43

HOLY COW! Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers in LA tonight. Kris Bryant's two-run homer in the 1st inning was all it took to give the Cubs a much-needed win. Arrieta was ridiculous: 12 K and 1 BB in 9 IP.

And, since the Giants lost today, the Cubs Magic Number for an NL Wild Card berth is now

28

44

At least the Giants lost, too.

The Cubs Magic Number for an NL Wild Card playoff berth is now

30

with 34 games remaining.  Go Cubs!

44

Time to get back on track!

In other news, the Cubs Magic Number for the NL Wild Card playoff spot is

31

46

Another winning streak.

In other news, the Cubs Magic Number for the Wild Card is

33

52

Back on track! The Cubs beat Atlanta 7-1 behind Arrieta's quality start, Rizzo's 3 RBI, and Coghlan's 2  RBI. Arrieta is the first pitcher in MLB this season to reach 15 wins. The homestand continues Friday with the second of the four-game set against Atlanta.

And, in other news, the Cubs Magic Number for the NL Wild Card is 

39

54

At least the Cards lost today, too. Time to start a new winning streak -- a seven-game homestand starts Tuesday vs. Detroit. After that, it'll be the Braves and a make-up game against Cleveland before a six-game swing out west to face the Giants & Dodgers. Go Cubs go!

And in other news, the Cubs' Magic Number for the NL Wild Card is still

43

55

Another day, another win. That's 9 in a row. Go Cubs!

In other news, the Cubs Magic Number for the Wild Card is

43

56

Cubs beat the Sox 6-5 in an exciting game at the Cell. That makes it 8 wins in a row! Woot!

In other news, the Cubs Magic Number for the Wild Card is

44

57

Sweep! The Cubs drubbed the Brewers 9-2 at Wrigley this afternoon. Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI, Fowler went 2-for-3 with a HR 2 RBI, and two other Cubs added HRs as Lester struck out 10 over 6 IP to pick up the win. The Cubs are on a seven-game winning streak and have won 13 of their last 14 games. They're now only 1.5 games behind the Pirates in the NL Central and have a five-game lead over the Giants for the second NL Wild Card berth. The Cubs now face the South Siders in a weekend series. Go Cubs!

58

Sweep! The Cubs drubbed the Brewers 9-2 at Wrigley this afternoon. Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI, Fowler went 2-for-3 with a HR 2 RBI, and two other Cubs added HRs as Lester struck out 10 over 6 IP to pick up the win. The Cubs are on a seven-game winning streak and have won 13 of their last 14 games. They're now only one game behind the Pirates in the NL Central and have a five-game lead over the Giants for the second NL Wild Card berth. The Cubs face the South Siders in a weekend series next. Go Cubs!

60

The Cubs beat the Brewers last night, 6-3, their fifth straight win and 11th in their last 12 games! Dan Haren gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings, and four Cubs relievers combined to shut out the Brewers the rest of the way. Rizzo went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and Soler added 2 more. James Russell pitched the ninth and picked up his first save of the season. The Cubs & Brewers go at it again tonight at Wrigley. (It's crazy that the Cubs have the fourth-best record in MLB, yet sit in 3rd place in their division. Watch your backs, Pirates!)

61

Sweep! The Cubs held off the Giants again this afternoon at Wrigley, 2-0. They completed the four-game sweep and moved ahead of the Giants by 3.5 games in the race for the second NL Wild Card playoff berth. Arrieta tossed a gem -- 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 6 K -- and lowered his ERA to 2.38 for the season. He also tripled and scored on a sac fly by Russell. Kris Bryant notched the other RBI, but the story of the game was Cubs closer Hector Rondon loading the bases in the top of the ninth (1B, 2B, and HBP) and proceeding to strike out the next three batters to pick up the save and secure the sweep! Next up: the Brewers come to Chicago for a three-game set, followed by a weekend series vs. the Sox at US Cellular.

63

The Cubs beat the Giants for the third day in a row today! Final score: 8-6. Kris Bryant hit a 3-R HR and Kyle Schwarber's 2-for-4 performance raised his season average to .352. The Cubs' offense is averaging 5.4 runs per game in August -- up from 3.6 in July. They've won 9 of their last 10 and seem to be coming into their own at the right time of year. The series finale against the Giants is tomorrow at Wrigley.

64

Cubs beat the Giants 7-3 behind Lester's quality start, Fowler's 3-for-5 performance (including a HR), and 2 RBI each from Soler and Schwarber. They now hold a 1.5-game lead over San Francisco for the second wild-card spot. The Cubs host the Giants again this afternoon at Wrigley, with Kyle Hendricks squaring off against Matt Cain.

65

Big win tonight at Wrigley! The Cubs hung on to beat the Giants 5-4. Schwarber hit a 3-run homer and Soler added 2 more RBIs and went 2-for-4. The bullpen came through: Motte, Strop, and Rondon didn't allow a Giant hit over the final three innings. Back at it tomorrow afternoon vs. the Giants at the Friendly Confines.

66

Cubs blanked the Pirates 5-0 in Pittsburgh -- their sixth win in a row -- behind a strong start by Jake Arrieta and a nice offensive night for Starlin Castro.  The Cards also lost, but the Giants won.  The Cubs and Pirates go at it again tomorrow night at PNC.  Go Cubs!

68

Despite last night's rainout in Pittsburgh, the Cubs are still the hottest team in MLB. They're riding a five-game winning streak into tonight's matchup against the Pirates, who are four games ahead of the North Siders in the standings. The Cubs' current win streak has put them a half-game ahead of the Giants in the race for the final wild-card spot. Considering that their next six games are against those two teams, followed by three against the Brewers (whom the Cubs just swept in Milwaukee), the next week and a half could be a huge factor in the Cubs' postseason hopes! Go Cubs!