August 13, 2018

The Athletic, On Sunday night, David Bote showed why he’s here to stay with the Cubs https://theathletic.com/470744/2018/08/13/on-sunday-night-david-bote-showed-why-hes-here-to-stay-with-the-cubs/

The Athletic, Equal to the task against Max Scherzer, Cole Hamels shows he can be Cubs’ missing piece https://theathletic.com/470756/2018/08/13/equal-to-the-task-against-max-scherzer-cole-hamels-shows-he-can-be-cubs-missing-piece/

The Athletic, Sources: Joe Maddon, Alex Rodriguez air it out in ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ meeting https://theathletic.com/470542/2018/08/12/sources-joe-maddon-and-alex-rodriguez-air-it-out-during-sunday-night-baseball-meeting/

Cubs.com, Walk-off slam rescues Cubs after Max's gem https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/david-bote-hits-walk-off-grand-slam-for-cubs/c-290076716

Cubs.com, Hamels' 1-hit, 9-K home debut sets up walk-off https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cole-hamels-fires-gem-vs-nats-in-home-debut/c-290076842

Cubs.com, Maddon: A-Rod meeting didn't get 'heated' https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/joe-maddon-a-rod-discuss-darvish-comments/c-290072356

Cubs.com, Bote joins rare list of ultimate pinch-hit slams https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/pinch-hit-ultimate-grand-slams/c-290126376

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs beat Nats on pinch hitter David Bote's walk-off grand slam http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24361380/chicago-cubs-beat-washington-nationals-pinch-hitter-david-bote-walk-grand-slam

ESPNChicago.com, Joe Maddon, Alex Rodriguez hash out thoughts on Yu Darvish remarks http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24360391/joe-maddon-chicago-cubs-alex-rodriguez-discuss-comments-yu-darvish

NBC Sports Chicago, David Bote's story is too unbelievable, even for Hollywood https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/david-bote-story-too-unbelievable-even-hollywood-wrigley-field-walk-off-hamels-rizzo-nationals

NBC Sports Chicago, A rejuvenated Cole Hamels has been a godsend for Cubs’ inconsistent rotation https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cole-hamels-has-been-godsend-cubs-inconsistent-rotation-verlander-world-series-astros-nationals-maddon

NBC Sports Chicago, ARod-Cubs drama adds another chapter as he and Joe Maddon have 'candid' conversation at Wrigley Field https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/a-rod-cubs-drama-adds-another-chapter-he-and-joe-maddon-have-candid-conversation-wrigley-field-espn-mlb-yu-darvish-alex-rodriguez

Chicago Tribune, David Bote's walk-off grand slam stuns Nationals, sends Cubs to wild 4-3 victory http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-nationals-20180812-story.html

Chicago Tribune, 3 things we learned from the Nationals-Cubs series http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-nationals-three-things-20180813-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon and ESPN's Alex Rodriguez make peace before Sunday's game over Yu Darvish comments http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-alex-rodriguez-joe-maddon-20180812-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs-Nationals rivalry has become theater of the absurd http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-nationals-rivalry-sullivan-20180810-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, David Bote’s walk-off slam caps game that featured Hamels-Scherzer duel https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/david-bote-cole-hamels-max-scherzer-cubs-nationals/

Chicago Sun-Times, Alex Rodriguez and Joe Maddon make nice after A-Rod’s comments about Yu Darvish https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/alex-rodriguez-joe-maddon-yu-darvish-cubs-nationals-espn/

Daily Herald, Bote's slam in ninth wins it for Chicago Cubs https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180812/botes-slam-in-ninth-wins-it-for-chicago-cubs

Daily Herald, Chicago Cubs' Maddon happy to talk things out with Rodriguez https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180812/chicago-cubs-maddon-happy-to-talk-things-out-with-rodriguez

-- The Athletic On Sunday night, David Bote showed why he’s here to stay with the Cubs By Jon Greenberg David Bote could’ve been somewhere else on Sunday night. He could’ve been in some other major league city if the Cubs agreed to trade him to add more pitching and trust me, there was demand. If Kris Bryant didn’t hurt his shoulder earlier this season, Bote could’ve still been in the minor leagues, losing a meaningless game in New Orleans. Go back a little further and if Bote doesn’t remake his swing in the minors, if he doesn’t marry his big league exit velocity with some real launch angle, he could’ve been watching this game on TV somewhere while his family sleeps.

But there was nowhere else David Bote, the prospect no one was stalking this time last year, would’ve rather been Sunday than at home plate at Wrigley Field with three on, two outs and the game on the line. There was nowhere else he would’ve rather been than flipping his bat and soaring around the bases with his arms out like airplane wings. There was nowhere else he would’ve rather been than getting mugged at home plate, posing like the Incredible Hulk as teammates tore off his jersey. He belonged there in all of those places. He belongs here in the majors with the first-place Cubs. The kid stays in the hashtag. On Sunday night, in front of a packed house on a warm summer evening, Bote did the impossible in his already unlikely season, hitting a walk-off grand slam as a pinch-hitter to give the Cubs a 4-3 victory over the Nationals. The ending of this game was so absurd in the Cubs’ favor, Mike Rizzo just fired Dusty Baker again. Wrigley Field shook after Bote crushed a four-seam fastball from Ryan Madson into dead center field to turn a shutout into a shout-out. “When I got that pitch I was like, ‘Just get it in the air,’” Bote said. “That was my entire thing, hit it as hard as I can to center field. That was the approach, get underneath it.” Walk-off, pinch-hit grand slams don’t happen very often. Bote said this was only the third grand slam of his life, which makes sense given the swing problems the Cubs helped fix only recently. He hit one in high school and the other time in the minor leagues. That last one happened three years and 10 days ago in Dayton, Ohio, when he clubbed an eighth-inning grand slam in a 7-2 South Bend victory. The Cubs were just starting their dramatic August run that vaulted them back to the postseason when that previous grand slam happened, so don’t feel bad about missing it. This grand slam, I imagine, was a little sweeter for Bote, who was 22 years old back in 2015 as he spent the entire season with the low Class-A South Bend Cubs. That grand slam was one of just six homers he hit that year, when he slugged just .384. In 2016, his stock improved as he really started to hit in high Class-A Myrtle Beach, earning him more promotions. Midway through the 2017 season, Andy Haines, then the team’s minor league hitting coordinator and now the Cubs’ assistant hitting coach, shared some knowledge with Bote that he had the highest exit velocity in the organization and one of the best in all of baseball, regardless of level. He just needed to hit the ball in the air more. Launch angle. You might’ve heard about it. It worked and Bote started to turn heads, if only internally. Now, as his manager Joe Maddon said after the game, he’s known industry-wide. The Cubs not only didn’t deal Bote — who has a .329/.418/.539 slash line through 76 at-bats in 34 games — at the trade deadline, they decided weeks ago, he wasn’t going back to the minors. The front office thought they needed him. They weren’t wrong. Like a lot of ballplayers, Bote has a certain way about him, Maddon said, that he referred to as “humble confidence.” But as a former Chicagoan once said, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re stuntin’ on a jumbotron.” Bote was definitely stunting on the Cubs’ big board Sunday. I was thinking about Bote the other day and the life-changing payoff that comes from making the majors. You go from eking out a seasonal living in the minors to making the pro-rated equivalent of a mid-six-figure salary with a lifetime pension and healthcare. Remember the speech Crash Davis gives on

the bus in “Bull Durham.” That’s the dream. And now Bote isn’t just living that dream, he’s remaking his reality. There’s something life-affirming there. For the Cubs, this is a player development success story, something to feel good about in the office, an example to share with the minor leaguers. For Bote, it’s a life success story. While Bote said Kyle Schwarber yelled at him one day for not saying hello in the clubhouse, he isn’t a wallflower. Ask him about his approach and he’ll talk your ear off. I asked him about his pinch-hitting routine and he reminded us that he wasn’t exactly Bryant in the minors. He learned how to pinch-hit there and now he’s in the majors seeing how big leaguers do it. Bote isn’t going anywhere, but he won’t be in an everyday starting role when Bryant comes back. He will get some starts at second base, but he’s going to have to be ready for pinch-hit opportunities like he had Sunday. “I’ve done it a lot in the minor leagues, especially early on in my career,” he said. “You got to have your approach and you’ve got to be disciplined in what you want to do, and even more concise when you’re pinch-hitting because you have no feel for the game or how it’s going from being in the game. So you have to be really on top of it. “I mean Tommy [La Stella] is the best in the game at it. And because of that, he’s so in control of his emotions, so in control of what he wants to do, you’ll see him take pitches and you’re like, ‘Why didn’t he swing at that?’ Because he has his approach and he’s sticking to it. I think learning from that, learning from him and [Ben Zobrist] just being convicted. I think that’s the most important thing, being convicted in your approach and selling out for it.” On Sunday, the moment seemed to find Bote. With one out, Jason Heyward reached on a squibber to second base that Wilmer Difo bobbled. Madson then hit Albert Almora Jr, bringing up Kyle Schwarber as the game-tying run. Schwarber took a mighty cut on a 1-0 pitch and sent a pitch soaring … about eight feet to his left for the second out. That brought up Willson Contreras, who hit three foul balls and stepped out like five times before getting hit by Madson to load the bases. Then came Bote, who didn’t walk up to David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” to his manager’s dismay (His last name is pronounced Boat-ee), who was looking for a sinker and wound up crushing a four-seam fastball to win a big one and put his stamp on this rollercoaster season. In a game that was defined by the brilliance of Cole Hamels dueling with Max Scherzer for seven innings, it was Bote, a 25-year-old who just found his swing in Double-A, who got his name chanted by 40,000 fans, who got his jersey ripped off him by World Series heroes, who got hugged by Bill Murray. “One of our hitting coaches says ‘Stay underwater. Stay underwater,’” Bote said. “Stay where you’re at. Keep grinding. It’s just one game. It’s a big game, sure. But we got an off day tomorrow and we’re onto the Brewers.” Bote can stay underwater all he wants. He’s proven he can swim with the big boys. -- The Athletic Equal to the task against Max Scherzer, Cole Hamels shows he can be Cubs’ missing piece By Sahadev Sharma

