3 things I heard inside the Chicago Cubs clubhouse on Friday
By Kevin Henry
CHICAGO — After dropping a series to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs manager David Ross told reporters, "We've got to throw up wins. That's how we're going to get to the postseason. We've got to win baseball games."
His team certainly seemed to listen to that sage advice on Friday, using strong pitching, solid defense and timely hitting to post a 6-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies inside the Friendly Confines. Now with just eight games left in their regular season, Chicago posted its 80th victory of the season and, thanks to a Milwaukee Brewers road rout of the Miami Marlins on Friday night, moved into the final Wild Card spot.
So what did the Cubs have to say after the win on Friday? Here are three quotes that stood out to me.
Chicago Cubs manager David Ross saw his team play "good baseball"
There was little from the Cubs on Friday that looked like a team that was tightening up under the pressure of chasing the postseason. Chicago turned three double plays and blanked Colorado batters in potential scoring situations, with the Rockies going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
"The wins right now, they all feel good, no matter how you get them," Ross said on Friday. "But it's just nice to see us play good baseball."
Chicago's defense and timely pitching helped Cubs pitchers work around seven walks that were issued. Only one of Colorado's hits went for extra bases, and that was Brenton Doyle's two-out double in the ninth inning when the game was well in hand.
If there was a recipe for how to start a pivotal series, it's exactly what the Cubs did on Friday.