13

It's game day! The NL Central Division champion Cubs host the Marlins Wednesday, kicking off the best-of-three Wild Card series at Wrigley.

Kyle Hendricks will take the mound for the North Siders, while Yu Darvish is slated to start Thursday's game.

There's a chance of afternoon rain in Chicago, but in the event of a rain delay, the evening looks clear. Wind speeds will be up to 20 MPH all afternoon, blowing from left to right. Game time temperature should be about 60º.

GO CUBS GO!

0

Hey hey! The NL Central Division champion Chicago Cubs closed out the 2020 regular season on Sunday with a 10-8 victory over the White Sox behind a solid start from Adbert Alzolay (5 IP, 1 ER, 8 K) and home runs from Kris Bryant, David Bote, and Billy Hamilton.

The North Siders now get two days off before hosting the Miami Marlins in a best-of-three NL Wild Card series that kicks off on Wednesday. We'll reset the CMN then.

GO CUBS GO! 

0

HEY HEY! THE CHICAGO CUBS ARE THE 2020 NL CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS!

The Cardinals' loss eliminated them from the NL Central Division race, giving the Cubs their third NL Central title in the past five seasons! Holy cow!

The Cubs will have home field advantage in the Wild Card round, and will face the 6 seed in the NL playoff bracket.  

GO CUBS GO!

Image Credit:  Kidding Around Photography

1

HOLY COW! The first place, playoff-bound Cubs crushed the White Sox 10-0 on Friday night on the South Side behind a dominant start by Yu Darvish (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 K) and two home runs and an epic bat flip from Willson Contreras.

Darvish lowered his season ERA to 2.01 in the effort, bolstering his Cy Young Award candidacy with his NL-best 8th win of the season. On the offensive side, Schwarber, Baez, and Caratini also homered as the offense put on a show.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals split a doubleheader with the Brewers while the Reds clinched a playoff berth by beating the Twins.

The series continues at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday. 58 games down, 2 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

2

Hey hey! The Brewers beat the Cardinals in game one of Friday's doubleheader, dropping the CMN to TWO!

The first place, playoff-bound Cubs face off against the White Sox tonight on the South Side. 57 games down, 3 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

3

Hey hey! The playoff-bound, first place Cubs' magic number dropped on Wednesday night with the Cardinals' loss in KC. Kyle Hendricks had a dominant start for the North Siders (7.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 K), but the offense didn't back him up in the 2-1 loss.

The series wraps up Thursday in Pittsburgh before the North Siders head to the South Side for a regular season finale weekend set against the White Sox. 56 games down, 4 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

4

The Cubs are in the playoffs! Despite the loss on Tuesday, the North Siders clinched a playoff berth for the 2020 MLB playoffs!

First, the bad news: they dropped their game against the Bucs 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th after rallying to tie the game 2-2 in the 8th on an Anthony Rizzo two-run homer. Jose Quintana was back in action for the start, and Adbert Alzolay tossed 4 quality innings (1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K) to pick up Q, who threw only two innings in his first effort back from the IL.

And now ... the good news! The Reds lost to the Brewers, knocking them out of NL Central title contention. Mathematically, the Reds and Cubs could both finish with the same record, but the Cubs would win the tiebreaker over the Reds due to winning the season series 6-4.

That leaves the Brewers, Cardinals, and Cubs with a shot at the NL Central title. Since the Brewers and Cards play each other 5 times this weekend, each team's path to a division title would knock the other out of 1st or 2nd in the division, guaranteeing the Cubs a 1st or 2nd place finish in the NL Central ... and a playoff berth!

So ... the Cubs are in the playoffs!

55 regular season games down, 5 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

4

Hey hey! The first place Cubs beat the Bucs 5-0 in Pittsburgh on Monday night behind a quality start from Jon Lester (6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H), 2 RBI from Kyle Schwarber, and a great RBI bunt single from El Mago.

The series continues Tuesday at PNC Park. 54 games down, 6 to go.

The Cards lost to the Royals, so the number dropped twice tonight! Looking for more detail about the CMN? Scroll down.

GO CUBS GO!

CMN FAQ

Q:  But aren't the Cards only playing 58 games this season?  And doesn't that impact the CMN?

A:  Not necessarily.

