April 24, Cubs.com, Cubs out to avenge sweep in Pittsburgh

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1 April 24, 2017 ESPNChicago.com, After week of rotation struggles, should Cubs be worried? ESPNChicago.com, 'Really bro, Pokemon?' Addison Russell is building baseball's most unusual autograph collection CSNChicago.com, John Lackey Struggles As Cubs Drop Series Finale To Reds Chicago Tribune, John Lackey frustrated after mistakes cost Cubs in 7-5 loss to Reds Chicago Tribune, Miguel Montero takes blame for Brett Anderson's recent struggles Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs win series but leave Cincinnati after bitter, sloppy loss Chicago Sun-Times, Trivia answer? Sure, but this Red s part in Cub title not trivial Cubs.com, 3 HRs in 3 days? Simply business for Rizzo Cubs.com, Cubs outmuscled as Cincy sweep bid denied Cubs.com, Cubs out to avenge sweep in Pittsburgh ESPNChicago.com After week of rotation struggles, should Cubs be worried? By Jesse Rogers CINCINNATI For anyone who remembers last season, this should sum up the week on the mound for the Chicago Cubs: The only time in 2016 they went at least six straight games without a quality start besides the final six of the regular season when they weren t playing for anything was July 1-10 when they went 10 straight without a quality turn (three earned runs or less, six innings pitched or more). That was part of an infamous stretch of bad baseball for the team, where fatigue set in during a stretch of playing 24 games in 24 days. The Cubs just had an off day on Thursday, so it s not the schedule that s affecting them this time. Yet here they are, not getting six innings from a starter without giving up at least four earned runs. After Sunday s 7-5 loss to the

2 Cincinnati Reds, John Lackey has two of those six starts. They won the series but failed to complete their first sweep of the season. I don t care about (the) series right now, Lackey said. I m pissed. I felt like I pitched better than the numbers are going to show. Two of the first three runs are a couple balls that fell in. I didn t give up a lot of hard contact. Lackey is half right. First off, his defense let him down from the start when Billy Hamilton blooped a ball into center field Jon Jay had a bad jump on it then stole two bases. Errors by Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant later on didn t help Lackey either, but giving up a home run to Scott Schebler and a bases-loaded double to Patrick Kivlehan is on the pitcher. He looks good to me, catcher Miguel Montero said after handling Lackey s start. Unfortunately it feels like every little mistake, he s paying for. Montero could have helped relegate any starting pitching questions to the background as the Cubs attempted yet another late-inning comeback, but his ninth-inning double-play grounder ended a chance at their fifth straight win after trailing at some point in the game. So without the offense bailing the staff out this time around, the rotation problems that the Cubs have had to work around these past six games come to light a little more. Kyle Hendricks hasn t had a quality start yet this season, while Jake Arrieta got hit hard early in his win on Saturday. Even Jon Lester struggled against the Reds on Friday; he has the club s most recent quality start, delivered last Sunday against the Pirates. As long as they're healthy, I m fine, manager Joe Maddon said. And they re healthy. There s probably little reason for concern, although any time a 38-year-old pitcher starts the season with a 4.88 ERA (and 16 runs allowed in 24 innings) after four starts, you re allowed to pause for a moment. But it also makes sense that the Cubs top starters might have a little drop after starting off strong during the first 10 days of the season plus they had that short offseason and took it easy in camp. A dominant month wasn t expected, but this six-game slide as far as their starting pitchers performance seems like enough. Great American Ball Park isn t exactly the place to make life easier for anybody on the mound, but PNC Park in Pittsburgh can play a lot bigger. Maybe that s where the Cubs rotation will get their mojo back. I have no issues, Maddon reiterated. If they are healthy, I m good. ESPNChicago.com 'Really bro, Pokemon?' Addison Russell is building baseball's most unusual autograph collection By Jesse Rogers PITTSBURGH Corey Seager thought it was a joke. Across the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse, Kenley Jansen viewed it as something unique. When Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell asked those two All-Stars and many others around the league to autograph the back of his Pokémon cards, he knew he would get some puzzled reactions. And he most certainly did. Yes, Russell is sending clubhouse attendants to opposing locker rooms armed with Pokémon cards for some of Russell s favorite players to sign.

