Cubs' Baez bounces back with big day

Javier Baez enjoyed his best day in the major leagues in a while Friday in the Chicago Cubs' 14-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.

Baez went 3-for-4 with his first big-league homer of the season and a walk. He also started at second base and moved to third base after the game got out of hand.

"I feel really good," the 22-year-old Baez said. "As long as I keep my approach there, it will be fine."

Baez spent the season at Class AAA Iowa before coming up Sept. 1. He had hoped to make the club out of spring training, but that didn't happen. He injured his finger early in the season and endured the death of his sister, with whom he was very close.

After the home run, he pointed skyward.

"I do it every time, and in this game for my sister, too," he said.

Manager Joe Maddon likes what he sees.

"He did a lot of things really well today," Maddon said. "You watch him out there, and I watch him real closely. He's got a tension-free kind of a game. He's very loose on the field. He's got a really good way out there now.

"Heads up. It's going to be really fun to watch for many years."

Getting closer:

Significant progress has been made in the "triangle" lot area to the immediate west of the Wrigley Field building.

So much progress has been made that the Cubs say workers will "cap" the lot by next Thursday, meaning work then can begin underneath on the new home clubhouse and related facilities. The new clubhouse is scheduled to be ready by Opening Day next year.

Last spring, workers began digging a hole in the lot and then putting up supports.

Hello, home plate:

Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester had never scored a run in the big leagues until Friday, when he scored twice. He rode home on Addison Russell's homer in the fourth and on Chris Coghlan's walk in the fifth.

"First time crossing home plate," he said. "There's a first for everything. It took me nine years to do it but better late than never. Little bit easier when it's a home run, too. You don't have to worry about too much. Just jog around the bases. The biggest thing out there is you don't want to, obviously, make a fool of yourself, run into outs or anything like that. Try not to mess up, and try to get other guys RBIs when you can."