Wagner has solid start, but Brewers fall 1-0 to Cubs

Arrieta is 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA against the Pirates this year, giving up 18 hits and five walks in 36 innings with 33 strikeouts, and is 6-1 with a 1.68 ERA in nine career starts.

That’s among pitchers with 10 or more starts during that span (Arrieta has made 12 starts).

Even with all of these positive stories and all of the incredibly play the Cubs have displayed this season, they are in for a stern test when they battle the Pirates.

“I just kept battling and tried to compete”, said Lopez, who hoped to at least earn consideration for a spot on the big league roster next season.

“Joe said at the beginning of spring training the hardest thing to do is to crack the postseason the first time and you’d learn how to win”, Rizzo said. It was his 27th of the year and 21st since the All-Star break, which is tied for second in the National League.

Anthony Rizzo had two hits and three RBIs, including a solo homer into the Cubs’ bullpen in right in the fourth off Ariel Pena (2-1). The Chicago Cubs have won seven straight road games.

The Brewers on May 4th named Craig Counsell the 19th manager in franchise history, signing him to a three-year contract through the 2017 season. The Cubs defeated the Phillies 7-3. Arrieta has become the stopper and safety valve, while Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant has led the offense.

The Cubs went 42-18 from August 1 through the end of the season.

The year prior, it was that same Pirates team that fought off the division-rival Cincinnati Reds in the NL Wild Card game, propelling Pittsburgh to the National League Division Series in front of the home faithful.

They’d go up 5-0 in the sixth inning. I mention that not to say that this will carry over into the postseason – it likely won’t – but that in so doing the Cardinals were swept by Atlanta in that entire series and didn’t score a single run. “And then they just explode out”. They also are performing at an incredible level for a club with five starting position players that are 25 or younger, and the future is bright on the north side.

Chicago entered the day one game back of Pittsburgh in the standings, and needed a win and a Pirates loss in order for the game to be played at Wrigley.

Arrieta seems like he’s already locked in on Pittsburgh. A friend of mine, a Cubs fan, and I sat in the bleachers during an early season, afternoon Cubs-Cardinals game.

But Chicago failed to gain ground in its bid to host the wild card.

When you have a pitcher like Jake Arrieta taking the mound on Wednesday, to go along with a young lineup, how can a Cubs’ fan not believe?

The Cubs will face Pittsburgh in the wild card matchup on Wednesday.