands his pitch-to-contact approach isn’t always going to be flawless. In the 4-2 loss to the Pirates on Friday, Hendricks’ fastball command was much better than it was in the win over the Brewers last Saturday. But in the sixth inning, when the Pirates rallied for three runs — including two off Hendricks — his pitch quality wasn’t the issue. Instead, the Pirates just hit it where the Cubs weren’t. Andrew McCutchen led off the inning with a weakly hit single before Gregory Polanco broke his bat on a sharp single that grazed off of Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s glove. By the time the inning was over and reliever Justin Grimm got Jordy Mercer to fly out after surrendering a two-run double to Francisco Cervelli, the Pirates had pulled ahead in an inning Hendricks characterized as “unfortunate.” “It just happened to be bad timing,” Hendricks said. “You can’t look at the results there in the sixth inning and get all pissed off about it.” Despite the loss, Hendricks felt better about this outing than his first, in which he yielded four earned runs. He knows it’s just a matter of time until he discovers the type of rhythm that made him so effective last season, when he finished third in National League Cy Young voting. “You have to know you still made some good pitches. That’s where your focus has to be,” Hendricks said. “If you keep there over the long run, things will even out.” Roster moves The Cubs put reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on the bereavement list after a death in his family. They declined to specify the relation to Edwards, but manager Joe Maddon said Edwards is “devastated.” “We all know C.J. He’s such a good kid,” Maddon said. “[He’s] absolutely devastated by it. We’ll just wait and see when he gets back. In the meantime, we’ll hold down the fort. Awful.” Edwards has worked 4⅔ scoreless innings in which he has allowed one hit, struck out four and walked three. The Cubs activated left-hander Brian Duensing (back) off the 10-day disabled list. He had a strikeout in one inning. -- Daily Herald Offense not quite clicking in Cubs' 4-2 loss to Pirates By Bruce Miles The early season skews the numbers in baseball, both high and low.

Right now, the Cubs are sporting some anemic batting averages, but manager Joe Maddon is trusting in the process, and for the most part, the process is grinding away. Cubs batters continue to work good at-bats, and if that continues, the results should follow. It was all on display Friday at Wrigley Field despite a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs, whose rallying cry last year was "We never quit," took it down to the wire, loading the bases after two were out in the bottom of the ninth inning. But Ben Zobrist bounced into a forceout to end the game. "We put ourselves in a position to get a chance in the last few innings to tie the game at least," said Zobrist, who is off to a 6-for-32 (.188) start. "Right now with a lot of us, I think the rhythm isn't quite there yet at the plate. It's kind of early in the season. It's chilly. It's kind of been tough to get it going this week for everybody a little bit. But I like how we battled late in the game." Zobrist's on-base percentage is .333. He's not the only one with a low batting average and a good OBP. Kyle Schwarber started the ninth-inning comeback attempt with a two-out walk. He's batting .216, but he leads the team with 9 walks and has an OBP of .383. Schwarber had an RBI single in Friday's fifth inning. Kris Bryant is at .231 with his batting average but he sports and OBP of .375. He also has a track record. "I love that, actually," Maddon said of the approaches. "I love the fact that we are seeing a lot of pitches, we are working good at-bats. For the most part, we are really not chasing out of the zone. And that's just going to benefit us long term, also. "No, we actually look really good at the plate. Guys that normally hit that are not, heads up, they're going to start doing it. To be in pretty good shape record wise (6-4) in spite of not having the offense not clicking on all cylinders, it's kind of a good sign." Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks is still trying to find his rhythm, too. After coming out of spring training looking sharp, he had to wait until the Cubs' fifth game of the season, on April 8, to make his first start of the regular season. He went 6 innings that night at Milwaukee. Against the Pirates, he went 5-plus, exiting the game after giving up back-to-back singles to start the sixth. Reliever Justin Grimm was on the mound when the Pirates scored three times that inning to erase a 2-1 deficit. Hendricks wasn't blaming the rust factor for not having his normal sharpness. "I don't really think that's any of the reasoning behind it," he said. "It's just one of those things. You come in and out of it, out of your zone a little bit. Obviously last year, about midway through, I obviously found that zone and kind of ran with it. It's still early, just kind of trying to find my way into it. "Really today, I was happy with the better command of my fastball, so I can see it coming along. Hopefully just a couple more." -- Daily Herald Duensing comes up to fill in for Edwards, sees Wrigley Field By Bruce Miles Brian Duensing has been in the big leagues since 2009, but he had never been to Wrigley Field until Friday. "I've been in pro ball a long time but somehow I've missed Wrigley every time," he said. "This is my first time at Wrigley altogether, so I'm excited about that."

