Overhaul pays off with playoff spot for Cubs, With an aboriginal bold Saturday, administrator Joe Maddon ample the alone way he would acquisition out if the Chicago Cubs clinched a playoff atom was if he got up to go to the bathroom.
Well, they are in. And if Maddon slept through the night, he woke up to a nice surprise.
Chicago could accept captivated it up Friday afternoon with a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, except Gerrit Cole outpitched Jon Lester and a backward assemblage fell abbreviate in a 3-2 loss.
San Francisco again absent to Oakland 5-4, and that agency Chicago is headed to the postseason for the aboriginal time aback 2008.
With a 12:05 p.m. alpha Saturday, Maddon said the alone way he would analysis the account was "probably if I get up to go to the bath at night."
The alley aback to the playoffs was a continued one for the Cubs, who endured 5 beeline accident seasons and a aching top-to-bottom check beneath Theo Epstein.
He began loading up the accessory alliance arrangement about as anon as he was assassin in October 2011, and it paid off in a big way.
Young players started to accomplish their way to the majors endure season. The Cubs again fabricated it bright they were austere about acceptable if they assassin Maddon and active Lester in the offseason.
Kris Bryant, who had two hits and denticulate Friday, debuted this season, as did Kyle Schwarber. And both players fabricated big impacts.
"We'll hopefully bless tomorrow and accept a acceptable time," said Lester, who like Maddon was not planning to breach up. "These guys accept never accomplished this. We'll adore it."
On Friday, the Pirates afraid on for their seventh beeline win and added their advance for the NL's top agrarian agenda to 4 1/2 amateur over the Cubs.
Cole (18-8) and Lester (10-12) anniversary lasted seven innings, and Mark Melancon captivated on in the ninth for his above league-leading 51st save in 53 chances.
Chris Denorfia led off the ninth with a bifold and denticulate on Starlin Castro's one-out amateur to appropriate as the Cubs bankrupt aural a run and aflame the army of 40,432.
Melancon again addled out Jorge Soler and Javier Baez on address curves in the dirt.
Cole's 18 wins are the a lot of for a Pirates bullpen aback John Smiley went 20-8 in 1991. He gave up two runs and 5 hits, addled out eight and absolved two while convalescent to 7-1 in nine starts adjoin Chicago.
He aswell collection in the game's aboriginal run with a individual in the third.
Michael Morse put Pittsburgh advanced 2-1 with an RBI individual off Lester in the seventh. The Pirates added a run in the eighth adjoin Pedro Strop if Jordy Mercer accomplished on a agrarian angle as he addled out arch off and denticulate from third on a grounder by Starling Marte.
Lester accustomed two runs and 5 hits.
The Cubs had runners on aboriginal and additional in the eighth, but Tony Watson addled out Anthony Rizzo to end the threat.
Cole gave the Pirates a 1-0 advance in the third with a individual accomplished a diving ambush Addison Russell afterwards Jordy Mercer doubled.
The Cubs angry it in the fourth if Bryant led off with a individual and denticulate from third on a force by Addison Russell.
It backward that way until the seventh, if above Cub Aramis Ramirez led off with a bifold and denticulate on Morse's one-out single. Morse, who was active on the pitch, again got angled off on Josh Harrison's pop fly to aboriginal to end the inning.
NO ILL INTENTION
Coghlan insisted he wasn't aggravating to abuse Jung Ho Kang with a takeout accelerate at Pittsburgh endure anniversary that larboard the Pirates ambush with a broken larboard leg and broken knee ligament.
"I abhorrence that he misses the accomplished year and it's a cogent abrasion and a big draft to them," Coghlan said. "But I anticipate those guys over there accept the way I play and it wasn't a bedraggled play."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: RF Gregory Polanco (knee) and 3B Ramirez (groin) were aback in the calendar afterwards getting captivated out Thursday adjoin the Colorado Rockies.
UP NEXT
Pirates: LHP Francisco Liriano (11-7, 3.41 ERA), advancing off a win over Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, looks to breach on a cycle for Pittsburgh. He is 7-1 in his accomplished 15 starts, with the Pirates acceptable all but one of those games.
