June 7, 2016 Cubs.com Cubs fastest to 40 wins since '01 Mariners By Todd Zolecki and Evan Webeck PHILADELPHIA -- Maybe June will be kinder to Jason Heyward. The Cubs' right fielder hit a two-run home run to right field in the fourth inning Monday night in a 6-4 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Heyward entered the month with just one home run, but he has homered twice in the first week of June. With the win, the Cubs become the fastest team to reach 40 wins since the 2001 Mariners, who are tied for the most regular-season wins in MLB history (116) with the 1906 Cubs. "We just kept the proverbial grinding out of the at-bats," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We scored enough runs, we caught the ball on defense. We've had great starting pitching. You score six runs and have to fasten your seat belts in the ninth." Freddy Galvis saved the Phillies from their third shutout of the season when he ripped a three-run homer to right field in the ninth inning off Justin Grimm. It snapped a 0-for-22 streak for Galvis. Tommy Joseph followed with a solo homer to center against Hector Rondon to make it a two-run game, before the Cubs closer retired three straight Phils to seal the win. "That was like two different innings, the first eight innings and the ninth," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It was good to see the guys fight back." "That's why they call them the Phitin' Phils, right?" Maddon joked. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Lester does it himself: As if eight innings of shutout ball weren't enough, Jon Lester added a fourth-inning double, too. The ball rocketed off his bat at 103 mph, per Statcast™, into left-center field for his second hit of the season. Although he didn't get a chance to finish off his shutout, Lester was dominant up until his last pitch. The lefty finished his performance by facing the minimum over his final six innings. The only Phillies hitter to reach base after the second inning was Joseph, who was doubled up the next play. Lester allowed only four Phillies to reach base -- all on singles -- and struck out nine. He became the first Cubs pitcher since Rich Harden in 2008 to record consecutive nine-strikeout, no-walk starts. "That's two outings in a row of him having great command," Maddon said. "He mixed his speeds, he was throwing strikes. He's really been on top of his game. Good for him, man. It's outstanding to see him pitch that way." Morgan hangs: Mackanin indicated before the game that left-hander Adam Morgan needed to start pitching better to keep his job in the rotation. Morgan allowed three runs in six innings, which might have helped his cause. Two of the runs Morgan allowed came on Heyward's fourth-inning homer. "You can't really look into that," Morgan said about any sense of urgency before the start. "You look into that, you take away your game plan." Leading off: Dexter Fowler extended his strong 2016, reaching base in four of his five trips to the plate. In each of the two innings he led off, Fowler reached and came around to score. The only player in baseball with a higher on-

base percentage is teammate Ben Zobrist, with a .438 mark. Monday's effort raised Fowler's OBP eight points to .429, jumping three places into second. "The goal should always be to score first," Maddon said. "That should be a baseball team's goal. … So when you have guys having the kind of year he's having and you have [Kris Bryant] coming on strong behind him, and of course [Anthony Rizzo], yeah, when Dexter gets on, it really looks like a nice first inning." Fowler got hit in the finger in the eighth inning, but he stayed in the game and Maddon expects him to be fine. Joseph hits again: Joseph started his sixth consecutive game at first base and he singled to left field in the seventh against Lester, before he hit a solo homer to center in the ninth off Rondon. Joseph is hitting .375 (9-for-24) with one double, two home runs and three RBIs since Mackanin said he planned to give Joseph the opportunity to earn the everyday job over Ryan Howard. "I've just stuck to my approach every day," Joseph said. "The swing feels comfortable." QUOTABLE "When you're walking to school and every time you take the road to school there's a big tough guy that beats you up and takes your lunch money, after a while I think you're going to take a different route. Likewise, the hitters have to figure it out. 'I'm not going to keep doing what I'm doing. That guy is not going to beat me up and take my money anymore. I'm going to go around him.'" -- Mackanin, on Phillies' hitters making the same mistakes at the plate SOLER INJURED Cubs left fielder Jorge Soler left the game in the third inning after pulling up short on a hit to left field. Soler was diagnosed with a left hamstring injury. He walked off the field under his own power, with no apparent limp. Matt Szczur entered the game for Soler and took over for him in left field. UPON FURTHER REVIEW Fowler led off the first with a double, and Bryant followed it up with a blast to right. The ball bounced back into the field of play, and Bryant turned for third. He made it, but was sent back to second base after a crew-chief review determined a fan in the right-field seats touched the ball. Despite losing a base, Bryant still earned an RBI, as Fowler was awarded home on the ground-rule double. The review was a lengthy one, lasting 4 minutes, 48 seconds. Fowler was involved -- more directly -- in a second replay review in the eighth inning. Andrew Bailey went up and in with an 0-1 fastball that tailed into the handle of Fowler's bat. Umpires ruled that Fowler was hit by the pitch, but the Phillies challenged to no avail. Mackanin is now 11-for-21 on challenges this season. SHE'S OK A fan sitting near the Cubs' dugout got hit in the side by a bat that slipped out of Galvis' hands in the third inning. She left the field under her own power and is said to be OK. WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 2.84) starts for the Cubs in the second game of the three-game set in Philly at 6:05 p.m. CT. The right-hander owns a sparkling 1.99 ERA at home but a 4.37 mark away from Wrigley Field. Phillies: Howard is expected to start at first base Tuesday night against the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park at 7:05 p.m. ET. It will be his first start since May 31, as Mackanin benched Howard last week in favor of Joseph. Mackanin said he could make a decision about how he will use Howard and Joseph going forward in the next few days. Jerad Eickhoff will take the ball for the Phillies.

-- Cubs.com Bear maximum: Cubs on pace for 116 wins! By Phil Rogers How good are the Cubs? They're good enough that they've rendered the power rankings a weekly anticlimax, just the way the Yankees did in 1998 and the Mariners did in the second half of 2001. For the power rankings to really matter this year, we'd have to be examining the best teams of all time, not just the best ones this season. That's how good Joe Maddon's Cubs are. They're the fastest team to 40 wins since since Lou Piniella's '01 Mariners, and unlike that team -- which had just lost Alex Rodriguez, if you remember -- they are not surprising anyone with their play this season. After beating the Phillies, 6-4, on Monday, the Cubs are 40-16. That's a .714 winning percentage, which translates to 116 wins over a 162-game season. That would be the most ever in the Majors, matching the mark set by Frank Chance's Cubs in 1906 and tied by the 2001 Mariners. As crazy as it might sound, I believe they're going to break that record. They'll win 117 games or more in the regular season. That's how much talent they have, and how much fun they are having playing together, with Maddon wringing the absolute best out of everyone who comes in contact with him. Then, of course, comes the final exam, in October. That's when the Cubs' year will be defined. Will they be like the '98 Yankees, who won 114 games and then blitzed through the Rangers, Indians and the Padres in the postseason, winning the second of their five championships behind Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera? Or will they be like the '01 Mariners, who couldn't put away the Yankees in the American League Championship Series? That's the delicious question that will hang in the air over Wrigley Field and wherever else the Cubs play for the next four months. There are no guarantees in baseball, even for the best teams. In many ways, these Cubs are the perfect baseball storm -- a complete team of complete players who play for each other, not their own statistics. Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod built the Cubs just about as well as a team can be built. They hit in the Draft on guys like Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber, bought low in trades for Anthony Rizzo and Jake Arrieta, and scored in the Rule 5 Draft with Hector Rondon, the closer who has converted his last 22 save opportunities. But the Cubs are surprising even Epstein, who nervously waits for the eight-game losing streak that will bring them to earth. He and his staff exchanged knowing looks during a 4-8 stretch that included losing series in Milwaukee and San Francisco, because they knew their team wouldn't always have smooth sailing. Guess what has happened since then? The Cubs have won 11 of 13, with the only two losses coming in starts by Arrieta, who over his last 32 starts has gone 25-2 with a 1.19 ERA. Arrieta, of course, is only a part of what's right with the Cubs' pitching staff. The Cubs are strong 1 through 5 this season, with Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks joining Arrieta in having a sub-3 ERA (and ranking among the National League's top 18 starters in ERA).

