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Seeking 162 starts, Castro talks way into No. 54

MILWAUKEE -- Anthony Rizzo got Friday off, and he came back and hit two home runs on Saturday. Even though Starlin Castro saw that, the shortstop didn't want a breather, and he was in the Cubs' lineup Sunday.

Castro is the only Cubs player to start all 54 games through Sunday, and he talked to manager Rick Renteria about keeping his streak alive when it became apparent Renteria was planning on sitting him.

"I told him, 'Just in case you want to give me a day off, I'm good, I don't need it,'" Castro said. "It's still early; my body is still good. I worked to get my body feeling good. I don't want a day off.

"When I need one, I'll tell him," Castro said. "I don't need one right now."

Renteria said the days off were more of a mental break. He was all right with Castro and his lobbying effort.

"It wasn't a very hard sell," Renteria said. "He's been doing fine. If we mutually find that guys are grinding, and especially the guys playing every single day, we can have a conversation. He's good to go."

Castro played 162 games in 2012, and he has said that's his goal this year. Renteria is aware of that.

"It doesn't mean that I'm not going to give him a day off sometime," Renteria said.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat.
Read More: Chicago Cubs, Starlin Castro