The Cubs activated the 34-year-old left-hander from the 10-day disabled list Friday and placed right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on the bereavement list. There was a death in Edwards' family. Until signing with the Cubs as a free agent in December, Duensing had been a career American Leaguer, having pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 2009-15 and for the Baltimore Orioles last year. He made his Cubs regular-season debut in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Duensing had been on the 10-day disabled list because of lower-back tightness. On a rehab assignment at Class AAA Iowa, Duensing made 2 appearances, pitching 3 scoreless innings with no walks and 5 strikeouts. "I feel good," he said. "I feel fine. Back's good. Arm's good. Everything's so far, so good." Duensing got to know his new teammates in spring training and picked up the positive vibe that came with the Cubs winning last year's World Series. "I get the vibe that they're going to do it again, but not like in a cocky or braggy way," he said. "We're going to go out here and we're going to have fun. We're going to take care of business, and we're going to have fun doing it. That's just kind of the vibe I got from them." Entering Friday, left-handed hitters had batted .236 against Duensing while righties hit .292 against him. "I just keep hitters off-balance," he said. "I'm not a guy who's going to overpower hitters. I kind of want to put it in play, but I want them to put it in play as weakly as possible. If I'm keeping hitters off-balance, I'm usually pitching at my best." Happ-y days at Iowa: Top prospect Ian Happ entered Friday's game for Class AAA Iowa with 5 home runs. That led the organization. Happ, a second baseman and outfielder, was the Cubs' first-round draft pick in 2015. Brian Duensing got a good look at Happ during his minor-league rehab assignment. "He's incredible," Duensing said. "He's an incredible player. Even better, he's a good person. He's fun to pull for. When puts the ball in play, it makes a little bit different sound off his bat than some other guys." -- Cubs.com Cubs' late rally falls short vs. Bucs By Adam Berry and Cash Kruth CHICAGO -- The Pirates only beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field once last season, so they know how unfriendly the Friendly Confines can be. Well aware that wins don't come easy here, the Bucs proved it again Friday afternoon. Felipe Rivero and Tony Watson each escaped a bases-loaded jam in the final two innings to secure a 4-2 victory over the Cubs. "We needed some slow heartbeats out there late," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "They both can get anybody. Just got to settle in, keep fighting, roll their sleeves up and go to work -- that's what both of them were able to do today to turn potential rallies back." Sorely in need of strong pitching and timely hitting during a four-game losing streak, the Pirates got both on Friday. Gerrit Cole continued his mastery of Wrigley Field, allowing two runs over six innings. He threw 114 pitches, matching the Giants' Madison Bumgarner and the Rays' Chris Archer for the most in a game this season, while improving to 7-1 with a 2.29 ERA in eight career starts in the Cubs' ballpark.

"We didn't play well here last year, and we haven't played well the last four games. It was good for us to put our foot down," Cole said. "We certainly kept it interesting for the Wrigley faithful, but a win's a win. The guys competed hard, really played a nice ballgame." David Freese swatted two run-scoring hits and reached base four times, and Francisco Cervelli delivered the big blow, a tie-breaking double to right-center field. That was enough to build a two-run lead heading into the eighth inning. Rivero immediately found trouble, issuing a leadoff walk to Kris Bryant then plunking Anthony Rizzo. He struck out Ben Zobrist to end a 10-pitch at-bat, and Addison Russell lined out to center. Jason Heyward reached on a weak grounder that led John Jaso to stray from first base, and Rivero was slow to cover the bag. With two outs and the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Willson Contreras chopped a grounder to Freese, who stepped on third base for the final out. "We put ourselves in position to get a chance in the last few innings to tie the game at least," Zobrist said. "And that, right now with a lot of us I think the rhythm just isn't quite there at the plate. It's early in the season, it's chilly, it's been tough to get it going this week for everybody a little bit but I like how we battled late in the game." Watson, the closer, quickly retired the first two hitters he faced in the ninth. The 27th out may have been the toughest. Kyle Schwarber walked on four pitches, Bryant reached on an error and Rizzo was hit by another pitch. With the bases loaded, Zobrist hit a chopper to shortstop. The ball took a late hop, but Jordy Mercer fielded it cleanly and fired to Jaso, giving the Pirates a much-needed win. "You've got to stay yourself out there and try to make the next pitch. That's what happened," Watson said. "We've been battling. We want these wins, obviously, but we recognize there's a lot of season left. Fighting some adversity early is never a bad thing. Get it out of the way, build on this one." