It’s uncomfortable to feel like the Cubs have to win every single game, lest they lose ground in the NL Central, but that’s become something approximating reality.
With the Cubs’ loss last night to the Giants, the latter team climbed to within 6.5 games of the final Wild Card spot held by the Cubs.
And it wasn’t just the Giants …
Naturally, the Cardinals won again, beating the Diamondbacks for the third straight game, and increasing their NL Central lead over the Cubs back to 7.5 games.
Naturally, the Pirates won again, beating the Marlins (at least they managed to win one yesterday), and increasing their lead over the Cubs back to 3.0 games. They are 4.5 games back of the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central.
That all said: the Cardinals and Pirates won’t literally win every game the rest of the way. But the Cubs’ deficit, with respect to the Cardinals’ anyway, is sufficiently large that, unless they suddenly become a .500 team the rest of the way and the Cubs keep winning at a perversely large clip, there won’t be a meaningful divisional race involving the Cubs by late September.
In other words, it sounds hopelessly lame, but … lose some freaking games, Cardinals.