No decisions on Chicago Cubs' roster for playoffs
The Cubs have had preliminary meetings about the roster for the National League division series, but they say no decisions have been made.
"What I said the other day still stands: We had a couple meetings, let it marinate a couple days," said general manager Jed Hoyer. "We have plenty of time to make these decisions. We'll keep revisiting the stuff over the course of the weekend, the first of next week, and see where we are.
"Part of it, too, is talking about the different ways we want to use our guys in the last 10 games. We do have the luxury of being able to put guys in different spots we want to see them potentially in October. We'll probably look to do that."
The Cubs may opt for an extra bench player over an extra pitcher for the postseason. For much of the regular season, the Cubs carried 13 pitchers on the 25-man roster.
"That was a big part of the conversation," Hoyer said. "Looking at that breakdown, we went through what other teams have done over the last four or five years and looked at that and our own roster and what decisions we have to make. We're not there yet as far as making those decisions."
A nice tribute:
Backup catcher David Ross got a big surprise before the game when the Cubs honored him with a video tribute and a presentation at home plate. Ross' family was on hand. Among the gifts he received were a numeral "3" (his uniform number) from the center-field scoreboard and home plate from Jake Arrieta's no-hitter in Cincinnati earlier this year. Ross plans to retire at the end of the postseason.
"I don't even have the words for what that means, for my teammates to say those things and the warm hugs from the guys and the group of guys we're here with, all the way from the front office to the coaching staff, the fans cheering for me," he said.
Major-league treatment:
As has been their custom, the Cubs honored their minor league player and pitcher of the year at Wrigley Field.
Outfielder Eloy Jimenez and pitcher Trevor Clifton were on the field before the Cubs took on the Cardinals.
At Class A South Bend, Jimenez had a line of .329/.369/.532 with 14 homers and 81 RBI. Clifton, a right-hander, spent the year at Class A Myrtle Beach, going 7-7 with a 2.72 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched.
"In all honesty, it was an incredible experience," Jimenez said through a translator. "It's been a dream of mine to be able to play and ascend to this point.
Jimenez, 19, was signed as a nondrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. Clifton, 21, was a 12th-round draft pick in 2013 out of Heritage High School in Maryville, Tennessee.
Home-fielders:
The Pirates went down against the Nationals, 6-5, and with that, the Cubs clinched home-field advantage for the National League playoffs.
This and that:
The Cubs have won 98 games, their highest total since winning the National League pennant in 1945. They tied a Wrigley Field franchise record with their 56th home win. The 1933 and 1935 Cubs also won 56 at home ... Reliever Pedro Strop came off the disabled list and tossed a scoreless eighth inning. Strop underwent knee surgery in August.