March 12, 2016

Chicago Tribune, Ability to adapt and adjust lead to achievement for Cubs' Ben Zobrist http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-ben-zobrist-second-base-cubs-spt-0313-20160312-story.html

Chicago Tribune, 'Old-school' thinking takes a beating at Cubs camp http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-free-spirit-cubs-spring-training-spt-0312-20160311-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs betting John Lackey can win this year at 'Beat the clock' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-john-lackey-cubs-spring-training-spt-0312-20160311-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Javier Baez growing comfortable in new role http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-javier-baez-growing-comfortable-in-new-role-20160311-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Friday's recap: Cubs 7, Reds 4 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-gameday-cubs-spring-training-spt-0312-20160311-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Juan Perez brings a different kind of depth to Cubs outfield http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/juan-perez-brings-a-different-kind-of-depth-to-cubs-outfield/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs 7, Reds 4: game notes from Lackey’s Cubs debut http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-7-reds-4-game-notes-from-lackeys-cubs-debut/

Chicago Sun-Times, Maddon says Lester’s yips are treatable, even if not curable http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/maddon-says-lester-yips-are-treatable-even-if-theyre-not-curable/

Chicago Sun-Times, Maddon nixes Schwarber’s plan to play Saturday; maybe Sunday http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-kyle-schwarber-knee-plans-to-play-saturday/

Cubs.com, Rizzo, country star Eldredge a Snapchat force http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/167147376/anthony-rizzo-meets-music-star-brett-eldredge

Cubs.com, To Maddon, Lackey improving with age http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/167154452/cubs-john-lackey-getting-better-as-he-ages

Cubs.com, Maddon on Lester: 'I can't be more excited' http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/167154958/cubs-joe-maddon-excited-about-jon-lester

Cubs.com, Schwarber resting knee until at least Sunday http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/167051662/cubs-kyle-schwarber-out-until-at-least-sunday

Cubs.com, Rizzo, Montero back Lackey's spring debut http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/167132704/anthony-rizzo-miguel-montero-back-john-lackey

Cubs.com, Revenge of the nerds? Just evolution, Maddon says http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/167085744/cubs-joe-maddon-responds-to-goose-gossage

ESPNChicago.com, Matt Murton hopes to complete rare return trip from Japan to majors http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/springtraining_mattmurton/matt-murton-hopes-complete-rare-return-trip-japan-majors

CSNChicago.com, How Cubs plan to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump for young players in 2016 http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/how-cubs-plan-avoid-dreaded-sophomore-slump-young-players-2016

-- Tribune Ability to adapt and adjust lead to achievement for Cubs' Ben Zobrist Mark Gonzales Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer recalled how much he and his former fellow Red Sox executives liked Ben Zobrist. Just not enough to select him in the 2004 draft before the Astros picked him in the sixth round as a 23-year-old shortstop out of Dallas Baptist. "We made a mistake of thinking he was older, so we discounted him for that," Hoyer recalled. Even Zobrist didn't dream his career would be as long and productive as it already has been. "I didn't think I'd be getting a contract at 34," said Zobrist, who the Cubs expect to be their regular second baseman this season. "That wasn't in my mind. A lot of times if you stay in the present and focus on getting the most out of yourself today, then things work out the way they're supposed to." Thanks to a willingness to adjust his swing, a commitment to play multiple positions and a subtle willingness to speak his mind, Zobrist put himself in position to win another World Series when he signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Cubs last December. "There's a real strength to his calmness," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose utilization of the versatile Zobrist helped him blossom with the Rays. Here's a look at the three components that helped advance Zobrist's career: Power: Maddon recalled Zobrist, who the Rays obtained from the Astros organization in 2006, as primarily a line-drive hitter at first. The Rays hitting coach then, Steve Henderson, sought more power from him to take advantage of his 6-foot-3 frame. Zobrist allowed swing mechanic Jaime Cevallos to examine his technique and Dallas Baptist coach Dan Heefner to teach him about kinetic change. "(Cevallos) believes in the positions of the hitting stance, and he really believes in specific positions," Zobrist said. For his part, Heefner taught Zobrist how to generate power from his legs while staying on a plane with the ball.

"Those things, combined with changing my approach at the plate and being more aggressive, enabled me to start hitting for a lot more power," Zobrist said. Zobrist came up to the majors to stay midway through the 2008 season and hit a home run in three consecutive games. He finished the season with 12 homers in just 198 at-bats. In his first full big-league season the next year he had a real power surge with a career-high 27 homers along with 28 doubles. "All of a sudden he became a Zorilla," Maddon said. His home run totals have gone down, though he hit 20 in both 2011 and '12, but starting in 2009 he has averaged 35.4 doubles per season with a high of 46 in 2011. Zobrist hit two home runs in the 2015 American League Championship Series and then hit four doubles to help lead the Royals to the World Series title. "Ben gave us more than a little extra kick," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He made our lineup almost perfect." Versatility: Maddon took advantage of Zobrist's athleticism from the start. Now, while Zobrist has started 551 games at second base, 254 in right field and 196 at shortstop in his career, he also has started at the other two outfield positions, third base and first base. Zobrist says it always was assumed that if you came up as a shortstop you should stay there. "But if you're an athlete (and the) team you're on needs an athlete who can hit somewhere, you're going to find a way to do it as long as you're flexible and willing to re-program yourself," he said. "These guys all have the mentality to do that. It's a mindset, but you have to be an athlete, and there are plenty of athletes in here." A's manager Bob Melvin appreciated Zobrist's unselfishness during their half season together in 2015. "We played him some in left," Melvin said. "That's where the need was after Coco (Crisp) got hurt. Wherever you want him, he'll play there." Leadership: Maddon and Melvin both noticed immediately that Zobrist isn't afraid to express his opinions. "If there's something he feels needs to be addressed, whether it's personally or among a small group, he'll do that," Melvin said. In one of the first Cubs workouts last month, Zobrist expressed his preferences on double-play feeds with shortstop Addison Russell. "If he would have come here nonchalantly and not really given me anything to work with, that would be a different story," Russell said. "But he came in and let it be known what he likes and doesn't like, and he knows himself as well. So that's even better." And so is the chance for another World Series ring after a decade of improving his overall game. "I wasn't dogmatically committed to baseball, in [and] of itself," Zobrist said. "But it has led to me to where it's a successful career and allowed me to do pretty much what I want to do post-career. I couldn't be more thankful for the situation I've been put in." --

