 is trying to become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. It will face Washington in the NL Division Series beginning on Friday.''They're a deep team. So are we, so it'll be a fun series,'' Rizzo said.McGuire (1-1) pitched five sparkling innings for his first major league win in his second big league start. The right-hander also picked up his first RBI when he drove in Phillip Ervin with a grounder in the fifth.Raisel Iglesias allowed Albert Almora Jr.'s one-out homer in the ninth before finishing for his 28th save in 30 chances.Cincinnati finished last in the NL Central for the third straight season. It also went 68-94 last year.Chicago, a runaway winner in the NL Central last season with a 103-58 record, has some decisions to make about its rotation against the Nationals, but appears to be in good shape heading into the playoffs. The Cubs closed the season with 15 wins in 19 games.Mike Montgomery pitched three scoreless innings for Chicago before John Lackey (12-12) allowed Adam Duvall's run-scoring double in the fourth in his first relief appearance since the 2013 World Series with Boston. The right-hander could work out of the bullpen in this year's playoffs.Scooter Gennett added an RBI single in the sixth for Cincinnati. Joey Votto doubled twice and led the majors by reaching base 321 times this year, breaking his own team record set in 2015.NO STEALINGCincinnati center fielder Billy Hamilton went 0 for 4 with a walk and lost out to Miami's Dee Gordon in the race for most steals in the majors. Hamilton had 59 coming into the day, one shy of Gordon's league-leading total.The Reds tried to get Hamilton another steal in the ninth, but Jesse Winker was thrown out at third on the front half of a double-steal attempt, ending the inning.TAKE A BOWThe Cubs paid tribute to retiring Reds right-hander Bronson Arroyo with a scoreboard message before the start of the fourth inning. The 40-year-old Arroyo waved to the cheering crowd when he was shown on the videoboard.UP NEXTThe Cubs dropped four of seven games against the Nationals this season.---Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Cubs prep for postseason, Reds prepare to go home 5h ago• 2 min read CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds close out the regular season Sunday afternoon moving in different directions.The defending World Series champion Cubs (92-69) are gearing up for another postseason and the Reds (67-94) -- last in the National League Central -- will head home.Left-hander Mike Montgomery (7-8, 3.45 ERA) will pitch in place of Jake Arrieta, who will instead throw a simulated game Wednesday. Montgomery allowed one hit -- a solo home run -- in six innings against Tampa Bay in his last start on Sept. 19.Montgomery has been both a starter and a reliever this season, and his last two outings have come out of the bullpen. He is 1-1 with a 3.42 ERA in 10 career games, including two starts, against Cincinnati. In his last two outings against the Reds, he has thrown 10 1/3 scoreless innings.The Cubs have yet to announce their playoff roster or starting rotation. They're expected to hold simulated games Tuesday and Wednesday, with Arrieta and Jose Quintana pitching Wednesday.Arrieta missed about two weeks in September due to a sore right hamstring. Manager Joe Maddon remained mum about who will start Game 1 and beyond against the Washington Nationals in the NLDS, though it appears Arrieta or Quintana would pitch Game 3."We'll go with our pecking order," Maddon said.The Cubs have been giving their regulars some rest after they clinched the NL Central on Wednesday.But Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant played his 150th game of the season Saturday, making him the first player in team history to play at least 150 games in each of his first three major league seasons. Only 11 players in major league history have accomplished the feat."Most of the time, when guys come up, they're not able to really handle that number of games or they're not good enough to be put in the lineup that many times," Maddon said. "Just give him credit."You really can't underestimate how difficult it is to be an everyday player in this league. It takes a lot of mental strength to be able to do that."You're going to have your bad days, you're going to have bumps and bruises, you're going to be hurting, you're not going to want to play, you've got a cold, you've got a cough, I don't want to play, but you play. It's quite an achievement in our game to be able to do that." For the Reds, first baseman Joey Votto has started every game this season. He leads the majors in reaching base 319 times. If he starts Sunday, he would be the first Reds player to start every game in a non-strike regular season since Pete Rose in 1975."He's never looked like he's needed a break," Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters. "He knows himself. He's as prepared as anybody." Right-hander Deck McGuire (0-1, 4.15) will make his second major league start and sixth overall appearance Sunday. He has never faced the Cubs.The Cubs lead the season series against the Reds 12-6 after winning 5-4 Friday and 9-0 Saturday.
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