On a first and slightly-unrelated note, I’ll begrudgingly point out that the Los Angeles Dodgers have officially clinched the NL West … again. As a Cubs fan who was promised the sort of sustained, high-level success the Dodgers have enjoyed the last few seasons (no World Series win not withstanding), I’m frustrated. And jealous.
Aside from the stress free months of baseball they just enjoyed, the Dodgers will now also be able to rest their regulars to the fullest extent before October (something the Cubs did to great success in 2016). That’s hugely important in the postseason and something the Cubs will not get to do this year no matter what. Sigh.
Now, onto the games/decisions that matter to the Cubs right now …
The Brewers beat the Marlins (losing Christian Yelich in the process) last night and the Braves lost to the Phillies, both of which weren’t great for Chicago, as Milwaukee and Philadelphia are the closest competitors in the Wild Card 2 race. But fortunately for the Cubs, that’s where the bad news ends (well, aside from their loss, I guess): the Diamondbacks lost their third in a row, the Nationals dropped one to the Twins, and the Cardinals lost to the Rockies.
Here’s how the division and Wild Card look as of the start of play today:
NL Central:Â
- Cardinals (81-63): —
- Cubs (77-67): 4.0 GB
- Brewers (76-68): 5.0 GB
- Reds (67-77): 14.5 GB
- Pirates (63-82): 18.5 GB
NL Wild Card
- Nationals (79-64): +2.5
- Cubs (77-66): —
- Brewers (76-68): 1.0 GB
- Phillies (75-69): 2.0 GB
- Diamondbacks (75-70): 2.5 GB
I don’t know about you, but I don’t love having three teams within 2.5 games of the second Wild Card spot … this is getting awfully tight.