April 24, 2016 Chicago Tribune Cubs find work for relievers —after John Lackey can't finish 6th inning in loss By Mark Gonzales The Cubs' starting pitchers have created a pleasant problem that could take a while before it's fully cured. That concern was resolved abruptly, if partially, Saturday night as John Lackey was knocked out in the sixth inning of a 13-5 loss to the Reds. Five of the first six Reds' batters reached safely against Lackey in the inning before he was pulled, marking only the second time in 18 games a Cubs starter didn't pitch at least six. "Guys got work in who had not been getting work," said manager Joe Maddon, who had planned on Lackey throwing seven innings after had thrown 71 pitches in five innings. "There's something good about that." With an eight-man bullpen, consistent work has been tough to get for many of the relievers who contributed to the 514 2/3 innings thrown in 2015. The relievers have thrown a major league-low 40, but at least Trevor Cahill, Neil Ramirez and Clayton Richard pitched in the final 22/3 innings. All three relievers suffered varying degrees of trouble after Eugenio Suarez ripped a three-run homer off Lackey. Cahill relieved Lackey but surrendered consecutive home runs to Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler to cap a seven-run outburst. The hope for the Cubs is that they find a healthy balance of work among their starters and relievers throughout the season. Maddon has been content to let the game dictate what he does while realizing the starting pitchers have been pitching effectively and economically. "Hopefully that lasts a long time," Maddon said. "You know it probably won't, so just prepare for that moment. "But in this particular moment, it just has been our plight. We have that good of starting pitching. It's a good plight to have." During Jake Arrieta's no-hitter Thursday, the relievers took turns getting loose by playing catch with the outfielders between innings. But Justin Grimm and Pedro Strop didn't mind the chore, considering the lack of work they have received compared to last season. "It's very different for me, personally," said Grimm, who has averaged 68 appearances over the last two seasons. "I think it's a good thing. But I'm used to getting up a lot early. You find your niche at game speed. "In spring training, we didn't have many outings (because of last season's heavy workload). And coming into games when we're scoring runs, it has been different."

Grimm has yet to be used in the "middle inning closer" role Maddon dubbed for him last season. But when the Cubs scored four runs in the Friday night, Maddon elected to preserve closer Hector Rondon and employ Grimm (who already had warmed up) to finish an 8-1 victory. Strop, who has averaged 69 appearances over the last four seasons, believes there's currently a good balance between rest and work. "It's always good when you pitch fresh," Strop said. "When you pitch three days in a row, the third game you're not thinking about velocity or stuff." The other potential issue is stretching out a reliever in case of an injury to one of the starters. Cahill has been tabbed as the emergency starter. But among the relievers, only Neil Ramirez has pitched as long as 12/3 innings in an outing (April 15 against the Rockies). "It's a good problem to have right now," Maddon said. "I'm not complaining about it. There are guys in that group who I don't think will take long to get re-stretched out." -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' John Lackey hints of changes in next start By Mark Gonzales John Lackey prefers to induce early contact and economize his pitch count in an effort to pitch deep into games. But after getting knocked out suddenly in the sixth inning of a 13-5 loss Saturday night to the Cincinnati Reds, Lackey hinted that he might have to change his game plan in his next start scheduled for Friday against the Atlanta Braves. “I gave up a couple of two-strike hits on some balls away,” Lackey said. “I’d like to get back for sure. But there are ways to avoid that going forward. Sometimes you almost throw too many strikes.” Lackey’s exit in the sixth was stunning because he retired the first nine batters and threw only 71 pitches after five innings as he held a 3-2 lead. His fastball also topped out at 95 mph, about three mph faster than normal. But Lackey allowed four consecutive hits to start the sixth, highlighted by a three-run home run by Eugenio Suarez. Lackey said he gave up four two-strike hits. “There are ways to rectify that,” Lackey said. “There can be such a thing as too many strikes some times. “You don’t want to give up homers, but that’s going to happen,” Lackey said. “I try to get ahead and throw first-pitch strikes. That’s going to happen on occasion. But the two-strike hits, I got to take care of those in a different way.” Lackey was the only victim as the Reds snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Cubs, who stranded 11 runners. The 13 runs were the most allowed by the Cubs this season. -- Chicago Tribune No batting practice? No problem for Cubs' Joe Maddon By Mark Gonzales The Chicago Cubs didn’t take batting practice for the fourth consecutive game, and they likely won’t hit before Sunday’s series finale at Great American Ball Park.

