Joe Maddon is a big-picture big-league manager and he wants to pace his young players, including rookie catcher Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber did not start Friday but came up ground out as a pinch hitter to lead off the seventh inning.
“We intend to play an extra month this year, and if you want to wear somebody out, go ahead, but it will come back and bite you,” Maddon said. “A lot of times people say, ‘Well, he’s 22.’
“He’s 22 and never done it before. If we can keep Schwarbs and (Kris Bryant) and Addison (Russell) and (Jorge) Soler somewhat crispy by not overdoing it right now, you’ll see a better product in September.”
Trade winds: Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer offered the latest update on the possibilities as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.
“It’s a very long week to go and things probably will go up and down a few times during that stretch,” Hoyer said. “There are probably three, four or five teams out there that are actively assessing their situation on a day-to-day basis, what they want to do.
“That’s the nature of the second wild card. There are some teams right around .500 that may not feel they have had a good run so far, but they are not that far out of the race. So the second wild card really does change the way teams look at the deadline. Some of those teams may want to sell and some teams may end of buying.”
Handling his business: Bryant hit his first homer Friday since July 4 and has just five hits in his last 33 at-bats. But Maddon remains encouraged.
“For a young guy to struggle at the plate, but still maintain the rest of his game like that … and handle failure well, that’s what [Bryant] has done,” Maddon said. “He doesn’t like not hitting. He never has gone through this before, but his defense has gotten better.”
Moving on up: Ian Happ, the Cubs’ first-round draft pick this year, was promoted to Class A South Bend. He took batting practice at Wrigley Field Friday.
“It has been a great month, I guess, and it’s just a lot of fun being out here today,” Happ said. “It’s extremely exciting to be a part of something so up and coming, so new.
“Any promotion is good. Really good to hear, and (South Bend is) a little closer to the family too, which will be good. Should be a lot of fun.”
The second baseman/outfielder from the University of Cincinnati hit .283 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 29 games at Class A Eugene (Ore.).
Roster move: Left-hander Clayton Richard was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and is back on the Cubs’ 40-man roster after being designated for assignment Wednesday.