Three starts, no decision - yet - for Cubs' Wada

Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada hasn't earned a decision yet for the Cubs after 3 starts. Nor has he gone at least 6 innings. But he's getting there.

Wada worked 5⅔ innings Sunday in the Cubs' 2-1, 11-inning victory over the Kansas City Royals at Wrigley Field.

After retiring the first two batters in the sixth, he walked Lorenzo Cain. Manager Joe Maddon lifted Wada in favor of Travis Wood, the man Wada replaced in the rotation after he came off the disabled list May 19.

Wood walked Kendrys Morales and gave up an RBI single to Alex Gordon. That gave the Royals a short-lived 1-0 lead, with the run being charged to Wada.

"I thought it was his best outing," Maddon said. "I took the walk as the sign that was the Waterloo moment right there … From my perspective, I'm seeing a little bit of a labor."

Wada's ERA fell from 2.70 to 2.30.

"I wasn't tired or anything like that," he said through a translator. "I walked the guy, and that's the reason I got taken out. I'm feeling better every time I go out there, and the pitch counts are going up. Today, I couldn't get that inning (finished)."

No hockey fight here:

Joe Maddon skated a diplomatic fine line - straddled the blue line as it were - when asked about the Stanley Cup Final between the Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Maddon managed the Tampa Bay Rays for nine seasons.

"May the best team win," he said. "I'm becoming the Blackhawks fan, as I should be. I do have some roots back there in Tampa Bay. I know Coach (Jon) Cooper really well. He's a really good guy. I have not met Coach (Joel) Quenneville yet. Really excited about watching the whole thing. I think it's going to be a powerful series.

"I just think that if you're a hockey fan, you've got to be really into this thing."

The Cubs had a team photo taken Saturday wearing Blackhawks jerseys.

Not loving technology so much:

Dexter Fowler was thrown out at home plate trying to score from second base on Anthony Rizzo's single to short left in the 11th inning. The Cubs thought Fowler got his hand on the plate before being tagged, but a replay review upheld the original call. David Ross later singled home the winning run.

"Please make the right decision here," Joe Maddon said of his thoughts during the review. "I know we're at the mercy of it. Technology is wonderful but maybe not wonderful enough. I really thought he was safe. Even after I saw the review, I would absolutely say I thought he was safe. The 'stands' call always annoys me a little bit as opposed to 'confirmed.' I truly thought he was safe."

Honoring Lennie Merullo:

The Cubs honored the memory of Lennie Merullo with a moment of silence before Sunday's game.

Merullo died at age 98. He had been the oldest living Cubs player. Merullo played on the 1945 team that went to the World Series, the last such Cubs team to do so.