Tribune 'Old-school' thinking takes a beating at Cubs camp Paul Sullivan If Hall of Famer Goose Gossage doesn't like theatrics or nerds in baseball, as he loudly proclaimed at Yankees camp this week, he should spend a day at Cubs camp. Every morning there's something wacky going on during the team stretch, whether it's karaoke, a guitar player or some Cubs personnel dressed up in crazy costumes climbing out of a van playing disco music. And when it comes to revenge of the nerds, the Cubs are so stat-oriented manager Joe Maddon calls his numbers-crunchers "the geeks." Old school is out of the question here. This is definitely not your grandfather's Cubs. "We get caught up in making comparisons and not realizing the group that grew up 20 years ago was considered this 'new age, new rock 'n roll, new school' thing compared to the guys that existed 20 years before that," Maddon said. "I've really thought a lot about this obviously because I've always been attacked for new methods. And I try to think about it and my conclusion is every 20-25 years the group that shows up then is viewed as being less tough, less macho than the group that existed 20-25 years before that … and that group has to understand the group before that thought those guys weren't so tough. "So it's just the way the world evolves. One thing I do is pray for perspective. I did grow up in the '60s and '70s and we didn't like the establishment at all. We hated it, or we didn't believe in it all. And then you move the dial forward 30 years, and all of sudden the same dudes I grew up with are acting like the same people they didn't like 30 years ago. That bums me out. "So, it's crazy we forget what we actually said or did or thought. But I can only do what I can do." So what does Maddon do? He has strength coach Tim Buss come up with something to keep the team amused during the daily pre-game workouts. Buss is part coach, part comedian and part psychiatrist. He also doesn't mind being the butt of jokes, as when the relief pitchers tied him up during Wednesday's practice. "Joe wants me to be myself and do what I can to get the most out of the players and have fun," Buss said. Buss was conducting workouts Friday in Batman pajamas. The Cubs' costume budget alone this spring must be more than some team's free agent budgets. "There is no budget," Buss said. Maddon credits his bosses, President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer, for giving him the freedom to run a different kind of camp, believing the team that laughs together wins together. "Our front office is spectacular regarding being able to balance the old and the new," he said. "Jed and Theo, to me, typify that as well as anyone. I understand where (Gossage's comments are) coming from. "It's generational regarding how people feel about new stuff compared to old stuff. High socks, Afros, whatever else was popular back then aren't as popular right now."

So count Maddon as pro-nerd, even if they indeed are taking over the game. "I love nerds," he said. "I wish I had some 'nerdism' in me. These guys went to school, went to class, wrote their own papers. They did everything right, and now all of a sudden they're in a good position and they can give me some information that I don't have. I'll take it." -- Tribune Cubs betting John Lackey can win this year at 'Beat the clock' Paul Sullivan New Cubs starter John Lackey is fighting the clock this season as he tries to remain a dominant starter at 37. The Cubs are betting the clock will lose. "I went up to him the first day, and I said 'God Johnny, I've been watching you the last couple of years and you're getting better,'" manager Joe Maddon said. "You're looking for the decline — a couple of years ago in Boston he had the arm surgery (and you think) 'Maybe this is it.' "But he's getting better. Starts with his delivery, and the next component is he really knows what he's doing out there. In so many ways he's exactly the same, but he's in better shape, minus a couple of miles on the velocity. He definitely knows more of what he's doing on the mound." Lackey agreed his delivery is "pretty consistent" now, saying it "gives me chance to throw a lot of strikes." He started out throwing only fastballs in the first two of three innings of his Cubs spring debut Friday. He left the eventual 7-4 victory over the Reds after allowing three runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Lackey admitted he's in better shape than earlier in his career with the Angels, when Maddon was a coach. "A couple of those years, probably," he said. "Early on I was just young and threw hard. I've always worked hard, but as you get older you have to take a little better care of yourself." Playing it safe: Kyle Schwarber, who was scheduled to miss Friday's game, also will sit out Saturday with a sore left knee. Maddon said Schwarber wanted to play, but was overruled. "It's spring," Schwarber said. "You have to be smart about it and don't try to push it too quick." Schwarber did some jogging during Friday's morning stretch and said the injury is "not significant." He was hurt playing left field and probably could be used as a designated hitter for a few days when he returns. Learning curve: Maddon was excited about Jon Lester's velocity and delivery in the starter's debut, despite the fact Lester allowed six runs and make a throwing error. He warned not to jump to the "wrong conclusion" just looking at Lester's numbers. As for Lester's defensive issues, Maddon was glad to hear Lester say he was working on a throwing problem that dates back to his high school days. "True, it may not (be fixable)," Maddon said. "I thought we did a great job dealing with it last year. I love the fact he's saying 'I've had this problem for a while. …' If in fact it's going to get better that's a wonderful first step, as opposed to wanting to conceal it all the time. "It has been obvious to everybody the last couple of years. We all knew that when I was with the Rays. We tried to do things to mess him up. We couldn't get guys on base, you know. You say, 'Oh you could bunt (on him),' but there's not a lot of good bunters out there either."