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED About time: Entering Friday's series opener, the Pirates had one hit in their past 31 at-bats with runners in scoring position -- and that one hit didn't score a run. Freese recently said the Bucs' lack of timely hitting needed to change "real quick," and it did. Freese ended a 12-pitch battle with Kyle Hendricks in the second inning by doubling home Gregory Polanco and knocking an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the sixth. Then Cervelli cracked the go-ahead shot, a two-run double to right-center field. More > "I knew they would come," Freese said. "Today was a day we got some knocks and helped Gerrit out a little bit." Cole Train: Cole is a self-described "sucker" for Wrigley Field -- the atmosphere, the history, the early-afternoon start times. He's also demonstrated a knack for pitching here. Cole threw 94 pitches in five innings, but Hurdle felt comfortable sending him back out for the sixth. The high pitch count wasn't so much a product of inefficiency -- he only walked one batter, and 63 percent of his pitches were strikes -- but rather the Cubs' deep lineup, which offers no easy outs. They drove up his pitch count to 114, the second-highest total of his career after a 116-pitch outing on June 7, 2015. "Lot of credit to them. They do a good job at the plate. They're tough from one to nine every time we face them," Cole said. "We could talk about it, but I feel like every time we play them, we could talk about it. It's kind of what they do. We'd like to get some more quick outs, continue to hammer out the process and try to get better." QUOTABLE "That was a big win, especially coming off yesterday's loss [to the Red Sox, 4-3, at Fenway Park] and the quick turnaround. Just a good win. Hopefully we can build on it and get a couple more." -- Watson "They were putting together some good at-bats on me. I had to grind a little bit there but I thought I was pitching pretty well and the sixth inning is just kind of unfortunate. What are you going to do about that? Just move on to the next one." -- Hendricks

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Cole has gone at least six innings in each of his eight starts at Wrigley Field, and he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of those outings. He has yet to allow a homer in this ballpark. WHAT'S NEXT Pirates: Top prospect Tyler Glasnow, coming off an ugly season debut Monday, will try to rebound as he faces the Cubs at 1:20 p.m. CT on Saturday at Wrigley Field. The Pirates are looking to continue their recent success against Jake Arrieta. Once an unhittable opponent, Arrieta allowed 19 earned runs in 17 ⅓ innings over his final three starts against Pittsburgh last season. Cubs: Arrieta makes his first home start of the season against the Pirates at 1:20 p.m. CT on Saturday. The righty is 17-9 with a 2.18 ERA in 32 day games at Wrigley field since joining the team in July 2013. -- Cubs.com Never-say-die Cubs can't find big hit By Cash Kruth CHICAGO -- One of the themes of the Cubs' World Series championship team of a season ago was never quitting. Their determined lineup made no lead feel safe. So it was a bit of a surprise -- or maybe just a sign of an offense trying to find its regular-season rhythm -- that two late rallies Friday afternoon went for naught in the Cubs' 4-2 loss to the Pirates at Wrigley Field. "We just could not get the hit when we needed it, but we played it all the way until the very end," manager Joe Maddon said. A three-run sixth inning for the Pirates after a less-than-stellar outing by Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (three runs in five innings) and the first hiccup of the season for reliever Justin Grimm (allowing two inherited runners to score) seemed to signal an easy win for Pittsburgh. But a struggling Pirates bullpen continued to do just that, while the Cubs wouldn't quit and loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth innings. The eighth inning was perhaps their best opportunity after third baseman Kris Bryant drew a leadoff walk and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch. Consecutive outs, however, stalled the rally - which was extended by Jason Heyward diving head-first into first base to load the bases with two outs. Willson Contreras grounded into a force out at third to end the inning. The ninth once again came back around to Bryant, Rizzo and Co., albeit with two outs. Kyle Schwarber drew a two-out walk, Bryant reached on an error and Rizzo was plunked once more before right fielder Ben Zobrist grounded out to end the game. "We put ourselves in position to get a chance in the last few innings to tie the game at least," Zobrist said. "And that, right now with a lot of us -- I think the rhythm just isn't quite there at the plate. It's early in the season, it's chilly, it's been tough to get it going this week for everybody, but I like how we battled late in the game." Although the Cubs don't have many high batting averages up and down their lineup -- Heyward leads at .294 -- Maddon likes the hitting approaches. Schwarber has drawn six walks in his last four games, Bryant has walked in five straight and Rizzo is batting .400 on the homestand. "I love the fact that we are seeing a lot of pitches, we are seeing good at-bats," Maddon said. "We actually look really good at the plate. Guys that normally hit who are not -- head's up, they're going to start doing it. To be in pretty good shape record-wise in spite of not having the offense clicking on all cylinders, it's kind of a good sign."