David Bote stole the show Sunday night and came up huge for a Cubs team that looks like it might need every win it can get over the final seven weeks of the season. But as important as Bote’s emergence has and will continue to be to this team, what Cole Hamels did was exactly what the Cubs have been craving for more than four months now. Manager Joe Maddon watched as Bote walked the Cubs off with a 4-3 victory as the rookie slugged a two-out grand slam after two great pitchers went at it for seven innings each. Hamels and Washington Nationals ace and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer battled in the type of pitcher’s duel rarely seen in today’s game. “It was just a really classic performance,” Maddon said. “The kind of game we play against these guys a lot.” The Cubs have had numerous wild games against the Nationals in recent memory, including an unforgettable Game 5 in last season’s NLDS and Friday’s 3-2 Cubs victory, sparked by a 13-pitch walk by Anthony Rizzo. But the pitching performances seen from both sides Sunday night aren’t nearly as common as they once were. “Cole was really good,” Maddon said. “Pretty much had it all going on. After he escaped early and just settled in and everything was working well.” It’s not rare to see Scherzer shut down a lineup. He was in typical form on this evening, allowing just three hits in seven shutout frames while striking out 11, with his lone walk being intentional. It was a dominating performance against an offense that’s been unable to do much damage of late, regardless of the caliber of starter. Hamels was equal to the task. He worked seven brilliant innings, striking out nine and walking one while allowing just one hit. However, that lone walk was followed by that lone hit, which put runners on the corners and one out for the Nationals, allowing Mark Reynolds to drive in the only run of the first eight innings with a sacrifice fly. Hamels finished off his night with 18 consecutive batters retired. For nearly the entire evening, it didn’t seem like it would be enough. But regardless of the night’s outcome, pitching performances like this one are what this team has been desperate for all season long. “Anytime you go up against Scherzer or [Stephen] Strasburg over there in Washington, it’s going to be a tough battle,” Hamels said. “You can’t give in and you have to be able to control the game. I think being here in Wrigley, getting the fans behind and getting that momentum, that gives you a little bit of a jolt of energy that you can use. It’s nice to actually be on their side this time. You just have to plug away. I know what he’s capable of doing and what he obviously did. You definitely have to make smart pitches because they do have a tough lineup and you can’t give in to those hitters. It’s just a matter of battling and seeing what happens when we both get taken out of the game.” Hamels’ outing marked only the 16th time the Cubs have gotten at least seven innings from a starter this season. It was only the 11th time one of those starters allowed one run or fewer. And Hamels became the first of those starters to go that deep and allow so few runs while striking out at least nine. In fact, he’s struck out nine in two of his three starts with the Cubs, equaling the number of nine-plus strikeout games the Cubs had before his arrival. Despite his pedigree and history of success, it was hardly a slam dunk that Hamels would perform in this manner. He came to Chicago with a 4.72 ERA and assumptions that he was pretty much done delivering impact starts. But team president Theo Epstein and the Cubs made a gamble that joining a team in the

midst of a pennant race would rejuvenate the 34-year-old starter and bring out the talent that helped make him a World Series MVP a decade ago and an All-Star in 2016. “Of course he’s probably been a little bit reborn coming to us now,” Maddon said. “But stuff is high end, man. If there’s any kind of drop off, it’s minimal, because I’m not seeing it from the side.” Hamels hadn’t touched 95 all season long while with Texas. He’s already done so in two of his three starts with the Cubs, maxing out at 95.6 mph on Sunday night according to Statcast. The stuff certainly appears to be as good as it can be with Chicago. And while Hamels believes the motivation that comes with being on a contender helps, he admitted there’s a little more to it than that. “I think any time you get placed into a pennant race, you start to discover a little bit more that’s in the tank that you might not necessarily have been able to go down and really gather,” Hamels said. “At the same time, I really was focusing a lot, even when I was down there, trying to correct my mechanics. There was something that was off and I knew it was off. It was just a matter of trying to identify it and then putting in the work to get the muscle memory so that I could actually go out there and perform at the level I knew I was capable of doing. It’s now being able to see that and getting the results. That’s how you build momentum. That’s how you get back to what I know I’m capable of doing.” Hamels threw six different pitches on the night, garnering 16 swing-and-misses out of his 98 pitches, seven on a changeup that he seems to have rediscovered since coming to Chicago. For the season, his strikeout rate is up to 23.5 percent, and with Yu Darvish still on the disabled list, that leads the Cubs’ current rotation. Hamels joined a group of starters that was in the bottom third of baseball in strikeout rate and 28th in swinging-strike rate. It was a group that was unable to consistently get deep into games and was near the bottom of the league in average innings per start. Through three outings with the Cubs, Hamels has worked 18 innings and given up just two earned runs while striking out 20 and walking just four. The Cubs could certainly use more of those performances down the stretch and into October as well. With another big, late-inning homer, it seems as though Bote thrives in the spotlight. On a national stage against a Cy Young pitcher, Hamels proved he still does as well. “I love those situations,” Hamels said. “This is why I play the game. I do love the game of baseball with all my heart. But to be in the spotlight in big games against big-time pitchers, that’s what I live for. And that’s what I’m here to go out and try to do. That’s something that has always been what I enjoy most about pitching: Being on the biggest stage possible.” -- The Athletic Sources: Joe Maddon, Alex Rodriguez air it out in ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ meeting By Patrick Mooney A heated discussion broke out between Cubs manager Joe Maddon and ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez during a pre-production meeting for “Sunday Night Baseball,” sources told The Athletic, as two of the game’s biggest personalities aired their grievances inside the Wrigley Field clubhouse. Two weeks after Rodriguez questioned Yu Darvish’s toughness and hinted at bad team chemistry, Maddon agreed to the standard pregame session with national TV talent, viewing it as a responsibility to one of Major League Baseball’s biggest partners. Maddon also used it as an opportunity to vent his

frustrations with Rodriguez, who had zero interest in an apology tour after his criticism of Darvish’s medical rehab program went viral and drove multiple news cycles. “To say that it was ‘heated’ is irresponsible,” Maddon said after a jaw-dropping 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals that ended at 10:02 p.m. with David Bote’s pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam in front of a delirious crowd of 36,490. Maddon, an exceptionally media-friendly manager, spoke with Rodriguez in his office during a tension-filled meeting that also included play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian and analyst Jessica Mendoza. Maddon cooled off by the time he walked into the interview room for his pregame briefing with the Chicago media, thinking back to his blue-collar childhood in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining territory. “My job, I believe, is to protect my brood,” Maddon said. “It’s no different than being a parent, so if you’re going to attack the group from the outside looking in, [my mom] Beanie raised me, my uncles and aunts raised me, my midget football coaches raised me, all these guys that raised me would have it no other way. When you speak badly of my group, our group, it brings out the Hazleton in me. “I responded very open and candid about my comments. We had a great conversation about that. That’s pretty much where I come from. I think it’s hard to argue against that. I would respect anybody having the same opinion about protecting their brood.” Maddon vs. A-Rod became an entertaining sideshow to Cole Hamels vs. Max Scherzer and what would be another classic rematch in October. Of course, that kind of distraction is exactly what the Cubs are trying to avoid in the middle of a tight division race and exactly why ESPN hired Rodriguez, a gifted talker and a polarizing presence in the broadcast booth. The Cubs manager disputed the headline to an earlier version of this story that referenced tempers flaring between Maddon and Rodriguez. “I’ll tell you what was ‘tempers flared,’ me vs. Bill Miller the other night,” Maddon said, referencing his ejection from Friday’s win over the Nationals. “If you want to know what ‘tempers flared’ looks like, that’s exactly what it looks like. Anything else that’s reported as ‘tempers flared’ is irresponsible. “It’s not vetted. It’s hearsay. If I was in a court of law, I could just keep going on and on. It’s irresponsible because that’s not what happened. It was a strong conversation between two men.” That’s the essence of what The Athletic reported. All this comes with the territory. Maddon is supposed to back his players and use the media to send calculated messages back to the clubhouse. A-Rod is supposed to use his celebrity and contacts and experiences within the game to deliver sharp opinions and draw attention to “Sunday Night Baseball.” Standing in Wrigley Field’s press box dining room with sunglasses tucked into an open white dress shirt, Rodriguez projected a sense of calm during a press gaggle that lasted 51 seconds. Rodriguez posted up in front of a mini-fridge stocked with juice, yogurt and milk, next to a tray of mac-and-cheese on the buffet counter, answering two questions from a group of about 15 reporters. “We had a brief, very positive conversation,” Rodriguez said. “But what’s great about this is we all have the same interests, to grow the game, to highlight stories as objectively as we can. Obviously, you guys are in the business, so you know that better than anyone. I thought it was a very positive conversation.” Would you change anything?