Lester shut out the Phillies for eight innings Monday, lowering the starters' ERA to 2.33. The lowest ERA by a starting staff since 1920 was the 1968 Cardinals at 2.40. That's just one of the crazy things being done by these Cubs, who lead the NL in scoring 5.4 runs per game while allowing an average of 2.9 runs, the lowest in the league. They're on pace to allow 393 runs, which would be the fewest ever in a 162-game season -- by a margin of 79 runs. After Bob Gibson and the '68 Cardinals held their opponents to 472 runs, rookie Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and owners voted to lower the height of the mound the next season. The record for a 154-game season is held by the 1918 Red Sox, who with Babe Ruth on the mound allowed only 380 runs. The Cubs have outscored their opponents by 143 runs. That more than doubles the total of the second-most dominant team, the Red Sox. They're at +69. No matter how great the Cubs have played for the first 56 games of the season, it sounds a little nuts to predict they'll win 117 games or more. But they've given themselves a chance to make history. No team ever sets out to win more than 100 games. Those kind of seasons just sort of appear. Even Epstein, if you press him, will tell you that when he ran the Red Sox his goal was to win 95 games a year because that's what he thought he needed to compete against the Yankees. Winning 100 in a season? That's crazy stuff. It happens every now and then, but you'd never predict it. But step back from the 2016 Cubs, and what do you have? You see the ahead-of-schedule Cubs of a year ago, who eliminated the Cardinals and Pirates before running into the buzzsaw that was the Mets' starting rotation in the NL Championship Series. That team went 45-18 down the stretch to win 97 games. Take those 63 games in July, August and September and add them to the 56 this year. You get a run of 85-34. That's a .714 winning percentage, and that gets you to 116 wins over 162 games. That is the powerhouse that Epstein, Maddon & Co. have built, and guess what? They're not done yet. They'll add pieces in midseason deals, strengthening the bullpen in front of Rondon or upgrading in left field or somewhere that you won't see coming until it happens. And they'll be playing a lot of teams that will be subtracting, with 27 of their last 55 against the A's, Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Padres and Reds. How great is this Cubs team going to be in the regular season? It could wind up as the best team we've ever seen. -- Cubs.com Lester feeling comfortable on, off mound By Evan Webeck PHILADELPHIA -- It took him a season to acclimate to a new team, but Jon Lester feels comfortable in Chicago, and the results on the field are reflecting it. Lester was feeling serene on the Citizens Bank Park mound in Monday's 6-4 win over the Phillies. He went eight shutout innings and struck out more than twice as many Phillies (nine) as he allowed to reach base (four).

"I feel more comfortable this year," Lester said. "As the year went on [last season], you could really see [manager] Joe [Maddon] open up and become more Joe. We had a little bit more fun once we started winning. That just carried over to this year. … Everybody feels more relaxed this year." Lester has gone two consecutive starts without allowing a run and striking out nine while walking none. He's the first Cub to do so since Rich Harden in 2008. On Monday, he breezed through eight innings, facing the minimum over his final six innings. Only a Tommy Joseph single broke up a streak of 13 straight Phillies retired. Lester subsequently got Maikel Franco to ground into a double play, then retired four more Phillies in a row before his night was over. "That's two outings in a row of him having great command," Maddon said. "He mixed his speeds, he was throwing strikes. He's really been on top of his game. Good for him, man. It's outstanding to see him pitch that way." Despite the roll Lester was on to end his start, Maddon said it was an easy decision to go to Justin Grimm to start the ninth. The Cubs were up 6-0, and Maddon's threshold for leaving Lester in was a five-run lead. Plus, Lester had thrown 113 pitches in a nine-inning, one-run performance against the Dodgers his last start. "There's two things you're looking at there," Maddon said. "Is the shutout that important? That would be a personal goal as opposed to a team goal. The team goal for me there was to not have him throw many more pitches after 113 his last time out and having him spiffy the next time he does go out." Lester's next time out, he'll be putting a three-game streak of allowing one earned or fewer on the line. He'll enter his start having not allowed a run in 16 innings. The last time an opponent scored on him was the first inning of his complete game against the Dodgers. "My curveball's been better really since San Francisco [on May 21]," Lester said. "But I'm able to throw it for strikes and get some swings and misses. That's really helped open up my fastball and cutter." His outing in San Francisco was three starts ago. Since then, Lester has pitched 23 1/3 innings and allowed only two earned runs -- a 0.77 ERA. -- Cubs.com Soler to undergo MRI on left hamstring By Evan Webeck PHILADELPHIA -- After he lined a third-inning fastball to the left-field wall, Jorge Soler slowed up as he reached first base and settled for a single. Solar exited Monday's 6-4 win over the Phillies, having injured his left hamstring on the play. He walked off the field without any apparent limp but will undergo an MRI. The Cubs will know the severity of the injury Tuesday, after the MRI. "Once I heard hammy running down to first base, I said, 'Yeah, OK, let's go, you're done,'" Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "There's nothing to debate there. Hamstrings are nasty and he's had a history, so let's get him out of there." Matt Szczur entered the game as a pinch-runner and took over for Soler in left field. In front of his hometown crowd in Philadelphia, Szczur went 0-for-2 but bunted Kris Bryant home in the seventh inning. Although he's been relatively healthy in his Major League career, Soler has previously dealt with hamstring issues in the minors. He missed about two months in 2014 due to injuries in both hamstrings.

