The Cubs and Pirates took at least a one-day reprieve from the fireworks they started July 4 with the Pirates’ too-tight-for-Cubs’-comfort pitching.
But it’s a long, hot weekend in Chicago, and the pitcher who turned Cubs manager Joe Maddon into a raving madman who charged the Pirates dugout barely a week ago is pitching Saturday for the Pirates – Jordan Lyles against Cubs cantankerous veteran Jon Lester.
“We made our point the other day,” Maddon said before the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Pirates in Friday’s second-half opener. “I’m pretty good at putting things down and moving on.