The Chicago Cubs couldn’t complete a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the opening series of the delayed 2022 season.

But it was an interesting start featuring a stirring opening-day win, a benches-clearing incident Saturday, the debuts of free agents Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki and a combined attendance of 98,337, which included several thousand no-shows every day.

Here are three takeaways from the weekend at Wrigley Field.

1. The Cubs denied the Brewers’ ‘lollygagging’ accusation.

Cubs manager David Ross wasn’t buying Andrew McCutchen’s argument that pitcher Keegan Thompson should’ve hit him with the first pitch in the eighth inning Saturday instead of “lollygagging” and taking four pitches to hit him in alleged retaliation for the Brewers hitting Willson Contreras and Ian Happ.

McCutchen said it was the way players handled things back in the day.

“No, that wasn’t a thing,” Ross said. “No other team ever pulled anybody that I played with about how they wanted to get hit. I don’t know anything about that. But you know, maybe I’m a little bit old-school.

“Times change too. Listen, nobody likes get hit, right? So whether you did it on the first pitch or the last pitch, I don’t know that it ever feels good or everybody’s happy with it. I’m sure he has a take on it maybe, or maybe sometimes quotes that you read can be misleading, for me at least. So I don’t know what’s inside his brain. But, yeah, I’m sure he was upset about it.”

Ross reiterated that Thompson wasn’t trying to hit McCutchen on purpose, adding that Thompson was “working on stuff.” Ross also pointed out Thompson hit McCutchen in the hip area.

“If you’re going to get hit, it’s better than square in the back like Willson (was) or in the kneecap like Happ or up and in like (Nick) Madrigal,” he said.

There were no hit batters in the series finale.

2. Spring training fundamentals carried over.

The season has barely begun, but the Cubs are encouraged that things they worked on in spring training have translated. They committed no errors in their first three games and won two of three against the National League Central favorites.

“It’s definitely about how you finish,” outfielder Jason Heyward said. “But to do a lot of little things the right way, to have communication, for us to get out there and practice what we’ve been preaching (about) wind balls, weather, the outfielders and infielders being on the same page, pitchers and catchers being receptive to the rhythm and flow of things against hitters that are not our guys in a real setting — it’s awesome to see that hard work pay off.

“Everyone here, I’m really proud to say, we all understand it’s one day at a time. But it’s awesome to see results. Either way, whatever we’ve been working on, it’s nice to put that stuff in the book.”

3. Coffee is for closers.

David Robertson got the first save opportunity on opening day, but Ross isn’t in a hurry to anoint a closer just yet.

“All our guys are pretty flexible in that way,” he said. “I don’t know that we have anybody that has that resume of like a Craig Kimbrel that we’ve had in the past, so he knows he’ll be used in the back end but he’s willing to do whatever I ask.

“That seems to be the theme with all of our guys. They’re very flexible and ready to just go out there and try to get outs.”

The Cubs haven’t mixed and matched in the ninth inning at the start of a season in years. Hector Rondon closed in 2016 until Aroldis Chapman arrived at the trade deadline. Wade Davis replaced Chapman in 2017.

Brandon Morrow was signed as a closer in 2018 but was injured midway through the season after posting 22 saves and turned it over to Pedro Strop. Kimbrel was signed during the 2019 season to replace Strop and kept the job until last summer’s trade to the White Sox.

“I don’t really have a preference,” Ross said. “I tell all the relievers I just like outs. I’ll try to set people up for the right pockets, and if you have somebody you can establish in the ninth and it kind of works its way backwards to get to that spot, it is easier to work that way from my seat. But it’s not a necessity.”

Robertson was called upon in the eighth inning Sunday with the Cubs trailing by one run, so we’ll have to wait a little longer to see who gets the call the next time they have a ninth-inning lead.

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