"Hammies, once you do that, it's something that really does follow, hopefully not to a severe degree," Maddon said. "I was a really good hamstring puller. I was one of the best. So I know what it feels like, and I know what the recovery's like. It's more painful than breaking something." The 24-year-old outfielder had struggled at the plate this season, hitting .223. He was 2-for-2 with a couple singles prior to his exit Monday. If the hamstring results in a DL stint for Soler, Maddon said outfield prospect Albert Almora would be a candidate to replace him. The Cubs manager clarified he'll take the advice of his Minor League coordinators on the decision, should it be necessary. Almora is hitting .322 with Triple-A Iowa. Another candidate could be Matt Murton, who hasn't played in the Majors since 2009 but is hitting .324 in Triple-A. -- Cubs.com Sir Charles visits Maddon, Cubs in Philly By Evan Webeck PHILADELPHIA -- Charles Barkley stopped by Citizens Bank Park prior to Monday's Cubs-Phillies game, and he brought a bold take with him. "I'm a Phillies fan," Barkley said. "And we're going for the sweep this series, too." "Sir Charles" didn't take the same tone when he met with Cubs manager Joe Maddon in his office before batting practice. "He was very complimentary of us," Maddon said. "He's in Philly, he's gotta say that." What did come up in Barkley's talk with Maddon was, inevitably, his golf game. "I think I've seen some video of that," Maddon said, laughing. "He was a good basketball player. Very good basketball player." Maddon said the Cubs tried to coax Barkley into the cage during batting practice. Originally, they faced some safety concerns, but those gave way to the power of curiosity: How does his infamous golf swing compare to his hacks in the cage? The answer: similarly. It was the first time Maddon had met Barkley, as it was for many Cubs players. Kris Bryant, used to being the biggest guy in the clubhouse, had to see how he matched up. "I was eye to eye with him," the 6-foot-5 Bryant said. "He's a big guy. His hands are [huge]." Barkley spent the first eight seasons of his Hall of Fame NBA career in Philadelphia. He lives in Arizona now, though, which is where Maddon's admiration for him grew, having lived in Phoenix while Barkley played for the Suns. "I watched him all the time. Very entertaining," Maddon said. "Obviously as a big fan of his game … it was really nice to get to meet him." -- Cubs.com Cubs' first Draft pick to come in third round By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- The 2016 Draft will take place from Thursday through Saturday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 6 p.m., with the top 77 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of Day 2 begins with a live Draft show at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, with exclusive coverage of Day 3 beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday. MLB.com's coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 200 Draft Prospects list and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of over 1,500 Draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and you can also keep up to date by following @MLBDraft. And get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft. Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Cubs, whose first selection is the 104th pick in the third round. In about 50 words "We all feel the challenge that we have to identify some guys and we have to develop some guys so there are pitchers that the Major League team can go down and get," said Jason McLeod, the Cubs' scouting and player development director. The scoop The Cubs don't have a selection until the third round, because they signed free agents Jason Heyward and John Lackey, but it's not as if a team can't find good talent there. Jake Arrieta was a fifth-round selection in 2007, Jason Hammel was a 10th-round pick in '02 and Kyle Hendricks was an eighth-round pick in '11. The pitchers in the Minor League system who the Cubs are excited about include Carson Sands, Justin Steele and Dylan Cease. All were high schoolers taken in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, in 2014. Since Theo Epstein took over as president of baseball operations in October 2011 and brought McLeod to the team, the Cubs have not had a pitcher they drafted and developed reach their big league team. "It's something that keeps us up at night," McLeod said. "We're happy with some of the progress guys have made who are in Double-A now, some of the high school picks. We also haven't taken a pitcher in the first round. We haven't taken that college pitcher. "When you look at Major League rotations, out of the drafted players, almost half of them come out of the first round. That's not excuse making at all. We have to be better developing these guys." First-round buzz The Cubs do not have a first-round pick, but will make their first selection in the third round. Money matters Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each pick in the top 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, and the total for each of a team's choices covers what it can spend without penalty in those rounds. Any bonus money in excess of $100,000 given to an individual player selected in rounds 11-40 also counts against a team's bonus pool. The amounts rise each year in accordance with Major League Baseball's revenue growth, and increased by 4.62 percent this year compared to 2015. Any team going up to 5 percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75 percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75 percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100 percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100 percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts. The Cubs have the lowest bonus pool at $2,245,100. The assigned value for the Cubs' 104th pick is $573,900.

"It's a challenge for us this year, because we have the lowest pool money," McLeod said. "It's our mindset, it makes it fun, it makes it challenging. Believe me, we're ultra competitive. We want to beat every team rounds three through 10. That's how we look at this." Shopping list The Cubs are on the lookout for pitching, pitching and more pitching. The last pitcher who the Cubs drafted and raised in their system to reach the big leagues was lefty Eric Jokisch, an 11th-round pick in 2011. He appeared in four games with the big league team in '14 and was claimed off waivers by the Marlins in April. As cliche as it sounds, McLeod said they will take the best player available. "I think there will be a focus on pitching, but we won't try to create it or invent something out of nothing," McLeod said. "Day One will be interesting. Usually, I'm all suited up and I get to come out and talk about how excited we are about our first pick. This year, we might be sitting there in shorts and flip flops pulling names off the board. "It'll give us the opportunity to spend that whole evening [on Thursday] preparing for the next day. Our mindset is to take it as a big challenge." Trend watch It isn't that the Cubs haven't been selecting pitchers in the past in the Draft. Of the 42 players the team has picked in the first 10 rounds since 2012, 30 were pitchers. The organization does emphasize versatility - Kris Bryant is a perfect example of that -- so McLeod is on the lookout for the best athlete. Rising fast Albert Almora, the Cubs' first-round pick in 2012, was having a solid season at Triple-A Iowa, but his progress has been slowed because of injuries. Almora made some mechanical adjustments at the end of last season at Double-A Tennessee, and he has been able to carry that over. "The defense is something that stands out," Cubs Minor League roving hitting instructor Andy Haines said. "Being a hitting guy, you're watching the offense, but you watch him play center field and the plays he makes [are amazing]." Ian Happ, the Cubs' first-round pick last year, was doing well at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach where he's back playing second base, where he played in college. The ninth player selected overall, Happ played outfield last season at Class A South Bend. Cinderella story Matt Szczur was a standout athlete at Lower Cape May (N.J.) Regional High School, playing football, baseball and track and field. The Dodgers selected him in the 38th round of the 2007 Draft, but he opted to attend Villanova University instead and went there on a football scholarship. At college, Szczur played wide receiver, running back, wildcat quarterback and was a return specialist on the football team. He starred in the 2009 Division I national championship game, totaled 270 all-purpose yards and scoring two touchdowns to earn MVP honors. A consensus All-American in football, he also played center field for the Wildcats' baseball team. The Cubs selected Szczur in the fifth round of the 2010 Draft, and at that time, he still had one year of eligibility remaining to play football and two years of baseball at Villanova. He received a $100,000 signing bonus plus an additional $500,000 if he declined to attend the NFL combine and make a written commitment to baseball before February 2011. Szczur then played for Class A Short Season Boise, and in January 2011, he signed a $1.5 million contract with the Cubs. Szczur risked his athletic career in 2009 when he donated bone marrow to a 15-month-old Ukrainian girl he did not know who was battling leukemia. Now, he's playing with the Cubs. Cubs reliever Justin Grimm also was selected by the Rangers in the fifth round in 2010.

