With the win last night, the Cubs reached the 74-win mark … one more than last year. And it’s not yet September. So that’s pretty cool. Indeed, the Cubs haven’t won this many games since 2010 – and the Cubs can match that year’s win total with a win tonight against the Reds.
The Cubs’ win gave them a bump in the Wild Card standings, as the Cardinals beat the Giants 7-5. The Cubs now lead the Giants by 5.5 games, which is just one game lower than their lead was when they started their West Coast swing. When you put it that way, the 2-4 trip wasn’t too bad.
The Cubs gained a game on the Pirates, too, finally, as they were shut out by the Rockies 5-0. The Cubs are still 5.0 games back of the Pirates for the top Wild Card spot, though the two teams have seven games left to play against each other. If the Cubs could manage to go 6-1 in those games – yes, a very tall task – that’d bring the teams into a tie right there.
As for the Central, the Cubs remain 9.5 games back of the Cardinals, with the Pirates sitting in between. Although the 2-4 road trip didn’t sink the Cubs in the Wild Card, it may have sunk them in the division.