MLB has reserved the right to have the Cards make up their two missed games in case those games would have an impact on playoff berths. That's looking quite possible considering how tight the race is for both 2nd place in the NL Central and the two NL Wild Card berths. So, as we've done all season long, unless MLB officially cancels those games, we're basing the CMN on St. Louis playing a full 60-game season.

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number against the Reds (or Brewers, or Pirates)?

A:  Who cares?  Okay, just kidding.  Kind of.

This site is dedicated to the CMN for winning the NL Central Division. (During seasons in which the Cubs' only path to the playoffs is via a Wild Card berth, this site calculates that CMN.)

Since the Cards currently have the fewest losses of all Cubs' opponents, they're the only team that currently matters in the CMN calculations. Of course, that could change this week, if the Reds or Brewers get to a point where they have fewer losses than the Cards do.  In that case, that team would be the only team that matters in the CMN calculations. (But if not knowing is keeping you up at night, keep reading.)

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number to guarantee a playoff berth?

A:  Again, that's not why we're here. 

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs hold off on popping the champagne corks (or the sparkling cider) before they win the division. They didn't have a big locker room celebration in 2018 when they secured a playoff berth -- their eyes were on the NL Central title. (Here's hoping the 2020 division standings wind up better than they did in '18...) Ask yourself this:  do you think Jon Lester has his eyes set on a Wild Card berth or on a division title (and home field advantage in the playoffs)?

But ... you could apply the CMN formula (below) to the 2nd best NL team that isn't currently in 1st or 2nd place in its division to help answer the question.

As of this writing, that's the Brewers, Reds, Phillies, and (probably, since they're down 7-1 in the 7th) the Giants with 27 losses apiece. (Don't want do to the math?  Keep reading.)

Q:  Do the Cubs have to win four more games to win the division?

A:  Not necessarily.

The Cubs Magic Number is calculated using this formula:

CMN = (# of regular season games) + 1 - (# of Cubs wins) - (# of losses by NL Central opponent with the fewest losses)

As of this writing, that's 60 + 1 - 32 - 25 = 4.

So, any combination of Cubs wins and Cards losses that totals four does the trick.

Q:  What's up with the + 1 in the CMN formula?

A:  In short, ya gotta be one game better than your best division rival.

In order to win the division outright, the Cubs have to finish with one more win than the next best division opponent. So if the Cubs went 60-0 and the next best division opponent also went 60-0, the Cubs wouldn't win the division outright. They'd need one more victory ... or one more opponent's loss. So at the start of the season, the CMN is always one more than the number of regular season games.  (And yes, we know that two NL Central teams can't both have perfect records.)

But that +1 is not limited to the start of the season, since the CMN is about winning the division outright and not tying for the best record in the division.

Let's talk best case scenarios for each NL Central opponent from here on out:

If the Bucs win out, they'd finish 21-39 and would have fewer wins than the Cubs currently do (32).  So, they're already eliminated from the NL Central title race.

If the Reds win out, they'd finish 33-27. So, if the Cubs win 2 more games, they'd have more wins than the Reds could possibly have, and would eliminate the Reds from division title contention. Or a Cubs win and a Reds loss, etc. So, E = 2. (And, for those who hung in there, also the CMN to guarantee at least a Wild Card berth.)

If the Brewers win out, they'd finish 33-27.  So, if the Cubs win 2 more games this season, they'd have more wins than the Brewers could possibly have, and would eliminate the Brewers from the NL Central title race. Of course, if the Brewers lose one more, it'd only take a Cubs win to eliminate them. 2 Brewers' losses would also do the trick. So their elimination number for the division title is also 2 (E = 2). 

If the Cards win out (assuming a 60-game schedule; see above), they'd finish 35-25. So, if the Cubs win 4 more games, they'd finish with more wins than the Cards could possibly have and would eliminate the Cards from the division title race. Or 3 Cubs wins and a Cards loss. Or 2 and 2, etc. E = 4.

(Note:  all of these calculations are based on winning the division outright; none of these calculations take into account MLB's 2020 playoff tiebreakers.  The Cubs won the season series against the Reds, which is the first tiebreaker.  The Cubs tied the season series with both the Brewers and Cardinals but currently hold the edge in the second tiebreaker, division record, against both of those teams as well as against the Giants and Phillies.)