And if a player wants to take batting practice on the field, manager Joe Maddon has a suggestion. “I’d say, ‘go talk to Johnny (Mallee),’“ Maddon smirked. “Go talk to your teammates.” Since taking over as manager prior to the 2015 season, Maddon has remained consistent in his perception that taking batting practice on the field before games on a daily basis is overrated. The indoor batting cages provide an opportunity for batters to stay sharp without hitting in extreme conditions during certain junctures of the season. “They don’t get more or less,” Maddon said. “They get loose. “If you’re in to trying to hit home runs, come outside. I like when guys are hitting the other way or staying out of the air, to hit outside. (But) just to come out here and stretch it out, I’m not a big advocate of that.” Maddon is a big believer in getting other work done on the field during the 40 minutes they’re allotted for batting practice for road games. During their final 2015 regular season series at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Maddon devoted much of the batting practice time to refresher courses, such as pitchers’ fielding practice, pickoffs and bunt coverage drills. At the same time, selected players took batting practice after the drills. “We can set it up,” Maddon said of outdoor batting practice. “We still have our time, even if a couple guys wanted. It’s not like they can’t come out. If they want to, we’ll set up the time.” First baseman Anthony Rizzo believes the new training facilities at Wrigley will enable the players to perform most of their pre-game work indoors and preserve their energy for games. “If you think you need (batting practice), go ahead and do it,” said Maddon, who often holds an annual "American Legion Week" where players don't have to show up until shortly before games. “If you don’t, don’t do it. I like BP for ground balls primarily. “We’ve been on the road for a bit. The schedule is good. Night games do help getting us some rest. Whenever you get a chance to take advantage of some rest, take it. Get it. So I’m good with this.” -- Chicago Tribune Javier Baez impresses Joe Maddon with more than his slugging By Mark Gonzales Javier Baez earned his second consecutive start at third base because of skills other than his line-drive home run Friday night. "Everyone said, 'Oh, he hit a home run,' " Cubs manager Joe Maddon said sarcastically Saturday. "Nice. "I like the defense. The baserunning was very good. The energy he brought to the field was very good. He happened to hit a home run. I liked the line drive (single) to right field." Maddon said Baez, 23, who returned last weekend from the 15-day disabled list, earned the start because of his defense with John Lackey on the mound. "That's it," Maddon said.

Baez, whose natural position is shortstop, nearly turned a triple play and credited learning from Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre on how to play grounders at third. There is one technique Baez hopes to shore up — sliding. Baez has spent nearly 10 weeks on the disabled list over the last 10 months because of hand injuries resulting from head-first slides. The Cubs finally might have gotten their message to Baez because he stumbled shortly before scoring on a sacrifice fly Friday. "I was going head-first but remembered my hands," Baez said. "I was going too fast to come back and slid feet first. I'm used to going head first all the time. Either I have to keep my fingers up or get used to sliding feet first." Last week, Baez said he was aware that prized leadoff batter A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks was lost for the season because of a right elbow fracture suffered three days before the opener from a head-first slide. Arrieta update: If the pitching rotations remain on course, aces Jake Arrieta of the Cubs and Gerrit Cole of the Pirates would face each other May 2 at PNC Park in a rematch of the 2015 National League wild-card game. -- Chicago Tribune Sliding remains an issue for Cubs' Javier Baez By Mark Gonzales The sight of Javier Baez stumbling about 15 feet from home plate Friday night brought back cautionary thoughts regarding the Chicago Cubs' infielder. Baez scored without getting hurt, but he has missed valuable time in the past 10 months due to his insistence on sliding head-first. Baez missed a chance to be promoted before last September 1 because of a fracture in his left ring finger on a head-first slide on a steal attempt for Triple-A Iowa on June 7. Baez missed nearly seven weeks due to the injury. And Baez, 23, missed a chance to be on his major league opening day roster because of a left thumb bruise suffered while sliding head-first into first base in an exhibition game March 20. Baez missed nearly four weeks, but he didn't seem inclined to change his method of sliding in an interview Wednesday. "We haven't talked about sliding," Baez said at Busch Stadium. "I feel comfortable sliding head first. I just got to pull back my fingers when I slide." Baez didn't seem fazed when reminded that A.J. Pollock suffered a season-ending right elbow fracture due to a head-first slide into home plate three days before the Arizona Diamondbacks' opener. "All my fingers are fine," said Baez, adding that he didn't feel the need to hold batting gloves while running the bases, a policy that some players use to prevent their fingers from becoming vulnerable to injury. Baez left the clubhouse Friday night as reporters spoke to left-hander Jon Lester. --