-- Cubs.com Duensing activated, logs scoreless debut By Cash Kruth and Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Brian Duensing awoke at 5:30 a.m. CT on Friday, went to the airport in Des Moines, Iowa, and arrived at Wrigley Field with plenty of time for a clubhouse tour. "I got a tour, but I don't even know where I'm at right now, to be honest. I need to go the bathroom, but I don't know if I can find it," Duensing said before Friday's series opener against the Pirates. "This is incredible. Incredible facility and clubhouse and all the bells and whistles." Duensing, who signed a one-year deal with the Cubs this offseason, was activated off the 10-day disabled list Friday after dealing with lower back tightness during Spring Training. He replaced right-hander Carl Edwards Jr., who was placed on the bereavement list. Duensing, 34, made two rehab outings for Triple-A Iowa, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out five. "Feel good, feel fine," Duensing said. "Back's good, arm's good. Everything's so far, so good." Duensing has a 4.13 ERA in 368 games (61 starts) in eight years with the Twins and Orioles. He joined Mike Montgomery as the second lefty in the Cubs' 'pen and was immediately called into action by manager Joe Maddon in the Cubs' eventual 4-2 loss the Bucs. Duensing pitched a scoreless seventh inning while striking out one. Duensing, making his first trip to Wrigley Field despite eight Major League seasons, said he was excited to finally join a confident Cubs squad intent on repeating their championship from a year ago. "I get the vibe that they're going to do it again, but not in like a cocky or braggy way," Duensing said. "Just, we're going to go out here and we're going to have fun, we're going to take care of business and we're going to have fun doing it." Worth noting • Duensing had a front-row seat to the early-season exploits of Ian Happ, the club's No. 2 prospect per MLBPipeline.com, who has homered five times in his first eight games at Triple-A Iowa. "He's fun to pull for," Duensing said. "And when he puts the ball in play, it makes a little bit different sound off his bat than some other guys. … Yeah, he's got incredible power. Opposite, pull, it doesn't matter. He's got power. It's fun to watch him play." Maddon said he's gotten reports on Happ. He reiterated what he said in Spring Training about young players needing to continue to prove themselves and be ready at a moment's notice. "Good for them, I'm happy for them," Maddon said of Happ and other youngsters off to hot starts. "Obviously you're going to need depth. They're indicating that they're getting close to being ready. I don't go nuts over a month's worth of good work either. But it was a nice Spring Training. They need to do that on a consistent basis and earn the right to be here." • The next time Wade Davis comes in to pitch at Wrigley Field, he'll hear his walk-up music: "Ackrite" by Dr. Dre. The song wasn't played for the new Cubs closer's first two appearances, which was simply a matter of communication -- Davis didn't know whom to tell. The Cubs' relievers were discussing their music on Thursday in the bullpen. Last year, the Wrigley Field crowd got revved up whenever it heard "Wake Up" by Rage Against the Machine, which was Aroldis Chapman's song. Davis

even had recommendations for some of the pitchers, including Justin Grimm, who has switched his tune this year to ZZ Top's "Tush." Grimm has been impressed by Davis' pitching so far. "He needs to come out to something hard that says 'I'm a bad man,'" Grimm said. He meant that in a good way. • The hardware continued to roll in for Cubs players on Friday, as first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Jake Arrieta received their National League Silver Slugger Awards in a pregame ceremony. Rizzo also received his Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award. • Hector Rondon returned to the mound Friday afternoon for the first time since injuring his left knee on Wednesday and leaving the game early. He entered in the eighth inning and retired three of the four batters he faced. -- ESPNChicago.com City of Chicago names road after Cubs infielder Javier Baez By Sarah Scrivens Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez racked up a number of major accomplishments in his first full MLB season and offseason, like being named co-MVP in the National League Championship Series, winning a World Series, and earning a silver medal with the Puerto Rican national team in the World Baseball Classic. On Tuesday, the city of Chicago gave the 24-year-old another tremendous honor by naming a road after him. Javier "Javy" Baez Way stretches along West Luis Munoz Marin Drive from Sacramento Avenue to Division Street, along Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park. The area has 15 different softball and baseball fields and is a neighborhood with a large Puerto Rican population, notes Eric Chesterton of MLB.com's Cut4. Baez snapped a selfie of himself and his girlfriend in front of the new street sign the day it was revealed, thanking Chicago and encouraging fans to take selfies and tag him if they post the photos to social media. The Cubs continue their home series against the Pirates on Saturday at 2:20 p.m. ET. -- CSNChicago.com Kyle Hendricks Shrugs Off Notion Of Rust In Second Cubs Start By Tony Andracki With only two starts and 11 innings under the belt, it's easy to get caught up in small sample sizes for starting pitchers. Kyle Hendricks — the reigning MLB ERA leader from a season ago — has a 5.73 mark after picking up his first loss of the 2017 slate Friday in a 4-2 Cubs defeat. It's only the second time Hendricks has pitched in 14 days as the Cubs' early season schedule has been flooded with off-days. Hendricks shrugged off any notion of rust contributing to his minor struggles, rather pointing to the fact he's not quite in the "zone" just yet with his command.

