Not starting Schwarber 'not difficult' decision
ST. LOUIS - Despite going 2-for-3 with a walk in Game 1 of the National League division series Friday night, Kyle Schwarber was not in the Chicago Cubs' lineup Saturday.
Manager Joe Maddon held the left-handed hitting Schwarber out against Cardinals starting pitcher, lefty Jaime Garcia. During the regular season, Schwarber batted just .143 against left-handed pitching with 2 homers. Against righties, he hit .278 with 14 homers.
For Game 2, Maddon started Austin Jackson in left field.
"It's not difficult," Maddon said of the decision. "His body of work this year against lefties in general has not been very good. I believe he's going to be better in the future with that. But why have these other guys on the roster if not going to utilize them?"
Maddon said he had not seen Garcia pitch, and that even though Garcia tends to be a "reverse-splits" lefty, he is "trending back toward being more conventional."
As for Schwarber, Maddon said he believes the rookie will hit left-handed pitching as his career progresses.
"I guess he's hit lefties in the past," the manager said. "That's what I've been told. I really believe that he will He's seeing good lefties. He's not just seeing pedestrian left-handers right now."
Game 4 possibilities:
Now that the Cubs-Cardinals NLDS will go at least four games, Joe Maddon will have to make a decision about a Game 4 starting pitcher. Ace Jake Arrieta will start Game 3 on Monday at Wrigley Field.
Maddon has mentioned Jason Hammel as a possible, and perhaps likely, starter for Tuesday's game. Although the Cubs could bring Jon Lester back on short rest to pitch Game 4, Maddon said that isn't likely.
"I don't think we will," he said. "We haven't talked about that in advance. I'm not saying we won't, but we haven't even uttered that to this point."
It's more likely that Lester would pitch in a Game 5, if necessary, in St. Louis on Thursday.
A good morning:
The Cubs plan a light workout Sunday at Wrigley Field ahead of Monday's third game of the NLDS.
"Tomorrow will be breakfast at Wrigley, by the way," Joe Maddon said Saturday. "I just want to make sure you guys (media members) understand that … So (we) go home tonight, have a day off tomorrow. We're going to have some breakfast at Wrigley, enjoy our optional batting practice, watch some NFL football on the big screen and then get ready for the next game."
Worry, worry:
Joe Maddon says it's OK for fans to worry about the Cubs.
"Be a fan, please be a fan," he said. "Enjoy every moment of this. That's the thing I think needs to be understood. We're in a unique position right now. We have worked very hard to get here, and if you're a fan and don't enjoy this, if you're a player and don't enjoy that, then you're not really doing this properly.
"So from my perspective, fans, continue to worry, please. From our perspective, we have to just go and play."
This and that:
Staring pitcher Kyle Hendricks recorded an RBI on a squeeze bunt in the second inning. Before that, the last Cubs pitcher to drive in a run on a sacrifice bunt in a postseason game was Ed Ruelbach, when he scored Joe Tinker in Game 2 of the 1906 World Series vs. the White Sox. …
Hector Rondon became the first Cubs pitcher to record a save in the postseason since Mike Remlinger in Game 3 of the 2003 NLCS against the Marlins. Rondon joined Joe Borowski as the only Cubs pitchers to record a save in a division series game. Borowski did it in Game 1 of the 2003 NLDS in Atlanta.