Chicago Sun-Times Reds rise up with home run barrage in 6th, 7th to rout Cubs 13-5 By Gordon Wittenmyer CINCINNATI – A longtime rival baseball scout earlier this week started rattling off the merits of the 2016 Cubs, from their left-right balance, speed-power balance, starting pitching and so on. So, he was asked, barring injury, what can stop them from doing what they expect to do this year? “Well,” he said, “you’ve got to play the games.” Case in point: Game No. 18. Just when it looked like the Cubs had so thoroughly overpowered the Reds in Cincinnati this week that their fans had moved in to colonize the stadium, the beleaguered Reds rose up with four home runs in two innings Saturday night to rout the top-trending team in baseball 13-5. Just like that, right-hander John Lackey lost his bid for a 4-0 start, the Cubs no longer had the best record in baseball, and everyone was reminded again that winning big-league games is never as easy as the hottest teams can make it look. “It’s the big leagues, man,” Lackey (3-1) said. “There’s professionals over there that get paid, too.” And this on a day Lackey’s velocity was in the mid-90s, and “nothing wrong with the stuff,” he said. He retired the first nine batters he faced and if anything could have benefitted from going outside the strike zone more often, especially inside, especially with two strikes. “Sometimes you can almost throw too many strikes. Maybe you make some people a little more uncomfortable,” said Lackey, who had two-strike counts on four of the seven hits he allowed – including the two leading off the fourth that led to the first two runs against him. “There’s ways to rectify that,” he said. In the bigger picture, a team that had matched its best 17-game start in 109 years and its best 11-game road start (9-2) ever isn’t sweating No. 18 of 162. “Crazy game. They got us tonight,” manager Joe Maddon said. The Cubs led 3-2 before the Reds unloaded on Lackey and reliever Trevor Cahill for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, including a three-run homer off by Eugenio Suarez off Lackey and another one by Adam Duvall off Cahill. And then Scott Schebler made it back-to-back homers off Cahill. Joey Votto added a two-run homer off Neil Ramirez in the seventh. Until the Reds scored their first run of the game in the fourth inning, the Cubs had a plus-40 run differential against the Reds alone this year, in just five-plus games. Until then, the Cubs had the top-ranked starting rotation (2.13 ERA) in the majors and top-ranked bullpen (1.91 ERA). But it’s not like the Cubs were going to win 13 out of every 17, even if they really are as good as they have looked, even when they’re playing the undermanned, tanker Reds. “It’s not easy to do,” Maddon said, then added with a smile, “but we thought we could.”

-- Chicago Sun-Times Who spends time planning for a no-hitter? Apparently the Cubs By Gordon Wittenmyer CINCINNATI – When it looked about the sixth inning Thursday night like Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter might be threatened more by his pitch count than by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips combined, Cubs manager Joe Maddon was the picture of groovy in the dugout. Already this year, the Dodgers Ross Stripling was pulled with a no-hitter intact at the 100-pitch mark, in the eighth inning of his big-league debut, igniting more debate between the nurture-the-arm and the game’s-too-soft crowds. Less than four years earlier, Mets manager Terry Collins let veteran ace Johan Santana – recently back from shoulder problems – grind through a 134-pitch, five-walk game to complete the first no-hitter in franchise history. Santana made 10 more starts that season, was hit hard in most of them, and hasn’t pitched since. Maddon? “I was a lot more comfortable standing in that corner,” he said of watching Arrieta head into the final three innings at 85 pitches. “Because we had this conversation with all our starters. He knew, and I knew, without having to say anything, that he was good to go.” That’s because the Cubs mapped out a specific no-hitter protocol relative to pitch-count concerns through a series of meetings involving front office staff, Maddon, coaches and eventually the starting pitchers before last season ever started. The idea was to keep egos, tempers and gut from the decision process during the heat of a game, no matter how rarely the situation might arise. If it’s not unique in the majors, it’s close (the same front office didn’t have a protocol as specific in Boston). And it offers at least a glimpse into how this overhauled and vast fifth-year front office operates under team president Theo Epstein. “There’s not too many stones left unturned,” said pitching coach Chris Bosio, who’s on his third manager since joining the organization under the new regime. “We’ve got an open line of communication with these guys. We want to make sure that any situation that comes up we’re prepared for.” Inspired in part by Arrieta’s 120-pitch workload during a no-hit bit in Boston that ended with one out in the eighth, Epstein brought general manager Jed Hoyer, Maddon and coaches together to agree on a protocol that respects the achievement as much as the pitcher’s health. Then all five members of the rotation were brought into the process. “We kind of had it ball-parked at, going into the seventh or eighth inning, if we’re approaching 110, there’s probably a good chance they shut it down, especially early in the season when all of our goals is playing deep in October,” said Arrieta, whose count never needed a discussion during his 116-pitch no-hitter at Dodger Stadium last August. “That’s a smart thing to do,“ he said. There’s room for discretion.