3 I started collecting this offseason because my cousins, nieces and nephews all started collecting, so I wanted to find a way to relate with them, Russell said with a big smile. Get on that level with them. I ve signed a lot of baseball cards of myself, and I just thought it would be cool if professional athletes would sign Pokémon cards. I started collecting them more, and now I m asking guys to sign them. It began with his own team in spring training. Russell brought binders of laminated Pokémon cards with him to Arizona and started asking his teammates to sign them. With quizzical looks, they happily obliged. I used to collect the cards growing up, National League MVP Kris Bryant said. My neighbors back home collect them. I bought them a bunch of packs. So it s funny, I get to spring training and Addy has this big ol' sheet of Pokémon cards. I was like, What are you doing? I loved it. I love everything about Addy. He s a big kid. So far, no one has turned Russell down, and there is a method to his madness. He doesn t just pick the cards randomly. He s looking for a card that fits the player s game or personality. If there are flame balls on them, I ll get a closer like Kenley Jansen to sign, Russell said. I got him to sign when [the Dodgers] were at Wrigley Field. I think he signed my 'Enflamed' card. It was unique, man, and I was like, OK, so what is he trying to do? " Jansen said of the unusual request. "They asked for Pokémon [to be signed], and that meant he might like Pokémon, one of his favorite things. I think it was pretty awesome. Russell can appreciate the hesitation some players might have getting something different than the usual baseballs, bats and cards put in front them to sign. Pokémon? It s definitely an extraordinary ask. I honestly thought it was a joke, Seager said. But no, that s his thing; and that s cool that he found his niche and what he likes to do. More power to him. "It s going to catch some people off guard. So far, Russell has about 25 signatures from teams the Cubs have played, beginning with exhibition games in Houston at the end of spring training. He got Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and American League batting champ Jose Altuve to sign cards during that series. A flying-type dragon card because he s aggressive and I like his style of play, Russell said of Altuve. A few days later, he got Jonathan Villar and pitcher Corey Knebel of the Milwaukee Brewers to add their signatures to his card collection. Knebel was like, Really, bro? Pokémon cards? Russell recalled, laughing. The Pokémon requests have an added benefit for Russell, who is just 23 years old and pretty quiet as compared with others in the Cubs' clubhouse. They say it s a little different, but what do you expect from the youngest guy on the Cubs? Russell asked rhetorically. When I do play against them on the field, they re like, Really, Pokémon cards, man? And I just tell them I appreciate them signing it. Kind of sparks a conversation. A couple of Russell s teammates wondered what he s going to do with the signed cards. "What s the endgame?" one asked, jokingly. My cousins are waiting to check out the collection after the year is over, Russell said. That s the plan maybe even give them to my son. I really don t want to sell them, but I m down to trade some Pokémon if people want.

