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Cubs ready for playoff series to begin Friday night

CHICAGO -- The San Francisco Giants won't have ace Madison
Bumgarner available tonight for the National League Division Series
opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

However, the Giants will start a pitcher who is arguably just as
good, as right-hander Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79 ERA) goes against
Cubs left hander Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA) in Game 1 of the
best-of-five series.

"I think you look at Johnny and Bum, and they're both number ones,"
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after a lengthy travel day and late
arrival in Chicago on Thursday. "We'd be comfortable with them in
any game. The fact that we used our guy (Bumgarner) to get here and
then we have Johnny, that's a nice luxury. And I like the way the
rest of them are throwing.

"It's nice to have a rotation with this depth."

Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA) worked a complete-game four-hitter
Wednesday in the Giants' 3-0 wild-card victory over the New York
Mets at Citi Field.

The Cubs likely will have to contend with him as a possible Game 3
starter when the series shifts to AT&T Park on Monday. Bochy said
he still had not decided on the rotation beyond Friday.

Cueto, the winningest Giants starter this season, won his past four
outings since a Sept. 4 no-decision in the Giants' 3-2 loss to the
Cubs at Wrigley Field -- his only appearance against Chicago this
year.

He allowed one run on five hits, struck out five and walked just
one over seven innings.

Cueto missed a turn on Sept. 25 due to a left groin strain but
returned to strike out 11 and allow two runs in a seven innings
during a win over the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 29. He said
Thursday through a translator that he feels fine.

The Cubs' NLDS rotation was a matter of who has pitched well and
where.

Lester fell short of his first 20-win season but still had his best
winning percentage (.792), matched his 2010 career high in
victories and had quality starts in all 15 home games this season.

"He earned it," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (16-8, 2.13 ERA) follows on Saturday at
home, and right-hander Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10 ERA) gets the road
start on Monday.

"A lot of it is based on recent productivity and the fact that
Jon's just nailed it and Kyle has nailed it," Maddon said. "They've
also been good at home, where Jake has also been good on the road.
It kind of morphed into that the last couple of weeks."

Lester is 4-1 with a 2.25 all-time ERA against San Francisco,
including 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA this season. He beat the Giants in a
complete-game, 2-1 decision on Sept. 2 at Wrigley.

Cubs starting pitchers topped the major leagues with 81 victories,
a 2.94 ERA and a .212 opponents' batting average. It was just the
second time since 1913 that Chicago starters earned 81 wins. The
1945 Cubs staff had 87.

The Cubs and Giants meet in the postseason for only the second
time. San Francisco claimed a 4-1 series victory in the 1989 NL
Championship Series.

The Giants have won 11 consecutive postseason series, including
wild-card victories in 2014 and on Wednesday.

Chicago (103-58) posted the major league's best record in 2016 and
went 4-3 against San Francisco (87-75), including 3-1 at Wrigley
Field.

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