-- Tribune Javier Baez growing comfortable in new role Paul Sullivan One week into Cactus League play, Javier Baez is growing comfortable in his new role as Cubs’ utilityman. Manager Joe Maddon has used Baez in centerfield in three games thus far, along with one game at short and another at first. While Baez had a shaky start in his debut in center, he hasn't made any glaring mistakes on his routes since “I think he looks fine,” Maddon said. “I have no problem with running him out there.” Maddon said he would “temper my criticism” of Baez’s play in Arizona because of the cloudless sky and bright backgrounds at some stadiums. But the experiment seems to be working, which should allow Maddon to get Baez more playing time throughout the season. “I have no problem instinctively with him anywhere on the baseball field,” Maddon said. “”I think he looks good actually. To be asked to use different gloves at different moments, he’s going to have to stretch himself a little mentally. “I don’t anticipate any problem in him accepting his role. Him being able to implement his role, he’s going to have to work at it, obviously. The rub, in a positive way, I think the fact that he’s going to be moving around, he’s going to think about his defense more than his offense, which I’m hoping benefits his offense.” On Thursday, Baez cranked a two-run line drive home run, his first of the spring. Jason Heyward has not played center yet, and if Baez and Shane Victorino can back-up Dexter Fowler, there may be no reason to move Heyward from right, where he is a Gold Glove defender. Maddon said playing Heyward in center is “not a pressing issue right now.” -- Tribune Friday's recap: Cubs 7, Reds 4 Paul Sullivan At the plate Dan Vogelbach and Tim Federowicz also homered, and Anthony Rizzo added a pair of doubles. The Cubs, hitting .193 coming in, wound up with nine hits. On the mound Russell Wilson and Ciara announce engagement during romantic getaway How Johnny Manziel fumbled away his football career NBA player’s cocaine-filled past inspires latest of many Mark Wahlberg sports project Lackey gave up a home run in the first and three runs total on five hits in three innings, striking out four. Victorino watch

Shane Victorino was a late scratch with left calf soreness. The quote "I understand the times we're living in. I've always prided myself in staying contemporary. So I'm not going to battle it, just going to say I prefer we do something else." — manager Joe Maddon on bat flipping. Up next Split squad: Vs. White Sox, 2:05 p.m. Saturday. RH Erik Johnson vs. RH Jason Hammel; At Dodgers, 8:05 p.m. RH Trevor Cahill vs. RH Brandon Beachy. -- Sun-Times Juan Perez brings a different kind of depth to Cubs outfield Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. – It was the greatest night of Juan Perez’s career, and the worst night of his baseball life. “It was crazy,” he said. The Cubs signed the nondescript, 5-11 outfielder with a .224 career average to a minor-league deal this winter and invited him to camp. And all anyone needs to know about what a team with such big plans would see in a guy like this happened in the span of two hours on the night of Oct. 26, 2014. You could see it in the red, tear-puffed eyes and hear it in the halting emotion as Perez talked softly to continuous waves of reporters, long after playing a major role that night in helping the Giants win Game 5 of the World Series. Oscar Taveras was dead. The Cardinals’ top prospect, Perez’s close friend and Dominican winter league teammate, was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic earlier that night. Perez, who was not in the starting lineup, overheard two workers on the broadcast crew talking about Taveras’ death in the second inning – turning the middle innings into blur. He rushed upstairs to the Giants clubhouse to check his phone, which was “blowing up” with texts, including photos of the crash. “When I saw him in the picture they sent me, that’s when my emotions went crazy in the clubhouse,” he said. Teammates Joaquin Arias and Gregor Blanco tried to help. “Some of the veteran guys said, `Take it easy, let it go right now. We have a game going on.’ “ “I let it out for a few innings inside, and then I went out [to the bench].” “How do you process that?” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. Not even Perez seems to know the answer. But he came off the bench that game and made what might have been a run-saving catch down the left-field line in a 2-0 game, then in the eighth drove a ball to the top of the wall off late-inning stud Wade Davis for two runs that put the game away. “My mom always says I have a big heart,” said Perez, who was seen tearing up in the dugout even after returning from the clubhouse, “that I kind of go through a lot of tough moments and deal with it and still perform. I think that’s because of my dad. He’s kind of a tough guy that deals with a lot of moments like that.”

