Despite loss, Chicago Cubs' Happ has big debut

ST. LOUIS - Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon had just one bit of advice for Ian Happ before Happ's major-league debut Saturday at Busch Stadium.

"I just told him, again, to enjoy the moment: 'You deserve to be here,'" Maddon said before the Cubs' 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. "I told him I didn't know if it was going to be a week or the whole season, 'but don't worry about that. Just go play. Don't change anything you've been doing. Spring training was pretty good. What you're doing right now is pretty good. But don't think you have to do anything differently today.'"

Happ had a big day. His first major-league hit was a 2-run homer in the seventh inning. He might have had a hit earlier, but hit hard-hit grounder past first baseman Matt Carpenter was called an error in the fifth. In that same inning, he was called out for interference after sliding past second base. The play resulted in an inning-ending double play.

"That was a lot going on in a baseball game," he said.

The Cubs selected Happ's contract from Class AAA Iowa before the game, and they optioned relief pitcher Felix Pena back to Iowa. Happ came up because of various ailments and injuries to Cubs players: a tight back for veteran Ben Zobrist, a stomach virus for Kris Bryant and back spasms for Jon Jay.

Happ, 22, was the Cubs' first-round draft pick in 2015. His call-up puts all five of the Cubs' recent first-round picks on the major-league roster: Javier Baez (2011), Albert Almora Jr. (2012), Kris Bryant (2013), Kyle Schwarber (2014) and Happ.

At Iowa, Happ was batting .298 (31-for-104) with 6 doubles, 9 homers and 25 RBI in 26 games. Defensively this season, the six-foot, 205-pound Happ has seen action at second base (16 games, all starts), center field (6 games, 4 starts), right field (4 games, 3 starts) and left field (3 games, 1 start).

He went to spring training with the Cubs as a nonroster invitee.

"I felt good about what I did in spring," he said. "I felt good about being up there, being a sponge, picking all these guys' brains. I was excited to go to Iowa and compete there, and I'm fortunate I ended up here.

"It's good to be healthy, good to come back feeling strong. I've been locked in the last few days. It's been good."

Trying to play through it:

Ben Zobrist said he did not need a stint on the disabled list despite lingering lower-back tightness.

"It's never totally gone away," he said. "I've just been playing through it. It was a little worse yesterday after the travel and Denver, doubleheader, off-day, all that stuff. I was hopeful that the off-day would really help, and it probably just stiffened up a little worse after that. But you've got to play through that stuff.

"We had a bunch of guys banged up, so sometimes you've got to play through it. Now we've got a couple of young guys up, Happy (Ian Happ) and Candy (Jeimer Candelario), who are going to help spell those of us who are banged up right now. It's good."

Still bugging Bryant:

Kris Bryant was still a no-go Saturday, one day after coming up ill just before game time.

"I saw him on the way out last night," Joe Maddon said. "You could see something was kicking his butt. I don't know exactly, virus wise, what it is. He was hurting, even just to eat and holding food down was not comfortable. I don't know, but I just know that he was not good last night."