Chicago Cubs Notes: Team wins second-straight; Joe Maddon nears milestone

For the second-straight night, the offense carried the Chicago Cubs to victory; meanwhile, Joe Maddon is approaching a big career milestone.

A clutch, two-out double from pinch-hitter Willson Contreras proved to be the difference on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. A four-run sixth led the Chicago Cubs to a second-straight win over the Philadelphia Phillies in a best-of-four series.

Right-hander Jake Arrieta allowed a pair of first-inning runs, but both could have been avoided if Jason Heyward were in right instead of center field. Regardless, the Chicago ace struck out seven over six frames, allowing just one run after the first.

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With the win, Chicago manager Joe Maddon is now just four wins from 1,000 in his managerial career.  Only 62 other managers in the history of Major League Baseball have accomplished this feat.

Wednesday’s hero, Willson Contreras, has shown his value on both sides of the ball in the season’s first month. He leads all of baseball with eight caught stealing this year and ranks near the top of the NL in several other defensive measures.

Another major storyline for the team so far revolves around the leadoff spot. Till now, Kyle Schwarber manned that role for Maddon, but winds of change are swirling. We broke down a list of potential leadoff candidates, including veterans Ben Zobrist and Jon Jay earlier yesterday.

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