Despite loss to Brewers, Cubs' Maddon staying the course with Zobrist
MILWAUKEE - Tempted as he might be to do otherwise, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Friday he'll stick to his plan with veteran Ben Zobrist.
That means not playing Zobrist every day, even as he is off to a good start after coming off the restricted list.
Zobrist started and led off the series finale against the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field and the first two games at Milwaukee, including Friday night's 7-1 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park. With the St. Louis Cardinals losing at Pittsburgh, the Cubs remained 2½ games out of first place in the National League Central.
From the beginning, the Cubs said Zobrist was coming back after nearly four months away as something other than an everyday player.
In his first start on Tuesday, Zobrist went 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored against the Mariners. In Thursday night's 10-5 win over the Brewers, he was on base all 5 times up.
"Remember when we talked about when he was in the minor leagues (on a rehab assignment), I said whatever he's doing there, he's going to be able to do here" Maddon said. "I think that'll continue. No, I'm not going to come off the plan. Listen to him. He'll play today, and he'll be scheduled off for (Saturday). Then we schedule him back on for Sunday.
"He looks good. He's moving around really well. But I think you've just got to be careful. If it looks like toward the middle of the month, end of the month, that he's in really good and ready to rock and roll shape, maybe spread it out a little bit farther. But for right now, I think it's wise to stay within the lanes."
The Cubs missed Zobrist's clubhouse presence, not to mention his approach at the plate, while he was away tending to family issues.
With the Cubs fighting for both the NL Central title or a wild-card spot, Zobrist could be a key for them down the stretch in the leadoff spot.
Even the 38-year-old Zobrist seemed surprised by his fast restart.
"You get on base every time, that's the goal, right?" he said. "It was great to be out there (Thursday) and be on base a lot."
Zobrist was the MVP of the 2016 World Series for the Cubs. His return to the club has been a seamless one.
"Well, we know each other pretty well," he said. "And we believe in each other. It's easy to want to battle with these guys because we've been through some stuff together. It feels comfortable. There's a comfort level between the majority of this group, and we've been around each other.
"There's no guessing. You kind of know who people are. You know how they're going to react in certain situations. You've seen guys come through in the past in big situations, and it doesn't really faze you."
Friday was a quiet night for Zobrist and the Cubs as a team on a forgettable Friday night. Zobrist went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts.
The Cubs did manage a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Nicholas Castellanos' 24th homer of the year (13th with the Cubs). The homer came against Brewers starting pitcher Zach Davies.
But Cubs starter Cole Hamels did not have it, as he lasted just 3⅓ innings, giving up 9 hits and 5 runs. Included was a 3-run homer by Christian Yelich, his 44th of the season, in the Brewers' 4-run third, when they sent nine men to the plate. The Brewers chased Hamels with another run in the fourth.