In The Show The Cubs began this season with three of their last four first-round picks on the Opening Day roster, including Kyle Schwarber, Bryant and Javier Baez. Baez was on the 15-day disabled list because of a bruised left thumb. Szczur is the only other Cubs Draft pick who made the Opening Day roster. The Cubs' recent top picks 2015: Ian Happ, 2B, Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach 2014: Kyle Schwarber, OF/C, Cubs (60-day disabled list) 2013: Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs 2012: Albert Almora, OF, Triple-A Iowa 2011: Javier Baez, IF, Cubs -- Cubs.com Hendricks eyes third straight win vs. Phillies By Evan Webeck When the Cubs and Phillies meet on Tuesday night, neither starting pitcher will enter with a win-loss record that reflects the way they've pitched this season. Kyle Hendricks sits at just 4-4, despite a 2.84 ERA. Jerad Eickhoff may be an even bigger victim of lack of run support. He and Matt Harvey are tied for a league-worst eight losses. Eickhoff, however, has a 3.93 ERA compared to Harvey's 4.95 mark. While he's tied for last in wins, his ERA ranks 34th among 52 qualified NL starters. Seven of Eickhoff's 11 starts have been quality ones, yet the Phillies have only won three of his starts. They're averaging 2.58 runs of support behind Eickhoff, compared to 3.23 normally. For Hendricks, the Cubs are scoring 3.4 runs per game, while averaging a league-best 5.4 per game on the season. Three things to know: • Facing lefty Adam Morgan on Monday, Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero gave way to their right-handed-hitting counterparts Javier Baez and David Ross, respectively. Both should be back in the lineup for Tuesday's game. • Ryan Howard is set to return to the starting lineup on Tuesday. Tommy Joseph has started the past six games, allowing Howard to "clear his head," as manager Pete Mackanin put it. Joseph, who was called up May 13, recorded more hits for the month (10) than Howard (7) in 35 fewer plate appearances. • The Phillies have lost 14 of their 21 games against NL Central opponents this season. They're 21-16 against all other teams. The Cubs swept them in Chicago the last time the teams met. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs lefty Jon Lester knows not to argue with Joe Maddon By Jerry Crasnick PHILADELPHIA -- Jon Lester put his stamp on the Chicago Cubs' latest road trip as the team’s resident fashion advisor. With input from strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss, Lester is the guy who conceived those snazzy NBA warmup outfits with the nicknames on the back that the Cubs are wearing with so much pride this week in Philadelphia. Lester’s personal model features the designation “Left-Hander" in red letters across the back. The Steve Carlton-esque simplicity of the nickname reflects Lester’s status as a revered veteran in the Chicago clubhouse.

But even nine-figure pitchers with World Series rings and All-Star pedigrees know their limits. After throwing 95 pitches over eight shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, Lester would have been entitled to lobby manager Joe Maddon to go out for the ninth. He refrained from arguing too much because he’s respectful of the decision-making hierarchy and knows a futile pursuit when he sees one. “I told Joe I was fine (to go back out there). But I also told him that he’s the manager," Lester said Monday night. “I’ve tried before with him, but I think I’ve won maybe once in two years. When he shakes my hand, I know it’s pretty much done, so there’s no point in arguing. Like I’ve always said, the manager makes those decisions. The players don’t." The Chicago bullpen made things a little too interesting when Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon combined to turn a 6-0 lead into a 6-4 squirmer. But the Cubs held on to win the series opener, improve their record to 40-16 and begin a nine-game swing through Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington on an upbeat note. The Cubs became the fastest team to reach 40 victories since the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who rode rookie of the year and MVP performances from Ichiro Suzuki to 116 victories and an American League West title before losing to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Cubs should have known it would be a fun night at the yard when they arrived at Citizens Bank Park to perfect weather and the sight of Charles Barkley swapping stories and yukking it up with Maddon in the visiting manager’s office. Barkley took the frivolity to another level when he stepped in the cage for a couple of swings before the Cubs took batting practice. Spoiler alert: He’s no Madison Bumgarner. “I was trying to compare it to the golf swings I’ve seen him take in the past, and I feel like the baseball swing will come around faster than the golf swing," Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward said. The guys at the top of the Chicago batting order might have been more inspired by Sir Charles than they let on. Dexter Fowler, Heyward, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo went a combined 10-for-18 in the Nos. 1 through 4 spots, and the Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on doubles by Fowler and Bryant. Chicago now has a 25-3 record when the Cubs score first this season. Heyward, who is gradually looking more comfortable at the plate as the weather heats up, launched a two-run homer off Adam Morgan in the fourth. Even Lester swung the bat with authority, recording a double, a run scored and a long flyout to the opposite field. Not bad for a guy who is hitting .080 (2-for-25) this season. In his last start, Lester twirled a four-hit complete game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Maddon opted to pull him after eight innings Monday because Lester threw 113 pitches against L.A., and the manager figured he had enough cushion to save the veteran a little wear and tear on a humid night. “There’s two things you’re looking at there," Maddon said. “Is the shutout that important? That would be a personal goal as opposed to a team goal. The team goal for me was to not have Jon throw many more pitches after 113 his last time out -- and have him spiffy the next time he goes out. It was really an easy decision there." The only downer of the evening for the Cubs: Jorge Soler, who had been picking it up offensively of late, suffered a hamstring injury while sprinting down the line on a base hit and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. If the injury necessitates a trip to the disabled list, the Cubs could dip into the Triple-A Iowa roster and bring up Albert Almora or Matt Murton, both of whom are hitting above .320. The ability of Bryant and Ben Zobrist to play the outfield gives the Cubs the freedom to go in several directions if Soler is out a while. “You hate to see anybody getting hurt, but now of all times, when Jorge is coming around to being Jorge," Heyward said. “It’s frustrating. It was just a hustle play and it happened, and it sucks."

In the overall scheme of things, Soler’s injury is probably just another blip for a Chicago team that keeps on rolling. From their travel garb to their gaudy record, the Cubs are raising spiffy to a whole new level. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs' Jorge Soler to have MRI on ailing hamstring By Jerry Crasnick PHILADELPHIA -- Chicago Cubs left fielder Jorge Soler suffered a left hamstring injury in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. Soler hurt himself sprinting down the line in the third inning after a single to left field against Phillies starter Adam Morgan. Manager Joe Maddon and athletic trainer PJ Mainville came out of the dugout to check on Soler after he crouched beside the first-base bag in obvious discomfort. He walked off the field and was replaced by pinch runner Matt Szczur. "Once I heard 'hammy' running down to first base, I said, 'You're done. Let's go. Come on,'" Maddon said. "There's nothing to debate there. Hamstrings are nasty and he's had a history, so we got him out of there." Soler, 24, has played a more prominent role than expected in Chicago's outfield since Kyle Schwarber went down with a season-ending knee injury in April. He is hitting .223 with a .699 OPS, five home runs and 13 RBIs in 130 at-bats this season but had been swinging the bat better of late, with a .318 batting average over his previous 17 games. He had a hit in both of his at-bats Monday. Soler said he felt something in his hamstring about two steps before reaching the first-base bag. He had previously suffered strains to his right and left hamstrings in the minor leagues during the 2014 season. "It's not too serious compared to what I've felt before, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow when we get the MRI," Soler said through Cubs coach and translator Henry Blanco. "It's frustrating. I've been feeling better and coming around at the plate. Hopefully it's nothing serious.'' The Cubs received an additional scare in the eighth inning when center fielder Dexter Fowler was hit in the hand by a 91 mph fastball from Phillies reliever Andrew Bailey, but Fowler remained in the game. -- CSNChicago.com Jon Lester, The Right Cubs Free Agent At The Right Time, Takes Care Of Business Against Phillies By Patrick Mooney PHILADELPHIA — Once Jon Lester finally made The Decision and signed that six-year, $155 million megadeal with the Cubs, Anthony Rizzo told his family: I’m going to play on a contender for the rest of my career. The Cubs were coming off their fifth consecutive fifth-place finish when manager Joe Maddon escaped his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and Lester took the leap of faith with Theo Epstein’s front office. That seems like ancient history now. But Lester is still an anchor for the majors’ first team to 40 wins this season, even with the well-chronicled issues throwing to first base and even as Jake Arrieta gets most of the rotation headlines as the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner. At a time when two of Epstein’s biggest free-agent mistakes with the Cubs (Edwin Jackson) and Boston Red Sox (Carl Crawford) are now in designated-for-assignment limbo, Lester again showed he’s the right player at the right time.