So, at this point, the Cards are the "toughest" team to eliminate from the division title race. And it would take four Cubs wins (or 3 Cubs wins and 1 Cards loss, or 2 and 2, etc.) to do so. Or:

4 = 60 + 1 - 32 - 25

Trust the formula, folks.  We've got this.

GO CUBS GO!

5

Hey hey! The first place Cubs beat the Bucs 5-0 in Pittsburgh on Monday night behind a quality start from Jon Lester (6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H) and 2 RBI from Kyle Schwarber.

The series continues Tuesday at PNC Park. 54 games down, 6 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

6

It was another tough one for the Cubs' offense at Wrigley on Sunday night.

The North Siders head to Pittsburgh Monday to kick off the final road trip of the regular season.  53 games down, 7 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

CMN FAQ

Q:  But aren't the Cards only playing 58 games this season?  And doesn't that impact the CMN?

A:  Not necessarily.

MLB has reserved the right to have the Cards make up their two missed games in case those games would have an impact on playoff berths. That's looking quite possible considering how tight the race is for both 2nd place in the NL Central and the two NL Wild Card berths. So, as we've done all season long, unless MLB officially cancels those games, we're basing the CMN on St. Louis playing a full 60-game season.

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number against the Reds (or Brewers, or Pirates)?

A:  Who cares?  Okay, just kidding.  Kind of.

This site is dedicated to the CMN for winning the NL Central Division. (During seasons in which the Cubs' only path to the playoffs is via a Wild Card berth, this site calculates that CMN.)

Since the Cards currently have the fewest losses of all Cubs' opponents, they're the only team that currently matters in the CMN calculations. Of course, that could change this week, if the Reds or Brewers get to a point where they have fewer losses than the Cards do.  In that case, that team would be the only team that matters in the CMN calculations. (But if not knowing is keeping you up at night, keep reading.)

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number to guarantee a playoff berth?

A:  Again, that's not why we're here. 

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs hold off on popping the champagne corks (or the sparkling cider) before they win the division. They didn't have a big locker room celebration in 2018 when they secured a playoff berth -- their eyes were on the NL Central title. (Here's hoping the 2020 division standings wind up better than they did in '18...) Ask yourself this:  do you think Jon Lester has his eyes set on a Wild Card berth or on a division title (and home field advantage in the playoffs)?

But ... you could apply the CMN formula (below) to the 2nd best NL team that isn't currently in 1st or 2nd place in its division to help answer the question.

As of this writing, the Reds, Brewers, and Giants are each .500 and are tied for that spot. (Don't want do to the math?  Keep reading.)

Q:  Do the Cubs have to win six more games to win the division?

A:  Not necessarily.

The Cubs Magic Number is calculated using this formula:

CMN = (# of regular season games) + 1 - (# of Cubs wins) - (# of losses by NL Central opponent with the fewest losses)

As of this writing, that's 60 + 1 - 31 - 24 = 6.

So, any combination of Cubs wins and Cards losses that totals six does the trick.

Q:  What's up with the + 1 in the CMN formula?

A:  In short, ya gotta be one game better than your best division rival.

In order to win the division outright, the Cubs have to finish with one more win than the next best division opponent. So if the Cubs went 60-0 and the next best division opponent also went 60-0, the Cubs wouldn't win the division outright. They'd need one more victory ... or one more opponent's loss. So at the start of the season, the CMN is always one more than the number of regular season games.  (And yes, we know that two NL Central teams can't both have perfect records.)

But that +1 is not limited to the start of the season, since the CMN is about winning the division outright and not tying for the best record in the division.

Let's talk best case scenarios for each NL Central opponent from here on out:

If the Bucs win out, they'd finish 23-37 and would have fewer wins than the Cubs currently do (31).  So, they're already eliminated from the NL Central title race.

If the Reds win out, they'd finish 33-27. So, if the Cubs win 3 more games, they'd have more wins than the Reds could possibly have, and would eliminate the Reds from division title contention. Or 2 Cubs wins and a Reds loss, etc. So, E = 3. 

