September 30, 2018 • Cubs.com, Cubs lose, fall into Central tie with 1 game left

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-lose-to-cards-nl-central-up-for-grabs/c-296543050

• Cubs.com, Cubs announce plan for tiebreaker tickets https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-plan-ticketing-for-possible-tiebreaker/c-296574454’

• Cubs.com, Strop aiming to be ready for postseason https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/pedro-strop-hoping-to-be-ready-for-postseason/c-296543068

• NBC Sports Chicago, Buckle up, here are the scenarios for the Cubs heading into the end of the

regular season https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/buckle-here-are-scenarios-cubs-heading-end-regular-season

• NBC Sports Chicago, Tough day for Cubs' offense not necessarily a harbinger of postseason doom https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/tough-day-cubs-offense-not-necessarily-harbinger-postseason-doom

• NBC Sports Chicago, "This is what we're made for": How Cubs are handling uncertainty of the season's final days https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/what-were-made-how-cubs-are-handling-uncertainty-seasons-final-days

• NBC Sports Chicago, Pedro Strop won't pitch for the Cubs until the playoffs https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/pedro-strop-wont-pitch-cubs-until-playoffs

• Chicago Tribune, There's plenty for Joe Maddon and the Cubs to consider Sunday with the division

title at stake http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-joe-maddon-playoffs-20180930-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Column: The pulsating Cubs-Brewers race in the NL Central is good to the last drop http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-brewers-sullivan-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Column: Suspense surrounding Game No. 162 perfect symmetry for the most imperfect of seasons http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-season-finality-haugh-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Cubs lose to Cardinals 2-1, fall into first-place tie and set up pressure-packed

Sunday http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-cardinals-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant healthy enough that postseason rest may be unnecessary http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kris-bryant-health-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Cubs' Daniel Murphy reflects fondly on David Wright's career http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-daniel-murphy-david-wright-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Column: Baseball's awards season arrives with the usual suspects and a few surprises http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-baseball-awards-sullivan-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Cubs' reliever Pedro Strop aiming for NLDS return http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-pedro-strop-20180929-story.html

• Chicago Sun-Times, Jon Lester on all the Cubs’ uncertainty into final day: ‘Just deal with it’ https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/jon-lester-cubs-uncertainty-final-day-deal-with-it/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Pedro Strop targets NLDS opener for return from hamstring injury https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/pedro-strop-targets-nlds-opener-for-return-from-hamstring-injury/

• Chicago Sun-Times, ‘Weirdest thing in baseball’? Cubs brace for wild finish to division race https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/weirdest-thing-baseball-cubs-brace-wild-finish-nl-central-division-race-cardinals-brewers/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs, Brewers take regular season to a final day that might not be so final https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-mlb-playoffs-wild-card-milwaukee-brewers-st-louis-cardinals-joe-maddon/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Cardinals send NL Central race into final-day drama with 2-1 win over Cubs https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cardinals-send-nl-central-race-final-day-drama-2-1-win-cubs/

• Daily Herald, Cubs' Strop aims to pitch in postseason https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180929/cubs-strop-aims-to-pitch-in-postseason

• Daily Herald, Cubs' magic number still 2! Cardinals' Mikolas outduels Hamels https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180929/cubs-magic-number-still-2-cardinals-mikolas-outduels-hamels-

• Daily Herald, Rozner: Pleasure? Pressure? Lots of both for Cubs right now https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20180929/rozner-pleasure-pressure-lots-of-both-for-cubs-right-now

• The Athletic, Why Cole Hamels believes the Cubs are prepared for chaos

https://theathletic.com/557020/2018/09/29/why-cole-hamels-believes-the-cubs-are-prepared-for-chaos/

• The Athletic, It’s baseball: A 162-game season comes down to one day for the Cubs https://theathletic.com/556846/2018/09/29/its-baseball-a-162-game-season-comes-down-to-one-day-for-the-cubs/