Lester dominated the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, throwing eight scoreless innings before the Cubs bullpen hung on for a 6-4 victory. Lester retired 13 straight batters during one stretch, threw 95 efficient pitches, finished with nine strikeouts against zero walks and got enough support from an offense that has been years in the making. “Some guys didn’t believe it — they didn’t believe in that plan,” said Rizzo, the first baseman/clubhouse leader on track for his third All-Star selection before his 27th birthday. “And Jonny did. Obviously, with Joe signing and Jon coming over and us progressing last year like we did, it couldn’t have been better.” Jason Heyward — who blasted a two-run homer off Phillies starter Adam Morgan — had been listed in the projected 2016 lineup when the Cubs unveiled a diamond diagram as part of the elaborate presentation during Lester’s recruiting visit to Wrigleyville. Monday also marked the three-year anniversary of the Houston Astros drafting Stanford University pitcher Mark Appel No. 1 overall, allowing the Cubs to select future Rookie of the Year/All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant (3-for-5, RBI, two runs scored) with the second pick. Lester — who notched a complete-game victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week at Wrigley Field — is now 7-3 with a 2.06 ERA and should be in the conversation for his fourth All-Star selection. And if you needed another sign of Lester’s increasing comfort level around this team, he collaborated with strength coach Tim Buss and came up with the idea for the NBA Finals-themed road trip, personally paying for all the blue Under Armour tracksuits and white Nike sneakers. “Maybe reading into it (too much),” Lester said. “But like I’ve said from Day 1 this year, I really do feel more comfortable. “Obviously, winning last year and going to the playoffs kind of helps everybody relax. We really didn’t know what to expect last year, and we kind of exceeded the expectations. That really allowed us to come in and have everybody play relaxed and have a good time. “As the year went on, you could really see Joe open up, too, and become more Joe. We had a little bit more fun when we started winning. That just carried over to this year, (and) you can pretty much go down the line — everybody feels more relaxed.” This from an old Red Sox who admitted he didn’t know if it was — with all due respect — a little tacky or unprofessional when Maddon’s Rays teams did those types of dress-up gimmicks. “It’s just the personality of our team, too,” Rizzo said. “We’re just all so close that I can see some outsiders looking in (that way). But everyone who knows this team — and is around this team — knows how we are. “Jonny came up with a really veteran (group), a lot of old-school players that taught him the things that he teaches guys (now).” The Phillies (28-30) — a completely undermanned offensive team — tried to get in Lester’s head by bunting and aggressively running the bases. But personal catcher David Ross easily threw out Maikel Franco when he tried to steal second base in the second inning. And it ultimately didn’t matter moments later when Lester recoiled at the sight of a Peter Bourjos pop-up bunt, stepping away from the ball and waiting for Ross to pick it up. “That’s just a tough play — it was like right in the middle between both of them,” Maddon said. “(Bourjos) bisected the mound and the plate. It’s just a tough play for either guy, but I thought overall we’ve been handling that stuff pretty well. “Everybody says ‘bunt.’ Just go down the list of the bunters in the league who are good bunters. Everybody just thinks it’s that easy. It is the lost art. There are certain teams that do bunt better than others. There are some

hitters that bunt betters than others. But just to say ‘bunt’ doesn’t necessarily (work) when the guy’s throwing 94 (mph) with a cutter on your fingertips. It’s not that easy to do.” Lester — a 32-year-old lefty who’s thrown almost 2,000 innings in The Show when you include the playoffs and those two World Series championships with the Red Sox — can minimize those issues and beat teams in different ways. Nine-figure contracts for pitchers almost never end well, but right now nothing says comfort like a personalized tracksuit. -- CSNChicago.com Charles Barkley And Joe Maddon Understand Ryan Howard's Frustration With Philly Fans By Patrick Mooney PHILADELPHIA — What would Charles Barkley do? There’s an easy answer to that hypothetical question, how Sir Charles would have responded if a fan threw a beer bottle at him, the way someone targeted fading Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard. “I’d have kicked his ass, personally,” Barkley told reporters before the Cubs beat up the Phillies on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Cubs had a six-run lead in the ninth inning before the Phillies rallied late, with Howard pinch-hitting against closer Hector Rondon and making the last out in a 6-4 game that didn’t feel that close. Barkley — who once got arrested for throwing a guy through a bar window during his Hall of Fame career and has become a must-watch personality on TNT’s NBA coverage — knows the pressure of playing in this city after eight seasons with the 76ers. Philadelphia police are searching for the man who tossed the beer bottle after Howard made the final out in Saturday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. “Very disappointed,” Barkley said. “I wish that — to be honest — Ryan could get his hands on him and beat the hell out of him. That would be the appropriate response. “But that’s the one thing I could tell you about Philadelphia, man. It’s a great city, great fans, very passionate. But there’s always going to be a couple bad apples. The majority of the fans here appreciate what Ryan has brought to the table. “Just giving (that fan) a little warning or a ticket really doesn’t do that situation justice. “That’s not punishment. I’ve always believed: Get him in the batting cage for 15 minutes, and whatever happens, happens.” Barkley actually got in the cage and took some swings against Cubs bullpen coach Lester Strode during batting practice. Barkley also held court in manager Joe Maddon’s office inside the visiting clubhouse, mingling with Cubs players and staffers before the game. The Phillies are a franchise in transition, with ex-Cubs executive Andy MacPhail installed as president, a multibillion-dollar TV deal with Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia in place and the No. 1 overall pick and more than $13 million to spend in this week’s amateur draft. This is a surprising 28-30 team fighting to defy the odds and stay in contention, guided by manager Pete Mackanin, the Brother Rice High School graduate who interviewed for the Cubs job that went to Dale Sveum, playing across the street from where the 76ers made tanking their organizational blueprint. But Howard — a homegrown Rookie of the Year/MVP winner who helped the Phillies beat Maddon’s Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series — now symbolizes that window slamming shut. Howard is hitting .150 with 53 strikeouts through 162 plate appearances in the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $125 million extension that became an albatross.

