MILWAUKEE -- There were reports throughout the offseason and during Spring Training that the Cubs were on the hunt for a veteran backup catcher. Even when the Opening Day roster appeared set in the final days of camps, rumors persisted that Chicago was seeking more depth behind starter Willson Contreras.

The entire time, Cubs manager Joe Maddon expressed confidence and praise for backup Victor Caratini, who got the backup role after all. While the sample size is still incredibly small, Caratini has already been making the most of the playing time Chicago has to offer. In Saturday's 14-8 win over the Brewers, the catcher reached base five times, including a home run and a pair of walks.

"He's done a nice job," Maddon said Sunday morning. "We've got to keep trying to get him at-bats periodically, so that he can do those kind of things in a game. But this is what we saw in Spring Training. Balls hit hard in that gap, and then he hit a couple balls well on the pull side. But he's caught well, too. He's caught well. He's blocked the ball well. His throwing's getting stronger all of a sudden. And his confidence is up."

One way to keep the 25-year-old Caratini in the lineup every few games is to try to pair him with lefty Cole Hamels -- something the Cubs have done since last season. The schedule will not always make that possible, but Maddon likes the rapport that duo has established. Dating back to last year, Hamels has a 2.56 ERA in 63 1/3 innings with Caratini doing the catching.

"Cole's very comfortable with him," Maddon said.

The manager also noted that he will try not to start Contreras more than three games in a row, allowing some rest for the starting catcher and opportunity for Caratini. As the Cubs get deeper into the season, Maddon might also consider using Caratini at first base again to offer rest days for Anthony Rizzo.

"We just have to get him out there," Maddon said.

Lester lauds Hottovy's work
When a pitching staff goes awry, it is easy to point a finger in the direction of the pitching coach. Cubs veteran Jon Lester said Sunday that new pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, who has been a part of the coaching staff since 2015, is not to blame for the team's struggles on the mound.

"I'd never blame a coach for my performance. He doesn't do it," Lester said. "He's just standing there trying to make sure we're on time and give us a program. If we have any problems, we go to him. But, as far as our performance on that mound, that's our performance. That's not our coaches. We're about as prepared as anybody. It's our job to go out there and execute.

"Tommy's done a great job stepping in. He's been here for however long, so it's not like he's really stepping in. It's just kind of like he just changed job titles. He was kind of our third pitching coach last year. I think he's done a great job. I don't really think anything's changed, so it's kind of hard to comment on it. He's been doing the same stuff. I think he's doing a good job."

Worth noting
• During the eighth inning of Saturday's game, the television broadcast caught Maddon in a moment of frustration in the dugout. After the bullpen allowed its sixth run of the night, Maddon appeared to say, "I'm so tired of this," with an expletive included. The manager did not deny having that reaction in the heat of the moment, noting that it was based on needing to use Steve Cishek when he planned on giving the reliever a day off.

"The bullpen's been a little bit off," Maddon said on Sunday. "The big thing about that is I'm trying to not pitch Cishek. That's what that reaction was about. You're trying to not pitch him. You don't even want him to move his arm and then you have to make him move his arm. So, I think that my frustration was vented."

• Maddon said there have been some "weird" things happening with Chicago's defense out of the gates this year. There was nothing more strange than Saturday's catcher's interference call against Caratini, marking the third such call in as many games for the Cubs. Per STATS, it marked the first time in the live ball era (since 1920) that a team had a catcher's interference call in three straight games.

"Catcher's interference, I can empathize with that," Maddon said. "I've been involved in that myself. It just happens. But the other errors have not been awful. It's just been simple plays that we've been messing up. So I really want to believe that's going to go away."

• Lester (Monday), Yu Darvish (Wednesday) and Jose Quintana (Thursday) are the Cubs' probables pitchers for the upcoming home series against the Pirates.