August 25, 2015 ESPNChicago.com Jorge Soler injury a blow -- but not devastating By Jesse Rogers SAN FRANCISCO -- The Chicago Cubs will need to overcome their first obstacles of the stretch run, which came surprisingly on Monday morning in the form of injuries to right fielder Jorge Soler (oblique) and pitcher Jason Motte (shoulder). Both came up lame after Sunday's win over the Atlanta Braves. Anything that affects the Cubs mojo right now could be a concern, but they should be in decent shape to survive both losses. They certainly did on Monday as Kris Bryant's home run gave the Cubs a walk-off win against the Cleveland Indians, 2-1, for their fifth consecutive victory. Soler is a presence in the lineup, but remember his production isn't exactly on par with the other rookies. His pre All-Star break slash line (.260/.314/.388/.702) isn't all that different than his second half line (.274/.345/.370/.724), though his on-base percentage increased significantly while his slugging actually decreased a little. There's no doubt Soler was improving at the plate -- the eye test showed that -- but the Cubs were prepared for an injury if it came. Remember, the addition of Kyle Schwarber to the everyday lineup gave the Cubs an extra hitter. So now Chris Coghlan will play a lot of right field in place of Soler, while the lefty-hitting Tommy La Stella is finally back on the field at second base -- at least against right-handers and as long as he produces. La Stella is a reminder that Soler is no sure thing to return anytime soon. Every injury is different but there are few that are more frustrating than an oblique problem. La Stella missed all but two games this season so it's hard to know when Soler will be back, while his somewhat fragile nature might need to be addressed further this offseason. In his short career he's had leg, hamstring (both legs) and now an oblique problem. You can't necessarily say those are fluke ailments. But that's a discussion for another day. Though Soler's numbers weren't off the charts, he's being replaced by a player who's played exactly three games this year, including Monday when La Stella went 0-for-3. So what was a "thick" lineup -- as Maddon likes to call it -- has now be thinned out a little. Another aspect of Soler's injury is what the Cubs do when a left-hander starts against them. They have a few coming up. Assuming Addison Russell returns in short order from paternity leave as well as a sore groin, he'll go back to shortstop. Starlin Castro would play second with Chris Denorfia in right field. That's assuming Schwarber isn't coming out of the lineup against a lefty anytime soon -- though the Cubs have aces Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw on the calendar this week. There's also the possibility of seeing the return of Javier Baez. "Baez is doing well," Maddon said. "The point with him is to have him continue to do well. Just because a guy starts to do well doesn't mean he has to be called up immediately. He's still learning his craft. I think he's getting better with his swing. The reports we're getting back are all good. His time is coming. He's definitely on our radar screen."

Baez went 4-for-4 on Monday night for Triple-A Iowa in their 9-0 win over Fresno while playing third base. If and when he comes up -- as long as Soler is still out -- there's always the possibility of Baez playing third while Kris Bryant gets a start or two in the outfield. So Baez could give Maddon some more right-handed options in the lineup but he'll have to prove he can contribute at the plate. He could obviously play second base as well if Castro is struggling. But first things first, Baez has to be recalled. One way or another he's just days away from returning as rosters can expand when the Cubs return from their West Coast swing early next week. The bullpen: Motte's spot was filled by Zac Rosscup who's back after having his own shoulder problems. It means the Cubs have four lefties in the bullpen -- none of whom broke camp with them in their respective roles back in April. Travis Wood is the only lefty who was even on the team. It's not ideal but Joe Maddon says he'll manage. "You've got lefties out there that can get out righties," Maddon said Monday. "All four of them can. It's not a bad thing at all. As long as your guys are not left-on-left matchup guys, that's fine." Wood and Clayton Richard are probably more suited to face right-handers than James Russell and Rosscup so Maddon shouldn't have a big issue replacing Motte's role in the middle innings. -- ESPNChicago.com Kris Bryant's walk-off homer fuels Cubs' momentum By John Jackson CHICAGO -- Over the past 19 days, the Chicago Cubs have played an unprecedented 17 straight games within the city limits. They took advantage of the home cooking to rack up 14 wins -- and may have saved the most dramatic victory for last. Kris Bryant slugged a solo home run to right field on the first pitch he saw with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Cubs a 2-1 walk-off win over the Cleveland Indians on Monday at Wrigley Field -- providing a loud ending to a game quietly dominated by pitching. It was Bryant's 20th homer of the season, the team's major-league-best 12th walk-off win -- and practically provided enough momentum to carry the Cubs to the West Coast, where they begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday. "We just all believe in ourselves and it's someone new every day," Bryant said. "That's just the way it's been going this year, and we're riding the wave. It's a good one." Indeed. The Cubs have won five straight and are 20-4 since July 29. During that time, they've gone from trying to get into position for a playoff spot to having a 6½-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the second wild-card spot in the National League. "We did take advantage of being home for such a long period of time," manager Joe Maddon said. "We actually did. A lot of times you get in this particular moment, and if you did not, you would be lamenting the fact that we were home for this many days and didn't take advantage, but we did." Monday's game (a makeup of a rainout on June 15) was billed as a battle of aces and didn't disappoint -- despite a 16-mph wind howling out to right field. The Cubs' Jon Lester turned in one of his best efforts of the season, allowing one run on six hits in 8⅔ innings. Cleveland's Corey Kluber, who has received little run support this season, once again deserved a better fate after allowing one run on four hits in 7⅔ inning. Kluber retired the first 16 batters he faced before David Ross stroked a soft liner into left field for a single, breaking up Kluber's perfect game with one out in the sixth.

Lester, meanwhile, allowed four hits, a walk and hit a batter through eight innings, but he faced just two batters over the minimum because of four Chicago double plays. The Cubs finally broke through against Kluber in the seventh. Chris Coghlan hit a one-out double down the left-field line. Anthony Rizzo then followed with a soft fly off the end of his bat toward the right-field corner that dropped in for a run-scoring triple to make it 1-0. Lester, looking for his first complete game of the season, took that lead into the ninth. Cleveland pinch hitter Ryan Raburn was hit by a pitch leading off the ninth. One out later, Francisco Lindor hit a chopper between home plate and the mound to put runners on first and second. Lester never broke for the ball. By the time Ross came out to field the ball, he had no play. "I kind of got a bad jump on it and then [Ross] just started yelling he had it," Lester said. "It's one of those weird plays where you throw it, it pops up and looks like a foul ball and then it's actually coming toward you. I got a terrible read on it." The left-hander struck out Michael Brantley for the second out before Carlos Santana singled to tie the score. "The big thing was he hit that first batter in the foot," Maddon said. "That's what created the stir right there." The down feeling for the Cubs didn't last. After the first two Chicago batters were retired in the bottom of the ninth, Indians right-hander Zach McAllister (3-4) tried to get ahead of Bryant with a first-pitch breaking ball. But Bryant, who had two homers on Sunday, lofted a drive to right field that rode the jet stream into the bleachers. "He's definitely not intimidated by the moment," Maddon said. "With KB, the thing that I really love is he had to fight through adversity. Great spring training, a good start, hits a little bit of skid, doesn't quit. Some kids would. He continued to play good defense and now the offense is starting to come back to him. That's kudos to him." -- ESPNChicago.com Joe Maddon: Cubs continue to play better; could get to playoffs, advance By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Even before his team's latest dramatic win -- a ninth-inning, walk-off home run by rookie Kris Bryant on Monday -- Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon believed this could finally be the year for his storied franchise. Is it possible the Cubs can win the World Series? "Of course, of course it is," he told the Waddle & Silvy show on ESPN Radio on Monday morning. "We're playing in maybe the best division in baseball. We play the Cardinals a lot. We play the Pirates a lot. We see what that looks like." What "that" looks like is winning baseball -- championship baseball, in fact. The Cardinals are the epitome of sustained success, while the Pirates have paid their dues while making the postseason the past two years. Combined, the three teams make up three of the four best records in the game this year. Maddon's Cubs are right there; they reached 21 games over .500 for the first time this season on Monday. "You have to get to 5, 10, 15 and 20 games over and keep moving it from there," Maddon said. "We just continue to play better baseball. Our young guys are really getting their feet on the ground. I don't think anyone is highly fatigued. I think our pitching is in pretty good order right now. Plus, we're playing better defense."

In other words, the Cubs don't have an obvious weakness -- at least not since rookie catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber joined the team full-time after the All-Star break. Coincidence or not, the offense has taken off in the second half. The Cubs lead the National League in runs scored and are getting on base 33 percent of the time, good for third in the NL. Although good hitting weather has finally invaded Wrigley Field, it won't last long, as the ballpark conditions traditionally change in the final weeks of the season. But the Cubs' offense has become somewhat weatherproof; it leads the NL in walks. In fact, since the All-Star break, the Cubs have led in walks and home runs -- a good combination, no matter how you break it down. Maddon isn't concerned about the offense. His focus is on the more traditional aspects of winning in September and October. "You have to pitch really well to beat good pitching, and you have to catch the ball on defense," Maddon said. "As we continue to move this thing forward, I'm really going to keep an eye on those two areas. If we pitch it well and catch it well ... we could get to the playoffs and advance." Maddon believes the Cubs have "caught the ball" better lately, and their offense has produced better as well. With four rookies earning considerable playing time, it's not a surprise there were some growing pains. Third baseman Bryant, new shortstop Addison Russell and (now injured) right fielder Jorge Soler, in particular, all had their shaky moments in the field when they first came up, but all have improved -- especially Bryant and Russell, who man the left side of the infield. "They're really accountable human beings," Maddon said of his rookies. "They're accountable to themselves and the entire group. They're not only talented, but they're willing to say, 'I messed up' and move it on from there." Bryant is once again the favorite for rookie of the year after he hit his 20th home run to beat the Cleveland Indians 2-1 on Monday. It was the Cubs' fifth consecutive victory and league-leading 12th walk-off win, and it earned them a 6½-game lead on the second wild card. The Cubs now head to the West Coast to take on playoff contenders San Francisco and Los Angeles this week. "I preach heavily about present tense," Maddon said. "We're not worried about the first game against San Francisco or the Dodgers or all that kind of crap. We're worried about winning Monday's game, then you move to Tuesday. If we can retain that mindset, things will turn out well." The schedule gets a little harder for the Cubs and a little lighter for the Giants, but with the cushion the Cubs have built, even a 2-4 week against the Giants and Dodgers won't be devastating. As for October baseball, the Cubs have a team built for it. They have a true ace in Jake Arrieta and a proven October star in Jon Lester. They have an offense that has blossomed and shown the ability to take walks and hit home runs. Those are all postseason formulas. The Cubs are young, but they no longer look it at the plate or in the field. Maddon is bucking 107-year history in thinking his team can win the World Series this year, especially with all that youth around the diamond. But the Cubs have already surpassed reasonable expectations, so maybe the dream isn't all that far-fetched. "You want your team to look better by August, and I think our team is," Maddon said. What will it look like in October? --

