Joe Maddon’s team had a very good Friday and Saturday at Wrigley Field and spent Sunday at AT&T Park in San Francisco preparing for Game 3 of the NLDS on Monday night.
The Cubs had to win the first two games of the series at Wrigley and took care of business in both games.
Jon Lester, David Ross and Javier Baez led the way in Game 1. In Game 2, the Cubs pitching staff was the difference on the mound and at the plate.
Joe Maddon hinted Sunday at a lineup change for Game 3 after basically using the same lineup for the first two games.
The Cubs have a tough task ahead of them. Even with being up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, the Giants have proven they know how to win games with their backs against the wall. The Cubs have not guaranteed anything but a Game 5 of the NLDS back at Wrigley.
Here are the winning headlines from the last three-plus days filled with all of the news, notes, links and highlight videos to get you caught up from the Cubs first full weekend in October …
Trevor Clifton, Ian Happ Make Baseball America’s Carolina League Top 20 Prospects List
Baseball America has been releasing Top 20 prospect rankings for each league in the minors. Cubs’ prospects, as would be expected, have been included in their rankings. The latest list from Baseball America focused on the Carolina League. And three players that helped the eventual league champs win games landed in the top 20.
Trevor Clifton and Ian Happ, along with Gleyber Torres, cracked BA’s post-season top 20 list.
The Daily CCO: It’s the Cubs versus the Giants in the National League Division Series
On the eve of the NLDS the talk was focused on task at hand for the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants. Madison Bumgarner and the Giants knocked off the Mets in the NL Wild Card Game to setup the matchup for the best-of-five NLDS.
The Cubs worked out at Wrigley. And with the rotation set all that was left to announce was the roster for the NLDS. The Cubs could be the fifth team in the history of the game to use three different catchers to start the first three games of a playoff series.
The Daily Report includes all of the news, notes, links and video, plus This Day in Cubs History.
NLDS Preview – Cubs vs. Giants
An in-depth look at the National League Division Series between the Cubs and Giants led into a full day of postseason coverage.
The Daily CCO: Kris Bryant is a Finalist for the Hank Aaron Award and Other Cubs News
Major League Baseball announced the nominees for this year’s Hank Aaron Award. And to no surprise, Kris Bryant is a finalist for the award.
Arismendy Alcantara is back in the NL Central.
The Daily Report includes all of the news and for the NLDS as well as the Cubs daily news, notes and This Day in Cubs History.
Cubs National League Division Series Roster
The Cubs announced the 25-man roster for the NLDS that was pretty much as expected. The Cubs went with 11 pitchers and 14 position players.
All three catchers are on the NLDS roster. The Cubs decided to go with Albert Almora Jr. instead of Matt Szczur. And Jorge Soler is healthy enough to be included on the active roster, even though he has not played in a game yet.
MLB Announces Start Times, Broadcast Info for Cubs-Giants NLDS
Major League Baseball announced starting times for the remainder of the division series games in each league.
The Cubs are on primetime with late starts in Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Tuesday, if necessary.
Cubs, Giants NLDS Pitching Matchups
The pitching matchups for the first four games of the NLDS were set after Bruce Bochy announced the Giants would be sending Jeff Samardzija, Madison Bumgarner and Matt Moore to the hill in games two through four.
Lester Deals, Baez Blasts Cubs to Win in Game 1 – Cubs 1, Giants 0
The NLDS got underway Friday night at Wrigley and it was a pitcher’s duel between Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto. Lester outpitched Cueto with eight innings of shutout ball. David Ross set the tone early by throwing out a runner a second and picking another one off from first base.
The Cubs had three hits all night. And the third one was the biggest of the game. Javier Baez took Cueto deep in the bottom of the eighth for the only run of the game.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Recap includes video.
It’s Javy Time
Javier Baez has a flair for the dramatic. Baez stepped up on the biggest stage Friday night and launched a big time home run … that landed in the basket in left field.
Report includes fun facts … and of course video of Baez’s blast.
The Daily CCO: David Ross’ Defense the Difference in Game 1 of NLDS and Other Cubs News
David Ross’ defense was simply outstanding in Game 1 of the NLDS. Not only did he call an excellent game and get the pitches Jon Lester needed to go his way, Ross erased baserunners in the first and third innings that helped keep the Giants off the board. Once Lester settled in, the two long-time battery mates just played catch.
Check out the video of Grandpa Rossy that’s included.
The Daily Report includes cool stuff about Jon Lester and his start in the NLDS and all of the news, notes and links, plus This Day in Cubs History.
Kyle Hendricks Exits Game 2 with Right Forearm Contusion, X-Rays Negative
Kyle Hendricks took a line drive to his right forearm off the bat of Angel Pagan in the fourth inning of Game 2. Hendricks was forced to leave the game with a bruised right forearm.
X-rays came back negative and he does not think he will have to miss his next start.
Cubs Pitchers Rake, Bullpen Shuts Down Giants to Take Game 2 – Cubs 5, Giants 2
Kyle Hendricks singled in two runs in the second inning off Jeff Samardzija. And Travis Wood made history when he launched a solo shot in the fourth inning. Hendricks and Wood drove in three of the five runs.
The bullpen stepped up in relief of the injured Kyle Hendricks with 5 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.
The Cubs took a two games to none lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series.
Recap includes video.
Travis Wood Hits a Postseason Dinger
Travis Wood etched his name in the history books Saturday night at Wrigley Field. Stepping in for the injured Kyle Hendricks, Wood batted for himself in the fourth inning with the Cubs leading 4-2.
Wood teed off the first pitch he saw from George Kontos and hit a no-doubter into the bleachers in left field.
Wood became the second relief pitcher in postseason history to hit a home run. And he’s just the third pitcher in Cubs’ history to hit a postseason dinger.
Report includes lots of excellent videos.
The Daily CCO: Cubs Have a 2-0 League in National League Division Series
The Cubs took care of business at Wrigley Field in the first two games of the NLDS. It was imperative the Cubs left Chicago with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series with Madison Bumgarner set for Game 3 in San Francisco.
The Cubs have a lot of work to do and are not taking the Giants for granted, especially with Bumgarner available in two of the next three games if Maddon’s team struggles in San Francisco and the series goes to five games.
The Daily Report includes an update on Dexter Fowler … and lots and lots of news, notes and links, a couple of videos and This Day in Cubs History.
It was a good weekend. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/24TZdS2WiJ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 9, 2016
As the team pointed out, it was a good weekend for the Cubs.