-- Cubs.com Cubs lose, fall into Central tie with 1 game left By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- It will all come down to Game 162. The Cubs lost, 2-1, to the Cardinals on Saturday, falling into a tie for the National League Central lead after the Brewers later defeated the Tigers, 6-5, in Milwaukee. The Cubs can still clinch their third straight NL Central title with a win on Sunday plus a Brewers loss to the Tigers. What's certain is that the Cubs and Brewers are both headed to the playoffs. If they finish with the same regular-season record, they would play a tiebreaker on Monday at Wrigley Field to determine the division winner. The loser of that game would host the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday. Confused? Ben Zobrist was, asking the media to explain the situation after the game. When someone tried to go over the different scenarios and then was corrected by another media member, Zobrist shook his head. "This is why I asked the question," Zobrist said. "It's baseball. I think we know that we've advanced, but there's a way that we want to advance," said Cole Hamels. "It's kind of keeping our head on right and keeping the focus and knowing these are the moments that we train for." Cubs manager Joe Maddon planned on going over his lineup options, having dinner delivered, then binge-watching some shows on Netflix on Saturday night. "I'd just like to continue to have the best record in the league after [Sunday]," Maddon said. "There's nothing to lament with our guys. They've been playing hard for a long period of time. Our route has been a little different than anybody else. We'll come back ready to play [Sunday] and see how it all falls." Hamels was in a good groove on Saturday. He retired the first nine batters he faced, but the Cardinals took advantage of two mistakes -- a catcher's interference call on Victor Caratini in the fourth and a hit batter in the fifth -- to score their runs. Hamels was upset about the latter -- hitting Harrison Bader in an 0-2 count to open the fifth. Bader eventually scored the tie-breaking run on Matt Carpenter's single.

"You have a guy 0-2 and there's endless options to get the guy out or let him earn it," Hamels said of the Bader at-bat. "That's the tough play, because I've had it happen a lot in the past couple years on off-speed pitches, just trying to make them too perfect, going for the swing-and-misses. When you hit guys on the front foot when you're aiming for the back, you're over-correcting a little bit. When that happens, especially when there's no outs and the guy gets on, I think that was the toughest today." After going 4-0 with an 0.69 ERA in August with the Cubs, Hamels finished his six September starts, 0-3. He compiled a 2.36 ERA with the Cubs, giving up two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 12 starts. "He's exactly what he looks like from wherever you're sitting," Maddon said of the lefty. "He's professional, he's engaged, he's competitive, he's athletic, he cares. He's a great member of any team. We're very fortunate to have him. He's really helped get us to this particular point in the season." Miles Mikolas picked up his 18th win, holding the Cubs to five hits over eight innings. Chicago's only run came on an error by second baseman Yairo Munoz in the first. "You have to look at Miles -- the guy has been lights-out all year. He's been one of the best pitchers," Hamels said. "I think you have to admire his mustache more than anything. He's definitely got me beat." The only other certainty for the Cubs heading into Game 162 is that they don't have to pack. They could play Monday if there's a tiebreaker, possibly Tuesday in the NL Wild Card Game or Thursday if it's the NL Division Series. "It's one day at a time," Zobrist said of their approach. "We just think about [Sunday] and try to win [Sunday] and hope that's enough going into this coming week. Regardless, we're thinking about all these games like they're playoff games. We stay in the moment and believe that it's going to work out for us." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Oops: With one out in the first, Zobrist singled and one out later, he scored when Munoz misplayed Javier Baez's fly ball, muffing an over-the-shoulder attempt to catch it. It was the Cardinals' 132nd error, the most in baseball. Mikolas didn't give the Cubs many chances. "The balls we hit hard, unfortunately, were caught," Zobrist said. "We had a couple opportunities there. You need some balls to drop in or get the line drives to get through to break through on a game like that." Must be the salsa: In the fourth, Carpenter reached on a catcher's interference call against Caratini and Jose Martinez walked to set up Paul DeJong's RBI single and tie the game at 1. Carpenter delivered an RBI single in the fifth for the go-ahead run, but Baez made a quick tag at second as Carpenter tried to stretch his hit. SOUND SMART This is the first time in the division era that Game 162 has been so critical for the Cubs. In 1998, they needed to play an extra game to decide the Wild Card winner. In 1908, the NL pennant was decided on the last game of the season. HE SAID IT "There's a lot of guys with playoff experience. Any time you look at the team, there are a lot of guys in that lineup with a lot of experience. You look at each other, you know you don't have to be the hero, everybody just plays their part. If something doesn't happen, you can pick up your teammate. Nobody's