His father (also Juan) moved the Perez family from the Dominican to the Bronx, N.Y., without job certainty, to find better opportunity for the family when Juan was 14. He got a job with a plumbing company, where he still works. Perez, who went on to become a national junior-college player of the year at Western Oklahoma State, credits his dad’s bold decision and hard work for making his baseball career possible. Perez, 29, still is looking for his first full season in the majors, and it won’t be this year with this team, which sees him more as versatile insurance and depth. “This guy’s got ability, and he’s got heart,” Maddon said. “He needs opportunity. Now I don’t know how much he’s going to be able to get that here or anyplace else. But I do believe he’s a major-league caliber player. And he’s a great teammate. He’s the kind of guy that’s going to help you win.” Any slim chance Perez had of making the roster this spring disappeared with the additions after camp began of Dexter Fowler and Shane Victorino. “It’s a long season,” Perez said. “You’ve just got to be ready for anything.” If anybody has proven the ability to do that it’s him. Perez remains close to Taveras’ family and visits every time he returns to the DR. He has known Taveras’ older brother Raul longer than he knew Oscar. “They still live that moment,” he said. “His mom’s face is still broken from that time.” The family keeps a “huge” picture of Taveras in front of the house, Perez said, and inside it’s filled with photos and mementos, including his baseball shoes from that four-month big-league career. “It’s kind of heartbreaking,” Perez said. He thinks of his friend often. It’s hard not to when baseball was so much of what they shared. Harder still is figuring out how he managed to do what he did that October night in 2014 against one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the game, with all that emotion coursing through his mind. “He wasn’t on my mind at the moment I hit the ball,” he said that night. “But when I got to third, I took a peek to the sky, thinking, `That’s for you.’ “ -- Sun-Times Cubs 7, Reds 4: game notes from Lackey’s Cubs debut Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. — Dan Vogelbach, Miguel Montero and Tim Federowicz homered for the Cubs (2-8), who came from behind to snap a seven-game Cactus League losing streak in veteran John Lackey’s first start since signing a two-year, $32 million deal in December. Start me up Lackey, the Cubs’ key pitching acquisition of the winter, made his spring debut for his new team with a three-inning start that was originally planned for two innings. “I didn’t have very many pitches, so I went out there again,” said Lackey, who struck out three in the first inning (with a Jose Peraza home run mixed in). “I just threw a bunch of fastballs the first two innings. Trying to gain my arm strength right now. In the third inning I mixed in a few more things.

“Physically, I felt good. I’m still obviously dialing location, that sort of stuff.” He gave up three runs on five hits and a walk. The Neil deal Right-hander Neil Ramirez, who might benefit the most from the struggles (and subsequent release) of left-hander Rex Brothers, made a 1-2-3 impression with an easy seventh inning that included a strikeout and pair of easy fly balls against the first three of the Reds’ order. Ramirez, who had a 1.44 ERA as a rookie in 2014 before a shoulder injury wiped out most of his season last year, is on the bullpen bubble in camp. He’s a leading candidate if the Cubs decide to keep an eighth reliever on the opening roster instead of a fifth bench player. Shane-less Veteran outfielder Shane Victorino, vying for that potential fifth bench spot, was a late scratch from Friday’s lineup because of tightness in his left calf. He is to be re-evaluated Saturday. Juan Perez took his place in left field (and singled in the seventh). On deck Split squad: White Sox at Cubs, Mesa, Ariz., 2:05 p.m., 670-AM, Erik Johnson vs. Jason Hammel; Cubs at Dodgers, Glendale, Ariz., 8:05 p.m., mlb.com audio, Trevor Cahill vs. Brandon Beachy. -- Sun-Times Maddon says Lester’s yips are treatable, even if not curable Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. – Cubs manager Joe Maddon acknowledged Friday that pitcher Jon Lester might never completely solve his problems throwing to bases, given the fact the 32-year-old left-hander traces the issue to his high school days. But Maddon said he feels confident that continued work will “ameliorate” the problem moving forward – with or without personal catcher David Ross, who retires at the end of this season. “True, it may not [get fully corrected],” Maddon said. “But I think we did a great job with it last year. “I love the fact that he’s saying that `I’ve had this problem for a while.’ If in fact it’s going to get better, that’s a wonderful first step as opposed to wanting to conceal it all the time.” Maddon, who raved about the improved delivery and sharpness of some of Lester’s pitches during a high-traffic outing Thursday, said even though other teams are well aware of the yips thing, exploiting it isn’t always as easy as it sounds. “We tried to do things to mess him up, and we couldn’t get guys on base,” Maddon says, referring to managing the Rays when Lester pitched for the Red Sox. “And you can say, `Well you can bunt.’ In theory that’s nice, but not everybody can bunt or wants to bunt.”

Lester did a few things later last season that improved the issue, including timing changes and even a few throws to first. Both he and Maddon found optimism in those improvements. “We’re going to continue to work on that, but I want the emphasis to be on his delivery and his stuff, and making pitches,” Maddon said. “I think if we do that we’ll be able to work through the other thing.” -- Sun-Times Maddon nixes Schwarber’s plan to play Saturday; maybe Sunday Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. – Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber seemed more irritated mentally than physically Friday morning when it came to the sore left knee that confined him to a “light day” of work. And that didn’t get any better when manager Joe Maddon told the second-year catcher/outfielder he would sit until at least Sunday. “There’s no real heavy concern other than we just need to make sure we calm it down right now,” Maddon said. “I just talked to him and he wants to play, and I said, `You’re not playing.’ “Let’s see what happens Sunday.” Schwarber, who left Thursday’s game after experiencing pain on a throw from left field that lingered into his next at-bat, said he was better Friday morning and participated fully in team stretch activities in the morning, including jogging. “If I can get out there tomorrow, I’ll be in there,” Schwarber said Friday morning before checking in with Maddon. “It was just discomfort.” Schwarber said he never has had trouble with the knee before Thursday. Maddon said it’s possible Schwarber could be eased back into game action as a DH. “It’s that time of the year when you don’t press these kind of moments,” Maddon said. “I think he’s fine, but if the knee’s sore, he’s not playing.” -- Cubs.com Rizzo, country star Eldredge a Snapchat Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Country music star Brett Eldredge made a guest appearance on the Cubs' Snapchat on Friday. A guest of Anthony Rizzo, Eldredge took part in batting practice, shagging balls in the outfield. Then he posed for a moment. "Rizzo's really serious; I can never get him to smile," Eldredge said as Rizzo appeared over his left shoulder. "Is that a smile? Is that a smile, bro? C'mon." Eldredge posted on Twitter that he was trying out for the Cubs on Friday, adding, "they say I've got the goods to be an all star." MLB and all 30 teams participated in Snapchat Day on Friday.