4 And who knows, maybe Russell s idea will spark a new idea across the league. "I watched Pokémon a little bit. I was more of a Dragon Ball Z type of guy. I was watching more Dragon Ball Z growing up. So I get it, Jansen said of Russell s hobby. Pokémon is his stuff, and everybody has their own unique way. I think it s awesome, man, the way you see him doing it. I want to see how his creation is going to come out. I want to see how it looks at the end of the day when he has everybody s signature. So who s next on the autograph list? Even Russell doesn t know, because the timing has to be right to ask a player the Cubs are facing, and he wants to pick the right card when the mood strikes. I m going to keep doing it, he said. I have some badass Pokémon cards that I need signed. CSNChicago.com John Lackey Struggles As Cubs Drop Series Finale To Reds By Staff CINCINNATI With his high leg kick and below-the-radar breaking balls, Bronson Arroyo showed the Cubs a little old-style pitching. Who needs to throw 90 mph to beat the World Series champions? The 40-year-old righty gave his best performance yet in his long comeback from elbow problems, pitching three-hit ball over six innings on Sunday, and the Cincinnati Reds salvaged a 7-5 victory. Arroyo worked fast, varied the angles of his deliveries, and kept `em guessing with his minimalist pitches. "I'm happy for him, to see him back up," Chicago catcher Miguel Montero said. "He's a tough pitcher to face. Obviously he's throwing below hitting speed right now." Arroyo (2-2) needed more than two years to recover from Tommy John surgery. The Reds gave him what amounted to a final chance this spring, and he's back to fooling `em with his unusual repertoire. Jon Jay saw pitches of 67, 74, 83, 75 and 70 mph during one at-bat. "I don't want to say I had pinpoint control, but I was throwing the breaking ball down and out where it was almost impossible to hit," Arroyo said. "They knew where I was going, but I still had enough late movement to surprise them." Arroyo allowed Anthony Rizzo's two-run homer - his third of the series - and struck out seven batters for the first time since May 13, "This was the first time he looked like the Bronson of his first time through here," manager Bryan Price said, referring to Arroyo's stay in Cincinnati. Raisesl Iglesias gave up a pair of runs in the ninth before finishing off the Reds' 3-7 homestand. Patrick Kivlehan's bases-loaded double highlighted a four-run sixth inning off John Lackey (1-3) and decided a matchup of up-in-years starters. The 38-year-old Lackey and Arroyo have combined for 793 starts in the majors. Despite the loss, the defending champs took two of three in the series and moved back into first place in the NL Central. No surprise that it happened in Cincinnati - the Cubs have won 17 of their last 22 at Great American Ball Park. They've taken 20 of their last 25 overall against the Reds. "I have nothing to complain about," manager Joe Maddon said.

5 Rizzo extended his hitting streak to 12 games - matching his career high - with his two-run homer in the fourth inning. His three-run shot with two outs in the ninth helped the Cubs rally for a 6-5, 11-inning victory in the series opener. He had another three-run homer during a 12-8 win on Saturday. The Cubs have homered in their last 15 games at Great American. They hit seven in all during the series. Chicago Tribune John Lackey frustrated after mistakes cost Cubs in 7-5 loss to Reds By Mark Gonzales John Lackey's long looks around Great American Ball Park summed up his feelings Sunday after a 7-5 loss to the Reds. "I'm pissed," Lackey said. Despite a 2-1 start to this nine-game, three-city trip, the Cubs displayed a number of shortcomings Sunday that annoyed Lackey and were acknowledged by manager Joe Maddon and catcher Miguel Montero. It started with a nine-pitch at-bat by Billy Hamilton. He reached on a single when Jon Jay got a late break in deep center. Hamilton then stole second and third on successive pitches and scored on a sacrifice fly. Errors by Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant started and capped a four-run sixth. Those gaffes were magnified when the Cubs rallied for two runs in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate with no outs. "We normally don't make those mistakes," Maddon said. "Therein lies the difference in the game." The crafty pitching of 40-year-old Bronson Arroyo was another factor. He kept the Cubs' aggressive hitters off balance with his Frisbee-style pitches frequently clocked in the mid-70-mph range. "He's a tough pitcher to face," said Montero, who caught Arroyo in 2014 with the Diamondbacks. "He's throwing below hitting speed. We had our chances. We didn't take advantage of them." Said Lackey: "You don't see that kind of stuff much anymore. But give him credit." Arroyo retired the first 10 batters before Kris Bryant hit a single, and Rizzo followed with a game-tying home run that extended his hitting streak to 12 games, tying a career high he set on May 25-June 7, But Arroyo promptly retired eight of the final nine batters he faced in a 66-pitch effort. Meanwhile, the Cubs' downfall started in the sixth when Joey Votto hit a grounder that spun past the sure-handed Rizzo. "It was a topspin ball by a guy who doesn't do that," Rizzo said. "Should I have had it? Yes, but was it an easy play? No. I think every ball I can get to I should have. But was it a routine play? Not at all. But it's part of the game." The Reds cleared the bases on a double by Patrick Kivlehan, a late addition to the lineup after Zack Cozart was scratched because of a sore wrist. "I felt I definitely pitched a lot better than the numbers are going to show," said Lackey, who was charged with five earned runs as his ERA swelled to It marked the sixth consecutive game the Cubs haven't received a quality start. "Two of the first three runs were a couple of balls that fell in on me," Lackey said. "I didn't give up a whole lot of hard contact. What are you going to do?"

