"They did a heck of a job." Chap

CHICAGO -- One little doctors appointment for Kyle Schwarber has turned into an intriguing possibility for the Chicago Cubs.Schwarber is working out in Arizona after major left knee surgery in April, and the Cubs say the slugger with the sweet left-handed swing could be in the mix when Chicago returns to the World Series for the first time since 1945.The Cubs had ruled Schwarber out for the year after he tore two knee ligaments during an outfield collision. But Schwarbers checkup with Dr. Daniel Cooper on Monday in Dallas cleared the way for the Cubs to take a closer look at the catcher/outfielder in the Arizona Fall League.We got the best possible report. It exceeded any reasonable expectation that we had, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said before the Cubs beat the Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series on Saturday night.We basically got the news at six months that we had hoped to get at seven months, which was Dr. Cooper upon examining him cleared him to run the bases. Kyle called me right away and asked for a chance to get ready. The doctors greenlighted him to start hitting.Schwarbers return would be a big boost for Chicago, which will play at Cleveland in Game 1 on Tuesday night. He hit .333 with a franchise-record five homers in nine playoff games last year, including a drive that reached the top of a Wrigley Field videoboard.Schwarber was 0 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter Saturday night for the Mesa Solar Sox. He watched the Cubs face the Dodgers on a tablet in the dugout between at-bats.Overall a really plus day for me, he said. Feeling confident, so well see where this goes.Schwarber was activated from the 60-day disabled list Saturday. If he looks good in Arizona, he might be able to help the Cubs at designated hitter while the World Series is in Cleveland.Im down here to try and get my work in, and I might join them up in Cleveland if its either cheering or whatever it is, he said. Im all in for it.Left-hander Giovanni Soto was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.Schwarber tracked 500 balls off a hitting machine on Thursday and Friday before taking at-bats against James Farris, a pitcher in the Arizona Fall League. He also ran the bases on Friday, according to Epstein.Well just continue to evaluate him medically day by day in terms of baseball readiness, Epstein said. We have a lot of business we need to take care of first before theres any relevance to it short term. But long term its a great prognosis for him and were proud of him that hes worked so hard to get to this point.The Cubs selected Schwarber with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of Indiana University. He rocketed through their system and made his major league debut last June, part of a wave of bright young talent that helped the once-downtrodden franchise blossom into one of baseballs top clubs.The 23-year-old Schwarber hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBI in 69 games last year. He stayed around the team even after he got hurt in early April in Arizona, making the most of Wrigleys revamped home clubhouse for his rehab process.He remains a fan favorite, drawing loud cheers every time he is introduced or shown on the videoboard at home.I dont know to what extent we would be able to use him or not, but right now were just trying to explore all the possibilities, manager Joe Maddon said.---AP freelance reporter Jose M. Romero in Arizona contributed to this report.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Custom Pistons Jersey China . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Cheap Custom Pistons Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. http://www.custompistonsjersey.com/ . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Custom Pistons T-shirts . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Custom Pistons Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Shin-Soo Choo got the Reds offence going early and they opened up a big lead. They needed every bit of it against the Diamondbacks. Choo went 4 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs to spark Cincinnatis offensive outburst in a 10-7 win over Arizona on Wednesday. The Reds opened an 8-0 lead through four innings, but had to hold on tight at the end. "It was the epitome of a full moon," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We were riding easy 8-0, then all the sudden it was 8-4. A lot of stuff happened. Those guys (Diamondbacks) didnt give up. The Reds opened up a six-game lead over Arizona in the race for the National Leagues second wild-card spot. Cincinnati remained third in the NL Central, but moved to 2 1/2 games behind first-place Pittsburgh, which lost at San Diego. Mike Leake allowed four runs in the fifth inning, but was dominant in his other five innings for first