“No, my job is to say it fairly and objectively,” Rodriguez said. “I have over 25 years in the game and I’m going to call it as I see it. We don’t always have to agree on everything. But I do have a lot of respect for Joe – and obviously the Cubs organization – and I have for a long time and that hasn’t changed. “As a matter of fact — before I go to rehearsal — Joe and I plan to have drinks together. So that’s planned. That’s in the books.” And with that, Rodriguez said, “all right, thanks, guys” and stepped through the media pack and walked away a little more than an hour before first pitch. Rodriguez clearly struck a nerve with a Cubs organization that doesn’t want to become a Boston Red Sox-style soap opera or return to the circus atmosphere that surrounded the Wrigley Field renovation turf battles and the Carlos Zambrano/Milton Bradley-era clubhouses. The Cubs are also trying to salvage what’s left of Year 1 of Darvish’s $126 million contract. The Cubs will need Darvish — who’s been on the disabled list since late May with right elbow problems — to be a difference-maker in September and possibly October and the next five seasons after that. Rodriguez hasn’t done the TV gig long enough — and doesn’t spend enough time around the Cubs — to truly know what’s going on inside the clubhouse and put it all in context. But Rodriguez probably did hear something interesting about Darvish because there’s obviously been moments of frustration, disappointment and confusion, given his All-Star pedigree, Tommy John history, Japanese/English translations and 4.95 ERA this season. “It’s just about taking care of my group first, our group first,” Maddon said. “I’ve often talked about circling our wagons. It’s about what we think first and foremost that matters, whether it’s among the coaches, the clubhouse itself, the ownership, the front office. That’s the group, that’s the circle you have to satisfy, and has to understand and believe that everything is well and right. “It’s only about that. And any time you get any kind of outside noise coming in, it normally is just outside noise. And you got to be able to parcel it out and understand it and make sense of it and still keep the integrity of the group together.” Doubt Maddon and Rodriguez will actually be splitting an expensive bottle of red wine anytime soon, but you never know with one of the game’s most open-minded managers. “Eventually, I texted A-Rod afterwards and I told him how much I appreciated his candor,” Maddon said. “And then we decided that we’re going to go out for drinks at the next possible moment. “Sometimes, when you get in situations like that, it’s a lot like what our country needs right now. You got to meet in the middle at some point. You might have a difference of opinion, but at some point, you have to compromise and try to understand the other side, which I think both Alex and I did today.” The Cubs will be watching Darvish’s simulated game on Tuesday at Wrigley Field, hoping it’s another step in the right direction and maybe wondering if Rodriguez helped bring the team even closer together. But Maddon insisted the A-Rod drama is buried now: “Absolutely, for me, it is, no question.” “I’m looking forward to building a good relationship with him, a great relationship with him,” Maddon said. “A lot of times, when you have an argument or a disagreement with somebody, if you really openly discuss it afterwards, that’s probably the scab that heals the whole situation.

“I want to believe that’s going to be true, because, listen, I’m not here to battle with anybody in regards to that. Primarily, my responsibility is everybody in that room. “I want to believe that it’s really going to be a nice first step to building a great relationship with Alex.” -- Cubs.com Walk-off slam rescues Cubs after Max's gem By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- When you were a kid playing baseball in the backyard, did you pretend to come up to the plate with your team trailing by three runs, the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning? Cole Hamels dreamed it. David Bote did it. Bote hit a home run he'll never forget, smacking a pinch-hit grand slam with two outs in the ninth on Sunday night to lift the Cubs to a stunning 4-3 victory over the Nationals. It was just the 17th "ultimate slam" -- a walk-off shot with the bases loaded and his club down by three runs -- on record since 1974. "This is the ultimate excitement," Hamels said of Bote's blast, the first walk-off grand slam by a Cubs player when trailing by three runs since Ellis Burton hit one on Aug. 31, 1963. "It's the thing that when you're a kid in the backyard and you're visualizing trying to win games, it's always bases loaded, you're down by three and trying to hit the grand slam, and for Bote to be able to do it, what a way to be able to experience that." With one out and the Cubs trailing, 3-0, against Ryan Madson, Jason Heyward reached on an infield single and Albert Almora Jr. was hit by a pitch. One out later, Willson Contreras got plunked to load the bases. Bote launched a 2-2 pitch from Madson 442 feet to straightaway center. It was the 37th come-from-behind win for the Cubs, who lead the Brewers by three games in the National League Central with the Crew coming to Wrigley for a two-game set on Tuesday. On Saturday, Bote struggled against the Nationals and an overload of two-seamers. He knew Madson had a sinker and a four-seam fastball and said he had to pick one. "Today, I said, 'You know what, I'm not going to get beat down there,'" he said. "The one that was down and away that he called a strike, I was like, 'Oh, that's what I'm looking for.' It was a close pitch. I got that [2-2] pitch and I was like, 'Just get it in the air. Hit it as hard as I can to center field.' That was the approach and get underneath it." It was only his third grand slam ever -- he hit one in high school and another in 2015 in the Minor Leagues at Dayton. However, it wasn't Bote's only clutch hit. He hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning on July 26 against the D-backs. "He's the kind of guy who gets overlooked, and even when he gets into an organization, based on his Draft status, he's not talked about often until he does something spectacular," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Bote, an 18th-round pick in 2012. "He's one of those guys who has to show it for people to believe it. He's worked his way to this situation. Give him credit. It's going to keep getting better." Promoted from Triple-A Iowa to fill in while Kris Bryant nurses a sore left shoulder, Bote is just going to enjoy the ride.

"One of the hitting coaches was saying, 'Stay underwater. Just stay underwater, stay where you're at. Keep grinding. This is one game, it's a big game, but we have an off-day tomorrow and we're on to the Brewers,'" Bote said. For seven innings, this game was a pitchers' duel between Hamels and Max Scherzer. Making his Wrigley Field debut for the Cubs, Hamels allowed one run on one hit while striking out nine over seven innings. He walked only one batter, Ryan Zimmerman leading off the second inning, but that batter scored on Mark Reynolds' sacrifice fly. That was enough to put Hamels on the hook for a loss, as Scherzer padded his NL strikeout lead with 11 K's while holding the Cubs scoreless on three hits before turning over a 1-0 lead to the bullpen after seven innings. Hamels has made it clear he likes pitching at Wrigley Field. He threw a no-hitter there in July 2015 in his last start with the Phillies and threw eight innings of one-run ball in July 2016 with the Rangers. Acquired from Texas last month, Hamels retired the last 18 batters he faced. In three starts for the Cubs, he's given up two earned runs, has not allowed an extra-base hit and has struck out 20 over 18 innings. Monday is an off-day and a chance for Bote to catch his breath. What are his plans? "I'll go do something fun with the kids and enjoy Chicago," he said. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Cubs manager Joe Maddon gave Almora a rare start against a right-hander because of something his "stats geeks" saw in the outfielder's swing. It paid off with two outs in the seventh when Almora doubled down the left-field line, the third hit off Scherzer. Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked but Scherzer struck out Contreras to end the inning with the Nats holding a 1-0 lead. SOUND SMART Bote is the first Cubs player to deliver a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam since Earl Averill did so on May 12, 1959, against Milwaukee. HE SAID IT "It's a great feeling. The teammates that we have on this team, the support, every single guy, we're in it from Pitch 1 every single day. When you round those bases and you got the 'W' and I see my teammates at home plate jumping around, it's magical. It's incredible. It's an unbelievable feeling. It couldn't happen to a better team or a better group of people in that clubhouse. I'm so blessed to be part of it." -- Bote, on his emotions as he rounded the bases MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY The Cubs had one on and two outs in the eighth against Koda Glover when Javier Baez hit a grounder to Reynolds at third base. Baez was called safe at first, but the Nationals challenged and the call was overturned. UP NEXT After an off-day on Monday, the Cubs will host the Brewers for two games at Wrigley Field. In Tuesday's 1:20 p.m. CT opener, Jose Quintana (10-8, 4.28 ERA) will face Jhoulys Chacin (11-4, 3.91). Quintana is coming off a frustrating outing against the Royals in which he gave up five runs over 6 1/3 innings and

had trouble with his command. He's 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA in four starts against the Brewers, giving up two earned runs over 19 innings. -- Cubs.com Hamels' 1-hit, 9-K home debut sets up walk-off By Matthew Martell CHICAGO -- As thrilling as the final curtain was in the Cubs' 4-3 walk-off win over the Nationals on Sunday night, David Bote's grand-slam heroics wouldn't have been possible without Cole Hamels' dominant opening act. In his third start with the Cubs, and his first with them at Wrigley Field, the left-hander completed seven innings of one-run ball. He allowed one hit and one walk, struck out nine and he retired the final 18 batters he faced. "This is why I play the game," Hamels said. "I do love the game of baseball with all my heart, but to be in the spotlight, big games against big-time pitchers, that's what I live for." If Hamels lives for matchups with "big-time pitchers," he'd be hard-pressed to find one better than his opponent Sunday -- three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. Hamels blinked first. A leadoff walk to Ryan Zimmerman and an opposite-field single for Daniel Murphy with nobody out in the second inning set up Washington's first run, a Mark Reynolds sacrifice fly to right field. "Cole was really good," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Pretty much had it all going on. After he escaped early on, he just settled in and everything was working well." Everything was not an exaggeration. Murphy was the last Nationals player to reach base against Hamels. The Cubs traded for Hamels at the end of July to stabilize a talented but inconsistent starting rotation. Hamels was also inconsistent over the first four months of the season while with the Rangers. Now in Chicago and in the thick of a pennant race, it seems whatever he was working through is a thing of the past. Three starts in, Hamels has given up two earned runs over 18 innings. None of the 11 hits he's allowed with the Cubs have gone for extra bases. Is he rejuvenated now that he's pitching for a contender? "Anytime you get placed into a pennant race," Hamels said, "you start to discover a little bit more that's in the tank." But digging deeper while pitching for first-place team isn't the only thing he attributes to his recent surge. With Texas, Hamels said, he was focusing a lot on trying to correct his mechanics, which would seem to at least partially explain his 6.02 ERA over nine starts in June and July.

