The Cubs beat the Pirates last night (they beat them about three times worth in a single game), but their NL Central lead ultimately held steady at 3.5 games.
That’s because the Brewers wound up beating the Cardinals, splitting their two-game series. I’m still mostly on board with that being the optimal outcome, given the Brewers’ tough schedule ahead and the Cardinals’ light one, but with the Cardinals dumping Mike Leake yesterday so they can give youngsters a look, I’m not sure they were going to climb back in this race in any case.
The Brewers remain 3.5 games behind the Cubs, and the Cardinals are now 6.0 games back. The Pirates are 10.0 games back after being swept by the Cubs.
In the Wild Card race, the Diamondbacks won again, solidifying their hold on the top Wild Card spot (they actually beat the Dodgers, which also means they climbed to within 17.0 games in the NL West!). The Rockies lost, which means the Cubs passed them by a half game for the second Wild Card spot (if that were necessary, mind you).