ESPNChicago.com Rapid Reaction: Cubs 2, Indians 1 By John Jackson CHICAGO -- In a game dominated by pitching, Kris Bryant stole the show by slugging a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field. It was Bryant's 20th homer of the season and his second walk-off homer. Here's a look at the game. How it happened: Hector Rondon (5-2) got the final out of top of the ninth to get the win. Zach McAllister (3-4) took the loss. Monday's game (a makeup of a rainout on June 15) was billed as a battle of aces and didn't disappoint. The Cubs' Jon Lester turned in one of his best efforts of the season, allowing one run on six hits in 8 2/3 innings. Cleveland's Corey Kluber, who has received little run support this season, once again deserved a better fate after allowing one run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings. Kluber retired the first 16 batters he faced -- with a little help from the replay system. In the third inning, David Ross hit a towering drive down the left-field line that was called a home run. After Ross rounded the bases and returned to the dugout, Cleveland manager Terry Francona asked for an umpiring crew review of the home run. One angle clearly showed the ball passing to the left of the foul pole, so the call was overturned and Ross had to go back to the plate. Ross struck out that at-bat but got his revenge with one out in the sixth when he stroked a soft liner into left field for a single, breaking up Kluber's perfect game. Lester, meanwhile, allowed three hits, a walk and hit a batter through seven innings but faced just one batter over the minimum because of four Chicago double plays. The Cubs finally broke through against Kluber in the seventh. Chris Coghlan stroked a one-out double down the left-field line. Anthony Rizzo then followed with a soft fly off the end of his bat toward the right-field corner. Indians right fielder Jerry Sands was playing well off the line. He chased after the ball, but his dive came up empty and Rizzo raced around to third with an RBI triple as Coghlan scored. Lester took a shutout into the ninth inning before giving up a run with two outs. Carlos Santana singled to left field to drive in pinch runner Abraham Almonte to tie the score at 1. Santana's single was the only solid hit against Lester in the ninth. Ryan Raburn was hit by a pitch leading off the ninth and Almonte came in to run for him. One out later, Francisco Lindor hit a little dribbler between home plate and the mound. Lester never broke for the ball. By the time Ross came out to field the ball, he had no play. Lester, who has had trouble throwing to first base on pickoff attempts this season, looked as if he wanted nothing to do with Lindor's ball. What it means: With two homestands wrapped around a “road trip” to U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side, the Cubs were in Chicago for 19 straight days. They took advantage of the home cooking to go 14-3 during that stretch. That certainly provides a lot of momentum as they head back out on the road. Lester bounced back nicely from his worst start of the season -- seven runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings last Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers -- with his longest outing of the season. What's next: The Cubs head to the West Coast and begin a six-game road trip with a crucial three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. Jake Arrieta (15-6, 2.30 ERA) takes the mound looking to become the first 16-game winner in the major leagues. Righty Matt Cain (2-3, 5.66) goes for the Giants. --

ESPNChicago.com How did the Chicago Cubs get so hot? By David Schoenfield On July 28, the Chicago Cubs lost 7-2 to the Rockies as starter Dallas Beeler got knocked out in the second inning. The Cubs were 52-47. All things considered, it had been a successful season up to that point, as the young Cubbies were just 2.5 games behind the Giants for the second wild card. Since then the Cubs have gone 20-4, the best record in the majors, and they entered Monday leading the Giants by six games for the second wild card. The Cubs have even reached out to season-ticket holders about purchasing playoff tickets. Let's see what has sparked this hot streak (stats don't include Monday's walk-off win): 1. Offense Through July 28, the Cubs were hitting .237 AVG/.314 OBP/.371 SLG and averaging 3.84 runs per game, ranking 10th in the NL in runs per game. Since then, they've hit .267/.347/.494 rank first in the NL in runs per game at 5.61. Rookie Kyle Schwarber has received a lot of attention during this stretch, and with good reason. He's hit .238/.354/.563 with eight home runs, 23 runs and 21 RBIs in the 22 games he's played, but he hasn't been the best Cubs hitter during the team's hot streak: Anthony Rizzo -- .341/.433/.732, 9 HRs, 25 RBIs Dexter Fowler -- .315/.436/.629, 5 HRs, 21 runs Kris Bryant -- .308/.409/.560, 5 HRs, 15 RBIs Besides those three, Addison Russell has hit .305 while slugging .500; Miguel Montero has hit .289/.400/.632 in 12 games since returning from the DL; Chris Coghlan has hit four home runs; and Jorge Soler has hit .280 with 14 RBIs. It's been a team effort. 2. Pitching Through July 28, the Cubs had a 3.51 ERA and ranked sixth in the NL with 3.87 runs allowed per game. Since then: 3.64 ERA and 3.78 runs allowed per game. While that ranks third in the league in that span, this hot streak has been sparked by the offense, not the pitching. Jake Arrieta is worth noting, however; he was good up to July 28 but has been nearly unhittable in five starts since, going 4-0 with a 1.08 ERA and .169 batting average allowed. The late-inning relief also has been stellar, as Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm and Tommy Hunter have combined to allow just nine runs in 42 1/3 innings. 3. Defense The big risk from manager Joe Maddon came on Aug. 7, when Montero returned. Schwarber had been filling in at catcher but moved to left field, a position he hadn't played all season in the minors. Left fielder Coghlan shifted to second base; while he had played there in the minors, he'd played only 7 2/3 innings there in his major league career. Second baseman Russell was moved back to his natural position of shortstop, with Starlin Castro going to the bench. Maddon likely was downgrading defensively at two positions while entrusting shortstop to a rookie. The Cubs have gone 12-3 since the lineup maneuverings. The benefit here, however, is that the early returns suggest Russell will be a big defensive upgrade over Castro. He is already rated at plus-2 defensive runs saved compared to Castro's minus-6, helping offset the drop from Russell to Coghlan/Castro at second base. Schwarber is obviously in the lineup for his bat, but Coghlan was only average at best in left field, so while it's a drop-off in range, it's not like the Cubs had a Gold Glover in left to begin with.

The other interesting note about the Cubs' defense is that Maddon hasn't shifted nearly as much as he did with Tampa Bay. The Rays were second in the majors in shifts in 2014 under Maddon, but the Cubs rank 24th in the majors in shifts this season, on pace for about 450 fewer shifts than the Rays had in 2014. National League teams in general shift far less than AL teams, so it may be a reflection of that, but it also may be a sign that the Cubs' front office doesn't hold shifting in the same regard as Tampa Bay's front office. 4. Luck/timing No surprise, this stretch has come largely against some bad teams: Yes, there were six games against the Giants (who the Cubs swept) and Pirates, but seven against the Brewers (without Carlos Gomez), four against the Braves, three against the David Price/Yoenis Cespedes-less Tigers and three against the White Sox. Against the Pirates, the Cubs faced J.A. Happ and Jeff Locke instead of Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano. Chicago missed Madison Bumgarner in the Giants series. The loss against the White Sox did come against Chris Sale. Anyway, after Monday's makeup against Cleveland, the schedule gets a little tougher, starting Tuesday with a big road trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Cubs can almost put the San Fran away in the wild-card race with a sweep or even by taking two out of three. They still have two series left with the wild-card leading Pirates, although just one with the Cardinals, who lead the Central. Overall, the Cubs' playoff odds look strong -- 95 percent, according to FanGraphs. They may not get a playoff game at Wrigley since they could end up playing the wild-card game in Pittsburgh or St. Louis, but maybe Cubs season-ticket holders should go ahead and order those playoff tickets. The impending Cubs' dynasty apparently has arrived a year early. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs put Jason Motte, Jorge Soler on disabled list By John Jackson CHICAGO -- For the most part, the Chicago Cubs have experienced good health this season, but they were dealt a double blow on Monday when right-hander Jason Motte (right shoulder strain) and outfielder Jorge Soler (left oblique strain) were placed on the 15-day disabled list. Both were expected to fill key roles down the stretch as the Cubs try to secure their first playoff spot since 2008. "It's one of those things that happens, everybody faces," manager Joe Maddon said. "There are different dilemmas this time of year and you just have to play through it." The Cubs recalled left-hander Zac Rosscup and infielder Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Iowa to fill the roster spots. La Stella started Monday's makeup game against the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field, batting sixth and playing second base. Rosscup was available out of the bullpen. With the loss of Soler, Maddon shuffled the set lineup he had been using for the last couple of weeks. Chris Coghlan, who had been playing second base, moved to right field. La Stella will play second base against right-handers, and Starlin Castro will continue to start at second against left-handers. Castro was in the starting lineup at shortstop Monday because Addison Russell left the team when his girlfriend went into labor. The Cubs were unsure whether Russell would return during the game. "[Tuesday] for sure," Maddon said. "I've been looking to get the guy time off. This little rest might be good." La Stella, 26, was on the Opening Day roster, but went on the DL after just two games because of a right oblique strain that he re-injured in May during rehab. When he finally was activated on Aug. 11, he was optioned to Iowa. Maddon said the Cubs have no plans to call up highly-touted prospect Javier Baez at this time.

"Baez is doing well," Maddon said. "The point with him is to have him continue to do well. Just because a guy starts to do well doesn't mean he has to be called up immediately. He's still learning his craft. I think he's getting better with his swing. The reports we're getting back are all good. His time is coming. He's definitely on our radar screen." The Cubs are hoping that Soler's time on the disabled list is brief -- he is batting .295 with 16 RBI in his last 16 games -- but it's difficult to project with oblique strains. "It's an unpredictable injury," Maddon said. "It could be relatively fast; it could take a while. I'm not sure." Soler, 23, also spent a month on the DL earlier in the season because of a sprained left ankle. The loss of Motte, 34, is a blow to a bullpen that has logged a lot of innings of late. The veteran has been asked to fill a variety of roles this season and is 8-1 with six saves and a 3.91 ERA in 57 appearances this season. Rosscup, 27, had an earlier stint with the Cubs this season, going 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA in 26 appearances before going on the DL on June 17. He was optioned to Iowa when he was activated on Aug. 14. He was 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA in eight appearances for Iowa. With the addition of Rosscup, the bullpen now has four left-handers, but Maddon doesn't view that as a problem. "You've got lefties out there that can get out righties," the manager said. "All four of them can. It's not a bad thing at all. As long as your guys are not left-on-left matchup guys, that's fine." -- CSNChicago.com Cubs: Jon Lester rights the ship as Kris Bryant hits walk-off homer By Tony Andracki Jon Lester got 26 outs before allowing a run Monday afternoon, but it was that final out that eluded him. In the midst of a tense 1-0 game, Lester let up a two-out, RBI single to Cleveland Indians cleanup hitter Carlos Santana before the Cubs walked it off in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 win in front of 36,283 fans at Wrigley Field. Kris Bryant drilled the first pitch he saw from Indians reliever Zach McAllister into the right-field bleachers for a two-out, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth after Chris Coghlan and Anthony Rizzo had struck out to begin the frame. The Cubs lead the majors with 12 walk-off wins this season. "We believe in ourselves. It's someone new every day," Bryant said. "That's just the way it's been going this year. We're riding the wave and it's a good one." Lester admitted it's easy to forget Bryant - who also hit two homers in Sunday's win - is a rookie at times. "He plays above his age and experience," Lester said. "I think that's kinda what's expected of him. These young guys that have come up have all played above where they're at as far as their level of age and experience. "That's a testament to how this organization raises these guys in the minor leagues." After allowing three homers and seven runs in just 2.2 innings against the Detroit Tigers in his last start, Lester let up just one run in 8.2 innings Monday, permitting only six singles. He kept the ball on the ground all day and the Cubs defense turned four double plays behind him.