pressing. I think that's the great thing to see. We have the talent and the desire, and we're there to pick each other up and not try to overdo it." -- Hamels, on the Cubs "It's a blast, absolutely. That was part of my spiel with the boys. Since the time you're in Little League or maybe before that, these are the situations you want to be in. Why would you chose not to enjoy that? I did repeat, 'Don't permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.' I want them to embrace it and enjoy it. It is fun. Normally, it should bring out the best in our guys." -- Maddon, on dealing with an important Game 162 UP NEXT Mike Montgomery (5-6, 3.99 ERA) will start the Cubs' final regular-season game, making his career-high 19th start. The lefty, who has subbed this year for Yu Darvish, is 5-5 with a 3.68 ERA as a starter. He's made two starts against the Cardinals and hasn't fared well -- they've hit .293 against him. St. Louis will counter with rookie Jack Flaherty (8-8, 3.16 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. CT from Wrigley Field. Since it's the last regular-season home game, the Wrigley grounds crew will lead the crowd in the seventh-inning stretch. -- Cubs.com Cubs announce plan for tiebreaker tickets By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs are headed to the postseason, although they won't know when they begin the playoffs until after Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cardinals. If the Cubs and Brewers finish with identical records, they would play a tiebreaker on Monday at Wrigley Field. Tickets for the tiebreaker game would go on sale online at www.cubs.com/tickets on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Cubs will offer an in-person purchase opportunity for tiebreaker tickets starting at 8 a.m. CT on Monday at the Wrigley Field ticket office on Clark Street, just north of the marquee. Fans also can purchase tickets for the tiebreaker game by phone at 800-THE-CUBS (800-843-2827) starting at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. Season ticket holders have an opportunity to secure tiebreaker game tickets in advance of the general public. The deadline to submit payment online is 11:59 p.m. on Saturday. If the Cubs and Brewers play a tiebreaker game on Monday, and it is the only Game 163 across Major League Baseball, it would start at 3:09 p.m. at Wrigley Field. The Cubs would host because they won the season series. -- Cubs.com Strop aiming to be ready for postseason By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- As much as Cubs reliever Pedro Strop wanted to pitch in the regular season, he won't -- but he expects to be ready for the postseason.

Just don't talk to him about playing before Thursday. If the Cubs don't win the National League Central, they could play a tiebreaker on Monday or in the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday. But the Chicago reliever said the team isn't planning to play on either of those days. "Thursday," Strop said. "Don't talk to me about Tuesday. That's the 'B' plan. We're looking for the 'A' plan." The NL Division Series opens Thursday. "We're looking for the playoffs," Strop said Saturday about his comeback from a left hamstring strain. Strop has thrown off the mound twice since he injured his leg Sept. 13, and he has kept his arm in shape. "We tested twice on the mound, and it went well," the right-hander said. "Now we'll make the next step, which is running, and make sure if I get in the game, I'll be able to at least cover first, which I think I'll be able to do." Strop was not named the closer to replace Brandon Morrow when he was injured, but Strop is second on the team behind Morrow in saves with 13. Manager Joe Maddon said he'll stick with his mix-and-match approach in late innings. "I really like what we're doing now, having all these different options late," Maddon said on Saturday. "I definitely would not say [Strop] is the closer. He's part of the back end of the bullpen. You saw what [Jesse] Chavez has been doing, [Jorge] De La Rosa continues to do great work, [Justin] Wilson is capable, Carl [Edwards Jr.] being on top of his game is capable. I would rather get the outs leading to that inning. All these different guys getting the work feel pretty good about themselves." When Strop returns, Maddon said he won't thrust him into a ninth-inning situation right away. "If we have this period of time [before the postseason starts], he could even throw a [simulated] game to find out," Maddon said. "The fact that he has not been disabled with his arm matters a lot." Said Strop: "The most important thing is that I've been able to throw, so my arm is in shape. That will make the process quicker. It's a good thing I was able to throw." Worth noting • In the eighth inning on Friday against the Cardinals, Maddon moved Jason Heyward from center to right field and Ben Zobrist from right to second base. Both were tested on defense immediately, and both made solid plays. "Honestly, anything that goes on now, it's been going on for a while, but it took time for us to be like, 'This is what's going to happen, this is what's going to happen,'" Heyward said. "Now we all just expect it. Early on, we were like, 'OK, we're going to be here, who's here, who's here? Get your bearings.' Now that we've been fortunate enough to have pretty much the same guys here, we all understand, we all know who's going to get used in which spot for the most part.