"I don't think [rust] is really any of the reasoning behind it," he said. "It's just one of those things — you come in and out of your zone a little bit. "Obviously last year, about midway through, I found that zone and kinda ran with it. It's still early. I'm just trying to find my way into it." Joe Maddon and the Cubs coaching staff moved Hendricks to the No. 5 spot in the rotation with an eye on keeping the 27-year-old starter fresh after pitching by far the most innings of his life in 2016. Maddon actually believes rust may be a contributing factor, after Hendricks was lights-out in spring training (1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings). "It probably has [been a factor]," Maddon said. "He was so sharp coming out of camp. That was a concern — how we had him set up coming out of camp. "But also, you're looking long-term as he continues to pitch on a more consistent basis, I think you'll see what we normally do see." It's not as if Hendricks is getting shelled. He lost Friday afternoon to the Pirates, but allowed only one run and four hits through five innings before a couple of balls dropped just out of reach of Cubs infielders. That led to a three-run Pirates rally — of which Hendricks was charged with two runs — but it was more a product of the unpredictable nature of baseball than a point of concern. "That's definitely going to happen," Hendricks said. "Pitching to contact, you're gonna have balls in play; some of them are gonna find holes. "Unfortunately, it just had to be bad timing. Nothing you can do." -- CSNChicago.com Gerrit Cole Shuts Down Cubs Again After Last Year's Trash Talk By Tony Andracki The last time Gerrit Cole faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field, he shut them out for eight innings then promptly backed up his play by stating the Cubs are not the best team in baseball. That was 11 months ago - May 15, 2016 to be exact - and it's not like the Cubs (6-4) had that statement printed out and tacked up on bulletin boards throughout the clubhouse before facing Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates (4-6) Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Cole wasn't exactly dominant but allowed only two runs in six innings to beat the Cubs once again 4-2 in front of 40,430 fans to kick off the first weekend series of the season at "The Friendly Confines." Even if the Cubs didn't use Cole's 11-month-old comments as fuel for Friday's game, it's not as if they forgot his bold statement, even after a World Series championship. "That's fine," Joe Maddon said before the game when asked about Cole's comments. "I'm sure there's certain things I'm not sure of, either. I try to refrain from actually saying them out loud, though." The Cubs' resume obviously speaks for itself as they proved Cole wrong by finishing 2016 with 103 victories en route to a wild World Series run that ended in the greatest baseball game ever played.