But it wasn't good enough to win as Indians ace and reigning American League Cy Young winner Corey Kluber held the Cubs offense in check with one run on four hits, striking out 11 in 7.2 innings. Kluber took a perfect game into the sixth inning until he allowed a David Ross one-out single. The win was the Cubs' fifth straight and 20th since July 29, which leads Major League Baseball. "Guys are just confident," Lester said. "Guys are happy to be here, having fun, messing around. Today was a grind, but guys are still having fun in the dugout. It's been fun to see." Case in point: (see link for video) With the San Francisco Giants off Monday, the Cubs extended their lead for the second wild card to 6.5 games with the victory. The Cubs took advantage of an extended stay in Chicago (19 days, 17 games), going 14-3 during their stretch in the Windy City which included 14 games at home and three on the South Side. The Cubs now embark on a tough West Coast road trip, beginning with a showdown against the Giants Tuesday night. Even though they've been on a hot streak and the postseason seems so close, the Cubs know they have to stay grounded. "We gotta worry about now," Lester said, "and not worry about wild card or the division or any other type of series right now. We have to worry about the task at hand." Echoed Bryant: "It's just the same mindset we've had this past month. We've been feeling really good and I think we can't change anything. "We dont need to think differently or play differently, just go out and do what we've been doing and things will take care of themselves." -- CSNChicago.com Cubs dealt tough blow as Jorge Soler, Jason Motte end up on DL By Tony Andracki The Cubs will be without two important players as they enter the stretch run toward the postseason. Reliever Jason Motte and outfielder Jorge Soler both landed on the disabled list Monday morning. Motte is dealing with a right shoulder strain and will not throw for seven-to-10 days. The Cubs hope he can be back in three or four weeks. Soler has a left oblique strain. He will be out approximately a month, but Cubs have already seen how tricky oblique injuries are this season as Opening Day second baseman Tommy La Stella spent two different stints on the DL with an oblique strain. "Just one of those things that happens," manager Joe Maddon said. "Everyone faces the different dilemmas this time of year. You just gotta play through them. "It's called depth. You have to have depth. The player that is 'depth' when it all starts out doesn't like being 'depth,' but he is and all of a sudden, he gets his opportunity and then good things can happen."

La Stella - who was the Cubs' Opening Day second baseman - is getting his opportunity right now as he was recalled to take Soler's spot on the roster. He was in the lineup at second base Monday with Starlin Castro returning to shortstop while Addison Russell deals with a minor groin injury and attends to his fiancée, who was giving birth to the couple's child Monday. It's possible Russell will be available off the bench Monday or Tuesday. "I've been looking to give him a break anyway," Maddon said. "Maybe this little sign indicates 'back off.' "Let's just be very careful. He's a very important part of what we're doing right now. So this little rest might be very beneficial to him and to us." The Cubs don't know what play Soler hurt himself on and the injury comes at a time when the 23-year-old rookie was hitting .296/.378/.394 (.772 OPS) over his last 20 games with 14 RBI and nine walks. With Soler out, it does open up options for Maddon, who said Chris Coghlan would go back to the outfield on a regular basis against right-handed pitchers while La Stella and Castro can work in at second base. The Cubs also have Javier Baez waiting in the wings at Triple-A Iowa as an option for the infield. The Cubs called up lefty Zac Rosscup to take Motte's spot in the bullpen. Motte said he felt his shoulder flare up during his appearance Sunday, experiencing some "bumpiness" before finishing the inning and getting an MRI Sunday night. Motte has gone through Tommy John recovery before, so he put things in perspective with what the Cubs hope is a minor shoulder strain. "It is what it is," he said. "Stuff like this is part of the game. Things like this happen. All you can do is take your time, rest it when you need to rest it and do what you need to do to get back out there and get ready to go. "Hopefully it will only be a couple weeks and I'll be back in the first couple weeks of September and be ready to go. There's still a lot of season left after that." This is a tough blow for the Cubs, who hold the second National League wild card spot, six games up on the San Francisco Giants entering play Monday. The injury bug strikes the Cubs at a rough time as they embark on a crucial stretch beginning with a showdown with those Giants on the West Coast Tuesday. This continues a week in which the Cubs offense - which responded well to limited time at the field during Maddon's "American Legion Week" - has to face Corey Kluber, Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw. "I guess we move from American Legion Week to Cy Young Week," Maddon joked. The Cubs also signed Quintin Berry as depth, assigning the 30-year-old outfielder to Triple-A Iowa. -- CSNChicago.com The time is coming for Javier Baez with the Cubs By Tony Andracki When will the Cubs call up Javier Baez?

It's a question that has been asked basically since the start of the season when Joe Maddon lobbied for Baez to make the Opening Day roster and continued as Baez came back after his absence to deal with the death of his sister and then again after his finger injury earlier in the summer. The Cubs are currently maneuvering through several injuries, including Jorge Soler's trip to the disabled list with an oblique injury. The team called up second baseman Tommy La Stella (who actually started at second on Opening Day) Monday to replace Soler's spot, but the question still remains on Baez. The 22-year-old infielder is hitting .304/.372/.518 (.890 OPS) overall at Triple-A Iowa with 12 homers, 55 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 70 strikeouts in 62 games. Baez has been especially hot lately, hitting .421 with a 1.003 OPS and eight RBI in his last eight games. Major-league rosters expand in a week (Sept. 1) and Baez figures to be called up around then anyway, but he could be a boost for the team right now, too. "He's doing really well," Maddon said before Monday's game. "The plan with him is just to continue to do well. Just because a guy starts doing well does not mean he has to be called up immediately. "He's still learning his craft. I'm hearing he's getting better with his swing and his approach in his at-bats, which is all good. "His time will be coming. But he's definitely on the radar screen." The Cubs are in the midst of a crucial stretch, matching up against a trio of aces this week (Corey Kluber, Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw) while trying to hold off the San Francisco Giants and catch the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League wild card race. For now, Maddon will go with Chris Coghlan in Soler's spot in right field against right-handed pitchers while Tommy La Stella and Starlin Castro will figure in at second base. -- CSNChicago.com Justin Grimm finding a new level in Cubs bullpen By Tony Andracki Justin Grimm throws his curveball about the same speed as Dan Haren's fastball. As he carved through the heart of the Detroit Tigers order last week (striking out all three batters he faced, including Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez), Grimm was spinning his "offspeed" pitch around 85 mph while Haren has his self-deprecating @ithrow88 Twitter handle. That illustrates the video-game-type stuff and numbers coming out of the bullpen, where Cubs manager Joe Maddon has used Grimm in almost any role imaginable. As the Cubs have gotten hot and made a serious push for the playoffs, Grimm and his 1.24 ERA has been leading the way out of the bullpen and he will be counted on even more now that Jason Motte has landed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Grimm hasn't allowed a run in his last 15 games dating back to July 21, striking out 16 batters in 13 innings and picking up seven holds, two saves and a win in the process. "What level is he pitching at right now?" Maddon said. "The kid's been good all year, but this is a little bit different.

"I'm happy for him. He's pitching outstanding baseball." Maddon is careful not to attach any sort of labels onto each member of a successful bullpen, which ranks 12th in Major League Baseball with a 3.43 ERA. But Maddon did mention how important the fifth and sixth innings are and that he loves "middle-inning closers" like Grimm and lefty Travis Wood. Grimm said he's gotten used to pitching without a defined role, knowing the bullpen phone can ring at any time and he needs to be ready to roll. Grimm's 1.1 WAR ranks him 30th among MLB relievers on FanGraphs, even though he's pitched just 36.1 innings this season after missing the first month with a forearm injury. He also ranks seventh in the big leagues with 13.13 strikeouts per nine innings, finding his name among dominant closers and setup men like Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Kenley Jansen and ahead of Craig Kimbrel, arguably the game's best reliever the last five seasons. Grimm - who recently turned 27 - has always had the stuff, but he wasn't able to put it all together until last season. For him, it always came down to one thing. "Turning the corner at this level was all confidence," he said. "I was questioning if I belong at this level at first. I kinda took my own route in that aspect." Grimm came up as a starter in the Texas Rangers minor-league system and made 19 starts for the organization in 2012-13 before he was moved to the bullpen. No matter how much success he's having as a reliever, Grimm hasn't given up hope on starting. "I do like the bullpen. It's good, but I still believe I can start," he said. "I do. When I came up in the big leagues, I wasn't necessarily ready. So maybe moving to the bullpen, honestly, helped me adjust to the big leagues more than anything. "The only thing I was missing when I was starting - it wasn't stuff. I wasn't making different pitches. It was just a confidence thing. When you're not throwing with confidence, you give up the big hits. You walk people. "But now, I think I could be a quality starter for this team and in this league." That being said, Grimm reiterated that he enjoys being a part of this bullpen right now, and starting is just something he hasn't shut the door on down the road. Grimm knows if the Cubs are going to keep having success into October, they're going to need him to get some big outs, no matter the inning. -- Chicago Tribune California dreaming becomes reality for Cubs By Paul Sullivan We already know how this California trip will end for the Cubs next Sunday -- in their pajamas. Manager Joe Maddon long ago deemed this San Francisco-Los Angeles swing one of his legendary theme trips. Back on Aug. 7, the players were informed on the clubhouse bulletin board that the attire on the flight back home from Los Angeles would be "One-sies and PJs."

How they’ll start the trip is anyone’s guess, but they have a good matchup tonight at AT&T Park, where Jake Arrieta faces struggling starter Matt Cain. Arrieta has 12 consecutive quality starts, going 9-1 with a 1.26 earned-run average over that stretch, with 81 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. But when I asked Arrieta on Monday how important this trip will be for the team's confidence, he downplayed the opponents. “Really, it doesn’t matter who the team is,” he said. “Each game is important at this point of the season. They’re all important because you never know how tight the division is going to be once you get down to the last couple of weeks. Regardless of the team, we need to win.” Yes, the Cubs are still focusing on the division, not the wild-card race, even though they’ll have to pass both the Cardinals and Pirates to get there. Kyle Hendricks will face Jake Peavy in the second game of the series on Wednesday, with Dan Haren against Madison Bumgarner in Thursday’s finale. The opening game of the Dodgers series will pit Jason Hammel against Clayton Kershaw, meaning the Cubs have the difficult task of beating lefties Bumgarner and Kershaw in back-to-back games. “San Francisco, it’s going to be a tough series, and then another tough series,” Jon Lester said. “We’ve got to worry about now, and not worry about going through the wild card or a division or any other type of series right now. We’ve got to worry about the task at hand.” Though they didn’t do much against Indians ace Corey Kluber on Monday, the Cubs have gone 20-4 against while facing mostly right-handed starters -- 20 in those 24 games. If they indeed end up playing the Pirates in the wild-card game, you have to wonder if Pittsburgh, given the option, would use its ace right-hander (Gerrit Cole) or its top lefty (Francisco Liriano). Roster roulette: Losing Jorge Soler for a month or so with an oblique injury is a blow to the lineup, but Maddon said the organization’s depth helps make up for the loss. “If Tommy (La Stella) comes in and plays second against the (right-handers) and (Chris) Coghlan moves to right field, I feel like you’re somewhat covered right thete,” Maddon said. “And there are other guys that are going to be available as you move along -- ‘Deno (Chris Denorfia) and Matt Szczur ... Talking about the depth, it’s there. I’ve never been opposed to matching things up. I kind of like it, too. “It’s never good losing a Soler, obviously, in the lineup. But I think we’re covered right now.” Adding another bat, like Javy Baez, is a move the Cubs have to consider, to make up for the loss of Soler. Baez is hitting .315 at Triple-A Iowa with a .925 OPS, and some are wondering why the Cubs are seemingly waiting for Sept. 1 to call him up. “Once a guy starts doing well doesn’t mean he has to be called up immediately,” Maddon said. “He’s still learning his craft. I’m hearing he’s getting better with his swing, and his approach and his at-bats, which is all good. His time is coming, but definitely he is on the radar screen.” Sept. 1 is the cutoff date for postseason roster eligibility, but a player doesn’t have to be on the major league team before then to be eligible. Baez, like anyone in the organization, can fill a roster spot of a player on the disabled list, even if it’s someone like Jacob Turner, who is on the 60-day DL with a shoulder injury and hasn’t pitched all year.