"At the end of the day we know, especially at this time of year, to be ready to be wherever," Heyward said. "Seeing [pitcher] Travis Wood play left field, you know it's going to happen from time to time. That kind of sets us apart from other teams, just because that can happen and we're ready for it." There aren't many teams that would insert a pitcher in the outfield, but Maddon did just that with Wood in three games in 2016. "If I'm playing against a team and I see a pitcher in left field, that's in my head," Heyward said. "It's not going to determine the outcome of the game, but that's something different. It just shows you we're going to try everything we can to win that game that night." Daniel Murphy has usually been the odd man out when the Cubs make a defensive switch. "Murph's all on board," Maddon said. "He's doing a great job as leadoff hitter. In the latter part of the game, by hitting leadoff, if you have the lead, you can get him out possibly sooner. When you're into that defensive manuevering, if you can get that guy who you want to take out higher in the batting order, it normally helps." -- NBC Sports Chicago Buckle up, here are the scenarios for the Cubs heading into the end of the regular season By Michael Walton The 2017-18 MLB regular season is coming to a close, and after Saturday's games, the Cubs and Brewers are tied atop the NL Central at 94-67. In their final games of the regular season, the Cubs and Brewers will be playing the Cardinals and Tigers respectively. Now that things are all locked up, here is what is one the line on Sunday: The first scenario that is the easiest to digest is also the most favorable for the Cubs. If the Cubs win and the Brewers lose, then Chicago would win the division. If the Brewers win and the Cubs were to lose, then the Brewers would be the NL central champions. In this scenario the Cubs would be the first NL Wildcard team. The final scenario would result in an epic rivalry showdown. If both teams were to get the same result on Sunday, whether it be a win or loss, they would have to play a 163rd game at Wrigley Field to decide who would be the division champion and who would end up in the NL Wildcard game. With the Cubs having only won two of their last six games against Milwaukee, a winner-take-all game for the divison would not be ideal, even more so with another one-game playoff possibly on the horizon. The plan for the Cubs to get their desired outcome is simple enough: Take care of business against St. Louis and then become Detroit Tigers fans through Sunday afternoon. --

NBC Sports Chicago Tough day for Cubs' offense not necessarily a harbinger of postseason doom By Vinnie Duber The Cubs’ offense has been under plenty of scrutiny as the season has wound down and the division race with the Milwaukee Brewers has got tighter and tighter. Indeed, the bats haven’t been as hot as they were earlier in the year. The Cubs entered Saturday afternoon’s game against the rival St. Louis Cardinals with just a .238 batting average and a .302 on-base percentage in September. But if you watched Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Cardinals and reached a sky-is-falling conclusion thanks to a meager run total, there might be a need to pump the breaks. First thing’s first, the Cubs went up against a tremendous pitcher in Miles Mikolas, who continued his road dominance this season with his 10th win (compared to zero losses) away from St. Louis. The 2018 All Star picked up his 18th win of the campaign by allowing just one unearned run, which came on a two-out dropped pop up in the first inning. Second baseman Yairo Munoz makes that play, and the Cubs could’ve been shut out. Mikolas went eight innings in a must-win game for the Redbirds, whose own playoff hopes remained alive after the game. Even the best lineups can’t always solve the best pitching, and that’s what Mikolas has been this season for the Cardinals. “You really have to look at Miles,” Cole Hamels said. “The guy’s been lights out all year. He’s been one of the best pitchers. … He’s great, and he delivered exactly what he’s capable of doing and what he expected and what they needed. It made it tough for us.” Mikolas ended up dominating the Cubs this season: In four starts against them, he gave up four earned runs in 26 innings. You might read all that and argue, “But the Cubs are going to see nothing but good pitchers in October. What kind of excuse is that?” And you’d be right. Of course, this lineup shouldn’t be expected to go score eight runs off the best arms the game has to offer. But the Cubs agree with you: They’ll be facing nothing but the best from here on out. “They’re all good at this point,” Ben Zobrist said. “Every pitcher we’re going to face from this point on has done really well this year and is established. They’re all playoff games to us right now.” That’s where the second part of Saturday’s story comes in: The Cubs did hit Mikolas all right. No, the results don’t show that, but they were hitting balls hard all over the yard. Problem is, they didn’t end up following the oldest of baseball axioms: Hit ‘em where they ain’t. Cubs hitters made plenty of solid contact, and a Cardinals team that experienced many a fielding woe in Friday’s series-opener made the plays this time. The Cubs launched a few balls into the sky, and on a different day they probably would’ve ended up in the bleachers. Instead, the inward-blowing wind knocked them down and into the gloves of Cardinals outfielders. Even after Mikolas departed, Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo and Javy Baez smacked a trio of hard-hit balls right at defenders in the ninth inning.

