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The conditions were perfect for a big offensive performance at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. The heat, paired with a breeze blowing out, could carry would-be long flyouts over the fence.
“It was a day where you were rewarded for putting the ball in the air,” manager Craig Counsell said after the Cubs’ 8-4 loss Wednesday to the Royals. “ And they did that part of the game certainly better than us.”
Standing in the Cubs’ way was Royals starter Seth Lugo.
It was the kind of pre-trade deadline matchup that perfectly underlined the push-and-pull of this time of year.