Baseball notes: Cubs ease pennant pressure with animal house

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon doesn’t want his players sweating the pressure of a playoff chase.

So for the second straight day, Wrigley Field turned into an animal kingdom, this time with a visit from a cheetah named Bibi, who was a hit with Cubs players prior to their game with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.

“(Pitcher) Travis Wood has been giving me a lot of heat for not having any animals in the clubhouse,” Maddon said. “I said, ‘Just be patient.’ ”

Players like star rookie third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo posed for selfies with Bibi on the field, quickly adding the photos to their social media channels.

Bibi, visiting from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, appeared at Wrigley a day after a pink flamingo, a sloth, a penguin and a snow leopard all were brought in.

Bibi, who can go from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, sat patiently and purred contently on the field as players snapped photos. Maddon, who once brought a 20-foot python into the Tampa Bay Rays clubhouse while he was managing there, said pregame events like Wednesday’s serve a purpose.

“I like it,” Maddon said. “This time of the year, things tend to get a little uptight. I don’t want that. There’s no reason to be. These little sojourns from the normal I think are good for everybody.”

Greinke scratched from start

The Dodgers scratched major league ERA leader Zack Greinke from his start against Arizona because of soreness in his calf.

The Dodgers say Greinke is expected to take his next turn in the rotation early next week.

The right-hander is 18-3 with a 1.65 ERA this season, making him a top candidate for the N.L. Cy Young Award. Greinke has victories in five consecutive starts and 13 of 15 since late June.

Pittsburgh’s Ramirez sidelined

The Pirates kept third baseman Aramis Ramirez out of the lineup for precautionary reasons Wednesday night against Colorado after he tweaked his left groin while running the bases the night before.

Ramirez had an RBI triple in the fourth inning Tuesday and then played in the field the next two innings before exiting. He said he learned a valuable lesson:

“No more triples,” he said. “I’m going to stop at second from now on. Speed is not part of my game.”

It was Ramirez’s first triple of the season.