It’s not a time of season where a lack of results often gets shrugged off. But really, what more could they have done? “The balls that we did hit hard, unfortunately, were caught,” Zobrist said. “We had a couple opportunities there, but you kind of need those balls to drop in or get those line drives to get through to kind of break through in a game like that against a pitcher like that. … We just didn’t get the breaks today.” “That’s kind of the tough part in baseball,” Hamels said. “You’re going to have days when you hit the ball hard and it’s right at people. As a pitcher, it’s kind of nice. But being able to watch that as your teammates are grinding through at-bats, really hitting balls hard (with) unfortunately nothing to show for it, you have to let them know, ‘Stay with it.’ It’s just not the day that those were going to fall in.” Obviously, one bout of bad luck can make the difference in a playoff game. It would become ever so intensified in a wild card game, where the margin of error is so small, and after Saturday’s loss, the Cubs could very well find themselves in that situation. But the outcomes in one game cannot provide an accurate forecast of how an offense will perform over the course of a five-game series a week from now against a completely different pitching staff. And Saturday’s case, in particular, with how the Cubs hit the ball in such an unlucky fashion, probably doesn’t even an accurate projection of how the bats will fare Sunday. “If we’re able to hit balls like we did, probably going to have a few hits that are going to drop in and score a couple runs from them. That’s kind of the nature of baseball,” Hamels said. “I think that’s why there’s 162 games because you’re going to see crazy stuff. You see games where guys are scoring runs because they’re not hitting the ball hard at all, and then you have teams that are hitting the ball hard and nothing to show. It’s a game of inches.” -- NBC Sports Chicago "This is what we're made for": How Cubs are handling uncertainty of the season's final days By Jared Wyllys After Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Cardinals, even Ben Zobrist needed all the possible scenarios for the postseason laid out for him. Standing in front of a field of reporters, Zobrist asked what the situation was, and it took several minutes and more than one person holding a mic to lay it all out. At that point, the Cubs were a half game ahead of the Brewers for the division, but Milwaukee wasn't set to start their Saturday game for almost three hours. A win from them would mean the two teams would wake up Sunday tied for the NL Central crown. A loss keeps the Cubs ahead, but still allows for a tie after Sunday, which would require a game 163 at Wrigley Field on Monday. Oh, and there's the Dodgers, Rockies, and Cardinals who still need to be sorted out, too. A Dodgers win Saturday afternoon would take the Cardinals out of the second wild card spot, and would keep them in the fight for the National League West with Colorado. If the Dodgers lose, the Cardinals will come to Wrigley Sunday with a wild card billing to play for.

It's dizzying for fans and reporters alike, and perhaps by necessity, it means that the people in uniform just have to narrow their focus even further than usual. "There’s pressure in this game, and at some level you have to really enjoy it," Zobrist said. "You can’t really try to avoid it, so yea, sure, we like those situations. That’s what we’re made for." The Cubs have already been through a gauntlet of games in the last month and a half that involved a lot of travel, a lot of rain delays, a lot of games in a row, and a lot of injuries -- large and small -- to key players. Zobrist said that getting through that has proven to the team that they can take those hits and just keep going. Despite all of that, they will finish September with a winning record for the month no matter what happens Sunday. But that's probably not the solace the team or any fans are looking for. These are crazy and intense times. "It’s a special moment to see the intensity that comes from meaningful games," Cole Hamels said after his seven-inning, two-run start on Saturday. "You’re going to have to play some really tough teams in some tough moments. High intensity, high stakes. That’s the reason the team that wins the World Series deserves it. They’re the ones that got through all the trials and the tough games and the tough breaks." Cubs manager Joe Maddon offered a broader perspective, sharing a bit of what was in his playoff speech to the team just a couple of days ago, saying that he reminded them that being in this kind of a situation is what they have been hoping for since they first picked up a bat and glove. "It’s a blast. That was part of my spiel with the boys. Since the time you were in Little League and maybe before that, these are the situations you always want to be in," Maddon said. "So why would you choose to not enjoy that or create an ominous situation that subtracts the joy?" With a nod to "Don't let the pressure exceed the pleasure", a past team motto, Maddon said he told the team to treat these last regular season games like they're in the playoffs now, and to just focus on playing quality baseball and let the chips fall where they may. There are so many different possible outcomes for the National League in the next 24-48 hours that it can be easy to forget that, at the very least, the Cubs are guaranteed a wild card spot. But, they're handling the muddiness of the picture by focusing on a better outcome than that. "We know that we’ve obviously advanced, but there’s a way that we want to advance," Hamels said, referring to the team's obvious desire to start the postseason with the NLDS on Thursday, "and it’s just kind of keeping our head on right and keeping the focus, and knowing that these are the moments that we train for." -- NBC Sports Chicago Pedro Strop won't pitch for the Cubs until the playoffs By Jared Wyllys There are two very important games left in the Cubs' regular season schedule, and they won't have Pedro Strop for either of them. Strop had suggested in the past that he might be ready to pitch in this weekend's series against the Cardinals, but on Saturday he said that won't happen.