While it’s too early to contemplate the postseason roster, the Cubs will likely have some tough calls to make, and they can set the roster up again for each round. If they play in and advance past that wild-card game, would fifth starter Haren be needed? If Soler returns and La Stella is impressive at second, would they leave Starlin Castro on the 25-man roster in an NLDS over valuable utilityman Jonathan Herrera? Injuries and how players perform down the stretch will determine the final cut, if the Cubs make it, which obviously isn’t a given. But remember, there’s no sentimentality when assembling a postseason roster. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs Q&A: Starlin Castro's future, Dexter Fowler's switch-hitting and more By Mark Gonzales The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales answers readers’ questions about the future of Starlin Castro, why Addison Russell was moved from second base and whether Dexter Fowler should give up switch hitting: As has been reported, it would be tough to trade Starlin Castro in his utility role and $39 million left on his contract. Do you believe another club would take that contract in a trade hoping he just needs a change of scenery? It is obvious his confidence is at a low point, and he is paired with a positive influence manager. Any chance he could play center next year (Dexter Fowler is free agent), as he has range and arm strength if they are unable to find a trade solution? It looks like their center of future is still in development. -- Tom There are a lot of moving parts right now. When his struggles became more acute in late June, I thought left field might be a future destination for him. But that was before Kyle Schwarber forced the issue with his bat. Paul Kinzer, Starlin’s agent, has pointed out that there have been cases where a player benefits from a change of scenery but acknowledged a trade would be tough on his client. I thought Starlin might be able to sustain the success he had last year, based partly on the influx of youth around him. It didn’t happen. Second base remains an issue for next year, but team officials haven’t given up on Tommy La Stella or Javier Baez. I completely agree that Starlin has the arm strength and range to play shortstop, but that will have to be somewhere else in the future. I’m curious to see how the Cubs handle the center field spot in 2016. They are in the final stages of the developmental phase and more in a winning phase, so I don’t think now is the time to experiment in center field. Either they re-sign Dexter Fowler (which could be tougher than one of his unpaid advisers realizes because this is his free agent year, and this could be the time he gets long-term security), or they find a rental similar to what Fowler has done for them this year while Albert Almora and Jacob Hannemann polish their skills for at least another year in the minors. I can’t see another team taking on the entire balance of Starlin’s contract. Edwin Jackson’s contract already is on the books for 2016. Isn't it time for the baskets on the outfield walls to be removed? They were installed to keep the fans from throwing things and jumping on to the field. That was done when prices were a $1 to sit in the bleachers, not the $60 that you have to pay now (you can't afford to be thrown out of the park). Let’s make a home run go into the seats not into the low-lying baskets. -- Barry, Carmel, Ind. Joe Maddon’s message to the fans worked, but for how long? Without the basket, fans still have the capability to reach over the wall.

Please mention to Jon Lester that if he started throwing submarine style to the various bases he would probably be fine. In fact, after a short period of time he would start using a regular motion without even thinking about it. -- Bob L., Downers Grove How about if they conduct drills so he has only a second to field and throw to first base? That way he doesn’t have time to think and can at least get rid of the ball quickly. Have there ever been co-rookies of the year on one team? It would be great to see Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell or Kris Bryant achieve that award. -- Ron Z., Moorpark, Calif. Nope, only twice have two players shared the rookie of the year award. The last time was in 1979, when Alfredo Griffin of the Blue Jays and John Castino of the Twins and New Trier High School shared the award. Chris Coghlan (2009) and Eric Hinske (2002) are among the current Cubs who have won rookie of the year awards. For what it’s worth, I think there’s going to be plenty of health debate among the candidates for several awards. I caution against declaring anyone a winner with five weeks left. I was criticized locally in 2008 for not declaring Carlos Quentin as the favorite to win the AL most valuable player award with six weeks left in the season. Sure enough, Quentin broke his wrist with four weeks left. It seems to me several years ago the Cubs took another third baseman they got from the Phillies and made him their second baseman. He went on to become a multiple Gold Glove winner and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Am I the only one seeing the same for Addison Russell? He has fitted like a glove over there. So why would you want to move him to shortstop. -- Randy P., Henderson, Ken. My question with Addison remains his ability to throw from deep in the hole, and that surfaced twice during the Tigers’ series. However, I can understand Joe Maddon’s phrase about having a shortstop with “no chrome,’’ meaning just make the routine plays. Not making the routine plays at short hurt the Cubs’ pitchers because the miscues extended opponents’ innings, increased pitch counts unnecessarily and led to Starlin’s demotion. Many scouts I talked to earlier this year thought that Russell might be better off at second or even third base because he didn’t possess the same arm strength as Javier Baez or Starlin. But there are a few scouts who subscribe to Joe’s theory of just making sure to make the routine play. One scout whom I’ve known and respected for 20 years said a shortstop usually has a chance to make five dazzling plays a season. But it’s the routine plays that aren’t made that linger more in the eyes of evaluators. Why do the Cubs put in Jason Motte for an inning, only to pull him out of the game even though his performance is good? -- Sherry D., Palm Springs, Calif. Motte pitched two innings on July 21 in the “Schwarber Game” to earn the win, and then came back and threw a scoreless inning the following night to earn the save. His ERA was 2.63 at that point. After that, Jason allowed at least one run in seven of his next 12 appearances, and his velocity was down by a few mph. I’m not surprised he’s on the 15-day disabled list, and this will be a good time for him to rest his shoulder as a tune-up for the stretch drive. Justin Grimm has been great during this latest stretch of games. What are the chances of him moving to be a starting pitcher next year? -- Jim H., Bakersfield That thought crossed my mind during the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes, but he’s become so much better and more dependable since August of 2014 that it would be difficult to take him out of that role and not suffer a drop-off. The work that Chris Bosio has done with him has been remarkable.

It's a puzzle to me as to why Dexter Fowler continues to bat left handed against right-handed pitchers. Of course, hitters should have an advantage when batting opposite the arm with which the pitcher throws. The logic is clearly there. It's also clear, however, that Fowler can't execute well from the left-handed batter's box. Of course, we don't know how he'd do were he only to bat right-handed, but it seems as if it couldn't be worse than his current switch-hitting approach. Can you shed any light on this? -- Mike N., Berkeley, Calif. Fowler didn’t start switch-hitting under shortly after signing a professional contract with the Rockies in 2004. He has shown signs in the past of being a productive left-handed hitter, as was the case in 2011 when he batted .293 from the left side. I realize he’s batting only .236 from the left side as of this writing, but he’s also hit 11 of his 14 homers from the left side, and he’s come through with some important home runs from the left side. So I’m willing to see his body of work over an entire season before making a judgment on whether he should stick solely to the right side. J.T. Snow gave up on switch-hitting after batting .157 from the right side in 1998, and he held his own from the left side exclusively for the next seven seasons but his splits were only marginally better. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs head west on a high after Kris Bryant homer extends win streak to five By Fred Mitchell Veteran teammates describe Cubs rookie Kris Bryant as wise beyond his years in terms of his baseball acumen and uncanny ability to process the moment. Bryant captured the moment Monday with a dramatic two-out, walk-off home run in the ninth inning to beat the Indians 2-1 and put an exclamation point on a 5-2 homestand. "That's just the way it's been going this year, and we're riding the wave and it's a good one," Bryant said. The Cubs (72-51) now head west for key series against the Giants — their closest pursuer for the second NL wild-card berth — and the NL West-leading Dodgers. "It's going to be great getting out to the West Coast. Obviously California is pretty special to me. And my family will be there," said Bryant, who grew up in Las Vegas and starred at the University of San Diego. "It'll be a fun time, and LA, with so much history to (Dodger Stadium), and San Francisco winning three World Series in five years, I think those will be pretty good series." Indians starter Corey Kluber had the Cubs' number until David Ross' one-out single in the sixth ended a no-hit bid. Anthony Rizzo's triple to right after a Chris Coghlan double gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the seventh. Cubs starter Jon Lester was equally effective, blanking the visitors until two were out in the ninth. Lester hit pinch hitter Ryan Raburn with a pitch before Francisco Lindor reached on a one-out infield hit. Lester struck out Michael Brantley for the second out, but Carlos Santana lined an RBI single to tie the game before Hector Rondon came on to record the final out. "Never a dull moment," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Their guy was outstanding; our guy was outstanding. Not a whole lot of well-struck baseballs with the wind blowing out. "Eventually we did get it at the end. But that also illustrates the kind of pitcher who can pitch in this ballpark when there is a gale blowing out." Bryant lofted an opposite-field homer to right on the first pitch he saw from reliever Zach McAlister.

"I just saw it really good out of his hand," Bryant said. "My approach is just hit a fly ball. Then today, the wind blowing out (at 16 mph), it's time to hit a fly ball and I was able to accomplish what I wanted to do. The result was great." The Cubs are 13-2 in their last 15 home games, and they take an NL-best 33-25 road record to California. Bryant said they should be able to pack up their current winning approach — Monday's win was their fifth in a row — and take it on the road. "It's the same mindset we've had this past month," Bryant said. "We're playing really good and we can't change anything. So there is no need to think differently or play differently. Just go out and do what we've been doing, and things will take care of themselves." The Cubs' 12 walk-off wins lead the majors. "We did take advantage of being at home for such a long period," Maddon said. "And a lot of times you get into this particular moment, and if you did not, we would have been lamenting the fact that we were home for these many days ... and we did not take advantage of it. But we did." The Cubs lead the Giants for the second wild-card slot by 61/2 games. "Whenever you switch time zones, it's not that easy. I know people in just normal travel, it messes you up," Maddon said. "So you have to get out there and get acclimated as quickly as you can. Both (the Giants and Dodgers) are outstanding. It's going to be fun." -- Chicago Tribune Series preview: Cubs at Giants By Staff All games on WBBM-AM 780. Season series: Cubs 4-0. Tuesday: 9:15 p.m., WGN-9. RH Jake Arrieta (15-6, 2.30) vs. RH Matt Cain (2-3, 5.66). Wednesday: 9:15 p.m., CSN. RH Kyle Hendricks (6-5, 4.03) vs. RH Jake Peavy (3-6, 4.35). Thursday: 2:45 p.m., CSN. RH Dan Haren (8-8, 3.76) vs. LH Madison Bumgarner (15-6, 3.02). Who's hot: Anthony Rizzo finished the seven-game homestand with nine RBIs. Giants 1B Brandon Belt has seven homers this month. Who's not: Cain is 0-2 with a 7.01 ERA in his last five starts. Kyle Schwarber struck out four times and committed an error Monday against the Indians. -- Chicago Tribune Monday's recap: Cubs 2, Indians 1 By Fred Mitchell Kris Bryant's home run with two out in the ninth gave the Cubs a 2-1 victory Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field in a makeup game from a June 15 rainout. The Cubs extended their winning streak to five.

