CHICAGO -- The Cubs have been able to count on Wrigley Field this season. When things have gone awry on the road, returning to the Friendly Confines has consistently allowed the team to find its footing again.\n\nThat was true again this weekend, when the Cubs came home after a gut-punch of a road trip and capped off a three-game sweep of the rival Brewers with a 7-2 win on Sunday in front of the North Side crowd.
\n\n \n\nSince June 10, Darvish has piled up 71 strikeouts against only seven walks in 59 2/3 innings. He has walked three percent of his total batters faced in that 10-start stretch. That is a dramatic decline from his first 13 starts, during which Darvish walked 14.9 percent of his total batters faced in 66 1/3 innings.\n\nIn the second half, Darvish has spun a 2.17 ERA with 38 strikeouts and two walks in 29 innings.\n\n\"He's pitching as well as anybody in the league right now,\" Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. \"Everybody's going to talk about all these other dudes, but right now, physically on a game-by-game basis, nobody's pitching better than he is.\"\n\n**2\\. For starters, no free passes**\n\nAfter Cubs lefty
\"It's really fun to watch,\" Maddon said. \"When you make the other team earn that trip down to first base, that's wonderful to see.\"\n\nChicago's pitching staff finished with 15 strikeouts on Sunday, marking the team's most punchouts in a game with no walks since July 30, 2002, when it tallied 16 strikeouts and no walks against the Padres. The Cubs have at least eight strikeouts and two or fewer walks in seven straight games, which is tied for the longest such by stretch an MLB team since 1908.\n\n**3\\. Heyward leading the way**\n\nWhen Maddon talked to Heyward earlier this week about taking over as the leadoff hitter, the veteran outfielder only asked for patience from the manager. He wanted to adjust to the job knowing that things were not going to change after one rough day at the ballpark.\n\nHeyward has adjusted to the new responsibility swiftly.
\n\n \n\n\"He's leading us,\" Maddon said. \"He's absolutely leading the offense right now.\"\n\nIn Sunday's win, Heyward led off the bottom of the first inning by drilling a first-pitch two-seamer from Brewers starter
\n\nThrough his first five games atop the order, Heyward has turned in a .250/.318/.700 slash line with four extra-base hits and two walks in 22 plate appearances. It is an extremely small sample size, but with Heyward at the top and