That is the appropriate term for this team at this time – magic number.
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Even then there was a feeling it could be a special season as Angel Stadium was full of Cubs fans.
The Cubs have gone 108 years without a World Championship.
The outcome canceled what figured to be a wild postgame celebration for the Cubs, who opted not to wait to see if they’d clinch with second-place St. Louis losing in San Francisco later in the night. Carlos Torres walked Ben Zobrist to lead off the inning, but struck out Russell and Soler.
Look, we know what a crapshoot short series are.
“We made a couple mistakes here and there and it cost up a couple runs”, Montero said.
The Cubs’ ability to stay out of ruts and sustain a double-digit lead since August 6 prompted questions of Maddon about whether this was the best team he has managed from a personnel standpoint.
For six months, the Cubs, with a roster that has no weak spots, led by likely MVP Kris Bryant, last year’s Cy Young victor Jake Arrieta and perhaps this year’s Cy Young victor Hendricks, have been baseball’s best team, even if the Giants pipped Chicago for the best record at the All-Star break.
They are the equivalent of a five-tool player. There’s still home field advantage to be played for, but there’s also no real harm in allowing players some rest while at the same time seeing what other players can do in spots they aren’t accustomed to. This group, including Carl Edwards Jr. and Justin Grimm, has been excellent in late August and September, but October takes another level of performance to retire a club’s best.
They have excelled at home and the road, against lefties and righties. Shields was 0-5 with a 10.75 ERA while winless in his previous eight starts. But a weak second tier crop has had them within at least a few games of the last wild card all season. The Cubs got one of them back in the eighth inning. The Cubs will likely continue to give Montgomery starts down the stretch to keep the starters fresh for the postseason, but it’s hard to predict when his next one might come.
Also, if the Mets do get as far as the Division Series, how much of that power rotation will be operating near its peak?
The Cubs vaunted defense failed them frequently on the night. You can’t have just that and devastating flaws elsewhere, as the Giants do with Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and a disgusting pen. Chicago Cubs’ Jorge Soler swings on a two-run home run during the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in Chicago. With two down and a runner on third, Nelson allowed a single up the middle by Montgomery, who had been hitless in 11 career at-bats in the majors. But the brittle Strasburg probably will miss the playoffs, elevating the underappreciated Tanner Roark to even more prominence.
The World Series is no lock. But with Kershaw and Rich Hill, they are as fragile as is Strasburg. J.A. Happ (18-4) starts for the slumping Blue Jays, who have lost seven of 10.
They’ve essentially been on a roll all year, though they weren’t always firing on all cylinders.
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The Dodgers are imperfect, and their lefty-subdued lineup would have difficulty with southpaws Jon Lester, Mike Montgomery and Aroldis Chapman.