“You don’t want to be obscene,” Maddon said. “Obviously, like 130-something would really start giving me like the hives if we did something like that. The other thing was I knew Jake had an extra day coming open the backside [because of Monday’s off day], so that was comforting, too.” Arrieta, who cut down on some of his warmup pitches between innings to conserve, made it a non-issue Thursday with nine-pitch innings in both the seventh and eighth. “It’s something that’s in place, and I think it should be in the [Cubs Way] manual,” Bosio said of the protocol. “Everybody knows about it, and when that time comes up you know you’re going to get your shot, but there’s guys that are going to be probably eight or 10 pitches away just in case. “That’s what makes our front office our front office,” Bosio added. “We’re constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the game, and in this case, with the guys that we have, I think it was a great call.” Because he wasn’t signed until December, the only starter not involved in the protocol discussion was John Lackey, who retired the first nine he faced Saturday night. So what about him late in a game with a no-hitter and climbing count? “There’s no way I’m taking John out,” Maddon said. “I’m not going to wrestle Johnny. So as long as we’re good with the other four guys, I’m OK.” -- Daily Herald Otto: Cubs' Arrieta has much more than 'great stuff' By Dave Otto From the 2015 Cy Young Award to the two no-hitters in the span of 11 regular season starts to the 24 quality starts in a row, the list keeps growing for Jake Arrieta. As intriguing as it has been to watch Jake string this together, I find it just as intriguing to look at how he got to this point. Jake is making it look easy out there. And he is making it look easy because he currently possesses that rare combination of great stuff, command, coaching, confidence and training. The great stuff is Jake's 94-mph fastball, electric breaking ball and his cutter from another planet. There are plenty of pitchers with great stuff that can light up the radar gun. It's the consistent command, however, that separates the great ones from the mediocre. Jake had great stuff when he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles. But still he struggled and was not able to put it all together back then. Since joining the Cubs, he has established more consistent command. Great command is all about throwing the right pitch to the right spot. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a strike. Jake gets so many swings on pitches out of the zone because his stuff is so nasty. Command comes and goes for a pitcher during a game. When Jake does have that command and is able to throw that 94-mph fastball right on the outside corner to right handed hitters, watch out. It will start out about a foot outside to right handed hitters, and then tail back into the strike zone. He threw back-to-back two-seam fastballs to Adam Duvall late in the game on Thursday. At that point, I thought oh-no, here comes a no-no. While Jake did not have great command early against the Reds, later in the game, he really locked in when he could sniff that no-hitter.

An example of great coaching is a pitching coach and an organization that will let a talented player be himself. And the trick sometimes is to not necessarily make major changes to a player's mechanics. Chris Bosio is that type of pitching coach. As a former pitcher, Bosio has been there. He understands that a change for the better can be as simple as what side of the rubber a pitcher pitches from. Or slightly changing the grip on a pitcher's fastball. When Jake came to the Cubs, it was a perfect situation. Bosio was a similar type pitcher, and they clicked right away. Following his no-hitter, Jake was asked what comes first: success or confidence? Jake's response was that his confidence comes from preparation and knowing that he has done everything possible to prepare for his next game. Through trial and error, Jake has learned what type of preparation works best for him. A big part is his diet and his workout regimen between starts. I heard Jake jokingly say that he eats plants as part of his diet. There's a good chance that somewhere a pitcher has looked up plant recipes. For a starting pitcher, it is all about getting your arm and body right for your next start. All of that training and hard work has given Jake such great balance and body control on the mound, which allows him to repeat his delivery and command all his pitches. Jake has had accomplishments in his career that other players can only dream of achieving. Baseball players are all about routines. Find something that works, and stick with it. Jake has found that routine. Keep it rolling, Jake. • Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame. -- Cubs.com Lackey tagged with 1st loss despite Russell's HR By Mark Sheldon and Carrie Muskat CINCINNATI -- Using four home runs, including three in a seven-run sixth inning, the Reds took a 13-5 victory over the Cubs on Saturday at Great American Ball Park. It was the Cubs' first loss to the Reds in six games so far in the season series. Eugenio Suarez led Cincinnati with three hits and four RBIs, which tied his career-high, including a three-run homer. Chicago, which came in having outscored Cincinnati, 46-4, since it ended Brandon Finnegan's no-hit bid in the seventh inning on April 11 at Wrigley Field, scored twice in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead for John Lackey. But it all came apart in the sixth after a rally started with back-to-back hits. Suarez tattooed a first pitch from Lackey for a three-run homer to center and the lead. There were two outs and two on when Adam Duvall added a three-run homer to right on a 2-0 pitch from reliever Trevor Cahill. Scott Schebler made it back-to-back long balls with a drive to right on a 2-2 pitch by Cahill for a 9-3 Reds lead. It was 9-5 after the Cubs scored two in the seventh against Caleb Cotham, which were the first runs he allowed this season. Joey Votto made it a six-run game with a two-run homer to right in the the seventh. Chicago loaded the bases in the eighth against Cotham and Tony Cingrani with two outs, but Suarez robbed Kris Bryant with a nice one-hop pick of a sharp grounder and touched third base for the inning-ending force play.