“The guy’s been a great, great player, brought this city a world championship, made them relevant for X-amount of years,” Barkley said. “And regardless of whatever happens, he deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.” Maddon grew up about two hours northwest of Philadelphia in Hazleton, a blue-collar city in Pennsylvania’s faded coal-mining region, and heard about the Howard incident. “It just speaks to: What are you thinking?” Maddon said. “I went through a bad moment here in the World Series in 2008 with the Rays, so I know how the people can be down here. “I’m from the state. I hung out with these guys. So I know when you get over-served at a baseball game, you have a tendency — especially around here — to act out.” With a camera in his face and surrounded by microphones, Maddon wouldn’t get into what he heard in South Philly during the 2008 World Series. “I can’t repeat it,” Maddon said. “Honestly, I can’t repeat (what was said) to my granddaughter in a bathroom. It was really bad ... really, really bad.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs: Jorge Soler Will Get Mri For Latest Hamstring Injury By Patrick Mooney PHILADELPHIA — Just when it looked like things might really be starting to click for Jorge Soler, the Cubs are dealing with another injury, the stops and starts so far defining the Cuban outfielder’s young career. Soler will get an MRI on his left hamstring on Tuesday, and until the Cubs get those results it’s hard to say which direction they will go from here, whether this is something that can be managed short-term or will heighten the need for another hitter by the trade deadline. Soler walked off the field with manager Joe Maddon and athletic trainer PJ Mainville during the third inning of Monday’s 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Soler — who has injury history with his left and right hamstrings — had just driven a ball into left field and felt something about two steps before first base. “Some guys are (injury-prone),” Maddon said. “We’ve been taking care of him, and he really does all the right things. ‘Hammies’ — once you do that, it’s kind of a chronic (issue) that normally does follow (you), hopefully not to a severe degree. “Again, he’s been doing everything properly. Our training staff has (as well). It just happens. Some people are predisposed.” Maddon has raved about Soler’s effort levels, improved focus and natural talent, hoping the Cubs can still tap into the “superstar” potential he’s shown in flashes, particularly against the St. Louis Cardinals during the playoffs last year (2.341 OPS). Soler began the day hitting .286 with a .983 OPS in his last 16 games, finding ways to contribute and force his name into the lineup (even if he didn’t immediately grab the job when Kyle Schwarber suffered season-ending knee damage after an outfield collision in early April). “It’s a little frustrating,” Soler said through coach/interpreter Henry Blanco. “It happened before, and now it’s happening again. I was feeling better at the plate and (everything) was coming around, but hopefully it’s nothing serious.”

Soler is also getting more comfortable in a new position with Jason Heyward installed as the team’s $184 million Gold Glove defender in right field. Soler perfectly timed his leap at the left-field fence in the first inning, robbing Tommy Joseph with a great catch. “You hate to see it ever happen to anybody,” Heyward said. “But now of all times, when Georgie is coming around and being Georgie, that’s frustrating. It’s a frustrating game. You can’t control that stuff. I know you can take care of your body as much as you want and things like that, but it’s a hustle play. “It just sucks. We have no excuses. Players get hurt. Teams have injuries. You got to deal with that. We got to do what we can every day to — not replace him — but just not miss a beat. Hate it for him, hate it for us, because he’s been outstanding. “You see every day he wants to come in and help, knowing he wasn’t going to play every day, getting a curveball thrown at him in spring training (when) we signed ‘Dex’ (Fowler) back and then (trying to make) the most of every opportunity.” Injuries begin to explain why Soler was limited to only 151 games in the minors between 2012 and 2014. He spent almost two months on the disabled list last year with a sprained left ankle and a strained left oblique. The Cubs brought in Matt Szczur — who had been a football/baseball star at nearby Villanova University — to pinch-run for Soler and take over in left field. But it’s unclear what their next moves might be if Soler misses an extended period of time, beyond the built-in versatility with players like Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez. Maddon said former first-round pick Albert Almora should be in the conversation, but the Cubs aren’t in a hurry with a 22-year-old prospect in his first season with Triple-A Iowa. Matt Murton — a part of Lou Piniella’s 2007 playoff team in Chicago — is hitting .324 during his comeback tour from Japan. Even when Soler struggled, he still brought a presence to this lineup that won’t be easily replaced. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' Jason Heyward powers his way to century mark By Mark Gonzales The game time temperature Monday night at Citizen Bank Park was 82 degrees, and Jason Heyward’s bat finally may be on the verge of warming up. Heyward showed signs that he might be following a pattern of past seasons by whacking his 100th career home run in the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 6-4 win over the Phillies. Heyward said the temperatures that have warmed up gradually have helped his right wrist recover from an injury that has bothered him since the first week of the season and has affected his swing during his slow start. “My wrist is starting to feel better, so that helps,” said Heyward, who has hit safely in eight of his last nine starts and has hit two home runs in his past four starts. “There’s no excuse there. But it helps a whole lot more with the consistency and being able to trust it, one day at a time. It’s fun to help.” Heyward, 26, took some ribbing earlier that it took him longer to reach the 100-home run mark season than catcher David Ross, 39. But Heyward was going to take some time to savior this moment before working on ways to raise his batting average, which has improved by 21 points to .233 over the past month. “It’s cool,” Heyward said. “It hasn’t hit me yet. Growing up, I’ve seen guys hit a whole lot more than 100. “But at the same time, I don’t take it for granted because there are people who wish they can play this game and love it. “It’s cool to be in that group, but it’s only 100 home runs. It’s awesome to contribute in a win.”

Heyward was part of the top five in the Cubs’ batting order that went a combined 12-for-22 with three doubles, one home run and five RBIs. -- Chicago Tribune Jon Lester brilliant as Cubs win but face prospect of losing Jorge Soler By Mark Gonzales The Cubs are proving the hard way that winning is easier when you don't need to focus on developing players at the same time. In the midst of Jon Lester's latest masterpiece Monday night, the Cubs faced the prospect of losing talented but enigmatic left fielder Jorge Soler as they held on for a 6-4 victory over the Phillies. The Cubs coasted behind Lester for eight innings before Justin Grimm allowed a three-run home run to Freddy Galvis in the ninth to snap an 0-for-22 slump. Tommy Joseph added a solo shot off closer Hector Rondon. Soler, 24, had received more playing time after Kyle Schwarber, 23, was lost for the season April 7 to a torn ACL. Soler injured his left hamstring two steps before reaching first base in the third after hitting his second single. This is the latest in a series of leg injuries for Soler, who is batting .223 but has shown signs of improvement at the plate and in the field. "It's not too serious compared with the other (injuries) before, but I want to wait for the MRI," said Soler, who will undergo tests Tuesday to determine the extent of damage. "There's nothing to debate there," manager Joe Maddon said of the decision to pull Soler. "Hamstrings are nasty." Possible candidates to replace Soler should he go on the disabled list include Triple-A Iowa outfielders Matt Murton and Albert Almora Jr. Soler provided Lester with defensive support by leaping near the top of the left-field fence to rob Joseph of an extra-base hit to end the first. Lester (7-3) was in control the entire way as he struck out nine and retired 13 consecutive batters before Joseph singled to open the seventh. Lester went on to retire the next five batters, extending his scoreless streak to 16 innings and lowering his ERA to 2.06. This marked the third consecutive start Lester allowed one earned run or none after allowing five runs in 22/3 innings in a loss to the Giants on May 21. Lester helped his cause by lining a double into right-center for his sixth major-league hit and scoring on a two-run home run by Jason Heyward. "I don't want to be just an out," Lester said. The Cubs received a scare in the eighth when Dexter Fowler, one of three Cubs with three hits, was struck on the right pinkie by a pitch. Fowler was in obvious pain but stayed in the game. The most urgent concern is Soler, whose history of leg problems started in 2013 when he suffered a left shin fracture at and was limited to 55 Class-A games. Soler played in 62 minor-league games in 2014 because of left and right hamstring strains before he was promoted to the Cubs on Aug. 24.