Hamels has been so good since coming to the Cubs, Maddon wasn't sure how old he was when praising the 34-year-old. "Stuff is high-end, man," Maddon said. "If there's any kind of dropoff [from when Hamels was younger], it's minimal if at all, because I'm not seeing it from the side." That's saying something, considering Maddon's recollections of young Hamels are from 2008, when Maddon managed the Rays against Hamels and the Phillies in the World Series, and when Hamels no-hit the Cubs at Wrigley in his final start with Philadelphia on July 25, 2015. Now, however, Hamels is here in the home dugout and pitching like an ace. So far, the decision to bring him in is paying off. "It's nice to actually be on their side this time," Hamels said. "Being here at Wrigley, getting the fans being you and getting that momentum, it gives you that jolt of energy that you can use." -- Cubs.com Maddon: A-Rod meeting didn't get 'heated' By Matthew Martell CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon and Alex Rodriguez met Sunday before the Cubs' game against the Nationals for the first time since the former American League MVP made comments critical of Yu Darvish on the ESPN broadcast two weeks ago. "We talked openly about it," Maddon said. "It's one of those things that you speak in a candid manner to one another, and then you move on." Both Maddon and A-Rod said the conversation was a good one, which Maddon said he hopes is "going to be a nice first step to building a great relationship with Alex." Maddon also denied a published report that he and Rodriguez had a "heated argument." "To say that it was 'heated' is irresponsible," Maddon said after the game. The Chicago skipper explained that he was simply standing up for one of his players. "My job, I believe, is to protect my brood," Maddon said. "It's no different than being a parent, so if you're going to attack the group from the outside looking in, [my mom] Beanie raised me, my uncles and aunts raised me, my midget football coaches raised me, all these guys that raised me would have it no other way." "I responded very open and candid about my comments," Maddon continued. "We had a great conversation about that. That's pretty much where I come from. I think it's hard to argue against that. I would respect anybody having the same opinion about protecting their brood." Darvish, who signed a six-year, $126 million contract in February, has been on the disabled list since May 23 with right triceps tendinitis. With the Cubs rotation being inconsistent this season and Darvish's battle with injuries, Rodriguez aired what he believed were the grievances of the Chicago clubhouse during Sunday Night Baseball on July 29.

"When you have a guy that signs an enormous contract and he's sitting down, and you walk in the training room, and he's got two trainers working on him, you go into the video room and you have a guy looking at video," Rodriguez said of Darvish during the broadcast. "He should be in Arizona somewhere getting treated. But don't get in the way of 25 players going after one mission: to win a ballgame." Naturally, that didn't sit well with Maddon, Darvish or Darvish's agent, Joel Wolfe, who fired back defending his client on Twitter. Regardless of how positive the pregame discussion was, Rodriguez said he doesn't regret the comments he made about Darvish. "My job is to say fairly and objectively," Rodriguez said. "I have over 25 years in the game, and I'm going to call it as I see it. We don't always have to agree on everything. I do have a lot of respect for Joe and the Cubs organization, and I have for a long time and that hasn't changed. As a matter of fact, before I go to rehearsal, Joe and I plan to have drinks together, so that's planned, that's in the books." Chatwood in the bullpen During Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Nationals, Tyler Chatwood made his third relief appearance since he was removed from the rotation after the Cubs traded for Cole Hamels at the end of July. It was his best yet. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out two. "I just thought that he really relaxed in that last inning yesterday," Maddon said. "Everything was working. He was more fluid. He hit 95. The curveball was a strike. He was throwing the ball where he wanted to." This comes after Maddon said before Friday's game that he wasn't entirely sure what Chatwood's role in the bullpen would be. He had struggled for most of the season in the rotation, mainly due to command issues. Over 19 starts, Chatwood had walked 85 batters in 94 innings. As far as a return to the rotation for Chatwood should his success continue, Maddon said it probably would only be as a sixth man, if the Cubs decided to use one and Darvish wasn't ready. "The last couple hitters he threw to I thought might've been his sharpest work all year," Maddon said. "We've just got to keep getting him out there and see some of that consistency again. "It was a nice first step for him yesterday." Worth noting • Darvish is scheduled to throw live batting practice before Tuesday's game vs. the Brewers at Wrigley. • Right-hander Anthony Bass was activated off the Major League disabled list and outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday after clearing waivers. He is no longer on the Cubs' 40-man roster, which currently has 39 players. --

Cubs.com Bote joins rare list of ultimate pinch-hit slams By Matt Kelly and Manny Randhawa When Cubs infielder David Bote sent Wrigley Field into a frenzy by launching a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory over the Nationals on Sunday night, he put himself into a very rare category. Prior to the 442-foot blast to center field, only six pinch-hitters on record dating back to 1925 had hit an "ultimate grand slam," a walk-off shot with the bases loaded and his club down by three runs. And Bote's pinch-hit ultimate slam was only the third on record to come when his team was down to its final out. Here's a look at the six pinch-hit ultimate slams that preceded Bote's on Sunday: Brian Bogusevic, Astros: Aug. 16, 2011 vs. Cubs The Cubs, coincidentally, were victims of the most recent pinch-hit ultimate slam -- and it came at the hands of a former pitcher. The Astros drafted Bogusevic as a southpaw pitcher with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft before he converted to an outfielder in the fall of 2008. Three years later, Bogusevic shocked Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol with a blast to left-center that created pandemonium at Minute Maid Park. Bogusevic would put on a Cubs uniform two years after his most memorable tater. Brooks Conrad, Braves: May 20, 2010 vs. Reds Conrad's opposite-field shot off Cincinnati's Francisco Cordero could have gone either way; the ball bounced off Laynce Nix's glove and into the left-field stands for a dramatic walk-off at Turner Field. Conrad stood at first base for a moment, unsure whether the ball was caught or gone. Once it became clear, it was straight bedlam in Atlanta. Conrad's blast capped off a seven-run, ninth-inning comeback for the Braves. Roger Freed, Cardinals: May 1, 1979 vs. Astros Freed would log just 29 more plate appearances after this night to finish out his big league career, but the sparse crowd of 6,349 at Busch Stadium probably never forgot the blast Freed launched off Houston's Joe Sambito to walk it off in the bottom of the 11th. It was the penultimate homer of Freed's eight years in the Majors. "This is the biggest, most pleasing experience anyone could have in a lifetime," said Freed. "Something like this really makes me feel like a part of the ballclub -- like I'm an asset to the team. You get to feeling like dead weight when you're not contributing in some way." Carl Taylor, Cardinals: Aug. 11, 1970 vs. Padres With a run in to cut their deficit against San Diego to three, the Cardinals found themselves down to their final out as Taylor pinch-hit for reliever Harry Parker with the bases loaded at Busch Stadium. Facing Padres reliever Ron Herbel, Taylor belted a walk-off grand slam that ended up being the 10th and last homer of his career, and it came off the pitcher against whom he hit the first homer of his career during the prior season. Jack Phillips, Pirates: July 8, 1950 vs. Cardinals With the Pirates trailing the Cardinals, 6-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning at Forbes Field, Phillips stepped to the plate in place of reliever Murry Dickson. Phillips entered the game with three career homers to his name, but made his fourth count in a big way by sending a Harry Brecheen pitch over the left-center-field wall for a walk-off slam. Phillips was in the starting lineup the following day against St.

Louis, and went deep again, this one a solo homer in the sixth inning. The two-day home run "binge" represented 22 percent of his career homer output (9). Samuel Byrd, Reds: May 23, 1936 vs. Pirates Byrd hit two home runs in 59 games for the Reds in 1936, but his pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam against the Pirates' Cy Blanton with Cincinnati trailing, 3-0, in the bottom of the ninth inning was the most famous of the 38 he hit over an eight-year Major League career. Until Bote's slam on Sunday night, this had been the last instance of a walk-off grand slam with a team trailing by a 3-0 score. Byrd pinch-hit for reliever Don Brennan, and drove a Blanton offering over the left-field wall to lift the Reds to victory. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs beat Nats on pinch hitter David Bote's walk-off grand slam By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Like out of a fairytale, Cubs rookie infielder David Bote hit a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning with his team trailing 3-0 as Chicago pulled out a stunning 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday night. Bote, 25, was pinch hitting with the bases loaded after the Cubs had been stymied all night versus starter Max Scherzer. But closer Ryan Madson couldn't put Bote away, attempting to get a low fastball by him after the Nationals had his number the day before. "Today, I was like, 'I'm not going to get beat down there,'" Bote said after the celebration. "And then I got that pitch and I was like, 'Just get it into the air.' Hit it as hard as I can to center field. That was the approach. And get underneath it." Bote sent the ball into the center-field batting eye, 442 feet from home plate, according to Statcast. Wrigley Field erupted after what was just the second walk-off grand slam in baseball history with the trailing team down 3-0 in the ninth. And it was the first to come with two out and two strikes. Bote also had a two-out, two-strike, game-tying home run in the ninth inning last month. "I like his self-confidence," manager Joe Maddon said. "He does it in a way that's not offensive. It's not this braggart kind of a thing. It's a humbled confidence. It's really worn well by him." Bote was an 18th-round pick in 2012 but was slow to make his way through Chicago's system until a swing change a couple of years ago clicked for him. He had a strong showing in spring training this year, and when Kris Bryant went down with a shoulder injury, it opened the door for Bote, who hit the Cubs' second walk-off grand slam this season. The last time that happened was in 1980. The ending overshadowed a great pitching duel between Cole Hamels and Scherzer. The former had never heard of Bote before a July trade to the Cubs. "When I came over he was the first player I saw," Hamels said. "Just knowing the type of work he puts in, you have to give him a lot of respect and credit." Bote is hitting .329 after his walk-off home run and is sure to get more playing time down the stretch no matter when Bryant returns from his injury. He's keeping a level head after coming through in several big moments for the Cubs.

