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For Cubs' Maddon, pitcher's spot all depends on the lineup

PITTSBURGH - For the second straight game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon batted his pitcher ninth in the lineup.

In the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader, Jon Lester hit ninth. On Wednesday, it was Jake Arrieta's turn to hit at the bottom of the lineup.

This is a departure from Maddon's norm. Entering Wednesday, the pitcher had batted ninth just twice, and it was Lester both times.

Against Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett on Wednesday, Maddon batted Starlin Castro seventh and Javier Baez eighth.

"It depends on the lineup," Maddon said. "Starlin has really hit this guy well in the past. If you hit him seventh with the pitcher behind him, I think he's going to have less opportunity to hit. So you hit Starlin ninth, and I don't really like him there. Then he's protecting (Miguel) Montero (hitting sixth).

"So if you hit Arrieta eighth after Castro and hit Baez ninth, you're not getting everything done that you want. That's tonight. Last night was almost the same thing, almost the same kind of logic with the seventh and the eighth hitter.

"It's a day-by-day situation. (Thursday), you may see the pitcher go back to the 8-hole."

Rotation plans set:

The Cubs have set their pitching rotation for this weekend's series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

Dan Haren will start Friday's opener. Maddon will go with a "bullpen day" Saturday, trying to get perhaps 3 or 4 innings from the starter. Jon Lester will start Sunday.

"It probably depends on what happens the next couple days," Joe Maddon said.

Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Travis Wood are the likely three candidates to carry the load Saturday, according to Maddon.

The Cubs are keeping left-handed pitcher Eric Jokisch and catcher Taylor Teagarden active in Arizona in case either is needed. If the Cubs clinch a playoff spot relatively early, Jokisch could get a start in the final days of the season.

No day of rest:

Shortstop Addison Russell did not start Wednesday night, as Joe Maddon tries to rest some of his younger players.

Maddon has talked of giving first baseman Anthony Rizzo a day off, but that doesn't look like it's happening.

"Forget about it," Maddon said. "I don't want him to. I'm being a really bad manager right there. Bad manager. Bad manager. I think he's OK."

Extra, extra:

Kris Bryant's second-inning double Wednesday increased the Cubs' streak of getting an extra-base hit to 49 games since July 26, the day after they were no-hit by Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies. That's the longest such streak since the Cubs had at least 1 extra-base hit in 52 straight from July 3-Aug. 11, 2011.

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