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According to director Joe Maddon, no celebration is planned during the very likely Cubs event.
"We are still celebrating achievements, but I have not been part of a planning committee," Maddon said Monday night.
In addition, more pressing issues are close at hand when the Cubs attempt to win their third consecutive NL Central title and avoid the stress of playing a wild card game to win the NL Division Series.
Their mercurial offensive was exploited by Jameson Taillon in a 5-1 defeat against the Pirates. In addition, the Cubs' lead in the division was reduced to one-and-a-half games as the second-place Brewers defeated the Cardinals 6-4 in St. Louis. The magic number of Cubs to win the NL Central thus remains at five.
He scored Taillon's 21st consecutive start, allowing three or fewer races to be won, the longest series of pirates throwers since Bob Friend's 23 consecutive games in 1963.
"Sometimes you meet the wrong guy," said Maddon, aware that the Pirates have Chris Archer, Ivan Nova and Trevor Williams lined up for the last three games of the series.
"They had a nice rotation that made our life difficult. We have to somehow overcome that. They are good, but we must do better.
Even Kris Bryant's return did not help, as the Cubs were looking for ways to generate more offense. Their only shot was won by pitcher Cole Hamels in the third.
"It's better when you win," said Hamels, whose other major league home race was won by the Phillies on July 21, 2012 against Matt Cain of the Giants. "You really have to give it to Taillon. He came after us and threw well.
Bryant took 1-for-3 with a walk and a single after missing Sunday's game to rest his tired left shoulder.
The Cubs have a better batting average of .259, but rank 11th with 163 home runs.
This low total, compared to the 223 hit in 2017, is due in part to Bryant's shoulder injury which caused him to miss two months of the season in two stages on the disabled list.
The lack of power has pushed Maddon to call more successful games this season than its previous three seasons combined.
The Cubs left the bases charged in the fifth and this haunted them when a Bryant throw error at third base set up a RBI double by Jose Osuna who increased the Pirates advance to 3-1. . A promising rally on Matchday 6 was eliminated after Kyle Schwarber made a double play and Jason Heyward took the third round.
Hamels has accepted his share of the blame for his recent penchant for capitulating home runs. Francisco Cervelli hit a two-point circuit inside the left post and on Waveland Avenue in the first.
The circuit was the sixth allowed by Hamels in his last four starts. He had not made a circuit during his first seven starts with the Cubs after being acquired during an exchange with the Rangers on July 27th.
"Abandoning the races at home is bad," said Hamels, who has allowed 29 high-level career races this season with the Rangers and Cubs. "I can not stop myself. I leave them in my career. I try to minimize damage to solos.
"But when you give them in the first run at home, it does not give the necessary momentum and creates that kind of extra game that you have to play because now you're trying to come back from behind."
After the Cubs missed a chance to reduce their magic number for winning the division, Anthony Rizzo had a quick response when a reporter suggested that their task was not so easy.
"If that was the case, I think you would too," joked Rizzo. "We knew it would not be easy. This week will not be different from the previous weeks.
Twitter @MDGonzales
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