Friendlier confines: Wrigley’s clubhouse
For the Sun- Times
The Cubs will have one more chance Sunday to win their 57th game at Wrigley Field and set a record for home wins in a season.
The Cubs have the best home record in baseball and are 23- 10 at home against National League teams with winning records.
Credit for their success certainly goes, in part, to the rotation, a few MVP candidates in the lineup and manager Joe Maddon, in no particular order.
But the new clubhouse also deserves some credit. The club’s spacious new digs include everything from a party room to a quiet room, and the team says the clubhouse is the biggest in the National League.
“I think it has had an impact,” Maddon said. “It’s comfortable but not comfortable to the point where it lets you sag into an easy chair and you don’t want to go outside. Everything you could possibly ask for to be successful is here.”
Also helpful is the large disparity between what the Cubs enjoy in their clubhouse and what the visitors get. The visiting clubhouse hasn’t been renovated yet.
The cramped visitors’ clubhouse was the reason Cardinals manager Mike Matheny did not require his players to arrive as early as usual for the 12: 05 p. m. start Saturday.
“I could either have them show up here really early and all be sitting on each other’s laps all day,” Matheny said, “or we show up a little later and get the work in and get on the field.”
The clubhouse may be extra helpful in October when the weather starts to turn.
“That’ll help,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said. “In the postseason, you do spend a lot of time indoors and waiting in the clubhouse. Anything they could possibly want is there. And I think the coffee machine will be working. That’s a good plus.”
Strop feels good
The Cubs activated Pedro Strop from the 15day disabled list Friday and wasted no time getting him back into game action.
Strop pitched one inning in the Cubs’ 5- 0 victory over the Cardinals. He faced three batters, walked one and struck out one.
“I feel good,” Strop said Saturday. “I thought I was going to be really sore today because it was my first real game in a long time. But it feels really good. It was only like nine, 10 pitches.”
The right- hander said he plans to make five appearances, including Friday, before the playoffs. He also plans to pitch in back- to- back games at least once. Strop went on the DL on Aug. 11 with a left meniscus tear.
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