Maddon has no plans to bench Heyward

There's no doubt that Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward has endured a tough season at the plate, but don't look for him to see significant time on the bench.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon rested Heyward, center fielder Dexter Fowler and second baseman Ben Zobrist Friday. The outfield replacements, Jorge Soler and Matt Szczur, came through with big days.

Heyward was 1-for-4 in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Cardinals, and his batting average for the season is just .227. But he has brought outstanding defense and baserunning to the Cubs. Maddon said he also doesn't want overexpose his younger players. Already, rookie Willson Contreras is getting time behind the plate and in left field, and young infielder Javier Baez is playing all over the diamond.

"That's not part of the plan," Maddon said of benching Heyward, who is in the first year of an eight-year, $184 million contract. "Did you ever stop and consider that (the young players) are doing so well because they're not playing every day? That's the part that some people sometimes misinterpret. It's almost like perfect the way we're able to dole out the work with all of them right now, Soler coming back off an injury, Contreras probably having to play an extra month or so that he's never done before.

"Javy, trying to keep him in the mix and improving his contact rate while utilizing his defense. The National League game, even though every guy doesn't start, permits us to use these guys almost daily. There's also something to be said for not playing somebody every day in effect to really promote their development as well as their performance."

Getting through August:

The dog days of August are here, and even though the Cubs have been winning lately, Joe Maddon wants to keep his players fresh for September, which he says provides its own energy.

"I want them to rest," he said. "I want them to show up later. I want them to do their mental stuff as much as they want wit their routine, but I prefer that physically that they would do less work. That's the part that concerns me."

This and that:

The Cardinals' Randal Grichuk hit a grand slam Saturday on his 25th birthday. He became the first Cardinals player to homer on his birthday since Allen Craig on July 18, 2012 ... Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 1.31 ERA at home this season in 13 games. He became the fourth Cubs starting pitcher in the last 30 years to allow 3 or fewer earned runs in 15 straight starts.