He missed about five weeks last season because of a left ankle sprain and four weeks because of a left oblique strain. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs players may have to decide between WBC, resting up for 2017 By Mark Gonzales Several Cubs players could face a difficult decision next winter: represent their countries or rest up for a potential third straight extended playoff run. The chance to play in the World Baseball Classic next March might be superseded by the importance of ample rest for a shot at the World Series. "It's definitely something we'll have to sit down and look at," said first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who played for the Italian team that advanced to the second round of the 2013 WBC. "It was so much fun, but it was a lot of work, especially with what we're trying to do (on the Cubs). "We're trying to do that ultimate goal — win the World Series year in and year out. So it's going to be one of those things where you see how your body feels." The subject came to light Monday in the wake of Warriors guard Stephen Curry's decision to withdraw from consideration for the U.S. Olympic basketball team in an effort to rest his body. Players selected for the WBC usually start their training earlier than normal and leave spring training to train with their national teams until they are eliminated, then return to their major-league teams. Cubs catcher Miguel Montero suffered the worst season of his career in 2013 with the Diamondbacks after playing for Venezuela in the WBC, but he doesn't blame the unusual routine for his struggles. Montero recalled a somewhat similar experience in 2014, when the Diamondbacks played the Dodgers in two regular-season games in Sydney before returning to Arizona to complete the exhibition season. Extra innings: Manager Joe Maddon missed Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley taking batting practice before the game, but Maddon quipped about Barkley's credentials as a golfer: "I've seen some video of that. He was a good basketball player." ... Maddon gave second baseman Ben Zobrist a rest so Javier Baez and Jorge Soler could get at-bats against Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan. Soler left in the third inning with a hamstring injury after getting hits in his first two at-bats. -- Chicago Tribune Winning suits Cubs' Jon Lester By Mark Gonzales After throwing only 95 pitches through eight shutout innings, Cubs' Jon Lester admitted he briefly asked manager Joe Maddon to complete his masterpiece Monday night. Lester, however, admitted he was at peace with Maddon’s decision to pull him even though the Phillies tried to soil Lester’s effort by scoring four runs in the ninth off Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon before the Cubs held on for a 6-4 win. “I tried a little bit (to convince Maddon), but I wasn’t in there hissing and moaning and all that stuff,” said Lester, who said he convinced Maddon to change his mind only once in his two seasons with the Cubs.

While Maddon makes the decisions, Lester is extremely comfortable on the mound and off the field. It was Lester’s idea, with help from strength and conditioning coordinator Tim Buss, to wear track suits as part of a Cubs’ theme trip to coincide with the NBA Finals. “Joe has said if we have ideas, bring them to him,” said Lester, recalling Maddon’s words in March at a “Lead Bulls” meeting in which policies were shared among Maddon and about a dozen veterans. Lester took great pride in concocting this ploy, although he wished it would have been instituted sooner this season during some cold weather trips. Nevertheless, “it’s still fun,” Lester said. “Guys can keep this and wear in the off-season messing around the house. The other theme trips can get amusing with stuff you’ll never wear again.” Lester recalled last season how no theme trips were instituted until later in the season. “I think really everyone was trying to get their feet wet and not overstep their boundaries on a lot of things,” Lester recalled. There is some symbolism in that Lester led the tracksuit idea in his second season, in which he’s attained greater success. After throwing eight shutout innings and striking out nine, Lester improved to 7-3 this season. He’s 6-0 with a 1.46 ERA against the Phillies in eight career starts. “I feel more comfortable this year,” Lester said. “A lot more going on. Winning and going to the playoffs (in 2015) helped everyone relax. We exceeded expectations. That really allowed everyone to play relaxed and have a good time. “I think as the year went on I could see Joe open up too, and become Joe and have more fun when we started winning. It carried over to this year. I think everyone feels more relaxed.” -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' Jorge Soler leaves with left hamstring injury By Mark Gonzales Chicago Cubs left fielder Jorge Soler had to leave Monday night's game against the Philadelphia Phillies due to a left hamstring injury. Soler started to slow down as he approached first base on a single to left field off left-hander Adam Morgan with one out in the third inning. Soler was immediately attended to by manager Joe Maddon and trainer P.J. Mainville, who accompanied Soler as he walked off the field. Soler was replaced by Matt Szczur. If Soler needs to be placed on the 15-day disabled list, the most likely candidates to replace him on the Cubs' roster are outfielders Matt Murton and Albert Almora Jr. and perhaps infielder Munenori Kawasaki of Triple-A Iowa. This marks the latest in a series of injuries for Soler, who hit two singles Monday. Soler missed most of 2013 at Class-A Daytona because of a left shin fracture, and he missed more than two months in 2014 due to strains to his left and right hamstrings prior to his first major league promotion. --

Chicago Tribune Cubs' Joe Maddon empathizes with Phillies' Ryan Howard By Mark Gonzales Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon understands why Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard was upset after a fan threw a beer bottle at him on Saturday. Maddon revealed Monday that he was indirectly involved in a “bad moment” during the 2008 World Series at Citizens Bank Park when he managed the Rays. “I can’t repeat it,” Maddon said. “It was (directed) at my granddaughter in a bathroom.” But Maddon said it would be overacting for Howard to find the culprit and beat him, as NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley suggested to reporters. But, “it’s just speaks to ‘’what are you thinking?,” Maddon said of the villain’s act. “I know how the people can be down here. I’m from the state. I hung out with these guys. So I know when you get over-served at a baseball game, especially around here, you have a tendency to act out.” Maddon couldn't recall being involved in a game where one of his players had an object thrown at him, although he recalled the late Tony Phillips seeking retribution for a heckler behind the left field stands at Milwaukee County Stadium while playing for the Chicago White Sox. “There’s a different group of fans who lurk in outfield corners,” Maddon said. “You should never do that. That’s absurd, that you’d throw an object at a player, at anybody. But at a player, why would you ever consider doing that (fighting the fan)? -- Chicago Sun-Times Lester bottles up Phillies, quiets hostile crowd as Cubs win By Gordon Wittenmyer PHILADELPHIA – The Cubs arrived at the scene of the crime Monday in time to remind manager Joe Maddon of how tough Phillies fans can be on the other team. And you should see them when they have a problem with their own players – booing future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt a generation ago and throwing a bottle at slugger Ryan Howard just Saturday. “It just speaks to, `What are you thinking?’ “ Maddon said before the Cubs opened a three-game series in what’s reputed to be one of the most hostile venues in the game. “I went through a bad [verbally abusive] moment here in the World Series in 2008 with the Rays. I know how the people can be down here. I’m from the state; I hung out with these guys. “So I know when you get over-served at a baseball game you have a tendency – especially around here – to act out.” So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that as former NBA great – and Phillies fan – Charles Barkley on Monday mused about meting out eye-for-a-black-eye justice for bottle throwing, Maddon’s Cubs found their own way to beat the place. Jon Lester rocked the Phillies to sleep with eight innings of scoreless pitching, allowing just four singles without a walk. And three early runs took much of the crowd out of things – at least until the bullpen invited a ninth-inning fistfight – in a 6-4 victory to open a nine-game road trip.