"We’re still looking for playoffs," Strop said. Before Saturday's game, Strop said that he was focusing on jogging to make sure that his legs feel good enough to do things like cover first in a game. The picture for when the playoffs will begin for the Cubs remains unclear, but Strop said he doesn't see himself being needed until the division series at the end of next week. "Thursday. Don’t tell me about Tuesday," Strop said, in reference to Tuesday's NL wild card game. "That’s the B plan, and we’re looking for the A plan." Both Strop and manager Joe Maddon said that the fact that he has not been sidelined with an arm injury is a silver lining. And, Maddon said, if the Cubs can take care of winning the division this weekend, it will create an opportunity for a few days off so that Strop can possibly throw a sim game before Thursday to really see how he's feeling. "He’s been throwing. It’s not like he’s not been able to throw this whole time, so that’s the good part," Maddon said Saturday. "The fact that he’s not been disabled with his arm, that really matters a lot. It shouldn’t be as bad as you think once he gets back out there. If he was just sitting around and not able to throw and you expect a good result, that’d be more difficult." Strop said that he has been able to test his arm quite a bit during his stint on the disabled list and keep it as sharp as possible for the playoffs. "That’s been the most important thing. I’ve been able to throw it, so my arm is in shape," Strop said. Maddon added that Strop has looked good both in action and "on paper," as the team trainers have indicated that there's no reason to think he won't be ready to pitch in a game next week, even if his leg is not quite at 100 percent. Strop might still be feeling the hamstring during his delivery a little bit, he shared Saturday, but not in a way that concerns him. "Obviously you’re going to feel it when you get an injury that’s supposed to heal in 5-6 weeks, and in 2 weeks you’re already throwing. I expect to feel it a little bit, but it wasn’t nothing major," Strop said. "Nothing like I reinjured or anything like that. And I knew it was going to hurt at some point, so I’m not afraid of it." -- Chicago Tribune There's plenty for Joe Maddon and the Cubs to consider Sunday with the division title at stake By Mark Gonzales Sunday’s regular-season finale doesn’t represent a win-or-go-home scenario for the Cubs, but manager Joe Maddon still has plenty to consider as he tries to avoid a loss that could send them to the National League wild-card game. For starters, Maddon will have to keep a close watch on left-hander Mike Montgomery, who allowed five runs in four innings in his last start Tuesday against the Pirates. The Cardinals peppered

Montgomery for 12 hits and five earned runs in five innings of their 5-2 win in his last appearance against them on July 27. The Cubs’ bullpen is relatively well-rested, but Maddon may have to weigh how soon and how long he can use Steve Cishek, Jesse Chavez and Justin Willson, especially if they enter with a deficit with the possibility of a tiebreaker game looming. The Cubs will face Jack Flaherty, 22, who has 16 strikeouts while allowing only one run and four hits in 10 innings against them this season. The Cubs were interested in drafting Flaherty with their second pick in the 2014 draft (45th overall). The Cardinals, however, took him with the 34th pick and bought him out of his commitment to North Carolina with a $2 million bonus. Flaherty has thrown a combined 180 innings for the Cardinals and Triple-A Memphis. Since the Cardinals were eliminated Saturday night from postseason contention, they could elect to curb Flaherty’s workload. Thanks to Miles Mikolas’ impressive performance Saturday, the Cardinals’ bullpen is well-rested. The only late-inning reliever who might not be available is Bud Norris, who injured his hamstring on Friday. Maddon might need to be careful about when he goes to his bench and whom he uses. But it might not matter, given Flaherty’s dominance this season. Perhaps the biggest issue for the offense may be whether they can work quality at-bats, as Ben Zobrist, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rizzo have done — instead of the impatience the offense displayed in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 2-1 loss, when Carlos Martinez needed only five pitches to earn the save. -- Chicago Tribune Column: The pulsating Cubs-Brewers race in the NL Central is good to the last drop By Paul Sullivan All of baseball has the first pitch in the 2:05-2:20 p.m. time slot Sunday, a chance to make scoreboard watching a mandatory act on the final day of the regular season. That means everyone at Wrigley Field will be watching with great interest as the numbers of the Brewers-Tigers game get posted in the innings windows of the old center-field scoreboard. It may be outdated, anachronistic and lacking the kind of between-innings information demanded by modern-day attention spans, but on Sunday that clunky, old board that has served as the backdrop of a billion selfies finally gets its star turn. The Cubs made sure of that Saturday, losing 2-1 to the Cardinals on a quiet afternoon at Wrigley to ensure Sunday’s games would have relevance. Yes, the Cubs and Brewers race is good to the last drop, just the way you guessed.