-- Cubs.com To Maddon, Lackey improving with age Cubs newcomer pitches deeper than expected in Cactus League debut Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- John Lackey has talked to Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and told the young Cubs how he approached them as an opposing pitcher. But Lackey wasn't willing to share his tips. "I don't want to throw it out there -- they're on my team now," Lackey said. "I want those guys to hit a bunch of homers." On Friday, Rizzo and Bryant didn't go deep in Chicago's 7-4 win over the Reds, but Miguel Montero and Dan Vogelbach did to back Lackey in his Cubs debut. The right-hander, who signed a two-year contract with the Cubs this offseason, scattered five hits and allowed three runs over three innings. He was scheduled to throw two innings, but because his pitch count was low, Lackey got an extra inning of work. Cubs manager Joe Maddon and Lackey, 37, were together on the Angels when the right-hander was still learning how to pitch. Lackey joked that back then, he was a two-pitch pitcher. "He might have thrown a little bit harder then," Maddon said about Lackey. "When he was young, he had a natural cutter that beat up righties on the inside edge, and it used to get on lefties. "I think he's actually in better shape right now. The one thing also is the delivery is better, the repetition of his arm. I went up to him on the first day here and said, 'God, Johnny, I've been watching you the last couple years, and you're getting better.'" Maddon and his Rays had faced Lackey when the right-hander pitched for the Red Sox, and the manager remembers tough battles. "He's getting better," Maddon said. "It starts with his delivery, and the next component is that he knows what he's doing out there. He'll never give in to a hitter. That has not changed." As he's gotten older, Lackey has come to realize that he needs to take care of himself. "Early on, I was young and just threw hard," Lackey said. Is his delivery better? "I feel it's pretty consistent," Lackey said. "It gives me a chance to throw a lot of strikes because I kind of know where the ball's coming out pretty consistently most of the time. Obviously, you can have some days when you don't. For the most part, I feel pretty good about it." -- Cubs.com Maddon on Lester: 'I can't be more excited' Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Jon Lester admitted he's had trouble fielding since high school, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon isn't too concerned about that aspect of the left-hander's game, especially after his first spring outing. "Right now, I think his delivery and his stuff are better than at any time last year," Maddon said Friday of Lester, who made his first start on Thursday, giving up seven hits over two innings against the Mariners. "Right now, what I'm seeing, I'm really impressed.

"You can look at the game yesterday, and people are going to draw the wrong conclusions," Maddon said. "His delivery and stuff are outstanding, his cutter is there. ... The velocity is up. I cannot be more excited than I am about him right now moving forward." Maddon said the Cubs will continue to work with Lester on varying his delivery times as a way to offset any problems the pitcher has regarding holding baserunners on. Yes, we have to work on it," Maddon said. "I love that he's conceding that point, and it's something we'll work on, but more than that, last year, we had to work through the same issues and he did not have the same delivery and the ball coming out of his hand, and ended up pretty darn strong. I'm not going to make any predictions right here, but I see this guy off to a good start going into the season." Worth noting • Shane Victorino was a late scratch on Friday because of tightness in his left calf. Victorino, who signed a Minor League contract with the Cubs on Feb. 26, is 2-for-10 so far in four Cactus League games. According to the Cubs, the soreness in his calf got worse as the morning went on, and Victorino was lifted as a precautionary measure. • Former Cubs outfielder Jose Cardenal will be one of Major League Baseball's special guests when the Rays play the Cuban National Team in Havana on March 22. Cardenal, Derek Jeter and Luis Tiant will accompany the MLB contingent. Cardenal played for the Cubs from 1972-77. The Rays' trip will mark the first visit to Cuba by an MLB franchise since the Orioles played an exhibition game against the Cuban National Team in March 1999. -- Cubs.com Schwarber resting knee until at least Sunday Cubs slugger had Saturday return in mind, but Maddon being cautious Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Kyle Schwarber, who had to leave Thursday's game with soreness in his left knee, said he hoped to be back in the Cubs' lineup on Saturday. But manager Joe Maddon said they will give him at least one more day. Schwarber came out of the Thursday's game after two innings after he tweaked his knee making a throw from left field to home in the second inning against the Mariners. After popping up in his second at-bat, he opted to leave the game as a precautionary measure. "It was obviously nothing significant," Schwarber said Friday. "You know me -- if I can still play, I'm going to play. I felt it wasn't the smart thing to do right then. Luckily we caught it early. We'll give it a day rest and see what it brings tomorrow. And if I can get in there tomorrow, I'll be in there." Maddon talked to Schwarber during the morning stretch, saying Sunday would be the earliest for the young slugger to return to the lineup. "He wants to play, and I said, 'You're not playing, and just take it easy for the next couple days,'" Maddon said. "It's that time of the year when you don't press these kind of moments. I think he's fine. But if the knee is sore, he's not playing." Maddon wasn't concerned that Schwarber was putting too much stress on his knees by trying to play both outfield and catcher. Will Schwarber ease into a game as the designated hitter? "I don't think so," Schwarber said. -- Cubs.com