On the mound Jon Lester was brilliant for 82/3 innings but gave up the tying run with two out in the top of the ninth on Carlos Santana's single. Lester allowed one run on six hits, striking out six and walking one. The Indians' Corey Kluber did not allow a hit until there was one out in the sixth. He left after 72/3, allowing one run on four hits and fanning 11. At the plate Bryant has three home runs in his last two games. The Cubs have hit 52 homers since the All-Star break, most in the National League entering Monday night and tied with the Orioles for most in the majors. In the field With Addison Russell nursing a groin strain, Starlin Castro got the start at shortstop, and Tommy La Stella, called up from Triple-A Iowa, started at second base. Key number 83 — Runs scored by Dexter Fowler, third in the NL entering Monday night behind the Diamondbacks' A.J. Pollock (88) and the Nationals' Bryce Harper (86). The quote "It's just one of those things that happens. Everybody faces different dilemmas this time of the year." — Manager Joe Maddon on the injuries that sent reliever Jason Motte and outfielder Jorge Soler to the disabled list Monday. Up next At Giants, 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, WGN-9. -- Chicago Tribune Slumping Kyle Schwarber can take solace in Kris Bryant's heroics By Paul Sullivan When Kris Bryant was going through the first prolonged slump of his major-league career a few weeks ago, he embraced the challenge of fighting through it. "I wouldn't have it any other way because I'm learning a lot," the Cubs third baseman said. "It leaves a lot of room for improvement, and it's exciting because I know I can do so much better." Bryant is back on track, hitting three home runs in his last two games, including Monday's walk-off shot in a 2-1 win over the Indians. Now it's Kyle Schwarber's turn to deal with his first slump after striking out in all four at-bats Monday and hitting .114 over his last 10 games. All he has to do is follow Bryant's lead. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't have the talent to perform," Bryant said after Monday's heroics. "It's almost like you've got to go up and get out of swing mode, take some pitches. That helps a lot. "Just realize there are always going to be highs and lows and there are better days ahead. For Kyle, we all know he's a great player, and he'll get out of it. Everyone has those days, and (the slump) was great for me."

As the Cubs begin their biggest road trip in at least seven years, they'll need Schwarber to heat up against the Giants and Dodgers. Despite the slump, he ranked eighth in OPS (.957) among players with 150 or more plate appearances entering Monday, just ahead of AL MVP candidate Josh Donaldson (.956). But Schwarber's time starting behind the plate appears to be over for this year. He's still working out with catching coach Mike Borzello but hasn't caught since moving to left field Aug. 7 when Miguel Montero returned. "I'm looking at it as if one of these guys goes down again, I'll have to do it," Schwarber said. "There's no point in not trying to get better at a position I might have to play again. "I'm getting better and maybe preparing for next year. You never know what next year holds, so no point throwing it all the way to the side." The Cubs have always insisted Schwarber would remain a catcher, and they aren't concerned his development will be slowed by not playing there. "Of course you'd like to see him play a little more," manager Joe Maddon said. "I am not going to deny that. But the way it's set up right now with Miggy being back and David (Ross) here also, just to keep his bat in left field, it could also keep him fresher later in the season by not having to squat all the time." It's no coincidence having Schwarber's left-handed bat in the lineup has helped fuel the hottest team in the majors. Since July 29, the Cubs have faced only four left-handed starters (J.A. Happ, Jeff Locke, Chris Sale and Jose Quintana) in 24 games, going 20-4. They'll see two more right-handers in Matt Cain and Jake Peavy to open the crucial trip before facing two of the best lefties of this era, Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw, on Thursday and Friday. Bryant, Schwarber and Addison Russell are getting their first taste of a playoff race and haven't shirked from the spotlight. "I know the kind of players they are and what they're capable of," pitcher Jake Arrieta said. "It's not necessarily surprising to see it happen day in and day out. "I just hope they keep learning, keep progressing and continue to perform for us at a high level, because they're obviously a huge part of what we're trying to do this year." -- Chicago Tribune Cubs put Jorge Soler, Jason Motte on disabled list By Paul Sullivan The Cubs' injury report Monday morning resembled that of an NFL team. Late-inning reliever Jason Motte was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder, while outfielder Jorge Soler went on the DL with a left oblique injury that the Cubs said could sideline him for a month. Rookie infielder Addison Russell, who left Sunday's game against the Braves after five innings with tightness in his groin, was out of the lineup Monday, with the added concern that his fiancee was in labor. "I've been looking to give the guy a rest anyway," manager Joe Maddon said. "Maybe this little sign indicates, 'Back off.' You'd rather be proactive."

The Cubs recalled infielder Tommy La Stella and left-handed reliever Zac Rosscup from Triple A Iowa to fill the roster spots. "You have to have depth," Maddon said. Maddon said he wasn't sure how Soler was injured. He left Sunday's game after seven innings. He's hitting .265 with 42 RBIs in 90 games. Motte said he felt discomfort warming up in the bullpen Sunday. "It stings because obviously you want to be out there," Motte said. "Things like this happen. All you can do is rest it and do what you need to do to get back out there." Happy face: Jon Lester experienced a swing of emotions in the ninth inning Monday. He was one out from a 1-0 victory before yielding an RBI single to Carlos Santana to tie the game and being relieved by Hector Rondon. But Kris Bryant wound up hitting a game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth. "KB picking us up right there is huge," Lester said. "You could have let the tables turn a little and go toward them." Extra innings: David Ross had a home run overturned by the crew chief's review in the third. ... Anthony Rizzo hit his third triple of the season in the seventh. ... Corey Kluber recorded double-digit strikeouts (11) for the 21st time in his career. -- Chicago Tribune Commentary: Baseball needs to reduce the risk of fan injury By Ed Edmonds During Sunday's game between the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field, a female fan sitting just beyond the first-base-side camera well was struck by a line drive foul ball hit by Kyle Schwarber. Cubs manager Joe Maddon, responding to a question about additional protective screening, remarked that fans need to "pay attention" every time the ball is pitched. The advice is solid, but it does not go far enough. Last Friday in Detroit, a fan sitting behind the Tigers' dugout was struck by a foul ball hit by Anthony Gose. Gose's reaction to hearing the ball hit the fan was, "Oh, God." He noted that "she was talking at first, and then she went out. ... The knot on that lady's head was bigger than a baseball. ... If that hit her flush on the face, she might have died." Gose continued, "Pitchers can't react fast enough on the mound. How's a fan going to react? ... They can't. They physically can't." Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander and third baseman Nick Catellanos both called for baseball to improve stadium safety. Gose has a point that Maddon did not address. Last week, Yankees pitcher Bryan Mitchell was struck in the face by a line drive hit directly back to him on the mound. Mitchell was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list and suffered a small nasal fracture. If a Major League pitcher cannot protect himself, why should we expect fans to do so? These three incidents are similar to ones earlier this season in Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Oakland Athletics fan Gail Payne filed a class-action complaint in July in a California federal court against the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball and Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball. One of her requests was to force MLB to provide netting from foul pole to foul pole. Her complaint and exhibits provide a detailed discussion of years of fan injuries during MLB games.

After Tonya Carpenter was injured in Boston, Manfred said that MLB would look into safety issues. These stories and any viewing of videos posted on the Internet should convince him and owners that many of these serious injuries are avoidable. His lead could also prompt minor league owners to take similar steps to improve safety. Frankly, the solutions are apparent and the need for further study has passed. Baseball should voluntarily step forward and remedy the situation. Areas right behind the dugouts plus the first few rows of seating farther down each foul line are particularly vulnerable to line drives. Netting or other protective material should be added. Even attentive fans are at risk. For the majority of the past century, the law was settled. The "Baseball Rule" mandated that owners of baseball stadiums need only screen the area near home plate and provide seating there for all who requested it. Furthermore, the legal doctrine that fans attending games assumed the risk protected owners from plaintiffs seeking to recover damages for injuries from foul balls, thrown balls, or bats, or parts of bats that entered the seating areas. Plus, tickets displayed a warning. Nearly every jurisdiction considered these concepts a complete bar to recovery by injured fans. In the past decade, however, courts have looked more carefully at these doctrines. Idaho, Indiana and New Mexico both rejected the blanket bar. In 1992, after Illinois courts allowed lawsuits to proceed, the legislature passed the Sports Facility Liability Act to protect stadium owners. Arizona, Colorado and New Jersey passed similar legislation. The Illinois statute applies to Sunday's incident in Chicago. Courts grappling with comparative negligence and comparative fault began to reconsider the absolute bar at the foundation of the assumption of risk doctrine. Electronic tickets often fail to carry the warning. Plus, the next time you go to a major league stadium, see how employees respond to your request to be seated in the screened area because you are concerned over safety. Those seats are often among the most expensive and controlled by season ticket holders. The newest technology provides netting material that does not distract from viewing. Although a few fans will find it more difficult to obtain autographs or catch balls tossed their way by players between half-innings, the prevention of injuries would better balance the relationship between owners and patrons of the game. Notre Dame Law School professor Ed Edmonds specializes in antitrust and labor issues involving baseball. He is co-authoring a book on Major League Baseball and the law, including fan safety and injuries at ballparks. -- Chicago Sun-Times Kris Bryant in the midst of Cubs' best rookie season ever By John Grochowski Since the Baseball Writers’ Association of America started electing Rookies of the Year in 1947, five Cubs have won the National League award. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, who tops NL rookies with a 4.6 fWAR at FanGraphs.com and leads NL rookie batting-title qualifiers with an .847 OPS, is a top contender this season. If there’s no backsliding, Bryant will finish with the best rookie fWAR in Cubs history. He already has surpassed Rookies of the Year Billy Williams (1.2 in 1961), Ken Hubbs (-0.5 in 1962), Jerome Walton (2.0 in 1989), Kerry Wood (4.4 in 1998) and Geovany Soto (3.7 in 2008). There have been others who had stronger first seasons than some of the award winners, too. Here are the top 10 Cubs rookies by fWAR, award orno award: 9 and 10. Pitchers Ken Holtzman, 1966, and Randy Wells, 2009: Holtzman went 11-16 for a team that lost 103 games. But he had a 3.79 ERA and 3.63 FIP (fielding-independent pitching). His 3.0 fWAR was the same as that of Wells (12-10, 3.08 ERA, 3.88 FIP) in 2009.

8. Pitcher Rich Nye, 1967: A left-handed starter, Nye (13-10, 3.20 ERA, 3.12 FIP) was worth a solid 3.2 fWAR as a rookie. He had arm trouble and never matched his rookie season. 6 and 7. Outfielders Walt Moryn, 1956, and Adolfo Phillips, 1966: Moryn, best known for making the catch that preserved Don Cardwell’s no-hitter against the Cardinals in 1960, hit 23 home runs and had an .826 OPS and 3.4 fWAR as a rookie. Phillips hit 16 homers, had an .800 OPS and 3.4 fWAR and became a short-term fan favorite. 5. Catcher Geovany Soto, 2008: Now a White Sox catcher, Soto was terrific as a rookie with 23 homers, an .868 OPS and a 3.7 fWAR. 4. Pitcher Burt Hooton, 1972: Armed with a knuckle curve that baffled hitters from the start, Hooton went 11-14 despite a 2.80 ERA and 3.19 FIP. He pitched a no-hitter en route to a 4.1 fWAR. 3. Pitcher Rick Reuschel, 1972: Reuschel (10-8, 2.93 ERA, 2.05 FIP, 4.2 fWAR) and Hooton arrived for an 85-70 season, the last contending season for a team that was above .500 from 1967 to 1972. 2. Pitcher Kerry Wood, 1998: Rarely has there been as much excitement about a Cubs pitcher as there was when Wood went 13-6 with a 3.40 ERA, 3.16 FIP and 4.4 fWAR. His 12.58 strikeouts per nine innings rank third in baseball history among pitchers who qualified for the ERA title, trailing only Randy Johnson’s 13.41 in 2001 and Pedro Martinez’s 13.20 in 1999. Arm injuries made that impossible to sustain, but it was fun while it lasted. 1. Third baseman Kris Bryant, 2015: Bryant already has exceeded Wood’s fWAR. He has some work to do to surpass Charlie Hollocher’s 5.5 in 1918 or Jimmy Cooney’s 5.2 in 1890. But barring an ill-timed slump — and regardless of whether he wins the award — Bryant will wind up with the most valuable Cubs rookie season in the Rookie of the Year era. -- Chicago Sun-Times Ricketts happy as Cubs keep "riding the wave" By Brian Sandalow Tom Ricketts is clearly happy with the progress the Cubs have made heading into one of their biggest trips of the season. Kris Bryant and Jon Lester gave him more reason to be pleased Monday. Bryant hit a game-winning homer off Zach McAllister in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Cubs a 2-1 win over Cleveland. Lester went 8 2/3 innings and was one out from a complete-game shutout before allowing Carlos Santana’s game-tying single. But that only set the stage for Bryant, and the Cubs’ 12th walk-off win of the year after being stymied by reigning American League Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber. “We just all believe in ourselves and it’s someone new every day. That’s just the way it’s been going this year and we’re riding the wave,” Bryant said. “It’s a good one.” Ricketts would agree. Speaking Monday at an event to discuss their legacy partnership with Toyota, Ricketts sounded glad he stayed the course with the rebuilding plan. Though he offered no update on any new deal for Theo Epstein – “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it” – he made it clear he was happy with the direction of the team, one that’s 21 games above .500 as it heads west to face the Giants and Dodgers. “Obviously, when things aren’t going the right direction people want you to take more short-term decisions or they want to second-guess things you’re doing,” Ricketts said. “But we always knew that it was going to take a