"One of the hitting coaches was saying, 'Stay underwater,'" he explained. "Stay where you're at. Keep grinding." Along those lines, Bote was asked how he would celebrate the grand slam. The Cubs have the day off Monday before opening up a crucial series with second-place Milwaukee on Tuesday. "Hang out with my family," he said nonchalantly. -- ESPNChicago.com Joe Maddon, Alex Rodriguez hash out thoughts on Yu Darvish remarks By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon met with ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez to clear the air before Sunday night's game against the Washington Nationals after Rodriguez made controversial comments about right-hander Yu Darvish two weeks ago during a broadcast. "Alex and I had a really nice discussion," Maddon said. "I felt good about it. Hopefully he felt equally the same." Rodriguez indeed echoed Maddon's description of their talk. "We had a brief, very positive conversation," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez also addressed the situation during the Sunday Night Baseball telecast, saying, "We had a very positive, constructive conversation in Joe's office." Maddon was upset after Rodriguez said Darvish was on his own rehab plan as he recovers from a right-elbow ailment while also indicating that this was an issue in the Cubs' clubhouse. Maddon refuted those comments when they were made, and said he told Rodriguez as much Sunday. "When you speak badly about my group it brings out the Hazleton in me," Maddon said, referencing the Pennsylvania town in which he grew up. "I responded very open and candid. ... My job is to protect my brood. It's no different than being a parent." But Maddon strongly denied a report that the meeting with Rodriguez had become heated. "I think it's irresponsible, whoever wrote that. Because that's not true at all," Maddon said after the Cubs' 4-3 walk-off victory over the Nationals. Rodriguez said he wouldn't take back any comments he made that night but feels he and Maddon left it on good terms. "My job is to say it fairly and objectively, and I have 25 years in the game," Rodriguez said. "We don't always have to agree on everything, but I do have a lot of respect for Joe and the Cubs organization -- and that hasn't changed. "Joe and I plan to have drinks together. That's planned. That's in the books." --

NBC Sports Chicago David Bote's story is too unbelievable, even for Hollywood By Tony Andracki Five months ago, David Bote had never stepped foot on the Wrigley Field sod. Sunday night, he was hugging Bill Freakin' Murray on that same hallowed grass.. It's the kind of wild ride you couldn't even write a script about in Hollywood. You'd get turned away for concocting a story too far-fetched to be believed by the masses. Yet this is actually happening to Bote, a 25-year-old rookie from Longmont, Colo. Every time it seems like his rise has reached its plateau, he finds a way to upstage it. But it's going to be pretty difficult to top Sunday night's heroics. A guy nicknamed "Hollywood" (Cole Hamels) was on the mound for the Cubs, but it was a kid taking his 91st career big-league plate appearance that stole the show. Bote's walk-off two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning was not only the best moment of the Cubs' season, but it was one of the best moments in franchise history: "When you round those bases and we got the W and I'm seeing my teammates at home plate jumping around because we got the win, it's magical," Bote said. "It's incredible. It's an unbelievable feeling. It couldn't happen to a better team, a better group of people in that clubhouse. And I'm so blessed and honored to be a part of that." Bote struggled a bit at the plate in the first two games of the Nationals series, going 1-for-7 with 3 strikeouts and a walk. The Nationals were hammering him low and inside Saturday, using sinkers and two-seamers with great effeciency against the rookie. In the span of a day, he realized it, adjusted to it and made the change in game action against a guy (Ryan Madson) who has been one of the best relievers in the game for the last decade-plus. Some veterans with thousands of plate appearances under their belt can't make adjustments like that as fast as a kid playing his 34th career MLB game. "Yesterday, they got me a lot with the two-seam sinkers down and in all game," Bote said. "I knew Madson had the sinker, I knew he had the four-seamer and I had to pick one. "Today, I was like, 'You know, I'm not gonna get beat down there today.' And so the one that was down and away he called a strike, I was like, 'Ugh, I was looking there.' It was a close pitch, obviously I'm just in the heat of the moment. "I got that pitch and I was like, 'Just get it in the air.' That was my thing — hit it as hard as I can to center field and get underneath it. That was my approach."

Obviously that approach worked to perfection. It's not just that Bote hit a grand slam and the Cubs won the game. It was a series-turning play. Instead of the Cubs going into their off-day having just been shut out by the Nationals, dropped a series at home against a team trying to get back into the playoff race and only 2 games ahead in the division, they now dealt a potential knockout blow to Washington, have a 3-game lead in the division and some unreal momentum entering a two-game set with the Brewers Tuesday. And this is the second time Bote has delivered such a huge swing in Cubs momentum, having hit a game-tying homer on an 0-2 pitch in the bottom of the ninth against the Arizona Diamondbacks last month, setting the table for Anthony Rizzo's walk-off a moment later. The best perspective on the whole ordeal is Cole Hamels, who admitted he didn't even know who Bote was when he was traded to the Cubs from the Texas Rangers last month: "This is the ultimate excitement," Hamels said. "It's the thing that when you're a kid in the backyard, and you're visualizing trying to win games, it's always bases loaded, you're down by 3 and you're trying to hit the grand slam. For Bote to be able to do it, what a way to be able to experience that. "I think all of us that were in the clubhouse, you're jumping around and you're trying to get down there as quick as you can. Just the joy that you get to see everybody be in, especially to lead into an off-day. I know we have a big series coming up against Milwaukee, so this is something to really pick our heads up and use this momentum." -- NBC Sports Chicago A rejuvenated Cole Hamels has been a godsend for Cubs’ inconsistent rotation By Tony Andracki Small sample size and all that, but Cole Hamels is doing a damn good job of keeping the narrative relevant that he could be this year's Justin Verlander. Hamels was dealt to the Cubs ahead of the trade deadline last month whereas Verlander was a waiver deal to the Houston Astros last August. But they share a lot in common as veteran starting pitchers with impressive resumes that had appeared to be toward the tailend of their career before a rejuvenation thanks to a late-season trade. Verlander helped the Astros win the World Series last fall and we don't yet know if Hamels will be able to accomplish the same feat in Chicago. Through three starts, the 34-year-old southpaw has been far better than anybody's wildest dreams. After carving through the Nationals' powerhouse lineup Sunday night locked in a pitcher's duel with the likely 2018 NL Cy Young winner (Max Scherzer), Hamels now has a 1.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in a Cubs uniform with 20 strikeouts against only 4 walks in 18 innings. He also has yet to allow an extra-base hit in a Cubs uniform. The only reason he's not 3-0 in those three starts is because the Cubs were unable to provide any support Sunday against Scherzer and the Washington bullpen until David Bote's heroics in the bottom of the ninth.

"It's saying something when you win ballgames here," Hamels said. "I mean, this place is electric. This clubhouse has been outstanding and the energy that we have after the games, that was something special today. "That was a real joy to be a part of obviously the way that it ended, you just have to get credit to all these guys. They fight to the very end. To be able to do this against a tremendous team over there, it just makes it that much sweeter tonight." Hamels had more 1-2-3 innings Sunday night (6) than Jon Lester has the entire second half (3). And the Cubs got him for a 23-year-old pitcher in A-ball and Eddie Butler while also getting the Rangers to kick in enough money to keep Theo Epstein's squad under the luxury tax in 2018. To Joe Maddon, this still looks like the same guy that shut his team down in the 2008 World Series and no-hit the Cubs at Wrigley Field in July 2015. "Of course he's probably been reborn a little bit coming to us right now," Maddon said. "But stuff is high-end, man. If there's any kind of drop-off, it's minimal if at all. Because I'm not seeing it from the side." Hamels is doing all this with an elite changeup which is generating a swing-and-miss nearly half the time he throws it: David Adler