If the Brewers win out, they'd finish 34-26.  So, if the Cubs win 4 more games this season, they'd have more wins than the Brewers could possibly have, and would eliminate the Brewers from the NL Central title race. Of course, if the Brewers lose one more, it'd only take 3 Cubs wins to eliminate them. Or 2 Brewers' losses and 2 Cubs wins, etc. So their elimination number for the division title is 4 (E = 4). (And, for those who hung in there, also the CMN to guarantee a Wild Card berth.)

If the Cards win out (assuming a 60-game schedule; see above), they'd finish 36-24. So, if the Cubs win 6 more games, they'd finish with more wins than the Cards could possibly have and would eliminate the Cards from the division title race. Or 5 Cubs wins and a Cards loss. Or 4 and 2, etc. E = 6.

(Note:  all of these calculations are based on winning the division outright; none of these calculations take into account MLB's 2020 playoff tiebreakers.  The Cubs won the season series against the Reds, which is the first tiebreaker.  The Cubs tied the season series with both the Brewers and Cardinals but currently hold the edge in the second tiebreaker, division record, as they currently do with the Giants as well.)

So, at this point, the Cards are the "toughest" team to eliminate from the division title race. And it would take six Cubs wins (or 5 Cubs wins and 1 Cards loss, or 4 and 2, etc.) to do so. This is not coincidence:

6 = 60 + 1 - 31 - 24

Trust the formula, folks.  We've got this.

GO CUBS GO!

6

It was a tough night for the first place Cubs on Saturday against Minnesota.

The rubber game with the Twins is on Sunday at Wrigley -- the final home game of the regular season. The Cubs hit the road for a seven-game road trip on Monday:  4 in Pittsburgh and 3 on the South Side. 52 games down, 8 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

(Looking for more detail about the CMN? Scroll down to the FAQ section.)

CMN FAQ

Q:  But aren't the Cards only playing 58 games this season?  And doesn't that impact the CMN?

A:  Not necessarily.

MLB has reserved the right to have the Cards make up their two missed games in case those games would have an impact on playoff berths. That's looking quite possible considering how tight the race is for both 2nd place in the NL Central and the two NL Wild Card berths. So, as we've done all season long, unless MLB officially cancels those games, we're basing the CMN on St. Louis playing a full 60-game season.

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number against the Reds (or Brewers, or Pirates)?

A:  Who cares?  Okay, just kidding.  Kind of.

This site is dedicated to the CMN for winning the NL Central Division. (During seasons in which the Cubs' only path to the playoffs is via a Wild Card berth, this site calculates that CMN.)

Since the Cards currently have the fewest losses of all Cubs' opponents, they're the only team that currently matters in the CMN calculations. Of course, that could change this week, if the Reds or Brewers get to a point where they have fewer losses than the Cards do.  In that case, that team would be the only team that matters in the CMN calculations. (But if not knowing is keeping you up at night, keep reading.)

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number to guarantee a playoff berth?

A:  Again, that's not why we're here. 

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs hold off on popping the champagne corks (or the sparkling cider) before they win the division. They didn't have a big locker room celebration in 2018 when they secured a playoff berth -- their eyes were on the NL Central title. (Here's hoping the 2020 division standings wind up better than they did in '18...) Ask yourself this:  do you think Jon Lester has his eyes set on a Wild Card berth or on a division title (and home field advantage in the playoffs)?

But ... you could apply the CMN formula (below) to the 2nd best NL team that isn't currently in 1st or 2nd place in its division to help answer the question.

As of this writing, the Brewers and Giants are tied for that spot at 25-26. (Don't want do to the math?  Keep reading.)

Q:  Do the Cubs have to win six more games to win the division?

A:  Not necessarily.

The Cubs Magic Number is calculated using this formula:

CMN = (# of regular season games) + 1 - (# of Cubs wins) - (# of losses by NL Central opponent with the fewest losses)

As of this writing, that's 60 + 1 - 31 - 24 = 6.

So, any combination of Cubs wins and Cards losses that totals six does the trick.

Q:  What's up with the + 1 in the CMN formula?

A:  In short, ya gotta be one game better than your best division rival.

In order to win the division outright, the Cubs have to finish with one more win than the next best division opponent. So if the Cubs went 60-0 and the next best division opponent also went 60-0, the Cubs wouldn't win the division outright. They'd need one more victory ... or one more opponent's loss. So at the start of the season, the CMN is always one more than the number of regular season games.  (And yes, we know that two NL Central teams can't both have perfect records.)