Rizzo, Montero back Lackey's spring debut Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Anthony Rizzo doubled twice, Miguel Montero hit a two-run homer and Dan Vogelbach added a solo shot in John Lackey's debut as the Cubs posted a 7-4 victory over a Reds split-squad team before a sellout crowd of 15,256 at Sloan Park on Friday. Lackey, who signed a two-year contract with the Cubs this offseason, scattered five hits, walked one and struck out four over three innings. "I just threw a bunch of fastballs the first two innings," said Lackey, who was originally scheduled to throw two innings, but got an extra inning of work because his pitch count was low. "I'm just trying to gain arm strength right now. The third inning, I mixed in a couple of things. I'm trying to locate the fastball first." Robert Stephenson, ranked No. 2 on MLB.com's list of Reds prospects, gave up two runs on three hits and struck out three over three innings. Reds infielder Jose Peraza, acquired from the Dodgers as part of the three-team trade that sent Todd Frazier to the White Sox, hit his first spring home run with one out in the first off Lackey. The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the third and took a 3-1 lead on Adam Duvall's two-run single. Rizzo doubled to lead off the second, moved up on Addison Russell's bloop single and scored when Montero grounded into a double play. Vogelbach pulled the Cubs within 3-2 with a leadoff home run in the third, launching the ball onto the grassy berm in straightaway center. The Cubs added three more runs in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Russell and Montero's two-run drive. Up next for the Reds: Continuing his bid to earn a spot in the Reds' rotation, left-handed pitching prospect Cody Reed -- ranked No. 3 in Cincinnati's system -- will make his second start and third appearance of the spring on Saturday at 9:05 p.m. ET, when the Reds host the Mariners at Goodyear Ballpark in a contest airing on Gameday Audio. Reed worked three scoreless innings his last time out, against the Angels. Up next for the Cubs: The North Siders will play two games on Saturday. Jason Hammel will make his second Cactus League start in a 2:05 p.m. CT game against the White Sox at Mesa, Ariz., that will air on MLB.TV and Gameday Audio. Trevor Cahill will face the Dodgers in an 8:05 p.m. CT game at Glendale, Ariz., airing on MLB.TV and an exclusive cubs.com webcast. -- Cubs.com Revenge of the nerds? Just evolution, Maddon says Cubs' manager at peace with natural changes to game across generations Carrie Muskat MESA, Ariz. -- Joe Maddon is not thrilled about players who dance in the end zone after touchdowns, but he does love nerds. The Cubs' manager was asked about comments by Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage, who called Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista a "disgrace to the game" for his bat flips and criticized "nerds" for turning baseball into a joke in an interview with ESPN. "I'd prefer that our guys would not," Maddon said of taking part in antics after home runs. "I still like when a guy scores a touchdown; he pretty much hands the ball to the ref. After the slam dunk, just go down and play defense. I'm still of that ilk.

"We -- industry-wide, all the major sports, and what the kids are looking for this day -- it's all about style over substance sometimes," Maddon said. "I understand the time we're living in. I've always prided myself in remaining contemporary. I'm not going to battle it, but I'd prefer we do something else." And what about the so-called nerds who stress sabermetrics in the front office? "My take on that is it's just evolution," Maddon said. "Everything's evolved. In my home in Tampa Bay, I've got several really wonderful high-definition televisions, and I'm so glad we've evolved to the high-def TV. All the classic cars I own, I would never drive them without air conditioning, or disc brakes or power steering. ... It's just the evolution of the world. "In regard to professional sports, the things that are available now, if they'd been avaiable in the '40s, I believe without question Mr. [Branch] Rickey would've been all over this stuff, and this would be considered old-school right now." Maddon said he tries to create a balance between practices favored by "nerds" and what are considered old-school ways, and he said the Cubs' front office is able to do that. "I love nerds; I wish I had some nerd-ism in me," Maddon said. "These guys went to school, went to class, wrote their own papers and they did everything right, and all of a sudden they're in a good position to give me some information that I don't have. I'll take it." Wait -- does that mean Maddon didn't write his own papers? "I didn't say that," Maddon said. "I just said these guys wrote their own papers." -- ESPNChicago.com Matt Murton hopes to complete rare return trip from Japan to majors Jerry Crasnick MESA, Ariz. -- After a successful six-year run in Japan, Matt Murton arrived at Chicago Cubs' camp this spring with a goal of returning to the major leagues and putting a punctuation mark on an eventful career. He was ready to pour his heart and soul into the endeavor. But his appendix had other ideas. In late February, Murton was gearing up for a run at an outfield spot as a non-roster invitee when he began to feel a pain in his side. He gritted his teeth through a practice and tried to quell the nausea with Tums and Pepto-Bismol, only to find his discomfort increasing by the hour. Shortly after being checked out by the Cubs' medical staff, he was in a Phoenix-area hospital having his appendix removed. Two weeks later, he's behind the other outfielders in camp and trying to make up for lost time. While teammates hone their swings in Cactus League games, he jogs around the back field and is easing his way back into baseball activities. The Cubs have Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, Shane Victorino and Matt Szczur in camp (with Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez also capable of playing the outfield), so the odds were going to be daunting even if Murton weren't losing internal organs. Murton's unrelenting optimism in the face of long odds is a tribute to his Christian faith and can-do mindset. He has seen enough surprising things happen, on multiple continents, to understand that baseball has a coy side. Who could have envisioned Murton would leave Boston for the Cubs with Nomar Garciaparra by trade barely a year after the Red Sox chose him in the first round of the 2003 draft out of Georgia Tech? He played for Dusty Baker in 2006 and Lou Piniella in 2007, went to Oakland with a young catcher named Josh Donaldson in a trade for Rich Harden in 2008, and enjoyed a cameo in Colorado before Japan beckoned as a possibility.