✔ @_dadler Through 5 innings, Cole Hamels has gotten the Nats to whiff on 5 of their 7 swings vs. his changeup. That brings his changeup whiff rate to 47.7% on the season (235 swings, 112 misses) -- now the highest rate among starters, leapfrogging Kenta Maeda. With a wicked changeup like that, you'd think Hamels would go to it all the time. He did in Pittsburgh and used it a bunch against the Nationals Sunday night, but it was not a major part of his game Monday night in Kansas City. Hamels wasn't feeling his changeup against the Royals and instead relied on his curveball. Even when his best pitch isn't working, Hamels' intellect and wide array of pitches gives him plenty of weapons to shut down the other team and now he's rejuvenated with a move back into a postseason race. "I think anytime you get placed into a pennant race, you start to discover a little bit more that's in the tank that you might not necessarily have been able to go down and really gather," Hamels said. "But at the same time, I really was focusing a lot, even when I was down there [in Texas] — trying to correct my mechanics. "That was something that was off and I knew it was off and it was just a matter of trying to identify it. And then putting in the work to get the muscle memory so I could actually go out there and perform at the level I know I'm capable of doing. It's now being able to see that and getting the results, that's how

you build momentum, that's how you get back to what I know I'm capable of doing and that's going out there and helping the team win ballgames." It was a decade ago, but Hamels was named the NLCS and World Series MVP with the Phillies in 2008 as he took down Maddon's Rays in the Fall Classic. All this from a guy who was in the midst of the worst season of his career in Texas (5-9, 4.72 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) before the trade. The Cubs bet on that big-game experience and veteran savviness and it's paid off in a big way so far. "Love the situations," Hamels said. "This is why I play the game. I do love the game of baseball with all my heart. To be in the spotlight in big games against big-time pitchers, that's what I live for. That's what I'm here to go out and try to do. "That's something that has always been what I've enjoyed most about pitching is being on the biggest stage possible." -- NBC Sports Chicago ARod-Cubs drama adds another chapter as he and Joe Maddon have 'candid' conversation at Wrigley Field By Tony Andracki Alex Rodriguez doesn't regret what he said about Yu Darvish last month in St. Louis, but he may soon. This story will not die, but the good news is — Sunday is the Cubs' final Sunday Night Baseball game for the 2018 season. Rodriguez and Joe Maddon had a conversation in the Cubs manager's office before Sunday's tilt against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field and both parties came away feeling "good" and "positive." "It was very good," Maddon said. "Alex and I had a very nice discussion. I felt good about it. Hopefully he felt equally the same. We talked openly about it. "Under those circumstances for me, normally it's one of those things that you speak in a candid manner to one another and then you move on from there. I really believe through that conversation, we have a chance to become pretty good friends." This all started on the Cubs' last ESPN broadcast July 29, when Rodriguez started discussing Yu Darvish's absence due to injury and how it may be perceived negatively in the Cubs clubhouse. Maddon responded that night and then again later in the week as he called Rodriguez "irresponsible." Yu Darvish responded to the whole ordeal last week, making a joke that if ARod texted him, he would screenshot it, print it out and frame it as bulletin-board material. Rodriguez met with Chicago media in the press box at Wrigley Field Sunday, but spent less than a minute on the matter before scurrying off to a "rehearsal" for the game broadcast.

Here are his comments in their entirety: "Yeah, we had a brief, very positive conversation," Rodriguez said. "Look, what's great about this is we all have the same interests — to grow the game, to highlight stories as objectively as we can. "Obviously you guys are in the [media] business, so you know that better than anyone. And yeah, I thought it was a very positive conversation. Would he change anything he did or said? "No, my job is to say it fairly and objectively and I have over 25 years in the game and I'm gonna call it as I see it," Rodriguez said. "We don't always have to agree on everything, but I do have a lot of respect for Joe and obviously the Cubs organization and I have for a long time and that hasn't changed. "As a matter of fact, before I go to rehearsal, Joe and I have plans to have drinks together. So that's planned! That's in the books!" As he said those last lines, Rodriguez was already starting to move away from the throng of Chicago media and when he finished, he broke for the door like he was trying to steal second base. Maddon thought it was a good meeting. ARod felt the same way, apparently, but it's hard to glean any real context from his side of the story when he spent less than a minute addressing the issue. Either way, both parties seem genuinely interested in leaving this little bit of drama in the past. This is an issue that would not have even been possible 10 or 20 years ago, in the days of sports consumption without social media. But Rodriguez's comments went viral immediately after he uttered them in St. Louis and the end result was a fiery Cubs response starting immediately after that game. "For me, it's just about taking care of my group — our group — first," Maddon said. "I've often talked about circling our wagons. It's about what we think first and foremost that matters. Whether it's among the coaches, the clubhouse itself, the ownership, the front office — that's the circle you have to satisfy. "And that's to understand and believe that everything is well and right. For me, it's only about that. And anytime you get any kind of an outside noise coming in, it normally is just outside noise. And you gotta be able to parcel it out and understand it and make sense of it and still keep the integrity of the group together. "My job, I believe, is to protect my brood, quite frankly. It's no different than being a parent. So if you're gonna attack the group from the outside looking in — [the people that] raised me would have it no other way. So when you speak badly of my group — our group — it brings out the Hazleton in me, pretty much. "So I responded, very open and candid about my comments, so we had a great conversation about that and that's pretty much where I come from. I think it's hard to argue against that. I would respect anybody having the same opinion about protecting their brood and why. So that's in a nutshell how I feel about it." --

Chicago Tribune David Bote's walk-off grand slam stuns Nationals, sends Cubs to wild 4-3 victory By Teddy Greenstein This had the feel of a playoff game, starting with the pitching matchup — three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer versus the ace of the Cubs staff. Wait, you didn’t think Cole Hamels would vault to the top of the pyramid after the Cubs acquired him from the Rangers for Eddie Butler and a bag of peanuts? Hamels, 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA before the trade, pitched brilliantly Sunday night in his Cubs home debut, striking out nine and allowing one hit in seven innings. Scherzer was even better. But you know what was best of all? David Bote. The rookie infielder had an all-time moment, hammering a walk-off grand slam in the Cubs’ 4-3 stunner over the Nationals. Bote celebrated in grand style by flinging his helmet to the heavens after turning for home. “When you round those bases and see your teammates at home plate jumping around because we got the win, it’s magical,” Bote said. “An unbelievable feeling.” Bote said he anticipated getting a sinking fastball from closer Ryan Madson on the 2-2 count. And he did. His approach: “Get it in the air. Get underneath it … hit it as hard as I can to center field.” Not bad for a former 18th-round draft pick, a rookie getting his shot mainly because of Kris Bryant’s shoulder injury. “I like his self-confidence,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He shows it in a way that’s not offensive, not in a braggart kind of way.” Maddon later joked, “It was really a boring game, wasn’t it?” And then he called it what it was, a “classic performance.” The Cubs trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, and the rally started unassumingly, with Jason Heyward hitting a one-out dribbler to second. Wilmer Difo, inserted into the game for defense, flubbed it. Madson then hit Albert Almora on the elbow with a pitch. Kyle Schwarber fouled out, but Willson Contreras hung in long enough to take a breaking ball off his left arm. That loaded the bases for Bote, who crushed Madson’s pitch into the batter’s eye in center field. Incredible. “My jersey got shredded,” Bote said with a smile.

Scherzer threw seven shutout innings, fanning 11. After Javier Baez flailed at a 1-2 slider, he tossed up his bat, smacked it and then slammed down his helmet. Remarkably, this came in the third inning. Scherzer got in their heads early. His first pitch came in high and tight enough to Anthony Rizzo that the Wrigley Field crowd went, “Ooooh.” Hamels was nearly his equal, dealing again in his third start for the Cubs. “The energy that we have after the games, that was something special,” he said. The 34-year-old lefty did allow the first Nationals run, which came after a leadoff walk to Ryan Zimmerman in the second. Daniel Murphy singled, and Mark Reynolds skied one to right. Heyward’s throw was off line. Hamels retired the last 18 batters he faced. “What does his birth certificate say?” Maddon asked. “He doesn’t look it. He’s in great shape. “Did you see him swing the bat? This guy will have a significant hit or two before the season’s over. He’s a really good athlete and of course he’s probably been reborn a little coming to us.” Hamels is reborn, and on this night, a rookie gave the Cubs new life. -- Chicago Tribune 3 things we learned from the Nationals-Cubs series By Teddy Greenstein Three things we learned from the Nationals-Cubs series, which ended with the mother of all walk-offs: 1. The Cubs are one gritty bunch. Jason Heyward floored it down the line to help cause a miscue on his soft grounder to second. Albert Almora took a pitch off the elbow. Willson Contreras fouled off three pitches before taking one for the team – another hit by pitch. All that ninth-inning magic was needed to set up David Bote for his walk-off grand slam. “Our guys fight to the end,” veteran starter Cole Hamels said. 2. Joe Maddon has options galore. The Cubs’ skipper craves players like Bote, who can play virtually everywhere on the diamond. (During his 61 games at Triple-A Iowa this season, he saw action at second, short, third and in left field.) That would allow Bote to maintain a role if and when Kris Bryant returns from the disabled list. It also will allow the likes of Ben Zobrist and Kyle Schwarber to stay fresh down the stretch. It makes Maddon’s job easier – and harder considering he said “lineup construction” has been among his greatest challenges in 2018. 3. The rotation could change – or expand.