while, we always knew that there was a plan in place and we wanted to build a foundation that was more a team that could win on a consistent basis and you just can’t do that overnight and you can’t do that by writing one big check. “You have to do that the right way, so I always knew that it would just take time.” Of course, Lester’s $155 million super-contract was a pretty big check to write. That signing was a signal the Cubs felt they were close to winning, and this winter there could be more big-ticket pitching targets for a team that’s shown it can contend. So with agreements like the one announced with Toyota and other sponsors, Ricketts was asked whether he was confident the baseball budget would increase exponentially in the next year or two. “Obviously it all goes into the mix. I don’t know about exponentially, but obviously this is an important part of winning,” Ricketts said. “If you look around other stadiums and other ballparks, there’s a lot of signage everywhere because all those dollars end up going back into the organization.” Right now, the Cubs look like a decent investment. They lead San Francisco by 6 1/2 games for the second wild-card spot and wrapped up a 19-day, 17-game stint in Chicago and were 14-3 over that span. “We did take advantage of being home for such a long period of time,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We actually did.” That’s led to a pretty good vibe around the Cubs. “Guys are just confident. Guys are happy to be here, having fun, messing around,” Lester said. “Today was a grind, but guys were still having fun in the dugout and into every pitch. It’s been fun to see.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs depth to be tested without Jorge Soler, Jason Motte By Brian Sandalow The Cubs haven’t had much reason to complain about their health. Yes, Tommy La Stella, Zac Rosscup and Neil Ramirez have missed significant time, but the Cubs have had few problems with injuries. Until Monday. Before Monday’s game with the Cleveland Indians, the Cubs placed Jorge Soler (left oblique strain) and Jason Motte (right shoulder strain) on the 15-day disabled list. They recalled La Stella and Rosscup from Iowa to take their places just as the Cubs prepare to travel to San Francisco and Los Angeles for what could be a season-defining trip. “Just one of those things that happens that everybody faces,” manager Joe Maddon said. “The different dilemmas this time of the year and you’ve just got to play through the bad lie.” Soler, who also missed time earlier with an ankle injury, was replaced by Chris Denorfia in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game and Motte worked that frame. Motte said Monday he felt “funkiness” three or four throws into his inning Sunday but finished despite not getting the usual velocity on his fastball. He got an MRI later that night and was placed on the DL the next day. “It is what it is. It stinks because obviously you want to be out there. I wanted to be out there yesterday,” Motte said. “I felt it and I was like ‘You know what, I’ll keep going.’ It wasn’t crazy where a knife’s sticking into me the entire time so I went out there and got through it.”

That’s what the Cubs will have to do without their starting right fielder and one of their late-inning bullpen arms. Maddon, however, sounds comfortable with what he has. “It’s called depth. You have to have depth,” Maddon said. “The player that is depth when it all starts out doesn’t like being depth, but he is and then all of a sudden he gets his opportunity and then good things happen.” La Stella was expected to have a big role but went on the DL on April 14 with a right oblique strain before re-aggravating it in May. He figures to play plenty of second base while Chris Coghlan moves to Soler’s spot in right. “It’s an unpredictable injury. It could be relatively fast,” Maddon said of Soler. “It could take a while. I’m not sure.” Addison Russell also didn’t start Monday because of a groin issue suffered Sunday along with his fiancé going into labor. What about Javy? With all the roster turnover, some figure that Javier Baez could return soon from Triple-A. Entering Monday, Baez was hitting .304 with 12 homers and Maddon said he’s getting reports about the young infielder’s improved swing and approach. That doesn’t mean Maddon’s in a rush to bring him back to the majors. “Baez is doing really well. I’ve been talking to (Theo Epstein) about it. He’s doing extremely well,” Maddon said. “The plan with him is to have him continue to do well. Just because once a guy starts doing well does not mean he has to be called up immediately. He’s still learning his craft. “His time will be coming, but definitely he’s on the radar screen absolutely.” Back to school Not many Cubs had good offensive days Monday. Especially Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, with three coming against Corey Kluber. “He got schooled a little bit today,” Maddon said. Schwarber got little to hit in the middle of the plate, as Kluber was able to put the ball on the edges of the zone. “I know that Kyle will definitely file that but I really believe he’s going to have a nice game tomorrow,” Maddon said. Be safe At the formal announcement of Toyota’s legacy sponsorship, Tom Ricketts was repeatedly asked about increased fan safety after a fan was injured by a Schwarber foul ball Sunday. Ricketts didn’t dismiss adding more protective netting. “We are looking at doing all the safety measures and the league is also looking at it,” Ricketts said. “We’ll have more in the future. “I think everyone should look at it. Obviously, fan safety is the number one concern so we have to make sure that we’re doing what we can on that front.” --

Chicago Sun-Times Kris Bryant, Jon Lester lead Cubs past Cleveland By Brian Sandalow Corey Kluber isn’t on the level of what the Cubs saw over the weekend. Other than maybe Shelby Miller, nobody with Atlanta can compare to Kluber, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner last year. The Cubs found that out Monday. But Jon Lester was also pretty good. So was Kris Bryant, who hit a two-out walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth off Zach McAllister to give the Cubs a 2-1 win. “He’s definitely not intimidated by the moment,” manager Joe Maddon said. Lester was one out from a complete-game shutout but Carlos Santana singled to tie the game and drive in Abraham Almonte. Hector Rondon got the final out of the ninth before Bryant’s heroics in front of 36,283 at Wrigley Field. Coming off a dreadful start Wednesday against Detroit when he gave up seven runs and three homers in 2 2/3 innings, Lester was helped by four double plays behind him as he reverted to the form that saw him win three straight starts before getting hit around by the Tigers. That start, however, wasn’t on his mind and he showed it when he was asked what worked Monday as opposed to the game against the Tigers. “What happened against Detroit? I’m not worried about Detroit,” Lester said. “Today was good. I had s sinker today. Location was better even though it was ball one, ball two at times. (David Ross) did a good job of kind of reeling me back in with that sinker. We were able to mix in some slower stuff later in the game to get them off the heater.” For Lester, signed in the offseason to a six-year, $155 million deal, it was almost his first complete game and shutout since Aug. 7 of last year against Minnesota. The Cubs lefty got support in the seventh. After Chris Coghlan doubled down the left-field line, Anthony Rizzo brought him in with a triple when he muscled a ball into the right-field corner past a diving Jerry Sands. Lester and the Cubs were also wrapping up a 19-day, 17-game stint that saw them remain in Chicago and go 14-3 over that span. They were making up a June 15 rainout at Wrigley Field, which was welcome because it allowed fans to go home and watch the Blackhawks clinch the Stanley Cup later that night. Kluber also has some hardware to his name, and he showed why. He struck out 11 and gave up four hits over 7 2/3 innings and had a perfect game until one out in the sixth when a sinking Ross liner fell in left. Ross also had a third-inning home run overturned after a review when replay showed his drive near the left-field pole was foul. “We had to pitch that well. Their guy was outstanding,” Maddon said. “Our guy was outstanding.” Kluber, who held in check a team that scored 30 times during its four-game sweep of Atlanta, is the first big-name ace the Cubs will face this week. They’re scheduled to face the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in California. “I guess people have been kidding we’re going from American Legion week to Cy Young week – all the different pitchers we’re going to be facing in the next several days,” Maddon said before the game. “I’ve seen this fella pitch in the American League for a couple years. He is all of that. He is that good, and so is our guy. “It’s kind of an interesting Monday affair here at Wrigley. It’s kind of strange how those things worked out.”

Kluber’s last pitch hit Dexter Fowler in the right hand. Fowler was tended to by Maddon and a trainer but stayed in the game. That was before Bryant did his thing. “It’s fun. Obviously that was a pretty weird game,” Bryant said. “It was a great pitchers’ duel. I thought Jon had enough to pull it out but sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the other team. They came through and I knew I was going to get an at-bat there and I made the most of it.” Now it’s off to California for the Cubs to face the defending World Series champions and then the most expensive team ever. “Whenever you switch time zones man it’s not that easy. I know people that just do it in normal travel it just messes you up a little bit, so we’ve got to get out there and get acclimated as quickly as we possibly can,” Maddon said. “Both teams are outstanding. It’s going to be fun.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Ricketts mum on Epstein's contract, excited about Cubs progress By Brian Sandalow Tom Ricketts didn’t say much about Theo Epstein’s contract situation, but the Cubs owner is clearly happy with the team’s on-field progress. Speaking Monday when the legacy partnership with Toyota was announced, Ricketts heaped praise on the Cubs. They entered Monday’s game against Cleveland 20 games above .500 and in position for their first playoff berth since 2008. Epstein, the man largely responsible for the transformation, has a contract that expires after the 2016 season. Though the prevailing thought is Epstein probably wouldn’t bolt just as the Cubs become a contender, his terms could be getting steeper by the day. But if there’s anything new with Epstein’s contract, Ricketts wasn’t saying. “No update on that front,” Ricketts said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” The Cubs as a team are getting somewhere few thought they could before the season. They have the third-best record in the National League and it feels like the start of something. None of that means they’re a perfect team. They’re expected to target another top-level starter this winter, along with filling other holes that will pop open. The stated plan is money from deals like the one with Toyota help Epstein build the team, and add to the payroll. With agreements like the one announced with Toyota and other sponsors, Ricketts was asked whether he was confident the baseball budget would increase exponentially in the next year or two. “Obviously it all goes into the mix. I don’t know about exponentially, but obviously this is an important part of winning,” Ricketts said. “If you look around other stadiums and other ballparks, there’s a lot of signage everywhere because all those dollars end up going back into the organization.” Any extra money would help the Cubs, who are all but assured of their first winning season since 2009. They’re doing it at a Wrigley Field that showcases the long-awaited video boards and one in the middle of a multi-phase renovation. The team playing has gotten good again, and should be for a few years. And it’s obvious Ricketts is happy with what he’s seeing and glad he stayed the course.

