Home field could happen
MILWAUKEE— Don’t look now, but Wrigley Field might get that viewing party after all.
The Cubs’ improbable run to the playoffs took on a larger life Saturday night when the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 for their seventh consecutive victory— keeping alive their hopes for home field in Wednesday’s wild-card game against the Pirates.
The Pirates helped make that happen by losing 3-1 to the last-place Reds in Pittsburgh.
If the Cubs win Sunday, and the Pirates lose again, the wild-card teams would finish with identical records, giving the Cubs home field based on the better head-to-head record.
“It’s pretty interesting, isn’t it?” said manager Joe Maddon, whose 2011 Tampa Bay Rays squeezed into the playoffs in the final hour of that season, based on an extra-inning victory and help.
“It’d be huge,” starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (8-7) said of the home-field shot. “It’d be big for the fans, No. 1. For us, we feel confident in our team either way, no matter where we play. But that home atmosphere has been unbelievable all year and [would] help us out more.”
Given the stakes in Sunday’s finale at Miller Park, Maddon said he will scrap plans for a spring-training-style day of managing and play “straight up” with his lineup and pitching plans.
Veteran Dan Haren (10-9) starts for the Cubs against rookie right-hander Jorge Lopez (1-0). But the Cubs’ and Pirates’ games start at 2:10 p.m.
“This is why you keep playing,” said Maddon, whose 96 wins in his first year with the Cubs matches the 1984 team for the second-highest total in 70 years (97 wins in 2008).
“I’m telling you, man, you stay focused on the day, and you take care of your own business. And if you do that you get to tomorrow with a chance to do something pretty cool.”
Hendricks’ hot finish
Hendricks closed his first full season in the majors by taking a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing a one-out single to Martin Maldonado in his final inning.
It gave him 13 consecutive scoreless innings (including 19 strikeouts) to finish his 32-start, 180-inning season, lowering his final ERA to 3.95 ERA.
“That’s big for me,” said Hendricks, who struggled with his delivery for much of the season. “It was nice to end with all that even with the frustration, so it’s kind of a silver lining. I’ve got a lot of motivation going into next year for sure.”
Hendricks’ status for a Cubs’ playoff rotation if they get past the Pirates is anything but certain, possibly even winding up in the bullpen.
“That was Kyle’s best performance of the year,” Maddon said. “Best everything. It’s one of those things, regard- less of what happens going forward, moving into next season he’s going to feel really good about it.”
Armed and dangerous
The Cubs’ rotation has allowed just one earned run in 45„ innings during the seven-game winning streak.
“They’re definitely into it,” said Maddon, who also pointed to the effectiveness of his late-inning crew of late. “I think the whole group, pitching wise, we’re in pretty good shape.”
Notes
Playoff veteran Jason Motte (shoulder) left the team to head to Arizona for the next step in his throwing program, in the hopes he can return from the disabled list late in the month if the Cubs make a deep run.
Left fielder Chris Coghlan, making his first start since Tuesday, legged out a triple and double during a three-hit night, scoring the only run of the game after the second-inning triple when Ad
dison Russell followed with a single.