Few paid much attention to the final three frames of the Cubs’ 9-4 loss to the Nationals on Saturday. But Maddon was struck by Tyler Chatwood’s work, saying: “The last couple of hitters he threw to might have been his sharpest work all year, believe it or not. And he felt the same way.” Maddon cautioned that it was a “first step,” so it’s not as if Chatwood is about to bump off Jon Lester. But if the Cubs expand to a six-man rotation in September and Yu Darvish can’t answer the call, Chatwood could reclaim a spot. -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon and ESPN's Alex Rodriguez make peace before Sunday's game over Yu Darvish comments By Teddy Greenstein Cubs manager Joe Maddon made an emphatic point during an afternoon meeting with the ESPN crew calling Sunday night’s Nationals-Cubs game: He will defend his players. “My job, I believe, is to protect my brood,” Maddon said. “Quite frankly, it’s no different than being a parent.” After ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez went after Yu Darvish during a Sunday night telecast two weeks ago, Maddon slammed the three-time American League MVP on WSCR-AM 670, calling Rodriguez’s comments “plastic, probably rehearsed … and contrived.” The two made peace Sunday. “Alex and I had a really nice discussion,” Maddon said. “I felt good about it. Hopefully he felt the same. We talked openly about it. Under those circumstances for me, you speak in a candid manner and then you move on. I really believe through that conversation that we have a chance to be pretty good friends.” Rodriguez took two questions in the dining room near the ESPN broadcast booth, saying: “We had a brief, very positive conversation. What’s great about this is we all have the same interests — to grow the game, to highlight stories as objectively as we can. You guys are in the business, so you know that better than anyone. I thought it was a very positive conversation.” The Athletic reported that “tempers flared” during the pregame meeting, but Maddon denied that, calling the report “irresponsible.” Rodriguez had suggested on air that Darvish’s teammates felt the injured pitcher was being coddled. “When you have a guy that signed an enormous contract and is sitting down and you walk in the training room and he’s got two trainers working on him, you should be in Arizona somewhere getting treated,” Rodriguez said July 29. Asked Sunday if he regretted his remarks, Rodriguez replied: “No, my job is to say it fairly and objectively. Over 25 years in the game, I call it as I see it. ... We don’t always have to agree on everything, but I do have a lot of respect for Joe and obviously the Cubs organization. … As a matter of fact … Joe and I plan to have drinks together. So that’s in the books.” Earlier Sunday, Maddon said: “I’ve talked about circling our wagons. It’s about what we think first and foremost that matters. Whether it’s among the coaches, the clubhouse itself, ownership, front office,

that’s the circle you have to satisfy. For me it’s about that, and anytime you have any outside noise coming in, you have to parcel it out and make sense of it and keep the integrity of the group together.” Maddon said the people who raised him in small-town Pennsylvania — parents, aunts, uncles, coaches — “would have it no other way. So when you speak badly of our group, it brings out the Hazleton in me.” Maddon said the issue is now in the past: “Listen, I’m not here to battle with anybody. I want to believe that it will be a nice first step to building a great relationship with Alex.” Tee time: Maddon will host the third Try Not to Suck Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday at Bryn Mawr Country Club. Former Cubs and celebrities expected to attend include Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Ferguson Jenkins, Rick Sutcliffe, Bob Dernier, Steve Trout and actor Joel Murray. Proceeds go to charities, including the Hazleton Integration Project. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs-Nationals rivalry has become theater of the absurd By Paul Sullivan Something odd usually happens when the Cubs and Nationals get together, making for some of the more fascinating games of the season. It was evident in October during Game 5 of their Division Series encounter in Washington when Willson Contreras picked Jose Lobaton off first base in the eighth inning of the Cubs’ wild 9-8 victory. It was evident Friday afternoon in the series opener at Wrigley Field when Contreras picked Juan Soto off first in the eighth inning of another frenzied 3-2 Cubs win. And it was evident Saturday in Game 2 when Ryan Zimmerman drove in six runs off Jon Lester in the first four innings of the Nats’ 9-4 rout. If history is any guide, something strange is bound to happen Sunday night in the series finale when Cole Hamels faces Nationals ace Max Scherzer in Hamels’ home debut and first start at Wrigley since throwing a no-hitter against the Cubs in 2015. Since the start of the Joe Maddon era in 2015, the Cubs-Nationals rivalry has been must-see baseball, and fans are into every pitch. “It’s Wrigley Field on a weekend, and we’re playing a great team,” Anthony Rizzo said after Friday’s win. “The intensity is usually always up with the Nationals here.” It’s theater of the absurd, served with some delicious digs from managers, owners, players and analysts. Maddon noted the games are always “neck and neck,” whether it’s during the season or in their sole playoff encounter. “We battled them again, and I anticipate, what, six more games with them?” he said. “I think they’re going to be very similar.” Heading into Saturday’s game, the Cubs had won 13 of the 23 regular-season games since ’15 while being outscored 98-90 and beat the Nationals 3-2 in the NLDS despite being outscored 20-17.

The rivalry began to heat up in May 2016 when the Cubs walked Bryce Harper 12 times during a four-game sweep, taking the bat out of his hand and frequently forcing Zimmerman to step up. The strategy worked, especially in the Sunday finale when Harper walked six times — three intentionally. While manager Dusty Baker sniffed “some teams aren’t running from Bryce,” Maddon countered it was all about lineup construction. “It had nothing to do with competing or not competing,” he said. “I have to look out for the best interests of us first. I'll never look out for what's in the best interest of the Washington Senators-slash-Nationals.” Throwing shade at the Nationals was starting to become a habit. During the team’s visit to the White House in June 2017, Cubs board member Todd Ricketts told President Donald Trump the Cubs would meet the Nationals in the playoffs. “You'll see them crumble,” Ricketts said. "Probably will,” Trump replied. Of course the two met again in October, just as Ricketts had predicted, and the insanity continued. With the series tied 1-1, Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Game 3 before giving up his first hit with one out, and then was removed. Scherzer said he agreed with Baker’s decision, noting he was “just juiced out of my mind with adrenaline." The Cubs won on Rizzo’s bloop RBI single in the eighth after Baker declined to walk him with first base open, prompting Rizzo to scream from second base: “Respect me, respect me.” When Stephen Strasburg begged out of starting Game 4 because of illness, ESPN analyst David Ross, the lovable “Grandpa” to Cubs fans, ripped the Nationals pitcher for not sucking it up for the big game: “You want to know why the Washington Nationals can't get over the hump? That tells me a lot about him. I don't know about that clubhouse, but that tells me a lot about him if these reports are true. … If I'm his teammate and I walk in the clubhouse the next day, I can't make eye contact with this dude. This is as bad as it gets for me as a teammate." A-Rod would’ve been proud. As it turned out, Strasburg started and shut down the Cubs, leading to the Game 5 in Washington that had a little bit of everything. “That’s the only clinching game I’m never going to watch a single highlight of,” Cubs President Theo Epstein said afterward. “I’m never going to watch a video of it. I don’t even think it really happened.” In the end, Ricketts was prescient: The Nats had crumbled. Now we’re in Year 4 of the Maddon vs. Nats saga, with Dave Martinez moving to the opposite dugout to match wits against his longtime friend and boss. Harper finally is in his walk year, the Nationals are struggling to get to the postseason and the Cubs are hanging on at the top of the National League Central. With Jeremy Hellickson taking a no-hitter in the sixth inning Friday, Rizzo’s 13-pitch at-bat led to a walk that ignited a two-run rally in the Cubs’ comeback win. A crowd of 41,531 increased the volume on every foul ball off Rizzo’s bat.

“It makes your hair stick up a little bit,” Rizzo said. When Contreras picked Soto off first in the eighth, he pumped his fist and punctuated the moment by screaming an obscenity. Your hair stuck back up a little more. This is what baseball is supposed to be. -- Chicago Sun-Times David Bote’s walk-off slam caps game that featured Hamels-Scherzer duel By Chris Kuc Few events could upstage the classic pitchers’ duel waged by Cubs left-hander Cole Hamels and Nationals ace Max Scherzer on Sunday night at Wrigley Field. But David Bote did the trick. Pinch-hitting with the bases loaded and two outs, Bote launched a two-strike grand slam to propel the Cubs to a stunning 4-3 victory against the Nats. The homer to straightaway center field — followed by an epic bat flip — sent the crowd of 36,490 and Bote’s teammates into bedlam. “When you round those bases and we got the ‘W’ and I’m seeing my teammates at home plate jumping around because we got the win, it’s just magical,” Bote said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. It couldn’t happen to a better team, a better group of people in that clubhouse that I’m so blessed and honored to be a part of.” Bote became the first Cub to hit a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam since Earl Averill did it against the Milwaukee Braves on May 12, 1959. Making it even more special was that it backed a marvelous pitching performance from Hamels, who was making his Wrigley Field debut in a Cubs uniform. Hamels yielded one run and one hit, walked one and struck out nine, and at one point, he retired 18 Nationals in order before being lifted in the top of the eighth after throwing 98 pitches, 61 for strikes. He had to be that good because Scherzer also was dealing. “Anytime you go up against Scherzer or [Stephen] Strasburg over there in Washington, it’s going to be a tough battle,” Hamels said. “You can’t give in, and you have to be able to control the game. Being here in Wrigley, getting the fans behind you and getting that momentum gives you a little bit of a jolt of energy that you can use.” No jolt was bigger than Bote’s blast. “This is the ultimate excitement,” said Hamels, who is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in three starts with the Cubs since being acquired in a trade with the Rangers on July 27. “It’s the thing that when you’re a kid in the backyard and you’re visualizing trying to win games, it’s always bases loaded, you’re down by three and you’re trying to hit the grand slam. ‘‘For Bote to be able to do it, what a way to be able to experience that.”

