Chicago Cubs' Maddon says Darvish mentallly strong

The Chicago Cubs open a rare home-and-home set with the Atlanta Braves this week.

A rainout on April 15 necessitated Monday's makeup game between the two teams. When that's over, both clubs will fly to Atlanta to begin a three-game series.

The Cubs are holding right-hander Yu Darvish back until Tuesday, even though he is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list Monday.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon is aware there is a perception the Cubs are keeping Darvish from pitching at Wrigley Field so that he doesn't get booed at home again. Sooner or later, though, Darvish will have to pitch in his home park. He is on the DL after he battled a flu-like illness.

"We just took advantage of the schedule," Maddon said Sunday. "I know that's going to be easy to look at and say that we did do that. But just trying to gather as much time as we can coming off of being ill and that fact that we could.

"We just decided to go ahead and do that. If that day was not available, if it did not turn out this way regarding the days in between starts, we could not have done it, and he would have pitched. Because we could, we chose to do it that way."

Maddon added he believes Darvish's mental state is strong.

"The guy's been really good for so many years," he said. "He's got an outstanding arm. I think sometimes he gets a little bit speeded up in what he's doing. He and I have talked about that. But there's too much success there to be worried about that.

"He would not be in the position he is if that were in fact true. I just think there are things he needs to do to slow things down, not unlike some other guys I've worked with who have pitched for a bit or played for a bit.

"I think it's more that. It's just having the skill set in game to control things better."

Not quite yet for Heyward:

Right fielder Jason Heyward is eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list Monday, but Joe Maddon said that will not happen.

Heyward is expected to travel with the team to Atlanta.

"There's nothing new to report, necessarily, but he's not going to play (Monday)," Maddon said. "He won't be activated."

Honoring Jackie Robinson:

The Cubs and the Atlanta Braves will honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson during Monday's makeup game, with players wearing uniform No. 42 in honor of Robinson breaking the modern-day color line in 1947.

The anniversary of that game was April 15, but the Cubs and Braves were rained out that day at Wrigley Field.