Hot Reds likely in for electric atmosphere at Wrigley
CHICAGO (AP) - The Chicago Cubs came into the season eyeing their first championship since 1908 after last season's run to the National League Championship Series.
They still are, even if they are missing one key player. And the atmosphere at Wrigley Field figures to be a charged one when the Cubs meet the Cincinnati Reds in their home opener Monday night.
Sure, losing Kyle Schwarber to a season-ending knee injury stings. But the Cubs believe they still have the talent to contend coming off a 97-win season and NLCS run.
''We have very good replacements,'' manager Joe Maddon said. ''So it hurts, but there's nothing you can do about it. It's our new reality that we have to deal with right now and we're going to deal with it. I know it's big losing a guy like Schwarber, but I think we have plenty of others to go around right now.''
The Cubs believe they were built to withstand injuries, with a loaded roster and more players in the pipeline after years of overhauling their farm system. That, along with the hiring of Maddon last year and some big additions in trades and free agency, added up to a breakout season that ended with a sweep by the New York Mets.
On Monday, left-hander Jon Lester (1-0, 1.29 ERA) starts for Chicago with Brandon Finnegan (0-0, 3.00) pitching for Cincinnati.
''Whenever you go somewhere for opening day, there's going to be a certain amount of electricity, maybe more so there because of the expectations,'' Reds manager Bryan Price said. ''It's good for our club, too. Those are fun environments to play in and manage in. A team that's expected to compete for a World Series against a team that's not. Our team will love that type of a challenge.''
Normally a catcher, the 23-year-old Schwarber was playing left field when he banged into center fielder Dexter Fowler chasing a drive by Arizona's Jean Segura on Thursday. The result was two torn ligaments in his left knee and his second season in the majors ending just as it was beginning.
While losing a young slugger who set a franchise record with five playoff homers as a rookie was not the way they wanted to start the season, the Cubs still believe they have the talent to contend. Their star-studded club has been led in the first week by slugger Anthony Rizzo, tied for second in the majors with 10 RBIs, and Fowler, who is 10 for 19 with seven runs scored.
''We've got a lot of depth,'' shortstop Addison Russell said. ''We've got a lot of heavy hitters in our lineup. You get one guy out and then you have to get the next guy. And the next guy's not going to be an easy out. So the lineup's definitely long.''
The Cubs are off to a good start at 5-1 and tied for first place in the division with the surprising Reds, who completed a season-opening homestand with Sunday's 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Jay Bruce's RBI triple in the ninth inning. Cincinnati had baseball's second-worst record last season at 64-98.
"We know things aren't always going to go as smoothly as they have in the first week," Price told the Reds' official website. "However, if you can keep the right attitude and frame of mind, you can have more streaks like this."
Shortstop Eugenio Suarez is 10 for 20 over a five-game hitting streak and leads the majors with nine runs scored. Brandon Phillips was 5 for 10 in the weekend series versus the Pirates.
Bruce is 9 for 23 as he tries to reverse his woes last season against the Cubs, who held him to a .145 average with 23 strikeouts in 69 at-bats while taking 13 of 19 from the Reds.
Chicago won all four starts last year against Cincinnati by Lester, who went 1-0 with a 3.67 ERA. Phillips was 5 for 12 against him in those games and Billy Hamilton went 4 for 5 while the lefty-swinging Bruce was 2 for 11. Hamilton was second in the majors with 57 steals a season ago and figures to be a challenge for Lester, who struggles holding runners on first.
Finnegan has never faced the Cubs, with Jason Heyward the only Chicago hitter with an at-bat versus him.
