Kyles and smiles at Wrigley
Kyle Schwarber focused on ripping line drives instead of lofting fly balls during the offseason.
The work has paid off in the form of more- frequent hits, including home runs, for the 25- year- old outfielder. Schwarber crushed a line drive over the rightfield wall for his seventh home run Thursday, and the Cubs held on for a 1- 0 win over the Brewers.
“If I find the barrel, good things are going to happen,” Schwarber said. “If it’s inside, outside, whatever, it’s all just trying to be more direct to the ball. That was a positive sign.”
So was the performance of Kyle Hendricks ( 2- 1), who pitched seven scoreless innings for his second consecutive win. The game marked Hendricks’ longest outing of the season and the Cubs’ third quality start in a row.
“That was much more normal, I guess you could say, mechanically,” Hendricks said. “The things I was working on felt much more natural today.”
Albert Almora and Javy Baez provided highlight- reel plays on defense. Almora sprinted backward to make a running catch in deep center field in the sixth, and Baez leaped to spear a line drive in the seventh. Baez also increased his hitting streak to a career- high nine games.
The Cubs improved to 4- 1 against the Brewers this season.
One on one
Maddon called Yu Darvish into his office this week when the Cubs played the Indians.
Maddon’s message was simple: Think small.
“We had a good conversation about processing the moment better and really trying to stay focused on this pitch,” Maddon said. “Respect this pitch only. Don’t worry about the previous or the next one. I know he understands that.”
Darvish ( 0- 2, 6.86 ERA) remains in search of his first Cubs victory as he prepares for his fifth start Friday. The 31- year- old has given up at least four earned runs in three of his first four outings since he signed a six- year, $ 126 million deal in February.
Maddon is confident Darvish will find his groove.
“This guy is really, really good,” Maddon said. “When you sit on the sideline and watch this, it’s fabulous, and he’s had a tremendous amount of success. He’s going through a lot of adjustments right now in Chicago, high expectations, I get all that stuff. This guy’s good. This guy’s going to show up.”
Enjoying the moment
Infielder David Bote was promoted to the big leagues during the Cubs’ road trip to Colorado and Cleveland.
On Thursday, Bote stepped foot on the grass at Wrigley Field for the first time. He visited the stadium before as a minor leaguer with nearby Kane County and South Bend, but back then he would sit in the stands and daydream.
“You envision yourself out there, being with the Cubs organization,” said Bote, 25, an eighth- round pick in 2012. “You dream of playing in Wrigley with the history of it and all the phenomenal players before that have stepped foot on that field. The culture they’ve created is incredible.”
This and that
Ben Zobrist ( back) reported no problems after running the bases before the game. He’s eligible to return from the 10- day disabled list Saturday.
Willson Contreras had the day off Thursday but will start Friday, Maddon said.