But that +1 is not limited to the start of the season, since the CMN is about winning the division outright and not tying for the best record in the division.

Let's talk best case scenarios for each NL Central opponent from here on out:

If the Bucs win out, they'd finish 23-37 and would have fewer wins than the Cubs currently do (31).  So, they're already eliminated from the NL Central title race.

If the Reds win out, they'd finish 33-27. So, if the Cubs win 3 more games, they'd have more wins than the Reds could possibly have, and would eliminate the Reds from division title contention. Or 2 Cubs wins and a Reds loss, etc. So, E = 3. 

If the Brewers win out, they'd finish 34-26.  So, if the Cubs win 4 more games this season, they'd have more wins than the Brewers could possibly have, and would eliminate the Brewers from the NL Central title race. Of course, if the Brewers lose one more, it'd only take 3 Cubs wins to eliminate them. Or 2 Brewers' losses and 2 Cubs wins, etc. So their elimination number for the division title is 4 (E = 4). (And, for those who hung in there, also the CMN to guarantee a Wild Card berth.)

If the Cards win out (assuming a 60-game schedule; see above), they'd finish 36-24. So, if the Cubs win 6 more games, they'd finish with more wins than the Cards could possibly have and would eliminate the Cards from the division title race. Or 5 Cubs wins and a Cards loss. Or 4 and 2, etc. E = 6.

(Note:  all of these calculations are based on winning the division outright; none of these calculations take into account MLB's 2020 playoff tiebreakers.  The Cubs won the season series against the Reds, which is the first tiebreaker.  The Cubs tied the season series with both the Brewers and Cardinals but currently hold the edge in the second tiebreaker, division record.)

So, at this point, the Cards are the "toughest" team to eliminate from the division title race. And it would take six Cubs wins (or 5 Cubs wins and 1 Cards loss, or 4 and 2, etc.) to do so. This is not coincidence:

6 = 60 + 1 - 31 - 24

Trust the formula, folks.  We've got this.

GO CUBS GO!

6

Hey hey! The first place Cubs shut out the Twins 1-0 at Wrigley on Friday night behind a dominant start from Kyle Hendricks (8 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 10 K, 1 BB). Hendricks lowered his season ERA to 2.93.

An RBI single from Willson Contreras in the first inning scored Anthony Rizzo and provided the North Siders with all the offense they'd need. Jeremy Jeffress picked up the save to seal the victory. 

The series continues Saturday in Chicago. 51 games down, 9 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

(Looking for more detail about the CMN? Scroll down to the FAQ section.)

FAQ

Q:  But aren't the Cards only playing 58 games this season?  And doesn't that impact the CMN?

A:  Not necessarily.

MLB has reserved the right to have the Cards make up their two missed games in case those games would have an impact on playoff berths. That's looking quite possible considering how tight the race is for both 2nd place in the NL Central and the two NL Wild Card berths. So, as we've done all season long, unless MLB officially cancels those games, we're basing the CMN on St. Louis playing a full 60-game season.

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number against the Reds (or Brewers, or Pirates)?

A:  Who cares?  Okay, just kidding.  Kind of.

This site is dedicated to the CMN for winning the NL Central Division. (During seasons in which the Cubs' only path to the playoffs is via a Wild Card berth, this site calculates that CMN.)

Since the Cards currently have the fewest losses of all Cubs' opponents, they're the only team that currently matters in the CMN calculations. Of course, that could change this week, if the Reds or Brewers get to a point where they have fewer losses than the Cards do.  In that case, that team would be the only team that matters in the CMN calculations. (But if not knowing is keeping you up at night, keep reading.)

Q:  What's the Cubs Magic Number to guarantee a playoff berth?

A:  Again, that's not why we're here. 

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs hold off on popping the champagne corks (or the sparkling cider) before they win the division. They didn't have a big locker room celebration in 2018 when they secured a playoff berth -- their eyes were on the NL Central title. (Here's hoping the 2020 division standings wind up better than they did in '18...) Ask yourself this:  do you think Jon Lester has his eyes set on a Wild Card berth or on a division title (and home field advantage in the playoffs)?