"We kind of got to our power tonight, did some really good things offensively and then stacked on," Reds manager Bryan Price said after the Reds set a season-high in runs scored. "How big was that? They made a push and we kind of got in trouble and walked some guys. The play of the day for me was Suarez grabbing that hard one-hopper by Bryant with the bases loaded." The Cubs stranded 11, which matched a season high. They had opportunities. • Cubs' bullpen gets much-needed work "Give them credit," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the Reds. "They hit the ball really well tonight. They beat us. … We did leave a lot of people on base, but we did hit some balls well in those moments. The quality of at-bats and the pitches we forced them to throw up and down the lineup, I'm all about it. I thought it was great. With that kind of offensive output, we're normally in the game. They just got us tonight." Reds reliever Blake Wood pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the victory. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Homer happy: The Reds hit three homers in one inning for the first time since May 21, 2012 vs. the Braves. It was Suarez who got it started when his first-pitch drive to center got the 41,660 fans on their feet and gave his team new life. It was his team-leading fifth homer of the season. The ball left Suarez's bat at 106 mph and traveled 413 feet with a launch angle of 22 degrees, according to Statcast™. Start me up: Cubs' starting pitchers had 12 wins in the first 17 games for the first time in franchise history, but Lackey couldn't keep that streak going. The right-hander was charged with six runs over 5 2/3 innings and took his first loss. This was the third time in 18 games that a Cubs starter did not post a quality start, and the second time for Lackey. Lackey felt he had good stuff, but may try a different tactic in his next outing, especially when he gets ahead of a batter with two strikes. "I felt really good," Lackey said. "I had pretty good stuff for the most part. That inning they scored a couple runs [in the fourth], little things added up on me. The last one, three-run homer first pitch action got me." Votto goes deep: It was a two-hit night for Votto, who came in 1-for-his-last 22 and hadn't had a multi-hit game since April 11. During the big sixth inning, he followed Suarez with a single to center field. His two-run homer to right field was his second of the season and first since April 15 vs. St. Louis. "I've got to keep working, man. The only conclusion I've come to after all these years of playing, you have to be fundamentally sound. You have to make good decisions and you've got to repeat that over and over and over as often as possible. The guys that do that the most are usually the best players." Muscle: Of his nine at-bats in the first two games of the series, Addison Russell had hit hard line drives, but right at people. With two outs in the second, he finally hit a ball the Reds couldn't get, launching his second home run of the season. Russell's throwing error in the fourth led to a Reds' run, but he made up for it with a perfect relay to get Phillips at third in that same inning. QUOTABLE "A guy like Eugenio, you get a guy like him and he plays well and does good things for us. Those are the sort of surprises that organizations need to have big futures. Todd [Frazier] left and he's a player that is at the level that an organization would miss because he plays at such a high level. For Eugenio to be playing and hitting the way he's hitting, it's very, very important to us. I don't think we'd be 9-9 right now. Not only has he had big situational hits, he's been very, very consistent offensively." --- Votto, on Suarez this season

"There was nothing wrong with the stuff. I threw the ball well. I think I had four two-strike hits. There's ways to rectify that." -- Lackey on his outing, saying sometimes pitchers can throw too many strikes SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Saturday marked the Cubs' first loss in 13 games in which they scored at least four runs. The Reds' runs were a season high by an opponent as well; the previous high was six runs. WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Jason Hammel will close the Cubs' series against the Reds on Sunday. The right-hander is coming off a win against the Cardinals in which he helped himself, hitting a two-run single. He has given up one or zero runs in six innings in each of his first three starts. First pitch will be 12:10 p.m. CT from Great American Ball Park. Reds: After being skipped from his last start because of right biceps tendinitis, Alfredo Simon has been cleared to return and start vs. the Cubs in the 1:10 p.m. ET series finale on Sunday. The last time he faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 13, Simon lasted a career-low 2/3 of an inning with five runs allowed while throwing 49 pitches. -- Cubs.com Cubs' bullpen gets much-needed work By Carrie Muskat CINCINNATI -- Cubs relievers finally got some work in on Saturday. Chicago's bullpen has pitched the fewest innings in the Major Leagues at 40 after Saturday's 13-5 loss to the Reds. The relievers had been effective, holding opponents to a .158 batting average against, best in the National League. On Saturday, Trevor Cahill, Neil Ramirez and Clayton Richard were needed to finish up when starter John Lackey was lifted after 5 2/3 innings. The three combined to serve up seven earned runs over 2 1/3 innings. "I thought Ramirez threw the ball pretty good," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the right-hander, who did strike out the side. "He threw the ball well, velocity-wise. Richard, we kind of booted the ball around for him, uncharacteristically. Guys got work in who had not gotten work in. There's something good about that also." The Cubs' four long men -- Richard, Cahill, Adam Warren, and Travis Wood -- haven't been stretched out. "It's a good problem to have and I'm not complaining about it," Maddon said. The Cubs' starting pitchers have 15 quality starts through 18 games, and the shortest outing so far has been 5 1/3 innings by Kyle Hendricks last Wednesday. "Our starters have done such a wonderful job there hasn't been a need to go multiple innings for the other guys," Maddon said. The relievers will just have to stay ready some other way. "I tell myself, let the game dictate to you what it wants you to do," Maddon said. "Right now, we're in a good run with the starting pitchers. Hopefully, that lasts a long time. It probably won't, so just be prepared for that particular moment." --

