CHICAGO -- As if the Chicago Cubs weren't fighting an uphill battle already, the heart and soul of the team, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain -- and it couldn't come at a worse time of the season. With the Cubs in a dogfight to make the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, Rizzo's presence will be missed in all facets of the team.
"It's going to be tough to be without Anthony for a while here," team president Theo Epstein said on Monday afternoon. "He's so important to everything we do, on the field and off the field.