But ... you could apply the CMN formula (below) to the 2nd best NL team that isn't currently in 1st or 2nd place in its division to help answer the question.

As of this writing, that's the Reds at 26-26.  Although the Cards, Giants, and Reds are all .500, the Reds' best possible record is worse than the Cards' or Giants' best possible records, putting them at the bottom of that heap.  (Don't want do to the math?  Keep reading.)

Q:  Do the Cubs have to win six more games to win the division?

A:  Not necessarily.

The Cubs Magic Number is calculated using this formula:

CMN = (# of regular season games) + 1 - (# of Cubs wins) - (# of losses by NL Central opponent with the fewest losses)

As of this writing, that's 60 + 1 - 31 - 24 = 6.

So, any combination of six Cubs wins and Cards losses does the trick.

Q:  What's up with the + 1 in the CMN formula?

A:  In short, ya gotta be one game better than your best division rival.

In order to win the division outright, the Cubs have to finish with one more win than the next best division opponent. So if the Cubs went 60-0 and the next best division opponent also went 60-0, the Cubs wouldn't win the division outright. They'd need one more victory ... or one more opponent's loss. So at the start of the season, the CMN is always one more than the number of regular season games.  (And yes, we know that two NL Central teams can't both have perfect records.)

But it's not limited to the start of the season, since the CMN is about winning the division outright and not tying for the best record in the division.

Let's talk best case scenarios for each NL Central opponent from here on out:

If the Bucs win out, they'd finish 24-36 and would have fewer wins than the Cubs currently do (31).  So, they're already eliminated from the NL Central title race.

If the Brewers win out, they'd finish 34-26.  So, if the Cubs win 4 more games this season, they'd have more wins than the Brewers could possibly have, and would eliminate the Brewers from the NL Central title race. Of course, if the Brewers lose one more, it'd only take 3 Cubs wins to eliminate them. Or 2 Brewers' losses and 2 Cubs wins, etc. So their elimination number for the division title is 4 (E = 4).

If the Reds win out, they'd finish 34-26. So, if the Cubs win 4 more games, they'd have more wins than the Reds could possibly have, and would eliminate the Reds from division title contention. Or 3 Cubs wins and a Reds loss, etc. So, E = 4. (And, for those who hung in there, also the CMN to guarantee a Wild Card berth.)

If the Cards win out (assuming a 60-game schedule; see above), they'd finish 36-24. So, if the Cubs win 6 more games, they'd finish with more wins than the Cards could possibly have and would eliminate the Cards from the division title race. Or 5 Cubs wins and a Cards loss. Or 4 and 2, etc. E = 6.

(Note:  all of these calculations are based on winning the division outright; none of these calculations take into account MLB's 2020 playoff tiebreakers.  The Cubs won the season series against the Reds, which is the first tiebreaker.  The Cubs tied the season series with both the Brewers and Cardinals but currently hold the edge in the second tiebreaker, division record.)

So, at this point, the Cards are the "toughest" team to eliminate from the division title race. And it would take six Cubs wins (or 5 Cubs wins and 1 Cards loss, or 4 and 2, etc.) to do so. This is not coincidence:

6 = 60 + 1 - 31 - 24

Trust the formula, folks.  We've got this.

GO CUBS GO!

7

Hey hey! The Bucs downed the Cards on Thursday in Pittsburgh to lower the first place Cubs' magic number to SEVEN!

The Cubs kick off a weekend homestand -- their final of the regular season -- on Friday against the Twins before heading out for a six-game road trip against the Pirates and White Sox. 50 games down, 10 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

8

Hey hey! The first place Cubs beat Cleveland 3-2 in extras on Wednesday night at Wrigley to take a 5.5 game lead in the NL Central race. Jon Lester had a solid start (5 IP, 2 ER, 1 K) and a walk-off single by El Mago won it in the 10th!

Cameron Maybin had a 2-for-3 night and made a sensational catch in left to help keep the game close.

The Cubs have their final off-day of the year tomorrow before kicking off a three-game series with Minnesota on Friday at Wrigley. 50 games down, 10 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

9

Holy cow! The first place Cubs came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Cleveland (sound familiar?) 6-5 at Wrigley on Tuesday night. Yu Darvish threw another quality start (7 IP, 3 ER, 7K) and Cameron Maybin's HBP walked it off in the bottom of the ninth.