“Obviously, when things aren’t going the right direction people want you to take more short-term decisions or they want to second-guess things you’re doing,” Ricketts said. “But we always knew that it was going to take a while, we always knew that there was a plan in place and we wanted to build a foundation that was more a team that could win on a consistent basis and you just can’t do that overnight and you can’t do that by writing one big check. “You have to do that the right way, so I always knew that it would just take time.” It’s also made 2015 more enjoyable for Ricketts. “It’s certainly more fun, but you know the fact is that even during years where we weren’t producing on the field like we want to I knew we had a plan and I just was trying to stick with it,” Ricketts said. “It’s certainly a lot more fun to come to the ballpark when you feel like you’re going to hit five home runs or whatever. “It’s really, really gratifying to see the young players delivering and when you win a game like we won the last few games and you see a lot of the production coming out of guys that are 22, 23, 24 years old that’s pretty exciting.” Those players are here because of Epstein. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs deserve more than a one-game playoff By Rick Morrissey The wild-card system is a great thing until the team you donate blood to wins 21 games during a 26-game span. Then you wonder why your terrific team might end up being reduced to a one-game playoff for the right to get a seat at the adult table. This is where the Cubs and their fans are now. They’re greedy, and they have every right to be. If the club plays the last month of the season anywhere close to the way it’s playing now, it deserves better than a play-in game. The Cubs are on pace for 94 victories. I know we’re looking waaaaaaaaaay ahead here, but wouldn’t it be a shame if their season ended with a loss to Pittsburgh in a one-game playoff? All that effort and excitement for one game? I know, I know: The regular-season schedule is 162 games for a reason. It rewards the teams that can make it through all the challenges of a six-month forced march. But you see a Cubs team that has gone far beyond what anyone predicted. You see all that youth, a good pitching staff and a fun manager. You want more. You’re left to hope that the Cubs win their do-or-die game and get a chance to show the world what they’re made of. Otherwise — what’s the phrase? — wait till next year. -- Chicago Sun-Times Put up netting at MLB ballparks before somebody gets killed By Rick Morrissey Baseballs traveling into the stands at 100 m.p.h. don’t care if you’re paying attention to the action on the field. They don’t care if you have the concentration powers of a stalking lion. They know that you are civilians, that most of you aren’t wearing mitts or helmets and that almost all of you lack the reflexes necessary to stop a screaming line drive. They seem especially fond of women and children.

Emergency personnel had to carry a woman off on a stretcher at Wrigley Field on Sunday after a foul ball struck her. The team said she was conscious, which is something of a victory. Afterward, Cubs manager Joe Maddon called the incident “awful’’ and said fans need to pay better attention to the game. That’s what Major League Baseball has been saying for years, and it’s bogus. People continue to get hurt by line drives, especially behind the dugouts, no matter how often they’re warned. I’ll keep saying this until I’m Cub blue in the face: Extend the protective netting from behind home plate to the first- and third-base lines at all parks before somebody gets killed. MLB seems more concerned about people staying home because of the nets than it is about people getting hurt without them. You won’t hear broadcasters call for a change because they work for the teams. Often, the TV cameras don’t even show emergency workers administering to injured fans. Not good for the game, and all that. People who let their children sit with them behind the dugouts are insane. Those areas are war zones. The players know it. A line drive hit a woman in Detroit on Friday night, leading Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander to plead for more netting. “It seems like something happens once a game, where a ball just misses a fan and, inevitably, it’s always small kids or women, you know,” Verlander said. “It’s just something that needs to be looked at, and hopefully it doesn’t get to the point where something really serious happens before there’s an adjustment made.” MLB says it is looking at several safety issues at its ballparks. Why don’t I believe it? -- Daily Herald Another wild ride for Cubs ends with Bryant's walk-off homer By Mike McGraw Jon Lester spoke Monday about what it felt like to be a 23-year-old pitching for the Boston Red Sox in the World Series back in 2007. "You kind of go back to that dumb mentality," said Lester, now something of a veteran on this Cubs squad. "You don't really know what's going on. I was just kind of naive and going along for the ride." The rest of the young Cubs seemed to embrace that philosophy once again. Confronted with bad news on Monday, they made the best of it when Kris Bryant delivered a walk-off home run to right field with two outs in the ninth inning, giving the Cubs a 2-1 victory over Cleveland at Wrigley Field. The game was a makeup of a June 15 rain out. "Guys are pumped. Guys are happy to be here and having fun," Lester said. "Today was a grind, but guys were still having fun in the dugout and being into every pitch. It's been fun to see." The Cubs improved to 20-4 since July 29, the best record in the majors in that span. "We just all believe in ourselves and it's someone new every day," Bryant said. "That's just the way it's been going all year and we're riding the wave and it's a good one." The Cubs were hit with a double dose of bad news before the game. Right fielder Jorge Soler (left oblique strain) and relief pitcher Jason Motte (right shoulder strain) were both placed on the disabled list. Soler could be out as long as month, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon responded with a plug for the team's depth. The Cubs called up Tommy LaStella, who started at second base against the Indians, while Chris Coghlan stepped into Soler's right field spot. "You look at the depth. If Tommy comes in and plays second against a righty (pitcher) and Coghlan moves to right field, you feel like you're somewhat covered right there," Maddon said. "And there's other guys who will be

available as we move this thing further along -- Deno (Chris Denorfia), Matt Szczur. It's never good to lose a Soler in the lineup, but I think we're covered right now." Soler is hitting .265 with 42 RBI this season. This is his second stint on the disabled list. He missed about a month in June with a sprained left ankle. The Cubs brought up left-hander Zac Rosscup from Iowa to fill Motte's spot in the bullpen. Rosscup posted a 4.30 ERA in 26 relief appearances earlier this season before going on the disabled list June 17 with left shoulder inflammation. Motte is hoping he can be back on the mound in about two weeks. There was also in-game bad news Monday. Lester was one out away from finishing a complete-game shutout, but gave up an RBI single to Cleveland's Carlos Santana, tying the score at 1. Both Lester and Indians starter Corey Kluber were sharp. Kluber retired the first 16 Cubs batters before catcher David Ross lined a single to left in the sixth inning. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the seventh when Anthony Rizzo's triple to the right field corner scored Coghlan. Lester kept the ball on the ground and got a boost from the LaStella-Starlin Castro middle-infield combo, who helped turn 4 double plays. Shortstop Addison Russell missed Monday's game to be with his fiancee, who went into labor. Maddon expects Russell to play Tuesday in San Francisco. Heading into the ninth inning, Lester had thrown just 84 pitches, so Maddon sent him back to the mound, but the left-hander started the inning by hitting pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn in the foot. One out later, Francisco Lindor bounced an infield single in front of the mound to put runners on first and second. Lester struck out Michael Brantley before Santana hit an 0-1 pitch into left for the game-tying single. But the Cubs had an ace left in the bullpen -- the wind, which was blowing out all day toward right field. With Lester and Kluber on the mound, no one was able to take advantage until Bryant poked a high fly ball to right that inevitably carried well into the bleachers for the second walk-off home run of his rookie season. Bryant's game-winner came off Cleveland reliever Zach McCallister. "When I'm going to right field, I think that's my best swing," Bryant said. "There weren't many fly balls hit the whole game. I think that's because there were two great pitchers on the mound. You figure someone's going to hit a fly ball. I'm happy it was me and happy it was our team." -- Cubs.com Bryant comes up clutch again By Greg Garno CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant stepped up to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning, his team tied at 1 with Cleveland, but he wasn't thinking about hitting a home run to win the game. Really, he was thinking about hitting a fly ball. The 23-year old had already flown out once in the game and entered 0-for-3 before his at-bat. This time, Bryant hit the first pitch he saw -- a curveball -- over the wall in right field to give the Cubs a 2-1 victory over the Indians on Monday at Wrigley Field. "When I'm thinking home run, I don't hit one," Bryant said. "Today, with the wind blowing out, it's a good time to hit a fly ball, and I was able to accomplish what I wanted to do. "There weren't that many fly balls hit the whole game. I think that's because there were two great pitchers on the mound. But you figure someone was going to hit a fly, and I was happy it was me, and I was happy it was our team."

