Cubs pumped to take on first-place Giants

MILWAUKEE - Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon frequently cites the four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field last August as the defining moment of his team's 2015 season.

The two teams will meet again this weekend for three at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Both enter as first-place teams, the Cubs in the National League Central and the Giants in the West.

"I don't really remember that very well," said Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, who pitches Friday night. "It's a new series, new team, new year. We're tough to beat. They're good, too. We're going to be ready.

"It's going to be a good test for us, finishing off here and going to play two more good teams."

The Cubs will play the Cardinals in St. Louis after the series in San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy led his team to World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

"I have a lot of respect for them," Maddon said. "I like Boch a lot. Boch is outstanding. I know a lot of their coaches. The players on the field, they have a lot of good left-handed hitters. They're pros, they play the game right. It's going to be fun."

First baseman Anthony Rizzo agreed.

"It's always fun playing at AT&T Park," Rizzo said. "Their fans are really good. They bring it."

Snail mail or email?

Joe Maddon talked early Thursday of his team battling for a 13-inning victory Wednesday night. In doing so, he inadvertently updated some terminology.

"We could easily have emailed it in - mailed it in," he said with a laugh. "I'm really proud of our guys regarding that."

Speaking of email, that led Maddon into his next topic.

"How about this for next year since we were talking about email?" he began. "In spring training, just give the guys a day or two advance warning; 'no technology day.' You can't get on the Internet. You can't use your cellphone. You can't watch television. You have to listen to, like, analog radio. I won't tell you you can't use your air conditioner in your car. I won't go that far. They had air conditioning back in the day, too.

"But it would be kind of fun to find out if we could actually survive 24 hours without Internet, cellphone, etc. I'm going to propose it."

This and that:

Cubs starting pitchers have pitched through at least the fifth inning in each of their last 47 regular-season games. That's the franchise's longest such streak since 1910 ... Cubs catcher Miguel Montero tripled in the seventh inning. It was his first three-base hit since Aug. 11, 2012, when he was with Arizona . "Sometimes you got to hit the jets, right?" Montero said ... Second baseman Ben Zobrist has reached safely in his last 25 starts, since April 18.