6 Montero understood Lackey's feelings. "I know he's frustrated because they work their butt off for four days until they make the start, and they expect everything is going to go right, and we let him down." The Cubs, who missed a chance to earn their first series sweep of the season, head to Pittsburgh, where Rizzo doesn't plan to dwell on the loss or his hitting streak. "You try not to live and die on every result," Rizzo said. Chicago Tribune Miguel Montero takes blame for Brett Anderson's recent struggles By Mark Gonzales When it comes to the inconsistency of the Cubs rotation, catcher Miguel Montero doesn't place all of the blame on the starting pitchers. In fact, Montero pointed the finger at himself for Brett Anderson's rough outing Tuesday. "I take full responsibility for Brett Anderson," Montero said Sunday. Anderson allowed six runs in 32/3 innings against the Brewers. "I didn't call a good game for him," Montero said. "I told him I was sorry because he had good stuff going, and the results were different. I apologized to him because I didn't do my job. "So other than that, we've got to continue to fight and stay in the game. If we do that, we're going to be in good shape." Manager Joe Maddon said he may pair Anderson with Montero when the Cubs open a three-game series Monday night at Pittsburgh. Plan B: The Cubs hope Javier Baez will regain the discipline that made him an effective hitter with two strikes last season. A perfect example is his game-winning single off Hunter Strickland of the Giants in the deciding game of the National League Division Series. "It's in there," Maddon said of Baez employing a "B" hack in which a hitter chokes, looks for a fastball and tries to hit to the opposite field with two strikes. "We've got to rein him back in there and get him thinking that way. It's a mental adjustment. His physical stuff, he's always going to come unglued on occasion. But it's more of the mental adaptation and not the physical adjustment." Baez is 0-for-14 with six strikeouts on 1-2 counts. "He's just off a little bit," Maddon said. "He's a little over-amped. He's getting out too quickly. He'll stop doing it." Powering up: Rizzo has hit a homer in three consecutive games for the fourth time in his career. Rizzo hit home runs in four consecutive games once, on July 29-Aug. 1, Chicago Sun-Times Cubs win series but leave Cincinnati after bitter, sloppy loss By Gordon Wittenmyer

7 CINCINNATI Anthony Rizzo is heating up. The bullpen is looking better. And the Cubs have won five of six series. But if you were looking for a feel-good vibe in the clubhouse after their 7-5 loss Sunday to the Reds, you were still looking, especially if you were checking in John Lackey s corner. Yeah, I don t care about the series right now; I m pissed, said Lackey, who lost his third consecutive start on a strange day in which most things that could go wrong did. I felt like I definitely pitched a lot better than the numbers are going to show. Two of the first three runs were a couple of balls that kind of fell in on me. And I really didn t give up a whole lot of hard contact. What are you going to do? Well, there was that home run that Scott Schebler hit in the second inning. And there was that three-run double to the left-center-field gap in the sixth by Patrick Kivlehan, a bench guy who wasn t even in the lineup until Zack Cozart was scratched because of a sore wrist. If anything, this was a day that summed up the Cubs stutter-step start to their championship defense. Consider the dominant performance by Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who before April 8 hadn t pitched in a bigleague game in three seasons because of multiple arm injuries. His velocity ranging from 75 to 82 mph, Arroyo baffled the Cubs for six innings, retiring the first 10 he faced, allowing two runs after a single by Kris Bryant followed by a homer by Rizzo in the fourth and striking out seven. Obviously, he s throwing below hitting speed right now, catcher Miguel Montero said. Meanwhile, the Cubs have trailed in nine consecutive games (losing five of them). They haven t had a quality start from the