When the Rockies sold Murton's contract to the Hanshin Tigers in Osaka, Japan, in 2009, he figured the adventure might last a year. It lasted six, and as the hits kept falling like rain, he ingrained his name in Japanese lore as an elite gaijin, or foreigner. In his first season with Hanshin, Murton broke Ichiro Suzuki's single-season Japanese record with 214 hits. He hit .338 to win the Central League batting title in 2014 and was reportedly the fifth-highest-paid player in Japan with a salary of 460 million yen (or roughly $3.8 million) in 2015. He had set himself up for a nice, comfortable retirement with his wife, Stephanie, and their four children. So why return stateside at age 34 and tilt at roster windmills, rather than take it easy and sit on his Nippon Baseball earnings? Murton's quest says something about closure, personal fulfillment and the inherent desire in professional athletes to see if they can compete against the very best. "I reached a point where if I stayed there too much longer, this window was going to close,'' Murton says. "My goal right now is living in the moment, competing today. I really do think I have something left. I think I can be an asset. But that's all talk. I've got to get out there and do it.'' Comeback kid? Nippon Baseball history is replete with hitters who put up numbers that wildly surpassed what their Major League Baseball portfolios heralded. Karl "Tuffy'' Rhodes, Wladimir Balentien, Tom O'Malley, Randy Bass, Greg "Boomer'' Wells, Alonzo Powell and Ralph Bryant attained a level of stardom in Japan out of all proportion to their careers in the U.S. That list is balanced by some more prominent names who had minimal impact because of injury or an inability to adapt to Japanese baseball or culture. Mike Greenwell, Bob Horner, Matt Stairs, Gabe Kapler, Kevin Youkilis and Kevin Mench are among the big leaguers whose Far East forays were brief or nondescript. It's the rare player who tears it up in Japan and returns to MLB for a successful final act. Cecil Fielder hit 38 homers for Hanshin at age 25 before coming home and crushing it with the Detroit Tigers. On the current landscape, pitcher Colby Lewis is the best role model for Murton. He enjoyed two productive seasons with the Hiroshima Carp in 2008 and 2009 before signing with the Texas Rangers and becoming a solid 200-inning starter and a member of two American League pennant winners. Unlike the prototypical, boom-or-bust sluggers who have gravitated to Japan with hopes of reviving their careers, Murton has always been a polished hitter with a good eye, sound mechanics and the discipline to manage at-bats and use the entire field. Those attributes served him well in Japan, where the menu is heavy on breaking balls and a lot of pitchers take the Bronson Arroyo approach and throw any pitch in any count. Murton was able to thrive in Japan because he obeyed the cardinal rule for imports: Get off to a fast start. But he was also respectful of the Japanese culture and open-minded about adapting off the field. He heeded the advice of a favorite uncle who had traveled internationally and told him it was OK to shed a little of his "American-ness'' and find avenues for common ground. Murton made an effort to speak Japanese, and he established a good-natured bonding ritual with fans in the outfield by raising fingers in the air and counting down the outs every inning. He even stretched the boundaries with his dietary habits. The only time he took a pass was when he ordered soup and it came back with live fish swimming around in the bowl. "The Japanese call us pretty boring eaters over here in the United States,'' Murton says. "My thing was, I would always try something once. Eating a pig or a chicken heart -- that was definitely interesting. I remember one of the first times I went to get some raw fish. Here's this fish staring me back in the eyes and I'm eating its belly. That was a new experience, and one I wasn't necessarily comfortable with.'' Murton was destined to stand out from the crowd as an "akage,'' or redhead, and he displayed a colorful and occasionally feisty side between the lines. In one game, he pulled a Larry Walker, forgot how many outs there were and flipped the ball into the stands before the inning was complete. During the 2012 season, he bowled over

Yakult Swallows catcher Ryoji Aikawa, who had dropped to his knee and blocked the plate in a way that gave Murton no other path to score. The resultant bench-clearing incident was memorialized on Youtube. Murton encountered his biggest test in Japan during that trying 2012 season. He was struggling offensively and thought he had been unfairly targeted for criticism by both his team and the Japanese media. After he made a poor throw to the plate and reporters questioned his effort level, Murton jokingly replied that he didn't like starting pitcher Atsushi Nomi and had intentionally allowed the runner to score. The sarcasm failed to translate, and he was castigated in the media and benched for several days until the furor subsided. "I learned my lesson the hard way,'' Murton says. By the end of last season, the relationship had run its course. Murton was approaching his mid-30s, expectations were becoming harder to meet because of his salary and he knew time was running short if he wanted to give the majors one more shot. He thanked the fans, wrote letters to his teammates thanking them and bid Hanshin a heartfelt and grateful goodbye. "Honestly, he deserved to be a bigger star than he was, given his contributions on the field,'' says John E. Gibson, a veteran baseball journalist in Japan. "But Japanese society makes it difficult to fully assimilate and become part of the community. I'm sure that part of the experience was a challenge for him.'' Renewing old ties On a recent, blindingly sunny morning in Mesa, former Cubs outfielder Cliff Floyd was touring the Cactus League for MLB Network Radio when he came across Murton in camp. Floyd was surprised to see that Murton's once-bountiful mop of red hair had given way to a buzz cut. "I saw the shaved head, and said, 'Is that damn Matt Murton?''' Floyd says. "He used to have a full head of red.'' Murton posted a solid .809 OPS as Chicago's Opening Day left fielder in 2006, but his playing time gradually decreased, and he failed to meet the expectations of Cubs fans who dubbed him "Thunder Matt.'' He faced an additional challenge playing for Baker and Piniella, veteran managers who were in perpetual "win now'' mode. "In Chicago, they were always thirsty and waiting for that guy to take us to the promised land,'' Floyd says. "He was a big guy for the team and a top prospect. But when you come to an organization and you're playing for Lou Piniella, if you go 0-for-10, your ass is sitting. You're a platoon player.'' Flash forward a decade, and Murton has some skills that could make him a useful piece in a complementary role. "He can hit,'' says a big league talent evaluator who watched him in Japan. But Murton lacks the prototypical corner outfield power, and he has a below-average arm in the outfield. One scout in the Cactus League refers to him as a "tweener.'' Another regards him as a Triple-A depth piece who might come in handy during a long season. Would Murton consent to a minor league assignment if he fails to make the Cubs' roster out of camp? Without answering the question directly, he replies that he's ready to "do what's necessary'' to return to playing at the highest level. If a road to Wrigley Field fails to materialize, maybe he can show enough in Arizona to pique another team's interest. Theo Epstein, Chicago's president of baseball operations, was with Boston when the Red sox gave Murton a $1.01 million bonus out of Georgia Tech in June 2003, and Epstein warmed to the prospect of a reunion. If Murton were truly committed to coming back, Epstein thought, it was only fitting that the Cubs would be the team to provide him with the opportunity. "In a parallel universe, he would have had a real nice career over here, too,'' Epstein said. "But he liked it in Japan and they loved him. He made a good living to support his family and now he wants to come back. It would be nice for him to go out as a big leaguer.''

