CHICAGO (AP) — Asked about the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field, John Lackey smiled. It was one of those seen-it-all grins that arrive after years in the majors.
"If it's blowing in here, yeah, you use it," he said.
He used it quite well on Friday.
Lackey pitched seven crisp innings, Javier Baez's daring baserunning paid off again and the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 for their fifth straight win.
Lackey (11-10) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked none while improving to 6-1 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.