rotation since Jon Lester s seven scoreless innings in a no-decision a week earlier against the Pirates. And Bryant hasn t had a multihit game since his two-homer game the day before that Lester start. The league s reigning MVP and the player with MLB s hottest-selling jersey is hitting only.230 with 19 strikeouts (second to Kyle Schwarber on the team). Some of it is he s fouling his pitch off, said manager Joe Maddon, who said he s not even sure how often Bryant is getting his pitch to hit. But I m kind of encouraged because we re in decent shape right now, and he really hasn t gotten off yet. Rizzo has. Schwarber has done a great job of getting on base and getting some big hits, but he s still got a lot left in the tank, too.... Some guys really haven t kicked it in gear yet. Tell it to Lackey (1-3). This is the kind of day it was for him: On the ninth pitch of the first at-bat of the game, Billy Hamilton blooped a ball to center that Jon Jay allowed to fall in front of him for a hit after getting a bad jump. Next two pitches: steals of second and third. One out later, Joey Votto hit a sacrifice fly for the quick lead. Errors by Rizzo and Bryant contributed to two unearned runs in a four-run sixth, which cost Lackey any chance of pitching deeper in the game.

8 He looks good to me, Montero said. Unfortunately, it feels like every little mistake he makes he pays for. I know he s frustrated because [starters] work their butts off for four days before they get the start, expecting everything to go right. And we let him down. Chicago Sun-Times Trivia answer? Sure, but this Red s part in Cub title not trivial By Gordon Wittenmyer CINCINNATI On Saturday, for the first time since the trade that became legendary in Chicago, Reds right-hander Scott Feldman got to see the guy who forever made him the answer to a Cubs trivia question in person. I was joking with the guys the other day, calling it the Scott Feldman trade, not the Jake Arrieta trade, Feldman said. He s pretty tough. Sometimes a change of scenery can really help somebody out, I guess. Look at him now: He s one of the top pitchers in the league. In 2013, Feldman became the definition of one of the trademarks of the rebuilding plan under Theo Epstein: the sign-and-flip starter. The Cubs used him to pull off the most lopsided trade in the last decade. A one-year free agent coming off a down year, Feldman got off to a strong start with a bad Cubs team, and he was sent to Baltimore in July with backup catcher Steve Clevenger for Arrieta and reliever Pedro Strop. Arrieta since then: with a 2.57 ERA in 102 starts, an All-Star selection, a 2015 Cy Young Award and a 2016 World Series ring. I don t think we re competitive in 15 without him, and we re not a playoff team without him, Epstein said recently. Maybe the whole timetable for the rebuild is different without him. Said Feldman: Kind of funny how that works out. Maybe Theo should send me over a ring.... Just kidding. The time with the Cubs worked out for Feldman, too. He used the season as a springboard to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Astros, eventually being traded to the Blue Jays for their playoff push last year. He signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Reds for this year. In fact, he was their Opening Day starter something Arrieta was not for his team this year. Feldman, 34, who actually has made three opening starts for three teams, doesn t spend a lot of time thinking about his place in Cubs lore. I just think about how much I enjoyed being over there and playing with those guys, said Feldman, who especially appreciated pitching coach Chris Bosio, Anthony Rizzo and strength coach Tim Buss. I was happy for them to take it all the way. It must ve been a pretty cool celebration. Whether he takes a little private pride in his part of the bigger picture of that historic championship, Feldman would welcome a chance to return at some point in his career. Who wouldn t want to play [there], Feldman said. They re set up to be good for a long time. And I think that s what a lot of teams are modeling their formulas after, the way Theo rebuilt the Cubs.