Almost lost in the excitement was the effort from Scherzer. He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts. Scherzer at one point mowed down 14 Cubs in order before departing after 106 pitches, 71 for strikes. “Those guys threw an unbelievable game,” Bote said. “That was incredible to watch. Just the precision, the execution [on] both sides. That was a great game to be a part of. Hats off to Hamels, hats off to Scherzer.” Ultimately, hats off to Bote, who helped the Cubs rally after it appeared the Nationals had put the game away with two runs in the ninth inning off reliever Brandon Kintzler. But the Cubs didn’t quit. Jason Heyward singled with one out, Albert Almora Jr. was hit by a pitch from reliever Ryan Madson, and an out later, Willson Contreras also was plunked with a pitch to load the bases. Bote then laced a 2-2 fastball from Madson 442 feet into the night. “It was a really boring game, wasn’t it?” manager Joe Maddon said with tongue planted firmly in cheek. “It was low-scoring, no hits, probably a little bit over three hours. It was really an awful game to be viewed late at night on the East Coast.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Alex Rodriguez and Joe Maddon make nice after A-Rod’s comments about Yu Darvish By Chris Kuc The discord between Cubs manager Joe Maddon and ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez apparently has been laid to rest. They met before the Cubs’ game Sunday night against the Nationals at Wrigley Field to discuss a verbal dustup that took place after Rodriguez suggested on a broadcast two weeks ago that there was a lack of support in the clubhouse for Yu Darvish while he recovers from an arm injury. Maddon fired back at Rodriguez a couple of days later during an interview on The Score (670-AM), calling Rodriguez’s comments “contrived” and “irresponsible.” On Sunday, Maddon and Rodriguez cleared the air, both saying it was a productive discussion, and Maddon went as far as to suggest a friendship could develop. “Alex and I had a really nice discussion; I felt good about it,” Maddon said. “Hopefully, he felt the same. We talked openly about it and under those circumstances, for me, it’s normally one of those things that you speak in a candid manner to one another, and you move on from there. I really believe through that conversation that we have a chance to become pretty good friends.” For his part, Rodriguez said it was a “very positive conversation. What’s great about this is that we all have the same interest, to grow the game [and] to highlight stories as objectively as we can.” Rodriguez was then asked if he would change anything about the situation.

“No,” he said. “My job is to say it fairly and objectively, and I have over 25 years in the game, and I’m going to call it as I see them. We don’t always have to agree on everything, but I do have a lot of respect for Joe and obviously the Cubs’ organization and I have for a long time, and that hasn’t changed.” Maddon made it clear that he will always defend his group. “My job, I believe, is to protect my brood, quite frankly,” Maddon said. “It’s no different than being a parent.” After the game, Maddon refuted a report that said the conversation was heated. Mr. 1,000 A day after getting his 1,000th career hit during the Cubs’ 9-4 loss to the Nationals, Anthony Rizzo took early batting practice, first hitting off a tee and then a pitcher. “I’ve been fortunate to pretty much stay healthy my entire career so far,” Rizzo said. “Obviously, it’s a nice milestone.” Rizzo remembered his first hit, which came as a 21-year-old with the Padres. “Left-center, Livan Hernandez, a triple, 10-15 pounds lighter, a couple of years younger,” Rizzo said with a smile. “It’s not easy to get a hit in this game ever, so to be able to do that is very special.” Talk it out The Cubs’ pitching staff has plenty of new faces with the recent additions of Jesse Chavez, Jorge De La Rosa and Cole Hamels. That means catcher Willson Contreras has had to quickly develop a rapport with the veteran hurlers. “It’s not too hard,” Contreras said of finding common ground. “They have a lot of experience; they know what to do. We just have to stay in communication like we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks. My communication has been really good. They’re open to try ideas, and they listen to what I have to say. Communication is really important in this game, especially in these last two months.” Minor move Reliever Anthony Bass (right mid-thoracic sprain) was activated off the 10-day disabled list and outrighted to Class AAA Iowa. The Cubs’ 40-man roster stands at 39. -- Daily Herald Bote's slam in ninth wins it for Chicago Cubs By Bruce Miles It was going to take some kind of heroics to upstage the classic, retrofitted pitching duel put on by the Cubs' Cole Hamels and the Nationals' Max Scherzer on Sunday night at Wrigley Field.

Enter rookie pinch hitter David Bote. Exit baseball, via a grand slam to center field off reliever Ryan Madson with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Cubs to an improbable 4-3 victory before a national TV audience. Many in the crowd of 36,490 hung around just to watch Bote being interviewed on the field after the game and getting a Gatorade bath. "It's a great feeling," said the 25-year-old Bote, who has been up and back between the Cubs and Class AAA Iowa all season. He has been getting a chance lately with third baseman Kris Bryant on the disabled list. "The teammates that we have on this team that support every single guy, we're in it from Pitch 1 every single day. "When you round those bases and we got the 'W' and I'm seeing my teammates at home plate jumping around because we got the win, it's magical. It's incredible. It's an unbelievable feeling. It couldn't happen to a better team, a better group of people in that clubhouse. And I'm so blessed and honored to be a part of (it)." Bote's homer, his third of the season, came on a 1-2 count from Madson, and it sailed out with an exit velocity of 110 mph. It also took the talking points away from what was a wonderful pitching matchup between two veterans. The Cubs' Hamels, acquired recently in a trade with Texas, gave up only 1 hit in 7 innings. He allowed a run in the second inning on a walk, a single and a sacrifice fly. The Nats scored what appeared to be 2 key insurance runs off reliever Brandon Kintzler in the top of the ninth. Scherzer, perhaps the best pitcher in the National League, worked 7 shutout innings, giving up 3 hits while striking out 11. "Those guys threw an unbelievable game today," Bote said. "I mean that was incredible to watch, just the precision, the execution, both sides. That was a great game to be a part of. Hats off to Hamels. Hats off to Scherzer." Bote also saluted right fielder Jason Heyward for running out his one-out ninth-inning bouncer that Nats second baseman Wilmer Difo fumbled for an infield hit. Madson hit Albert Almora Jr. with a pitch before getting Kyle Schwarber to pop out. Willson Contreras was hit with another Madson pitch, setting up Bote's heroics. Hamels got a no-decision. In 3 starts with the Cubs, he is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and has breathed life into a starting rotation in desperate need of innings. He also is liking this Cubs celebration stuff. "It's saying something when you win ballgames here," said Hamels, who pitched a no-hitter at Wrigley as a member of the Phillies in 2015. "This place is electric. This clubhouse has been outstanding, and the energy that we have after the games, that was something special today. That was a real joy to be a part of, and, obviously, the way that it ended, you just have to give credit to all these guys. They fight to the very end.

"To be able to do this against a tremendous team over there, it just makes it that much sweeter tonight." -- Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' Maddon happy to talk things out with Rodriguez By Bruce Miles Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon met face to face with ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez before Sunday night's game at Wrigley Field and got out what he had to say. It's routine for the national broadcast teams to meet with the opposing managers on the afternoon of the game. Sunday was the first time Maddon was able to confront Rodriguez about Rodriguez's comments two weeks ago that Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish's long rehab from injury was a distraction to the club and one that could cause him to lose respect in the clubhouse. Maddon was not happy with those comments, and he made those feelings known on his weekly radio show. He said he had a "candid" conversation with Rodriguez on Sunday. However, Maddon termed "irresponsible" a story in The Athletic, which reported that a "heated argument erupted" between him and Rodriguez. "Good, it was very good," Maddon said during his pregame chat with reporters who cover the Cubs. "Alex and I had a really nice discussion. I felt good about it. Hopefully he felt equally the same. "We talked openly about it. Under those circumstances, for me, it's normally one of those things that you speak in a candid manner to one another and then you move on from there. I really believe through that conversation we have a chance to become pretty good friends. "For me it's just about taking care of my group first, our group first. I've often talked about circling our wagons. It's about what we think first and foremost that matters, whether it's among the coaches, the clubhouse itself, the ownership, the front office. That's the circle you have to satisfy." Rodriguez spent less than one minute talking with the Chicago media in the press-box dining room. "We had a brief, very positive conversation," the former major-league star said. "What's great about this is we all have the same interests to grow the game, to highlight stories as objectively as we can. Obviously you guys are in the business so you know that better than anyone. I thought it was a very positive conversation." Rodriguez was asked if he'd do anything over again. He seemed to have no regrets. "My job is to say it fairly and objectively," he said. "I have over 25 years in the game, and I'm going to call it as I see it. We don't always have to agree on everything. But I do have a lot of respect for Joe and the Cubs organization, and I have for a long time. That hasn't changed. As a matter of fact … Joe and I plan to have drinks together. So that's planned. That's in the books. Thanks, guys." And with that, he walked off.

Darvish, whom the Cubs signed to a six-year, $126 million contract on the eve of spring training, has not pitched since May 20 because of right-triceps tendinitis. Maddon is known as a players manager, one who is protective of his group. "Anytime you get any kind of outside noise coming in, it normally just is outside noise," he said. "And you've got to be able to parcel it out and understand it and make sense of it and still keep the integrity of the group together. My job, I believe, is to protect my brood, quite frankly. It's no different than being a parent." Maddon then referred to his hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and those who raised him, from parents to coaches. "When you speak badly of my group, our group, it brings out the Hazleton in me, pretty much," he said. "I responded, very open and candid about my comments. So we had a great conversation about that, and that's pretty much where I come from." In the end, Maddon said the situation with Rodriguez is over. "Absolutely, for me it is," he said. "No question. Actually it was in the past since the day I said what I had to say (on the radio show), he said what he had to say. We talked about it some more today and hopefully I'm looking forward to building a good relationship with him, a great relationship with him." --