Cubs can’t make hay ahead of final day
The Cubs are going into the final day of the season with a shot at the NL Central championship.
Whether they take it outright or have to play a tiebreaker remains unclear. They could wind up in a wild-card game after that too.
So many uncertainties for a team hoping for another big run.
Miles Mikolas outpitched Cole Hamels with eight sparkling innings, and the St. Louis Cardinals stayed alive in the playoff race — for a little while — by topping the Cubs 2-1 on Saturday.
The Cardinals remained in the hunt for a wild card for at least a few more hours while assuring the division race between the Cubs and Milwaukee comes down to the final day.
“It’s a special moment to be able to see that type of intensity that comes with meaningful games and that sort of playoff atmosphere,” Hamels said. “It’s a little bit better when you win. (To win the World Series), you’re gonna have to play some really tough teams at some tough moments, high intensity, high stakes.”
St. Louis needed a win plus a loss by the Los Angeles Dodgers to San Francisco to remain in contention. The Cardinals’ hopes ended later Saturday as the Dodgers beat the Giants 10-6.
The Cubs would have wrapped up their third straight division championship with a victory along with a loss by the Brewers to Detroit on Saturday night. The Cubs and Milwaukee would meet in a tiebreaker at
Wrigley Field on Monday if they wind up with identical records, with the loser then playing in a wild-card game at home on Tuesday.
“There’s nothing to lament with our guys,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team led the division by five games on Sept. 2. “They’ve been playing very well for a long period of time. Our route’s been a little different than everybody else. We’ll come back ready to play (Sunday) and see how it all falls.”
Hamels (4-3) was a tough-luck loser, dropping his third straight start after going 4-0 in his first nine outings following a trade from Texas.
The veteran left-hander gave up two runs, one earned, and three hits in seven innings. He struck out eight, walked two and hit two batters.
Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Daniel Murphy hit fly balls to the warning track. But the Cubs got blanked the rest of the way after taking a 1-0 lead in the first.