SAN FRANCISCO — The Chicago Cubs have a quick turnaround from Sunday night’s ESPN special in the City by the Bay to Monday’s rivalry revisit in St. Louis.
“There’s not a whole lot we can do to rest guys,” Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. “The biggest thing is just to have them show up later.”
Maddon said his Cubs will forego batting practice, something that hasn’t been a staple of their pregame all that often since he arrived in Chicago last year.
Just the same, veteran catcher David Ross suggests facing one challenge after another is a good thing for a team that is hitting its first rut of the season. The Cubs lost the last two games of the three-game set against the Giants, their first consecutive road defeats of the season.
“We definitely have a target a little more so than last year,” Ross said. “I think we’ve handled that great. We’re getting teams’ best, which is good because it tests us every night. It forced us to bring our ‘A’ game every night, and that in itself is a learning process for this group.”
Second-year third baseman Kris Bryant is one of those young players learning with each game and each passing series. He welcomes the team’s second trip to St. Louis this season after the Cubs won two of three meetings April 18-20.
“They play us tough, they’re a good team, and they play the game right,” Bryant said. “It’s fun to play them, it’s fun to go into their place and hear their fans. It makes for a great rivalry.”