Cubs.com Baez shows off 'court awareness' in near triple play By Carrie Muskat CINCINNATI -- The Cubs' Javier Baez has never been part of a triple play, but he recognized the possibility of one Friday night and nearly completed it. Baez was starting at third against the Reds, who had runners at first and second with nobody out in the fifth. Tyler Holt smacked the ball to Baez, and he stepped on third for the force, then fired to second baseman Ben Zobrist, who threw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Holt beat the throw by a step. "I was playing back," Baez said. "I think it was a one-hopper to me, and I was right next to the bag. The ball got really close really fast, so at the last second, I decided to go to second and try for the triple play. It was actually pretty close." Manager Joe Maddon complimented Baez on his "court awareness" for attempting the play. Most third basemen would throw to first. "I just reacted," Baez said. He also had given Zobrist a heads up about the possibility, too. "It was a lot of communication on the field that helped us," Baez said. Maddon started Baez at third base for the second straight night on Saturday. "I'm not just looking at an offensive chart, I'm looking at the defensive chart, and I like the way the defense set up tonight with [John] Lackey pitching," Maddon said. Baez did help his playing time by hitting a single to right, stealing a base and then scoring on a sacrifice fly in the second, and it doesn't hurt that he led off the ninth with his first home run of the season. But Maddon likes the glovework and more. "Everybody says, 'Oh, he hit a home run,'" Maddon said. "Yeah, it's nice. I like the defense, the baserunning was really good, the energy he brought to the field last night was really good. He happened to hit a home run. I liked the line drive to right field actually." Baez has been working on his approach at the plate. It's paying off so far. Now, he has to figure out how to slide. He landed awkwardly at home in the second, and admitted he was trying not to slide hands first. Baez was slowed at the start of the season with a left thumb contusion suffered when he slid into first base hands first in a Spring Training game. "I kind of tripped a little bit," Baez said. "I think my toes went to sleep and I couldn't feel my legs, and then on that tag, I was going head first, and then I remembered my hands, and I was going too fast to come back and slide feet first." -- Cubs.com Cubs go entire series without batting practice By Carrie Muskat CINCINNATI -- The Cubs have not taken batting practice for the first three games of their four-game series against the Reds, and they won't do so in Sunday's finale. As far as manager Joe Maddon is concerned, BP is overrated. "If you think you need it, go ahead and do it," Maddon said Saturday. "I like BP for ground balls primarily."

It's not that the Cubs aren't hitting at all pregame. Hitting coach John Mallee and assistant Eric Hinske schedule the players for sessions in the batting cages. So if somebody wants to hit on the field, what should he do? "I'd say, 'Go talk to Johnny,'" Maddon said. "'Go talk to your teammates.' We still have our time [on the field]. If a couple guys wanted to come out, they could. It's not like they can't come out." Maddon does like the pregame time for refresher courses on bunt defenses or pitcher's fielding practice. If a batter is trying to work on hitting the ball to the opposite field, it might be better to do that outside. "I don't think they get more or less [out of using the cages] -- they get loose," Maddon said. "I don't think [batting practice on the field] is necessary every day." -- Cubs.com Hammel brings 1.00 ERA into finale vs. Reds By Carrie Muskat The Reds are hoping for a better outing by Alfredo Simon on Sunday than the right-hander's last game against the Cubs. On April 13 at Wrigley Field, Simon retired two of the nine batters he faced in the first inning, and was pulled after giving up five runs on four hits and three walks. It was the shortest start of his career. Simon did make an appearance on April 15, but was then scratched from his last start because of right biceps tendinitis. Simon needs one strikeout to reach 500 in his career. Chicago will counter with Jason Hammel, who is on a roll. The right-hander has given up two earned runs over 18 innings in his three starts, and ranks among the National League leaders with a 1.00 ERA. He also has done well at the plate, hitting a two-run single in his last start, a 2-1 win over the Cardinals. Things to know about this game • Billy Hamilton remains day to day with a left thumb contusion. The Cubs won't miss him. The Reds speedster has a career .302 average in 11 games against the Cubs. • Chicago's Kris Bryant hit an RBI single Saturday, and now has 11 of his 15 total RBIs against Cincinnati this year, and all four of his home runs have come against the Reds. • The Reds snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Cubs with Saturday night's 13-5 victory. It had been the Reds' longest losing streak against the Cubs since dropping nine in a row, 1945-46. -- ESPNChicago.com John Lackey not happy throwing a lot of strikes By Jesse Rogers CINCINNATI -- It’s not the first time Chicago Cubs starter John Lackey has intimated he might need to “pitch backwards," or at least change up his sequencing with two strikes. Lackey is a no-nonsense pitcher on the mound, but sometimes that can come back to bite him. That's exactly what happened on Saturday, when he gave up six runs to the Cincinnati Reds in the Cubs' 13-5 loss. “Gave up some two-strike hits on some balls away that I’d like to have back for sure,” he said after the game. “Sometimes you can almost throw too many strikes. Need to make people a little more uncomfortable.”