Although Darvish was dealing, it was El Mago who stole the show. Baez homered in the 2nd and scored all the way from first base on a steal attempt of second as the throw went in to center. Javy didn't look back and slid into home. Then he put some heat on a relay throw to Rizzo to turn a crucial double play in the top of the ninth to keep the game tied.

The series wraps up tomorrow before the Twins head to Chicago for a weekend set. 49 games down, 11 to go.

GO CUBS GO!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

11

HOLY COW! IT'S A NO-HITTER FOR ALEC MILLS! Mills dominated the Brewers on Sunday, facing only 29 batters and keeping all but three off the basepads (9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). Caratini and Bote each drove in three, and it was all over after the Cubs put up five in the 4th.

Mills was calm, cool, and collected -- after the game he said he didn't realize he hadn't given up a hit until after 6 and that it really didn't sink in until after 7.  He threw 114 pitches -- 74 for strikes -- in the effort, the Cubs' first no-hitter since Jake Arrieta's on April 21, 2016.

Jason Heyward continued his strong season, reaching base in 4-of-5 plate appearances (.293 BA, .947 OPS). More importantly, the victory moved the North Siders 4 games ahead of the Cardinals, who lost to the Reds.

The first place Cubs now head back to Wrigley to kick off their final regular season homestand:  two games against Cleveland and three against the Twins.  48 games down, 12 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credits:  Chicago Cubs

15

Holy cow! The first place Cubs came back to beat the Brewers 4-2 on Saturday night at Miller Park. Heyward and Vargas hit back-to-back homers off Josh Hader in the 9th to give the North Siders all the offense they'd need. 

Craig Kimbrel picked up the save and Kyle Hendricks had a dominant start (7.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 K). "Win of the year," according to Cubs' TV play-by-play announcer Jim Deshaies.

The series wraps up Sunday before the Cubs head back to Wrigley for their final homestand of the regular season.  47 games down, 13 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

16

It was a tough night in Milwaukee for the Cubs' offense, as they got shut out despite Lester's quality start (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K). In happier news, the Cards' loss dropped the CMN.

The series continues Saturday at Wrigley North. 46 games down, 14 to go.

Go Cubs go!

17

Holy cow! The first place Cubs downed the Reds 8-5 at soggy Wrigley Field on Thursday night behind 13 hits from the offense, 3 RBI from Nico Hoerner, and Jeremy Jeffress's 7th save.

The Cubs head to Wrigley North for a three-game weekend set before returning to Chicago on Tuesday to kick off their final homestand of the regular season.

45 games down, 15 to go!

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

19

 The Cubbies take game one of a three game series with the Reds, 3-0.

21

 Cubs finish the series against the Cards with a much needed 5-1 win!

23

The Cubbies take game one of a crucial six game series with the Cards, 4-1! 

It was the Yu/Wilson show on the Northside with Darvish going seven innings allowing only one hit, no walks and 11 strike outs. It was his seventh win in a row! Contreras, as the DH, batted in all of Chicago's four runs with two singles and a homer.

The first place Cubs will play two against St. Louis tomorrow!

Photo Credit: Chicago Cubs 

25

Hey hey!  The first place Cubs crushed Pittsburgh 8-2 on Wednesday night behind a quality start from Kyle Hendricks (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) and a three-run blast from Javier Baez.

Willson Contreras was bumped up to second in the lineup and responded with a 3-for-5 night, while Ian Happ's 2-for-5 night raised his season average to .308.

The series wraps up on Thursday at PNC Park before the Cubs head back to Wrigley on Friday to kick off an eight-game homestand. 36 games down, 24 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

27

Holy cow! The first place Cubs beat the Bucs 8-7 in extras on Tuesday night behind a clutch RBI single from Ian Happ in the top of the 11th.  Bryant and Heyward chipped in with two-hit nights as well, and Jeremy Jeffress picked up the save.

J-Hey raised his season average to .299, and Happ raised his to .304. Schwarber and Happ each belted their 10th home runs of the season.

The series continues tomorrow in Pittsburgh. 35 games down, 25 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs