It’s weird to be doing one of these with the Cubs having lost a game. So, in other words, whatever follows will necessarily be, at best, neutral news. And most of it’s not great.
The neutral news is that the Cardinals finally lost a game, too, 6-4 to the Marlins. The Cubs miss an opportunity to get a game closer, but at least they fall no further back in the Central than 7.5 games. It’s still a pretty sizable gap, given how relatively little time there is left in the season. For the most part, the Cubs are going to need to win just about every game they have left against the Cardinals to have a chance in the Central (and against the Pirates for that matter).
Speaking of the Pirates, they once again dispatched the Mets – thanks for nothing this weekend, New York – giving them a 2.5 game buffer ahead of the Cubs. The Pirates also climbed to within 5.0 games of the Cardinals.
Those Mets, however, still maintained their 4.5 game lead in the East, because the Nationals lost again. Worse, they lost to the Giants. That means the Giants gained a game on the Cubs, and are just 3.5 back from the second Wild Card spot.
Tomorrow will be interesting. The Cubs are off, but each of the Cardinals, Pirates, and Giants all play. You’ll be pulling hard for the Diamondbacks against the Pirates, but who do you have in the Giants/Cardinals series?