9 Chicago s a great spot to live, a great spot to play. It was fun being on that team even when we weren t very good. It was just a cool place to play, walk to the ballpark and see everybody with their Cubs shirts on, drinking beers at 9 in the morning. It was pretty cool. And if his Cubs experience goes full circle? You never know, he said. It d be pretty cool. NOTES: Reds shortstop Zack Cozart was scratched because of a sore wrist. Ben Zobrist returned to the lineup after being sidelined much of the week with a sore lower back. He singled, doubled and scored twice. Cubs.com 3 HRs in 3 days? Simply business for Rizzo By Andrew Call CINCINNATI Anthony Rizzo says that, for him, the components of a sizzling hot streak pretty much resemble the components for any other day at the office. "You just play baseball really," the Cubs' first baseman said Sunday after extending his hitting streak to 12 games during a 7-5 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park. "You just hit balls where they're not standing. You go through the process. It's no different than not getting any hits." The results can sometimes be different, however. His fourth-inning, two-run home run off Bronson Arroyo was Rizzo's third in three days, totaling eight RBIs. He had three RBIs during his first 74 plate appearances this season. He is batting.370 (17-for-46) during his hitting streak, the 12 games tying a career high. He had reached base at least twice in 11 consecutive games before Sunday, also tying a career high. Rizzo turned on Arroyo's 71-mph slider and drove it 387 feet into the right-center-field seats for his fourth homer of the season. That was the only damage the Cubs were able to inflict on the 40-year-old right-hander, who rarely broke 80 mph in his six-inning start. "You have to take it like every other at-bat and let him hang one," Rizzo said. "Fortunately for me, he did. Everything else, he was splitting the plate." Arroyo admitted the slider might not have been the best plan of attack against Rizzo. "I threw him a back-door breaking ball and gave him an opportunity to pull it where he didn't have to hit it into the wind," Arroyo said. "Maybe I should have stayed a little stiffer there with some hard stuff and tried to get a double-play ball. That's hindsight, man. You go out and battle and see what happens." Will Rizzo's streak continue Monday in Pittsburgh? Either way, it will continue to be business as usual for the Cubs' star. "You try not to live and die with the results," Rizzo said. Cubs.com Cubs outmuscled as Cincy sweep bid denied By Mark Sheldon and Andrew Call

10 CINCINNATI It's been a rough first few weeks of the season for Reds right fielder Scott Schebler. But pitcher Bronson Arroyo was fortunate to have Schebler's contributions supporting his strong start in a 7-5 victory over the Cubs as Cincinnati salvaged one game from its three-game series at Great American Ball Park on Sunday. After Billy Hamilton gave the Reds a 1-0 lead in the first inning by singling, stealing second and third base and scoring on Joey Votto's sacrifice fly, Schebler hit a solo home run to right field in the second inning to make it 2-0 against John Lackey. Schebler then added a jam-shot of a bloop single to center field in the fourth to snap a 2-2 tie. The Reds put away Lackey with a four-run sixth inning. That featured a double by Patrick Kivlehan with the bases loaded that scored all three runners. Lackey, who was hurt by two Cubs errors in the inning, allowed seven runs (five earned) and six hits over six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. "Things really haven't been going my way as far as the plate," Schebler said. "But I feel like I've been playing solid defense and I'm still trying to give the team a chance to win. All we care about here is winning. When we're winning, everybody is happy." A winner for his second straight start, the 40-year-old Arroyo was mostly smooth for six innings, giving up two earned runs and three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The right-hander retired his first 10 batters before Kris Bryant hit a one-out single and Anthony Rizzo smoked a 1-0 pitch for a two-run homer to right field, his third homer in as many games. "You just play baseball really," Rizzo said after extending his hitting streak to 12 games. "You just hit balls where they're not standing. You go through the process. It's no different than not getting any hits." Raisel Iglesias was summoned for the last five outs but hit some turbulence, allowing three hits and two runs in the top of the ninth. After Addison Russell's RBI single scored Ben Zobrist, who led off with a double, Iglesias made a pickoff throw with no one covering first base. That set up Jason Heyward's RBI single before Iglesias got a double play and flyout to end the game. