Cubs blow chance, still make playoffs
CHICAGO — With an early game today, Manager Joe Maddon figured the only way he would find out if the Chicago Cubs clinched a playoff spot was if he got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Well, the Cubs are in. And if Maddon slept through the night, he woke up to a nice surprise.
Chicago could have wrapped it up Friday afternoon with a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, except Gerrit Cole outpitched Jon Lester and a late rally fell short in a 3-2 loss.
San Francisco then lost to Oakland 5-4, and that means Chicago is headed to the postseason for the first time since 2008.
With a 12:05 p.m. start today, Maddon said the only way he would check the score was “probably when
I get up to go to the bathroom at night.”
Kris Bryant, who had two hits and scored Friday, debuted this season, as did Kyle Schwarber. Both players made big impacts.
“We’ll hopefully celebrate tomorrow and have a good time,” said Lester, who like Maddon was not planning to stay up. “These guys have never experienced this. We’ll enjoy it.”
On Friday, the Pirates hung on for their seventh consecutive victory and increased their lead for the NL’s top wild card to 4 ½ games over the Cubs.
Cole (18-8) and Lester (10-12) each lasted seven innings, and Mark Melancon held on in the ninth for his major league-leading 51st save in 53 chances.
Chris Denorfia led off the ninth with a double and scored on Starlin Castro’s one-out triple to right as the Cubs closed within a run and excited the crowd of 40,432.
Melancon then struck out Jorge Soler and Javier Baez on knuckle curves in the dirt.
Cole’s 18 victories are the most for a Pirates pitcher since John Smiley went 20-8 in 1991. He gave up 2 runs and 5 hits, struck out 8 and walked 2 while improving to 7-1 in 9 starts against Chicago.
He also drove in the game’s first run with a single in the third.
Michael Morse put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 with an RBI single off Lester in the seventh. The Pirates added a run in the eighth against Pedro Strop when Jordy Mercer reached on a wild pitch as he struck out leading off and scored from third on a grounder by Starling Marte.
Lester allowed two runs and five hits.
The Cubs had runners on first and second in the eighth, but Tony Watson struck out Anthony Rizzo to end the threat.
Cole gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the third with a single past a diving shortstop Addison Russell after Jordy