win in his past five starts. Leake (11-5) allowed six hits and four runs with no walks and three strikeouts while the Reds were building an 8-0 lead. "I was mixing and matching and keeping them off balance," Leake said. "Two pitches got me. Sometimes that happens. Fortunately, we had an eight run lead. It ended up being a stressful game." The Diamondbacks added three runs against the Cincinnati bullpen before Aroldis Chapman finished for his 32nd save and first career two-inning save. Baker was forced to take Jonathan Broxton out of the game in the eighth inning with soreness in his elbow. Broxton spent five weeks on the disabled list, returning on Aug. 6. "It was disheartening to go get Broxton," said Baker, who went to his closer Chapman an inning early. "I went out with (pitching coach) Bryan Price. BP said, Hes done." The umpire asked Baker, whom he wanted and he indicated that he wanted Chapman. That answer prevented Baker from making a double-switch with the pitchers spot due up third in the bottom of the eighth. "Thats the first time Ive ever experienced something like that," Baker said. "I was so worried about Broxton." Todd Frazier and Brandon Phillips added RBI singles in the eighth, giving the Reds their highest run total since winning 11-0 at San Francisco on July 22. Frazier fought off a tough pitch and had a hit that landed out of the reach of shortstop Didi Gregorius. "It was an ugly swing with good results," Baker said. Frazier was as surprised as anyone the ball fell for a hit. "Its crazy," Frazier said. "I was talking to (Wil) Nieves at the plate about what a game it was. We were laughing at each other. Its humbling. Its weird. Its confusing at times. "No matter what you get a W at the end, youre happy. I dont know what I was doing man. I was confused. He (Brad Ziegler) has a nasty slider. It started two feet behind me and I thought thats going to come back in. I kind of jumped out of the way. My body ddid its own thing and away it went.dddddddddddd" Choo hit Brandon McCarthys second pitch of the game 337 feet down the left field line, where the ball appeared to hit the lens of a TV camera just inside the foul pole. The homer was Choos 16th of the season, his sixth leadoff homer of the season and 11th of his career. The Reds had four straight two-out hits to open up a 4-0 lead in the second. Leake lofted a ground-rule double down the right field line that bounced into the netting above the visitors bullpen to drive in one run, and Choo drove in two more with a single to centre. Chris Heisey added an RBI double and Devin Mesoraco made it 7-0 with a two-run single up the middle through a drawn-in Arizona infield to knock McCarthy (2-8) out of the game after a season-low 2 1-3 innings. He allowed eight hits and a season-high seven runs with one walk and two strikeouts while slipping to 0-5 in his past seven starts. Choo narrowly missed hitting his second home run of the game leading off the fourth inning, settling for a double off the top of the left field wall and scoring on Joey Vottos single. The Diamondbacks broke through against Leake with four runs in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Jason Kubel delivered a two-run single and Adam Eaton followed on Leakes next pitch with his second homer of the season, a 367-foot drive into the visitors bullpen. Prado added a run-scoring single off J.J. Hoover in the seventh and Gerardo Parro led off the eighth with his ninth homer, a fly ball off Jonathan Broxton that hit the top of the left field wall and bounced back onto the field before the umpires ruled it a homer after a 3:02 replay delay. "We played our tails off," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said of his offence. "They did a heck of a job." Chapman pitched more than one inning for the first time this year. He also struck out in his first major league at-bat. "He has to work on his bunting," Baker said. "We let him swing away. Hes a good athlete. He can swing the bat and is probably one of our fastest players. We hoped that he would hit one in the gap so people could see it." Notes: Chapman struck out in the eighth in his first career plate appearance. ... Broxton, who missed almost two months this season with an elbow injury, walked off the field with a Reds trainer after facing two batters in the eighth. ... Cincinnati LHP Tony Cingrani is scheduled to make his regular start on Sunday despite leaving Tuesdays game in the fourth inning with a lower back strain. ... Reds RHP Johnny Cueto, whos on his third stint on the disabled list with a strained muscle behind his right shoulder, played catch Wednesday, the first time hes thrown since going on the DL on June 29. ... RHP Trevor Cahill (4-10), who snapped a six-game losing streak with a win in Pittsburgh in his previous start, is Arizonas scheduled starter in Thursdays series finale against RHP Mat Latos (12-4). ' ' '