Cubs: With a 5.77 ERA over his endure 11 starts, RHP Jason Hammel (9-6, 3.79) looks to breach out of his slump.
Well, they are in. And if Maddon slept through the night, he woke up to a nice surprise.
Chicago could accept captivated it up Friday afternoon with a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, except Gerrit Cole outpitched Jon Lester and a backward assemblage fell abbreviate in a 3-2 loss.
San Francisco again absent to Oakland 5-4, and that agency Chicago is headed to the postseason for the aboriginal time aback 2008.
With a 12:05 p.m. alpha Saturday, Maddon said the alone way he would analysis the account was "probably if I get up to go to the bath at night."
The alley aback to the playoffs was a continued one for the Cubs, who endured 5 beeline accident seasons and a aching top-to-bottom check beneath Theo Epstein.
He began loading up the accessory alliance arrangement about as anon as he was assassin in October 2011, and it paid off in a big way.
Young players started to accomplish their way to the majors endure season. The Cubs again fabricated it bright they were austere about acceptable if they assassin Maddon and active Lester in the offseason.
Kris Bryant, who had two hits and denticulate Friday, debuted this season, as did Kyle Schwarber. And both players fabricated big impacts.
"We'll hopefully bless tomorrow and accept a acceptable time," said Lester, who like Maddon was not planning to breach up. "These guys accept never accomplished this. We'll adore it."
On Friday, the Pirates afraid on for their seventh beeline win and added their advance for the NL's top agrarian agenda to 4 1/2 amateur over the Cubs.
Cole (18-8) and Lester (10-12) anniversary lasted seven innings, and Mark Melancon captivated on in the ninth for his above league-leading 51st save in 53 chances.
Chris Denorfia led off the ninth with a bifold and denticulate on Starlin Castro's one-out amateur to appropriate as the Cubs bankrupt aural a run and aflame the army of 40,432.
Melancon again addled out Jorge Soler and Javier Baez on address curves in the dirt.
Cole's 18 wins are the a lot of for a Pirates bullpen aback John Smiley went 20-8 in 1991. He gave up two runs and 5 hits, addled out eight and absolved two while convalescent to 7-1 in nine starts adjoin Chicago.
He aswell collection in the game's aboriginal run with a individual in the third.
Michael Morse put Pittsburgh advanced 2-1 with an RBI individual off Lester in the seventh. The Pirates added a run in the eighth adjoin Pedro Strop if Jordy Mercer accomplished on a agrarian angle as he addled out arch off and denticulate from third on a grounder by Starling Marte.
Lester accustomed two runs and 5 hits.
The Cubs had runners on aboriginal and additional in the eighth, but Tony Watson addled out Anthony Rizzo to end the threat.
Cole gave the Pirates a 1-0 advance in the third with a individual accomplished a diving ambush Addison Russell afterwards Jordy Mercer doubled.
The Cubs angry it in the fourth if Bryant led off with a individual and denticulate from third on a force by Addison Russell.
It backward that way until the seventh, if above Cub Aramis Ramirez led off with a bifold and denticulate on Morse's one-out single. Morse, who was active on the pitch, again got angled off on Josh Harrison's pop fly to aboriginal to end the inning.
NO ILL INTENTION
Coghlan insisted he wasn't aggravating to abuse Jung Ho Kang with a takeout accelerate at Pittsburgh endure anniversary that larboard the Pirates ambush with a broken larboard leg and broken knee ligament.
"I abhorrence that he misses the accomplished year and it's a cogent abrasion and a big draft to them," Coghlan said. "But I anticipate those guys over there accept the way I play and it wasn't a bedraggled play."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: RF Gregory Polanco (knee) and 3B Ramirez (groin) were aback in the calendar afterwards getting captivated out Thursday adjoin the Colorado Rockies.
UP NEXT
Pirates: LHP Francisco Liriano (11-7, 3.41 ERA), advancing off a win over Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, looks to breach on a cycle for Pittsburgh. He is 7-1 in his accomplished 15 starts, with the Pirates acceptable all but one of those games.
Cubs: With a 5.77 ERA over his endure 11 starts, RHP Jason Hammel (9-6, 3.79) looks to breach out of his slump.
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