Throwing too many strikes isn’t something you hear often from a major league pitcher -- or any pitcher, for that matter -- but it makes some sense coming from Lackey. He gave up 211 hits last season, including a league-high 156 singles, but his ERA was just 2.77 with only 53 walks to go with those hits. Without watching a game you can imagine the type of season that he had: Minor damage here and there, but more often than not he made the right pitch at the right time. “I think I gave up four two-strike hits,” Lackey said of his outing on Saturday. “There’s ways of rectifying that ... The two-strike hits, I have to take care of them in a different way.” According to ESPN Stats & Information, Lackey threw fastballs 55 percent of the time with two strikes against the Reds. In his masterpiece against the St. Louis Cardinals five days earlier, he threw two-strike fastballs just 46 percent of the time. That difference can be the difference between a good or bad outing for him. The part that is hard to figure is that Lackey should know this. In his first start as a Cub against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he was getting hit hard before starting to “pitch” instead of just throwing. He settled down. He took that philosophy from the first pitch against the Cardinals and threw a gem. Maybe he got away with a strictly fastball diet last season, as he’s given up five or more earned runs in two of his four starts this season. That happened two times in 33 starts last year. Lackey needs to adjust if his fastballs are getting hit hard. “Was looking good,” Joe Maddon said. “Went away very quickly ... There were no indicators.” There was nothing to tip off Maddon that Lackey was going to blow up in the sixth inning. He had given up some hits but had an easy fifth inning before things quickly changed over the course of the first seven pitches in the sixth. A three-run home run by Eugenio Suarez preceded Lackey's first walk of the game a few batters later, which ended his night. “I had good stuff for the most part,” Lackey said. “Trust me, as long as I’m healthy it’s all going to be there in the end.” Fans would undoubtedly like to know which Lackey will be there in the end. The one with a 6.87 ERA in three of his four starts, or the guy who threw a shutout over seven innings just five days earlier? If mixing it up is all he needs to do, then there’s no reason not to expect a better performance next outing. “There can be such thing as too many strikes sometimes,” Lackey reiterated. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs get it all out of their system in bad loss to Reds By Jesse Rogers CINCINNATI -- Maybe it’s best the Chicago Cubs flush their system once a week or so. It provides work for the bullpen while keeping the entire team on its toes. That’s the positive spin to Saturday’s 13-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. What looked to be a third consecutive victory over Cincinnati quickly turned when the Reds put up seven runs in the sixth inning, then added two more in both the seventh and eighth innings to thwart any comeback hopes for the visitors. Pitching and defense were not at their best for a Cubs team that entered Saturday tied for the best record in baseball. Before the game, Chicago manager Joe Maddon discussed the difficulty of finding innings for his bullpen -- so good had his starting staff been through the first 17 games. He found some this night when John Lackey got knocked out in the sixth, allowing six runs. The bullpen got its work, but it wasn’t very effective. Trevor Cahill poured gasoline on the fire, giving up a three-run home run and a solo shot after Lackey exited. Neil Ramirez and Clayton Richard

weren’t sharp, either. But maybe that’s inevitable when the relief staff is used so little, with just 37 innings pitched coming into this game. So whether the Cubs were going to lose 2-1 or 13-5, there might be a positive out of it all, strange as that might sound. There’s a good chance that if any of those relievers are used Sunday they’ll be a little sharper. We can’t be as sure about Lackey unless there’s a big game at hand. So far he’s risen to the occasion against his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, but struggled a little bit in between. It’s only one loss, but a really bad one. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs' Joe Maddon, Ben Zobrist agree: Javier Baez has grown as a player By Jesse Rogers CINCINNATI -- Most players would have stepped on the bag at third base and thrown to first for an easy double play, but not Chicago Cubs super-utility guy Javier Baez. He wanted it all. “At the last second I tried to go to second for the triple play,” Baez explained on Saturday afternoon. “It was actually pretty close.” The play came in the fifth inning on Friday night when Cincinnati Reds center fielder Tyler Holt hit a chopper to third with men on first and second and no outs. Baez, starting his first game of the season there, charged the ball, stepped on the bag, and surprised everyone by turning toward second. He threw a perfect strike to Ben Zobrist, who threw to Anthony Rizzo, missing the triple play by a step. “He’s not a safe player,” Zobrist said as a compliment. “That’s what’s going to make him great. You get big rewards when you take big risks in this game.” Manager Joe Maddon simply likes the 23-year-old Baez's instincts along with his defense. Baez can play almost every position on the diamond, and after being a big factor in the Cubs' 8-1 win on Friday night, he got the start at third base again on Saturday, pushing NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant to left field for the second consecutive night. “[Saturday], the way it's set up defensively ... looking at defensive charts, I liked the way the defense set up tonight with John Lackey pitching. That’s it,” Maddon said. So, either Maddon likes Baez at third for defense or, more likely, he likes Bryant over Jorge Soler in left. In the very early going this season, Lackey has trended toward more fly balls than usual for him. This is Soler’s fate right now. He’s had a decent start at the plate, but if there is any doubt, Maddon will go in another direction on defense. He could do worse than Baez, who homered to left on Friday, singled to right, stole a base and nearly hurt himself deciding whether to slide head first or feet first at home on a sacrifice fly. “I tripped a little bit,” Baez laughed. “I was going to go head first and I remembered my hands, but I was going too fast to come back and slide feet first. I’m used to going head first.” Baez has injured himself sliding head first, including into first base during spring training. At least he’s thinking about changing. Zobrist sees a player slowly maturing. “There are certain guys looking for an opportunity to make a great play,” Zobrist said of Baez. “He’s one of those guys.” Zobrist also seemed to know what Baez was thinking on that triple-play attempt. He had to cover second not knowing for sure if the ball was coming his way -- but he had an idea that it was. “When he saw that ball in the air I guarantee you he was thinking triple play,” Zobrist said. “There was no hesitation. He wanted it.”

