Cubs to give Montgomery another start
CHICAGO -- Lefty Mike Montgomery will stay in the Cubs' rotation and start in the series finale on Wednesday against the Brewers. It will be Montgomery's fourth start with the Cubs, and he has yet to record a decision."If you have a guy like that in the six-hole, it makes
CHICAGO -- Lefty
"If you have a guy like that in the six-hole, it makes it easier to do what we're doing now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the philosophy of going with a "soft" six-man rotation.
The Cubs are trying to keep the starters fresh in hopes of playing deep in October.
"Right now our starters are pitching as well as they have all year," Maddon said. "I'd like to think if we continue along this path, we'll keep that freshness about them."
Chicago starters began Sunday leading the Majors with a combined 2.88 ERA.
Worth noting
• Reliever
• Maddon likes
"It's hard to take a guy's natural instincts and contain them," Maddon said.
Maddon has credited Baez with having a strong baseball acumen, which allows him to play all over the field at different positions.
"He sees things -- he's like a good running back," Maddon said. "Give him the ball, and he'll find a hole. He's like a good point guard in basketball. He just has that chip. Sometimes it will get him in trouble, too."
• Maddon was not sure whether the Cubs would call up any players once Triple-A Iowa's season ends on Monday.
"Right now, if you're going to come up here, it's because you're going to help us win," Maddon said.
Carrie Muskat has covered the Cubs since 1987, and for MLB.com since 2001. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings. You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat and listen to her podcast.