CHICAGO -- The booze-soaked carpet in the Chicago Cubs’ clubhouse has been shampooed and dried. After a couple of clear-the-bench days, the lineup again is mostly full of regulars. Eighteen days before the Cubs’ first playoff game, it’s time to refocus on the big prize.
Manager Joe Maddon held a meeting with his hitters on the field before Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. He wasn’t angry about anything, and it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that Chicago dropped its final two games of a weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers.