NEW YORK -- A select group of Chicago Cubs players met with Joe Torre, the executive vice-president of baseball operations, on Wednesday afternoon. One topic that came up was the ever changing strike zone in baseball. The Cubs wouldn't be the only team in baseball wondering why the zone has expanded so much – especially the lower half.

"He gave me an option of talking to the whole team or choosing a smaller group and I chose the smaller group," manager Joe Maddon said. "Had the hitting coaches, the catchers and some other players."

To be clear the meeting wasn't solely about the strike zone. They also discussed instant replay and other game-related issues but at least one player wanted Torre to look at video to assess the ball/strike calls. The Cubs lead the National League in strikeouts.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, the percentage of takes that were called strikes in the lower third of the zone -- regardless of whether they were actually in the strike zone or not -- is up to 26 percent this season. In 2011 it was 21.6 percent and it's risen each year since then. Players around the league want to know what is a strike these days. It puts what center fielder Dexter Fowler said recently about his season into perspective.

"There have been some variables I can't control which has messed up my on-base percentage," Fowler stated. "I have to make the adjustment.

"There's been some in-game variables. I'm wondering if I'm seeing the ball like I should or maybe I am."

That says a lot without saying it. Fowler's on-base percentage is just .312, 54 points below his career average coming into this season. And he's taking the highest amount of called strikes since 2010 but are they all actually strikes? The Cubs aren't going to call out the umpiring publicly but at least they had their say with Torre.

"He wanted to be proactive about what was going on," Maddon said. "It's his way of staying in touch with everybody. I think it's great."

Maddon on Bryant: Third baseman Kris Bryant ended last month as the first rookie in franchise history to record at least 10 home runs, 40 RBIs and 40 runs scored by the end June. Maddon thinks he's been even better than that.

"He's dealing with this advanced information," Maddon explained. "The ability to break him down as a hitter happens quickly.

"It makes it more difficult to be good, quickly. He's had to fight all of that."

Maddon says he plans on finding days off for Bryant in the second half. Same goes for second baseman Addison Russell who sat out Wednesday's game.

More Maddon: The Cubs manager sees the game reverting back to a time when pitching and base running were a more dominant factor. Some of that has to be associated with the elimination of PED's from baseball.

"It's coming back," Maddon said. "The running game is coming back. All these different things are coming back because real human beings are playing once again."

He doesn't quite understand why hitters don't have better two strike approaches or even one-strike for that matter.

"There's not enough of that adaptation going on right now," Maddon declared. "They just like to see the ball go far … It's something that has to be nurtured in the minor leagues."

Duane Underwood: The news on Class A pitcher Duane Underwood is positive after the former second round pick of 2012 underwent an MRI on his right elbow. It found no structural damage and the pitcher will rest and then resume throwing. Underwood is the Cubs' top pitching prospect, according to ESPN.com's prospect guru Keith Law. He was 6-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 12 starts this season for Class A Myrtle Beach.