Said Baez: “I was for sure going to step on the bag and go to first and I just reacted and went to second. ... I learned from Adrian Beltre. He told me either to stay back or go get the ball.” Of course, Baez didn’t stay back. He went and got it. That’s his aggressiveness taking over. He’s the same way at the plate, but now he’s starting to refine himself. As Maddon has noticed, the big swings are usually followed by a more mature approach. He finds his way back to a better at-bat. “I’ve been working on my approach and pitch selection,” Baez said. “It’s working really good now.” Of course, with great instincts and a "go for it" mentality comes some negatives. Bad decisions are made, leading to bad execution -- and sometimes some injuries -- but Maddon has often said he never wants to coach the aggressiveness out of a player. The attempted triple play was a great example. The veteran Zobrist loved it. “It was perfect,” he said. “He has great baseball instincts and athleticism. “As he grows as a player and learns when to take the chances and when not to, he’s just going to become a much greater player.” -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio predicts more no-hitters as Cubs follow their 'protocol' By Jesse Rogers CINCINNATI -- When Chicago Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio talks, he usually has something important to say. Just ask his hurlers, who are off to a great start in 2016, led by his prized possession Cy Young winner -- and now owner of two no-hitters -- Jake Arrieta. Arrieta threw his second career no-no and the first by any pitcher this season on Thursday night, in Game No. 16 for the Cubs. That leaves plenty of time for more. “I said in spring training this is the year we’re going to get three,” Bosio said boldly on Friday. “I still believe that. Any given night, any one of these guys can do it. Who knows, maybe that number is correct or maybe that number is higher.” Told of that prediction, Arrieta smirked but didn’t dismiss it. “Only 17 games in or so, he should be feeling pretty good about that,” Arrieta said. “I think we’ll have at least one more as a staff.” Arrieta proceeded to reel off the reasons why Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel and even Kyle Hendricks might throw one. And Arrieta should have about 28 more chances himself. If all of this sounds strange, consider that the Cubs had a “no-hit” protocol in place well before Arrieta threw his first one in August. Back in the spring of 2015, Cubs president Theo Epstein, along with Bosio and others, came up with a plan in case any of their starters were approaching the historic accomplishment. Arrieta began flirting with no-hitters in 2014, so perhaps the club felt it needed some guidelines well before the situation presented itself. “We all sat down in a room and talked about it, then we were able to bring the starters in,” Bosio recalled. “We wanted to clear the air. “There’s not that many stones that get unturned. We try to stay ahead of it.”

There wasn’t a lot to go over. Most of it revolved around pitch counts. Cubs manager Joe Maddon is well aware of the historic significance of a no-hitter, but he simply wanted players to know what the thought process was before the heat of the moment was upon them. “You don’t want to be obscene,” Maddon explained. “I would say like 130-something [pitches] would start giving me the hives or a recurrence of shingles.” The Cubs were close to having those discussions on Thursday, as Arrieta had thrown 85 pitches through six innings, but his nine-pitch seventh and eighth innings killed the debate right there. “[Catching coach Mike] Borzello and I call it Heinz ketchup innings,” Bosio said. “Anything 10 or less. Just seems like when we're going good, our starters can do that.” So that part of the protocol took care of itself as Arrieta entered the ninth inning having thrown 103 pitches, a manageable number. But Bosio wasn’t done. “We would never get anyone up in the middle of a no-hitter just because, for no-hitter protocol reasons,” Bosio said. “Everyone stay in your seat, shut up and watch the game.” Having a reliever warming up might be bad luck or could throw the starter off if he happens to look down at the bullpen and see his potential replacement getting ready. So the Cubs kept to protocol while still keeping guys on their toes. “[Relievers] playing catch with the [right fielder] to keep loose,” Bosio said. “That’s one way we can hide it.” This was all planned out ahead of time. So what did Arrieta think back in spring 2015 when asked to discuss with his bosses what might happen in the case of a no-hitter? Did it seem strange? Not really. “It’s kind of -- to cross that bridge before something comes up, to address that issue,” Arrieta said. For Maddon, it provided guidelines for what can be among the toughest decisions a manager has to make. “They knew I knew [what to do] without having to say anything,” Maddon explained. So Arrieta understood that if he were nearing 110 pitches after seven or eight innings, there was “probably a good chance they would shut it down.” It never came up Thursday, but there’s always a next time, at least according to Bosio -- and Arrieta. “I think it’s possible,” Arrieta said. “I think I’ll be in these positions again. But it takes one broken bat or a guy hitting a gapper. It’s tough. So many things have to go right, but I think I’ll have my opportunity again.” --