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Schebler comes through: Schebler has come under some fire from fans as he entered Sunday 1-for-his-last-15 and 4-for-31 in his previous nine games and batting.153 overall. On Lackey's 1-0 pitch, the Reds' right fielder lifted a 402-foot homer, according to Statcast, that left the bat at 103 mph with a 33-degree launch angle. After Chicago tied it up, Schebler's RBI single gave his team the lead for good in the fourth. "Things will get rolling, and I expect it to," Schebler said. "One swing can spark a good streak. It's just how baseball works. I hope to build off of this." Big bunt leads to big moment: The Reds had runners on first and second base with no outs when Scooter Gennett saw the infield playing back and laid down a perfect bunt on the grass to the left side of the infield and beat it out for a single to load the bases. It set the stage for the next batter, Kivlehan, to clear those bases with his long double the first of his career. "I was put into a good opportunity and a good spot," Kivlehan said "I knew [Lackey] walked me in my last at-bat on four pitches. I knew he didn't want to do it again, so I just wanted to be aggressive and look for a pitch in the strike zone." QUOTABLE "He was really feeling it. Probably for the first time this year, it looked more like Bronson that we remember from the first time through.... Just really a complete effort by a guy who really knows how to pitch. I think he is starting to really feel those things he needs to feel to make good pitches on a consistent basis." Reds manager Bryan Price

11 "I have nothing to complain about. You go into another city and win the series. We'll take it." Cubs manager Joe Maddon SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Arroyo and Lackey have pitched a combined 5,079 1/3 innings in 793 starts during their careers. Lackey and Arroyo rank Nos. 3 and 4 for most starts among active pitchers behind Bartolo Colon and CC Sabathia. WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Chicago begins a three-game series vs. Pittsburgh on Monday night at 6:05 CT at PNC Park. Left-hander Brett Anderson (1-0, 4.40) will start for the Cubs. Anderson allowed one run over 10 2/3 innings in his first two starts, then was charged with six runs in Tuesday's no-decision vs. Milwaukee. Reds: A seven-day, six-game road trip begins at 7:40 p.m. ET on Monday with a three-game-series opener vs. the Brewers. Amir Garrett, who is 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA over his first three big league starts, will be on the mound for Cincinnati. Cubs.com Cubs out to avenge sweep in Pittsburgh By Andrew Call Perhaps Cubs fans had expected a little more. Five losses in six games had dropped Chicago into third place in the National League Central on April 17. But a week later, the level of fan anxiety in Chicago has subsided considerably. The defending World Series champions regained first place Friday and are on a roll, despite missing a sweep in Cincinnati, as they come into a three-game series vs. the Pirates that begins Monday night at PNC Park. "It's been a decent start, not a great start," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We talk primarily about getting off to a good start each game, scoring first, winning innings that's what I talk about. Those are the concepts I want our guys to focus on." The Pirates played a big role in the Cubs' mid-month swoon when they swept three games at Wrigley Field from April as the Chicago bullpen struggled. Despite that feat, the Pirates haven't been above.500 since April 9 (3-2). The Chicago batting order hadn't really demonstrated its power until spending this past weekend at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. First baseman Anthony Rizzo homered in each game. "There have been some bright spots, and there are some guys who haven't kicked it into gear yet," Maddon said. Left-hander Brett Anderson (1-0, 4.40 ERA) will start for the Cubs against right-hander Chad Kuhl (1-1, 2.60). Anderson allowed one run over 10 2/3 innings in his first two starts, then was charged with six runs in a nodecision vs. Milwaukee. The last time he faced the Pirates (Aug. 14, 2016), Anderson gave up five runs in one inning. Kuhl has pitched well enough, but he was on the wrong end of a 2-1 loss to St. Louis in his previous start and saw his win evaporate after he left with a lead during the Bucs' 4-3 defeat in Boston. Things to know about this game The Pirates are in their last five regular-season games against Chicago. The tie came on Sept. 29, 2016, when rain suspended the game with a 1-1 score in the sixth inning. The game was declared to be a tie since the result didn't impact either team in the standings.

12 The seven active Pirates who have faced Anderson are hitting a combined.188 against him (6-for-32). Rizzo is 4-for-7 (.571) with a double, triple and home run against Kuhl.