But Cole - the pitcher the Cubs beat in the one-game wild-card playoff in October 2015 - acted as a true ace for his team Friday, halting a four-game losing streak and keeping a powerful Cubs lineup at bay just enough to let the rest of his team come through against Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs bullpen. After Kyle Schwarber broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI single in the fifth, the Pirates strung together three straight hits to re-tie the score in the sixth and chase Hendricks from the game. Two batters later, the pesky Francisco Cervelli lined a double to right-center to make it 4-2. The Cubs threatened in the eighth when Kris Bryant walked and Anthony Rizzo was plunked to lead off the inning. But Ben Zobrist struck out on the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Felipe Rivero and Addison Russell lined out to center. Jason Heyward reached on an infield single before Willson Contreras grounded out to end the inning. The Cubs put together another rally in the ninth with two outs when Schwarber walked, Bryant reached on an error and Rizzo was hit again. But Zobrist grounded to short to end the afternoon. -- CSNChicago.com Cubs Taking Notice As Top Prospects Get Off To Red-Hot Start By Tony Andracki The Cubs finally have that elusive World Series victory and there's a young, ridiculously-talented core of players at the big-league level, yet there's still a question of: "OK, who's next?" There is currently nowhere for position players to get into the lineup at the big-league level on a regular basis. As is, it's already difficult for Joe Maddon to fit in Ben Zobrist, Javy Baez, Albert Almora Jr. and Jon Jay plus Matt Szczur and Tommy La Stella have yet to even earn a start. But that doesn't mean the Cubs haven't taken notice of the red-hot start to the 2017 season from top prospects Ian Happ and Jeimer Candelario. Happ smacked homers Wednesday and Thursday, giving him five through the first eight games with Triple-A Iowa. Candelario posted five RBI on Wednesday, his third such game already this season to go with a 1.324 OPS in eight games. Maddon has been busy watching his big-league club, obviously, but he's still heard about the success of Happ and Candelario, who made a strong impression in spring training. "Those kids there are being spoken about, but not on the level I thought they should've been spoken about only because we had these other folks in the way," Maddon said. "In an organization without as many good, young prospects, these guys would be absolutely glorified right now. "So good for them. I'm happy for them. Obviously you're gonna need depth. They're indicating they're getting close to being ready to be here. "I don't go nuts over a month's worth of good work, either. It's a nice spring training. They need to do that on a consistent basis and earn the right to be here. The scholarship program should never exist anywhere in Major League Baseball. These guys need to earn it. "They're doing really well. I love what they're doing. They're good kids, too, man. Hopefully they'll be able to maintain that and when the need arises, they'll be able to get up here." With no place to play in Chicago, guys like Happ and Candelario may find themselves on the trading block this summer.

But that hasn't stopped them from turning heads in the time being. Candelario got his first taste of big-league action last season and went 1-for-11 in five games with Chicago. In the minors, he hit .283 overall with an .840 OPS, but those numbers climbed to .333/.959 with Triple-A Iowa in the second half of the season. Happ enjoyed a breakout 2016, hitting .279 with an .810 OPS, 15 homers and 16 stolen bases in 134 games. Count veteran reliever Brian Duensing among the Happ fans. Duensing just joined the Cubs in Chicago after a rehab stint with Iowa and spoke glowingly of Happ, the Cubs' most recent first-round pick in June 2015 (they didn't own a pick until the third round in 2016). "He's incredible," Duensing said. "Even better, he's a good person. He's fun to pull for. When he puts the ball in play, it makes a little bit different sound off his bat than some other guys. "He's been having a good start to the season. He's got incredible power." -- CSNChicago.com Cubs Add Brian Duensing Into Bullpen Mix; Carl Edwards Jr. Will Miss Weekend Series By Tony Andracki Brian Duensing set his alarm for 5:30 a.m. Friday morning even though his flight from Iowa to Chicago wasn't for another few hours. "There was no way I was gonna miss this one, so I made sure I got up early," Duensing said Friday in front of his locker in the Cubs clubhouse. Duensing has actually had his name on his locker all week, even though the veteran left-handed reliever was in Triple-A rehabbing after a back injury limited his spring training work. The Cubs activated Duensing off the disabled list Friday morning, placing pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. on the bereavement list after a death in the family. This is actually Duensing's first time at Wrigley Field even though he's been around the big leagues since 2009, although all of his previous experience came in the American League with the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles. Duensing got a full tour of the Cubs clubhouse from traveling secretary Vijay Tekchandani, but the southpaw joked he was still getting his bearings and didn't even know where the bathroom was. Duensing got to know the Cubs players and coaching staff in spring training after signing a one-year, $2 million deal over the winter. When it comes to his performance on the field, he's just aiming to blend seamlessly into the background with the reigning World champs. "I look forward to how the team's gonna do," Duensing said. "Obviously had an unbelievable year last year winning the World Series. They wanna do it again and it'd be fun to be a part of it and help out." As for Edwards, he tossed two shutout innings in Thursday's 4-0 Cubs win so he would've been unavailable at least Friday — and possibly Saturday — anyways, but this is obviously not how anybody would want the young pitcher to get some rest.

"It's horrible," said Joe Maddon of Edwards' loss. "We all know CJ and he's such a good kid and he's absolutely being devastated by it. We just wait and see when he gets back and in the meantime, we'll just hold down the fort." --