Sept. 08--The Chicago Cubs took advantage of a lengthy stretch at home during August to strengthen their hold on the second National League wild-card berth.
Their tentative 2016 schedule, released Tuesday, presents similar opportunities to last month's schedule that saw the Cubs post a 14-3 record during a 17-game stretch in which they didn't leave the city of Chicago and finished August with a 19-9 record.
The Cubs are scheduled to play a stretch of 19 games in which 16 will be played at Wrigley Field starting April 26. The only three road games will be at Pittsburgh on May 2-4.
The start of the second half also is favorable to the Cubs, who will open at home with six games before making the 90-minute drive north to Milwaukee to play the Brewers before returning home for 10 games.
On the flip side, the Cubs will travel to St. Louis for two separate series before they host their first series against the Cardinals on June 20-22.
The Cubs' most challenging segment could be a 25-game stretch in which they will play 19 on the road. Their only six home games during that span are against National League Central rivals the Pirates and the Cardinals.
The Cubs will stay on the West Coast at the conclusion of spring training as they will open the 2016 against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on April 5.
The 2016 opener will mark the first time the Cubs will open a season in the state of California since 1984 at Candlestick Park.
After an unsettling spring, the Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 behind Dick Ruthven and went on to win 96 games and the NL East title.
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