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Chicago Cubs' Heyward getting extra hitting work

Struggling Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward took his extra hitting work outside Wednesday, about five hours before the start of the game against the White Sox at Wrigley Field.

Heyward entered the game with a line of .228/.315/.315 with 4 homers and 28 RBI. Since the all-star break, he was at .108/.175/.135.

Heyward worked with hitting coach John Mallee, taking swings on pitches "soft-tossed" to him.

Manager Joe Maddon said Heyward and Mallee had been working on the same things inside in the batting cage as well.

Maddon was asked what the work was aimed at achieving.

"To get the ball in the air a little bit more, specifically," he said. "And they have. His groundball rate compared to last year is significantly better, actually. I think if you break it down, the batted ball in play (average) has been really unlucky this year.

"I've been through this before with some really good players. He'll come out the other side because he's good. He's working at it, and I really like the plan of attack he and John have going right now.

"I'm very patient. I've done this for a bit. I was a hitting instructor myself. I know what it takes. You don't always get overnight results when you're trying to make some dramatic adjustments, and that's exactly what's going on.

"I know people are going to get less patient with it than I will or we will. The biggest thing is that Jason doesn't get impatient. The actual player himself, you just don't want to give up on what he's doing. If he doesn't, he's going to break through."

According to FanGraphs, Heyward's groundball percentage was 48.7 entering Wednesday, down from last year's 57.2. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .273. League average is about .300.

Another for Montero:

Miguel Montero made his third straight start at catcher Wednesday. David Ross started Sunday's series finale at Milwaukee. Willson Contreras got his most recent start last Saturday.

Joe Maddon said the idea is to give rookie Contreras a break.

"It's not hard to do," Maddon said. "You've got to look at a kid and understand that he might need a little bit of a break right now. He's not played this much, and he's not going to play as much as he's going to late into September and October. We've got to be mindful of that. I just thought it was the right time to give him a break.

"I also believe Miggy looks better at the plate. Miggy's been working some really good at-bats. He looks kind of fresh to me right now, and I like his at-bats."

Maddoneadded that Contreras would catch John Lackey in Thursday's finale with against the White Sox.

Maybe again?

Joe Maddon said he would welcome back reliever Clayton Richard, who was designated for assignment Tuesday to make room for Aroldis Chapman. Richard, an important part of the pen last year, had a rough go this season, going 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA.

"This guy is one of the best you're ever going to find in a clubhouse," Maddon said. "He's just a solid human being, a professional. Absolutely would love to have him back."

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