Pedro Strop ran beside him as he approached home plate, the rest of his teammates waiting to swarm him. Some dumped buckets of Gatorade during the postgame interview. It was the second time he's experienced such a feeling -- he hit a walk-off home run on July 27 against the Rockies. The rookie third baseman is now reaping the benefits of "subtle and minor" changes he has made with the help of hitting coach John Mallee. Bryant hit two home runs in Sunday's game and now has 20 on the year. He became the first Cubs rookie to hit 20 home runs since Tyler Colvin did so in 2010. Midway through the year, Bryant had struggled to maintain his power and consistency, though. He hit .168 in July and watched his on-base percentage dip to .270. In August, he's hitting .343 with a .446 on-base percentage. "He's definitely not intimidated by the moment," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "With KB, the thing that I really love is that he's had to fight through adversity. [He] doesn't quit. Some kids would, but he has not. "He's battled through it, continues to play good defense, and now the offense is coming back to him. Kudos to him, that's outstanding." Bryant is now 10th in the National League in on-base percentage and is in the top 20 in home runs, RBIs and WAR. "I think at times [it's easy to forget he's a rookie]," said starter Jon Lester. "He plays above his age, or experience. But I think that's kind of what's expected." -- Cubs.com Bryant's HR gives Cubs walk-off win vs. Tribe By Greg Garno and Jordan Bastian CHICAGO -- On a day where both starters dazzled, Kris Bryant stole the show with a two-out, walk-off home run in the ninth inning as the Cubs defeated the Indians, 2-1, on Monday at Wrigley Field. Monday's game was a makeup of a game scheduled for June 15 that was postponed because of inclement weather. It was the rookie third baseman's second career walk-off home run, pushing the Cubs 6 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco for the second Wild Card spot. Chicago picked up its 12th walk-off win of the season as it moved to a Major League best 20-4 since July 29. "We just all believe in ourselves," Bryant said. "It's someone new every day. That's just the way it's been going this year. We're riding the wave, and it's a good one." His starter, Jon Lester, shined in 8 2/3 innings. He was at his best on Monday following his shortest start of the year, in which he allowed seven earned runs.The left-hander allowed just six hits and struck out six while inducing four double plays, each of which ended an inning. But he surrendered a single to Carlos Santana with two out in the ninth inning to spoil the shutout and the win. Indians starter Corey Kluber was equally impressive. He carried a perfect game through 5 1/3 innings before David Ross broke it up with a single to left field. The 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner allowed four hits and struck out 11 on 121 pitches but walked away with a no-decision. "He was good. He and Lester both," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "On a day when the wind's blowing out, it wasn't a factor until the last hitter of the game. There was absolutely zero wiggle room, and he just went toe to toe and pitched about as good as you can. He executed pitches all day." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Not one, not two, not three: In his first game back with the Cubs since being placed on the disabled list with a right oblique strain, Tommy La Stella helped turn four double plays for Lester. Cleveland grounded into one in the second, third, fourth and seventh innings, but perhaps none more impressive than the third frame. On a bunt by Kluber down the first-base line, Anthony Rizzo slid to keep the ball fair and fired to second base. La Stella covered at first to get out of the inning. "That's why pitching and defense [matter]," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "[La Stella] had a really good day on defense today. I thought Starlin [Castro] had a real crispy game … but Tommy had himself a nice game, too." Kluber vs. Lester: Monday's pitchers' duel was not limited to the mound. In the bottom of the third inning, Lester gave the reigning Cy Young winner a battle from the batter's box. Lester, who entered Monday just 1-for-80 in his career at the plate, engaged in an 11-pitch at-bat with Kluber, fouling off five pitches along the way. The prolonged clash concluded with a flyout to deep left field by the Cubs' starter. "He drew it out a bunch," Francona said of Lester's at-bat. "And then he ended up hitting the ball hard. That's certainly not one of Lester's strengths. He's got a lot of them, but that's not one of them." "His track record speaks for himself," Lester added. "Every time I'm going up there, I'm just trying to battle and have a good at-bat. Obviously you know what my track record is on that." To dive, or not to dive: Ross' single to end Kluber's 0-for-16 run out of the gates dropped a few steps in front of Indians outfielder Michael Brantley, who sprinted in, but slowed at the last second. In the seventh inning with Chicago's Chris Coghlan on second base, Tribe right fielder Jerry Sands made an all-out diving attempt to snare Rizzo's triple but came up short to help the Cubs to their first run. Francona had no issue with Brantley pulling up on Ross' single. "That would've been a really [tough play]," Francona said. "I get it from a fan's perspective. But, from a game perspective, if he dives for that, we're in a 0-0 game, that would've been tough." Santana stops shutout: Lester opened the ninth inning by hitting Ryan Raburn with a pitch, setting up the game-tying scenario for the Indians. The Cubs' lefty struck out Cleveland's top two batters -- Jason Kipnis and Brantley -- but surrendered a two-out single to Santana that scored Abraham Almonte (pinch-running for Raburn), tying the game, 1-1. QUOTABLE "That was a great effort. He gave every ounce of whatever he had. That ball was probably six or eight inches off the plate, in. He got jammed and got it up there. That's just kind of the way the game is sometimes, but Jerry gave a great effort." -- Francona, on Sands' dive attempt on Rizzo's triple "It was a lot better at-bat than a .020-something hitter. He battled and saw a lot of pitches and ultimately got out, but he ran my pitch count up pretty good there." -- Kluber, on Lester's third-inning at-bat "I'm not worried about him. If I'm not focused on my start, then I'm worried about the wrong thing. Obviously you know with Corey over there, you're going to have a little bit of a battle. You gotta try to keep your team in the game the best you can." -- Lester, on any added pressure or new approach with Kluber on the mound. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS By facing the minimum through the first four innings on Monday, Kluber joined Max Scherzer, Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw as the only pitchers this season to not allow a baserunner through at least four innings of three separate starts (via ESPN Stats and Information). UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Ross had his second home run of the season taken away after a Crew Chief review overturned the call on the field. Third-base umpire Lance Barrett signaled a home run as the ball hooked down the line, but replay showed the ball was just outside the foul pole. Francona was unable to challenge the call, but he spoke with umpires before they looked at the call. WHAT'S NEXT Indians: Following an 11-game, 11-day, four-city road trip, the Indians head home on Tuesday to open a two-game series against the Brewers. Taking the ball in the 7:10 p.m. ET opener will be Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin (1-1, 2.03 ERA), who has allowed only three runs with 11 strikeouts and two walks in 13 1/3 innings since rejoining the rotation. Cubs: Jake Arrieta (15-6, 2.30 ERA) looks for his 13th consecutive quality start when Chicago begins a six-game road stretch on Tuesday against the Giants. The Cubs hope to put more distance between themselves and San Francisco as both clubs compete for the National League's final Wild Card spot. First pitch from AT&T Park is slated for 9:15 p.m. CT. Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV. -- Cubs.com Kluber-Lester battle lives up to hype By Jordan Bastian CHICAGO -- Corey Kluber's focus is singular on the day he pitches. The ace of the Indians' rotation narrows his concern to each hitter who steps into the batter's box, and he doesn't bother to pay much attention to who is opposite him on the mound. In the Indians' 2-1 loss to the Cubs on Monday afternoon, though, Kluber found himself in unique circumstances as an American League pitcher. In the third inning, Chicago left-hander Jon Lester -- proving to be a formidable foe on the hill for the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner -- was also giving Kluber a battle from the batter's box. A pitchers' duel that more than lived up to the billing extended outside the expected margins. "That's certainly not one of Lester's strengths," quipped Indians manager Terry Francona, who knows Lester from their days with the Red Sox. "He's got a lot of them, but that's not one of them." In the midst of a perfect-game bid for Kluber that spanned 16 batters to open the game, Lester put up the biggest fight. The pitcher who was 1-for-80 in his career at the plate not only sliced his way through 8 2/3 innings against Cleveland's offense, but he also fought through 11 pitches in his third-inning clash with Kluber. Finally, after Lester fouled off five, the Cubs' pitcher slashed a pitch to deep left field for the final out of the third. From there, Kluber and Lester continued on the more traditional path of a highly anticipated duel. "He's got obviously nasty stuff," Lester said. "Obviously, you know what my track record is on that. I try to battle and have a good at-bat and see where it takes me." Kluber managed the slightest of smirks when asked about Lester's hitting. "It was a lot better at-bat than a .020-something hitter," Kluber said. Kluber ended with 121 pitches in the latest entry to his Cy Young encore. Coming off a rough outing at Fenway Park, where the righty gave up six runs and a career-high four homers on Wednesday, Kluber spun 7 2/3 strong innings at Wrigley Field. He piled up 11 strikeouts, issued no walks and held Chicago without a hit until David Ross' one-out single in the sixth dropped in front of left fielder Michael Brantley.

Similarly, Lester was coming off his worst outing of the season, having allowed seven runs in only 2 2/3 innings against the Tigers on Wednesday. Prior to that setback, the lefty had spun a 1.92 ERA in his previous eight outings for the red-hot Cubs, and he looked more like that pitcher against the Tribe. Lester induced 16 outs via grounders, including four double plays, in 8 2/3 innings. "We had to pitch that well," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Their guy was outstanding, our guy was outstanding. Not really a whole lot of well-struck baseballs with the wind blowing out. Both guys were fantastic." Like Kluber, Lester tried not to concern himself with what the Cleveland starter was doing. "I'm not worried about him," Lester said. "If I'm not focused on my start, then I'm worried about the wrong thing. Obviously, you know with Corey over there, you're going to have a little bit of a battle. You've got to try to keep your team in the game the best you can." The first breakthrough against Kluber came in the seventh inning, when Chris Coghlan doubled with one out and Anthony Rizzo pulled an inside sinker down the right-field line for a triple. On the play, Indians right fielder Jerry Sands tracked down the liner on a dead sprint and made a diving attempt to snag it from the air, but the ball struck his glove and skipped by for the RBI three-base hit. "He full-out dove for it and almost caught it," said Kluber, who scattered four hits in the no-decision. "It was a good pitch. I put it right where I wanted to. It was surprising he was able to hit it, much less keep it fair, but that's the way it goes." The Indians were held off the board until the ninth inning, when Lester opened by hitting Ryan Raburn with a pitch. Four batters later -- after Lester struck out Cleveland's two best hitters, Jason Kipnis and Brantley -- Carlos Santana pulled a two-out offering into left for a run-scoring single. That pulled the game into a 1-1 deadlock and sent Lester to the showers after 97 pitches, six stikeouts, six hits and one walk. Kris Bryant sent the Cubs home with the win courtesy of a walk-off home run in the ninth against Tribe reliever Zach McAllister. Both Kluber and Lester pitched well enough to win, but the baseball gods saw to it that neither came away with a loss. Kluber enjoyed the challenge. "There would be a lot more enjoyment if we were up 10-0," he said. "That's part of the competition aspect. You want to be in that spot where you're pitching against a guy who is a really good pitcher and is throwing the ball well and you go toe to toe with him. We both gave our team a chance to win." -- Cubs.com Arrieta goes for 16th win against Giants By John McGonigal Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta is on a torrid run -- something he'll hope to continue when he squares off against Matt Cain and the Giants at 10:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday at AT&T Park. Arrieta (15-6, 2.30 ERA) has had little trouble taming hitters recently. The 29-year-old has the lowest ERA of any pitcher this month who has made at least four starts (0.66), and his streak of quality starts spans 12 outings. During his quality-starts streak, Arrieta has recorded a 1.26 ERA and the Cubs have gone 10-2 with him on the hill. Caught in that streak were the Giants, who were shut down by Arrieta on Aug. 9 at Wrigley Field. The righty held San Francisco to four hits and no runs over 7 2/3 innings. Things to know about this game

• Cain (2-3, 5.66 ERA) is 0-1 with a 5.09 ERA in his last four outings against the Cubs, but the righty is 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA in his last six home starts vs. Chicago. • Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is a National League MVP candidate, entering Tuesday night's game with 25 home runs, 77 RBIs, a .291 batting average and a a.400 on-base percentage. But history suggests that he may have some issues over the next few games. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter has a career .220 average against San Francisco, and is just 2-for-18 against Cain. • The Cubs are 14-9 against NL West opponents this season, a mark that includes a four-game sweep of the Giants in early August. -- Cubs.com Cubs place Motte, Soler on disabled list By Greg Garno CHICAGO -- The Cubs' push for the postseason will be more difficult after right fielder Jorge Soler and reliever Jason Motte were both placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday, Soler with a left oblique strain and Motte with a right shoulder strain. Infielder Tommy La Stella and reliever Zac Rosscup were recalled from Triple-A Iowa in corresponding moves. La Stella started in Monday's 2-1 win over the Indians at second base and went 0-for-3. Both Soler and Motte will miss at least three weeks, leaving the Cubs with a challenge as they hang onto the National League's second Wild Card spot. "It's just one of those things that happens," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Everybody faces the different dilemmas this time of year, and you have to play through the bad lie. … You have to have depth." Soler will be out approximately a month, the Cubs said. The rookie outfielder was removed from Sunday's game against the Braves in the sixth inning, but Maddon was unsure how he was injured. This season, the 23-year old is batting .265 with 42 RBIs and seven home runs in 90 games after he missed much of June with a sprained left ankle. Chris Coghlan moved from second base to fill the hole in right field, where he will likely see most of his playing time for the immediate future, Maddon said. La Stella will split time with Starlin Castro for a starting spot at second, depending on pitching matchups. In nine games at Triple-A, La Stella hit .333 with six RBIs and one home run. He was a member of the Cubs' Opening Day roster, but he was placed on the DL on April 14 before he aggravated the injury in May. He was chosen over another young infielder, Javier Baez, to fill the spot. Maddon said Baez is "definitely on the radar screen" as he impresses with Iowa. Baez is hitting .304 with 55 RBIs, 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases with Iowa, but he has struck out 70 times in 62 games this season. The 22-year old infielder has gone through a hot stretch as of late, hitting .421 with eight RBIs in his past eight games. Baez could be in line for a callup in September when Major League rosters expand to 40 players, but he will continue to work on plate discipline for now. "He's doing really well," Maddon said. "The plan with him is just to continue to do well. Just because a guy starts doing well does not mean he has to be called up immediately.

"He's still learning his craft. I'm hearing he's getting better with his swing and his approach in his at-bats, which is all good. His time will be coming." Motte's hole is just as substantial as Soler's, leaving Chicago without one of its best arms out of the bullpen. The right-hander recorded his eighth win of the season on Friday -- best in the Majors -- on top of his nine holds and six saves. He's posted a 3.91 ERA in 48 1/3 innings pitched. It's the first time Motte said he has experienced such an injury, but he said he felt discomfort warming up on Sunday. An MRI revealed the right shoulder strain. "It stings, because obviously you want to be out there," Motte said. "Things like this happen. All you can do is rest it and do what you need to do to get back out there." Rosscup makes his return trip to the Cubs, having made 26 appearances before he was placed on the DL on June 17. In eight relief appearances with Iowa, he struck out 13 batters while carrying a 7.36 ERA. Shortstop Addison Russell was not in Monday's starting lineup after he left Sunday's game with "tightness in the groin," according to Maddon. He was also gone to be with his fiancée for the birth of his child. He was listed as day to day, but he could be used off the bench. "I've been looking to give the guy a rest anyway," Maddon said. "Maybe this little sign indicates, 'Back off.' You'd rather be proactive." --