The Cubs’ 11th victory in 13 games included a potentially disabling hamstring injury to left fielder Jorge Soler in the third, Jason Heyward’s 100th career home run in the fourth, an opposite-field RBI hit by Anthony Rizzo in the seventh and a painful fourth time on base for Dexter Fowler in the ninth, when he was hit on the hand by a pitch. But it was Lester (7-3), who kept a lid on the Phillies and often-raucous Citizens Bank Park with a nine-strikeout performance that backed up a complete-game gem five days earlier. Since a rebirth of his curve ball – making his cutter and fastball even better, he said — after a bad outing in San Francisco, Lester has allowed just two earned runs in 23 1/3 innings (0.77) during a three-start win streak. “I told Joe I was fine [to finish the game],” Lester said. “I also told him he’s the manager.” Maddon said after the 113-pitch complete game it was an easy decision to limit this one to 95 pitches, and keep Lester “spiffy” into his next start. And if security is looking for an easy way to keep peace at the local ballpark this week, the Cubs’ rotation might have an answer the way it has been rolling, especially lately. The best rotation in the majors lowered its season ERA to 2.33 – just 1.32 in its last 10 starts. Meanwhile, Philadelphia police on Monday were still on the lookout for the ass who threw the bottle at Howard. “I wish he could have got his hands on him and beat the hell out of him,” Barkley said. “That would have been an appropriate response. “The one thing I can tell you about Philadelphia,” added the longtime 76er, who still has a home in Philly and who was a guest of pal/former Cub Rick Sutcliffe on Monday. “Great fans, very passionate, but there’s always going to be a couple bad apples.” What would Barkley have done if he had been in Howard’s spot Saturday? “Well, I’d have kicked his ass, personally,” Barkley said. “Just giving him a little warning or a ticket doesn’t do that situation justice. I’ve always believed just get him in the batting cage for about 15 minutes and whatever happens, happens.” Yeah, well, said Maddon: “You really can’t do that.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ Soler suffers hamstring injury; MRI scheduled for Tuesday By Gordon Wittenmyer PHILADELPHIA – The Cubs outfield keeps taking nearly as many hits as they deliver in the early going this season. On Monday night, it was left fielder Jorge Soler’s turn, facing another possible trip to the disabled list after injuring his left hamstring running to first in the third inning. Soler, who injured the same hamstring two years ago in the minors, said it didn’t feel as severe this time. But he’s scheduled to have an MRI Tuesday, and the Cubs aren’t likely to take chances with an injury of this nature, especially with a player who has been on the DL five times in the last three seasons (twice with hamstrings). “Hamstrings are nasty, and he’s had a history,” manager Joe Maddon said. If Soler winds up on the disabled list, veteran Matt Murton would seem the logical choice if the Cubs choose to replace Soler with another outfielder (as opposed to using Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist as more regular outfielders

short-term). Maddon said top outfield prospect Albert Almora, who’s off to a strong start at AAA Iowa, could also be in the conversation. Soler is expected to be the fourth Cubs outfielder sidelined this year because of injury. Kyle Schwarber suffered a season-ending knee injury the third game of the season; Matt Szczur spent 2 ½ weeks on the DL last month because of a hamstring injury; and right fielder Jason Heyward has missed several days each for a wrist injury and bruised side. Soler, who also had an infield hit and made a leaping catch at the wall in left Monday, has been warming at the plate in recent weeks, earning more playing time (14-for-44 in his last 17 games). Soler, with the help of coach Henry Blanco translating from Spanish, called the timing “frustrating.” “You hate to see it ever happen, but now of all times,” said Heyward. “I hate it for him, and I hate it for us. He’s been outstanding.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Bryant moves on from grievance, ‘to bigger and better things’ By Gordon Wittenmyer PHILADELPHIA – More than a year after a service-time grievance was filed on his behalf by the players’ union, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said he’d forgotten the other player involved in the filing. “I completely forgot my situation, too,” said Bryant, who took the field Monday night with that other player, Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco, “because it’s so far in the past for me.” In more ways than one. Technically, the grievance over manipulation of Bryant’s and Franco’s service time (to assure their clubs additional control over the players) is still pending, but has not been scheduled for a hearing. It’s expected to be addressed as part of this year’s collective bargaining negotiations. Bryant became the union’s poster boy for the issue after a minor league player of the year season in 2014, a monster spring in 2015 and — after the exact number of days in the minors to preserve an additional year of control for the Cubs — a Rookie of the Year season. But he says the issue “never even crossed my mind” as he focuses on the Cubs’ big plans this season. Since that All-Star rookie season, he already is the early leader in All-Star voting at third base — having actually played five positions this season for the team with the best record in the majors. His multi-hit effort Monday night included a run-scoring double in the first that missed being a home run by a foot or two (and/or the interference of a fan in a Cubs jersey). Bryant said he has long put thoughts of the grievance out of his mind. “For me it’s just important to continue to go out there and do what I do,” he said, “so that I can help the team in any way possible in where we’re at today. It’s just important for me to not even worry about it right now because it tkes away form so much of what we have going this year. And that was last year’s news. “We’re on to bigger and better things.” --

Chicago Sun-Times A few bumps in Jake Arrieta’s road, at least by his standards By Rick Morrissey Jake Arrieta is great. Let’s get that out of the way before I throw a few numbers at you and you throw a few punches at me. In his last eight outings, the Cubs’ ace has lasted just five innings four times. Before that, he had gone 24 consecutive regular-season starts in which he went at least six innings. He was pulled after five innings and 108 pitches Sunday, and ended up losing for the first time in … let me check the records … forever. Everyone has been quick to point out that he was dominant in the 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, and it’s true. He struck out 12, and his off-speed pitches were particularly nasty. But it’s also true that he gave up three runs, and even though one of the Cubs’ broadcasters said Arizona hitters “happened’’ to get nine hits off Arrieta, they got nine hits. So the question is, what does it mean, if anything? First off, we can’t simply chalk it up to manager Joe Maddon’s quest to keep Arrieta’s innings down this season. In two of those five-inning starts, Arrieta struggled by his standards. In a 9-8 victory over the Cardinals on May 25, he gave up four runs after his teammates had staked him to a big lead. In a 4-3 victory over the Nationals on May 8, he gave up two runs and walked four as the Cubs tried, successfully, to pitch around Bryce Harper. This isn’t like last year’s playoffs, when a clearly tired Arrieta ran out of gas, but the trend does bear watching. His pitch count in the five-inning games was 92, 100, 93 and 108. Having 100 pitches or more after five innings isn’t a positive, no matter who the pitcher is. It’s fair to say that his control so far hasn’t been what it was last year, when he had one of the best seasons in major-league history. The bottom line, as the Cubs and their fans will surely point out, is that Arrieta is 9-1 with a 1.80 earned-run average so far this season. He’s amazing. It’s just a different kind of amazing than we’re used to seeing. --