The Cubs lost for the second straight night, though they spared us the late-game drama and disappointment this time by just falling way behind right out of the gate to the Phillies.
On the bright side, the Cubs didn’t lose any ground in the NL Central race, because both of the Cardinals (to the Rays) and the Brewers (to the Dodgers) lost last night.
The Brewers remain 3.0 games behind the Cubs, and the Cardinals remain 4.5 games back. If you choose to look on the darker side of life, you say things like “if the Cubs had won their last two games against bad teams, they’d be five games clear of the Brewers and six and a half ahead of the Cardinals.”
Even the Pirates, who are 8.0 games behind the Cubs, lost last night.
Meanwhile, in the Wild Card race, the Diamondbacks beat the Giants, but the Rockies lost to the Braves. That gave the Diamondbacks a 1.5 game cushion for that top spot, while the Rockies are still 3.5 games ahead of the Brewers. The Marlins, who’ve been very hot, won last night, and leap-frogged the Cardinals for the next spot, at 4.5 games out. The Cardinals are 5.0 games back in the Wild Card race.