NEWSLETTER
The Cubs won again last night, beating the Pirates and further crippling their very small remaining playoff hopes. The Pirates are now 9.0 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central.
Meanwhile, the two teams fighting immediately behind the Cubs kicked off a two-game series last night, with the Cardinals beat up on the Brewers. That kept the Cardinals 5.0 games behind the Cubs, and pushed the Brewers to 3.5 games back. That ties the Cubs’ season high for a lead.
They play again this afternoon, and which team you want to win is really a matter of which team you see as the plausibly bigger threat down the stretch. Given the Cardinals’ extremely easy schedule and the Brewers’ more challenging schedule, I’m going to be pulling for the Brewers this afternoon.
Meanwhile, in the Wild Card race, the Diamondbacks and Rockies both won again, continuing to create separation in that race. The Diamondbacks are up 2.0 games on the Rockies, and the Rockies are 4.0 games clear of the Brewers for that second Wild Card spot. Marlins had been streaking a bit, but now they’ve lost two in a row.
BE ADVISED: The Dodgers have now lost three games in a row. They are in serious trouble.