In the 2016 Arizona spring training universe, Murton has the luxury of blending in quietly on a Cubs roster filled with the likes of Jason Heyward, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kris Bryant. He's just an earnest, fan-friendly baseball striver, with a fresh appendix scar to add to an improbable array of tales. "I've always prided myself on being different,'' Murton says, when asked if he can buck the odds and return to a major league roster. What's the point in stopping now? -- CSNChicago.com How Cubs plan to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump for young players in 2016 Tony Andracki The sophomore slump is one of those dreaded terms that hovers around baseball's top young players like a shadow. It's the idea that the league has an offseason to adjust to players who had successful rookie seasons and production takes a dip in Year 2. If that's the case for the Cubs, that could be a brutal blow with four key players - Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler - entering their "sophomore" seasons in the big leagues in 2016. [RELATED - Will Joe Maddon keep Addison Russell ninth in Cubs lineup?] If the Cubs really have hopes of a World Series this year, they're going to have to get production from that quartet. So how will they keep the "sophomore slump" at bay? For starters, the Cubs hope to avoid the issue simply because they feel a lot of their young players have already endured a bump. "I thought last year, some of the guys had the opportunity to experience the sophomore bump in their freshman year," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "They had some difficult moments last year that I thought they really worked through well." Maddon cited the mechanical adjustments Bryant and Russell made last season to get through some slumps. Bryant has worked to cut down on his strikeouts by keeping the bat through the strike zone longer, eliminating a bit of his uppercut swing. Russell incorporated a leg kick into his swing last year, something he and the Cubs felt helped unleash some of the power in his line-drive swing. Schwarber, meanwhile, hit .179 with zero homers and only one RBI in his final 17 games of the 2015 regular season and also endured yearlong inconsistency against left-handers (.143 AVG, .481 OPS). However, in the postseason, Schwarber found his stroke, clubbing a franchise-record five homers, including a monster shot on top of the right-field scoreboard at Wrigley Field off St. Louis Cardinals lefty Kevin Siegrist in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. [SHOP: Gear up, Cubs fans!] The Cubs know there are still slumps awaiting all their young players, but they feel they have the tools in place to rise above.

"Our job is to try to stay ahead of [the difficult moments] as much as we possibly can," Maddon said. "Be there for them and try to understand what's going on. But primarily would be that our guys adjust back to what these other guys are trying to do to us. "If you're not hardheaded and you're mindful and you understand those concepts, I think you have a better chance of adjusting back and avoiding those prolonged periods of nonproductivity." The Cubs also hope to combat any inkling of a sophomore slump by understanding the mental game. Bryant said one of the ways he's looking to avoid a dip in numbers is by envisioning 2016 as just a continuation of 2015...with a three-and-a-half-month break. You can't have a sophomore slump if you don't have a sophomore season, right? "I've actually felt that way watching our guys - it's kinda like they're picking up where they left off," Maddon said. "A lot of enthusiasm, a lot of desire to be at the ballpark, they like each other - all those factors are still in play. "So yeah, it feels almost like we did pick it up where we left off. We're having a lot of fun, but the work's been outstanding." The Cubs are attacking projected slumps and adversity head-on. "I think that's the attitude you have to have," Bryant said. "I've played this game for a very long time, but not as long as some guys in here. You go through your bad spells. You go through your good spells. The good ones always bring you back. "It's fun to go through those. It's a roller-coaster ride. I wouldn't be playing this game if it wasn't like that. I enjoy the adversity because I know it only gets better." The other factor playing into all this is each guy's role into the overall locomotive that is the Cubs. Ideally, young players first cracking into the big leagues wouldn't have to be major pieces on an everyday basis. That wasn't the case with the Cubs last season, of course. But this year, Theo Epstein's front office helped supplement the young talent with proven commodities like Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist, plus starting pitcher John Lackey and they also brought back centerfielder Dexter Fowler to set the table at the top of the order. Maddon has talked about young players getting their first taste of life in "The Show" and caring more about their own survival - ensuring they don't make mistakes, focusing and obsessing over their personal numbers - rather than just helping the team win. [RELATED - No question: Addison Russell knows he belongs now with Cubs] The Cubs don't see their "sophomores" just keeping their heads above water. "A lot of times, younger guys are still in survival mode and they're just trying to stay here because they think it's pretty cool," Maddon said. "They're not normally the guy that's going to help you win because their agenda is to not make a mistake. "But once you get to the point where you feel like you belong here, then you really shift to, 'All I wanna do is win.' "...I think all our young guys are about that. Believe me, man. It's a real pleasure to talk to these guys." --