Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo (back) scratched Friday, might miss Saturday, too

SHARE Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo (back) scratched Friday, might miss Saturday, too
screen_shot_2018_04_06_at_6_31_31_pm.png

Rizzo

MILWAUKEE — First baseman Anthony Rizzo was scratched from the lineup Friday because of recurring back tightness, but the Cubs said they don’t consider it serious.

‘‘He did a lot of extra hitting [Thursday],’’ manager Joe Maddon said. ‘‘That might have brought it on a little bit. It’s definitely a day-to-day kind of thing.’’

Rizzo, who went 0-for-5 in the Cubs’ series-opening victory Thursday against the Brewers, has dealt with back tightness — typically for a day or two at a time — at least once in each of the last few seasons. He missed one game in late July last season, then returned to hit two home runs in the Cubs’ next game two days later.

‘‘We’ve been here in the past with him, so I’m not overly concerned,’’ said Maddon, who suggested Rizzo might miss the game Saturday, too.

Rizzo is off to a slow start, hitting .107 (3-for-28) with one homer.

Happ out of lineup

Leadoff hitter Ian Happ, the National League leader in strikeouts (14) entering the day, was out of the lineup against a right-hander for the first time this season. He struck out four times Thursday.

‘‘It’s called Ben Zobrist,’’ Maddon said of the switch-hitting veteran, who has started more productively than Happ. ‘‘Ian’s fine. There’s nothing wrong. Just trying to juggle all these guys in.’’

Brewers lose closer Knebel

The Brewers put closer Corey Knebel on the disabled list with a hamstring injury after he collapsed on the mound while throwing a pitch in the ninth inning Thursday. They expect him to miss about six weeks.

The Latest
An NFL-style two-minute warning was also OK’d.
From Connor Bedard to Lukas Reichel, from Alex Vlasic to Arvid Soderblom, from leadership to coaching, the Hawks’ just-finished season was full of both good and bad signs for the future.
Hundreds gathered for a memorial service for Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, a mysterious QR code mural enticed Taylor Swift fans on the Near North Side, and a weekend mass shooting in Back of the Yards left 9-year-old Ariana Molina dead and 10 other people wounded, including her mother and other children.
Chicago artist Jason Messinger created the murals in 2018 during a Blue Line station renovation and says his aim was for “people to look at this for 30 seconds and transport them on a mini-vacation of the mind. Each mural is an abstract idea of a vacation destination.”
The artist at Goodkind Tattoo in Lake View incorporates hidden messages and inside jokes to help memorialize people’s furry friends.