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 "Everybody's thinking about October," pitcher Kyle Hendricks said
after the Cubs swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies
on Friday night. "We're that close. We can smell it, pretty much."
Left fielder Kyle Schwarber homered twice and drove in three runs in
the Cubs' 7-3 victory in the second game, after Jake Arrieta (19-6)
pitched eight strong innings to win the first game 5-1, running his
personal winning streak to eight games.
"It was wonderful," manager Joe Maddon said of the sweep, "and it
was all set up by the starting pitching in both games."
Hendricks (7-6) went 6 2/3 innings to win the second game, in which
third baseman Kris Bryant also homered and drove in three runs.
Schwarber hit a 442-foot solo homer in the first inning and a
two-run homer in the second inning, each on the first pitch he saw
from Phillies starter Alec Asher, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
The first came on a fastball, the second on a slider, after center
fielder Dexter Fowler doubled. Schwarber, a rookie, now has 15
homers in 51 games this season.
He was playing only his second game after missing six with a rib
injury. In his first, Wednesday against St. Louis, he struck out
four times.
"I felt good at the plate (Friday), swinging at good pitches I could
hit," he said. "I'll probably have another couple four-strikeout
games along the way. ... Just trying to get comfortable and seeing
the ball again."
His only embarrassing moment Friday came after his second homer,
when he slipped and fell while rounding the first-base bag. His
teammates were not about to let him forget that.
"I got a lot (of grief)," he said. "A lot of, 'Watch out for the
snipers.'"
The Phillies lost for the eighth time in nine games, and the 14th
time in their last 18.
"It wasn't a very good day," interim manager Pete Mackanin said.
"Schwarber is a monster. You can't leave the ball over the middle of
the plate."
Philadelphia center fielder Odubel Herrera doubled in the fourth and
scored on a groundout by shortstop Andres Blanco.
Schwarber, however, walked and scored on a double by right fielder
Chris Coghlan in the fifth. With Coghlan still at second later in
the inning Bryant slammed a curveball from Asher over the
center-field fence, a 440-foot blast. It was his 24th homer of the
season, and it put the Cubs up 6-1.
An RBI double by Phillies third baseman Cody Asche in the fifth cut
the Chicago lead to 6-2.
Bryant and Phillies right fielder Brian Bogusevic each singled home
runs in the seventh, leaving Chicago on top 7-3.
The Phillies put two men aboard against Fernando Rodney to start the
ninth, but Cubs closer Hector Rondon came on to retire all three
hitters he faced to earn his 28th save.
Asher (0-3) worked five innings and allowed six runs and seven hits.
He struck out two and walked three.
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Arrieta yielded one run and six hits in the first game, while
striking out seven and walking two. He leads the major leagues in
victories, and is the first Cubs pitcher to win 19 games since Jon
Lieber went 20-6 in 2001.
Arrieta's winning streak is the longest by a Cubs pitcher since Milt
Pappas won 11 straight in 1972. He has not dropped a game since the
Phillies beat him 5-0 on July 25, when the Cubs were no-hit by Cole
Hamels.
Second baseman Starlin Castro hit a solo homer and shortstop Addison
Russell had a two-run double for the Cubs in that game.
A second-inning solo home run by Philadelphia right fielder Aaron
Altherr ended Arrieta's strings of 18 straight scoreless innings and
30 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. He also pitched out
of trouble in the third and fourth innings.
"Nothing fazes me," he said. "Men on base, walks, homers -- deal
with it and move forward."
Nor is he fazed by his success this season.
When asked about the prospect of winning 20, Arrieta said, "It
doesn't matter to me, really. After the season is over, you look at
your line and you can kind of appreciate it then. It's not even
where my mind's at right now. I just want to be quality for the team
and finish on a good note."
His approach has put him squarely in the conversation for the
National League Cy Young Award, along with the Dodgers' Clayton
Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
"I definitely believe our guy deserves it, no question," Maddon
said. "I've seen Greinke pitch. I know he's really good. I'm getting
to watch Jake in person; it's pretty spectacular to watch. ... My
vote's for Jake. Those other guys are really good. It's going to be
an interesting conversation, no question. It's good. It's good for
baseball to have all that discussion. It's going to be hard to argue
against any of the trinity."
NOTES: The Phillies played their second "traditional" doubleheader
-- i.e., the second game starting approximately 30 minutes after the
first -- of the season. Before this year, they had not played one
since 2009. It was the first such doubleheader for the Cubs since
2006. ... It was also the first twin bill between the Phillies and
Cubs since 2001 at Wrigley Field, and the first between the two
teams in Philadelphia since 1990. ... Philadelphia 1B Ryan Howard
ended an 0-for-35 slump with a double in the seventh inning of the
nightcap.
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