After the Brewers’ 6-5 victory over the Tigers on Saturday night at Miller Park, the teams were tied for first place in the National League Central with identical 94-67 records heading into the final day of the regular season. Both teams play at home, where they both are 50-30. It’s great for baseball, though perhaps a bit nerve-wracking for the Cubs, who have had a number of chances to put some space between them and their nearest rival in the second half, only to fail to land a knockout punch. Now the Cubs could play the Brewers in a division tiebreaker game Monday at Wrigley Field, or in the NL Division Series which starts Thursday. Or they could lose the wild-card game and end their season with a grandiose thud. No one really can guess what will happen thanks to the Cubs’ incredibly shrinking offense, which comes and goes like an L train through a slow zone. You almost expect a CTA-like announcement periodically informing fans: “This offense will resume service momentarily.” There’s no safety net now. This Brewers bunch has been on the Cubs’ tails for two years running, and has refused to fade away in September. Kris Bryant admitted last weekend he had started scoreboard watching for the first time in his big-league career. “Yeah, that didn’t go very good,” Bryant said with a laugh. The East Coast media honchos have ignored the Brewers as they have force-fed the Yankees, Red Sox and, yes, the Cubs, down America’s throats. But the Cubs know better that to overlook them. This is no Cinderella story. The Brewers are a team that was on the cusp in 2017 and went for it in the offseason. “I like a lot of their players. They have character, they’re kind of interesting,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Even the addition of (Mike) Moustakas was a great move on their part. “I’ve liked this group for two years now — ‘Citizen Cain’ in center field. They have a nice group that provides a lot of good energy. I don’t know why (they’re overlooked). Like you’re saying, maybe (being a) small market has something to do with it.” Bryant lauded their offseason moves, when the Brewers changed the future of the franchise on one January day with the signing of Lorenzo Cain and the trade for the Marlins’ Christian Yelich, the current MVP favorite. “They really nailed it with Yelich and Cain, and the emergence of some of the guys in their bullpen has really helped them out,” Bryant said before the Cubs’ loss. “It’s going to be a nice battle these two games, and maybe even into the playoffs.” Letting the Brewers hang around all year has proven to be a big mistake, which is why the Cubs need to pay close attention Sunday to the 81-year-old scoreboard. “Obviously they’re right behind us, so it’s natural to glance at the scoreboard and see what’s going on,” Bryant said.

“But it really does no good. We have to go out there and win. That’s why I said (Friday) I’m not going to go home and watch (the Brewers) game. That’s not going to change the way we play. “We just have to win these games, regardless of what they do.” On Aug. 14, the Cubs began a two-game series with the Brewers at Wrigley, owning a three-game lead in the National League Central. Jose Quintana, who basically has owned the Brewers since arriving on the North Side, was on the mound, and the Cubs were coming off the natural high of the “Bote Game” — the walk-off grand slam of rookie David Bote against the Nationals. But Cain opened with a leadoff home run, and longtime Cubs-killer Ryan Braun added a two-run shot later in the first. The Brewers wound up with a 7-0 victory, limiting the Cubs to only three hits. “It was pretty close to a must-win,” Braun said afterward. “If you want to stay in the division race, you had to win one of two. Ideally you have to win both.” The Cubs had a few more opportunities to put their foot on the Brewers’ neck, but lost four of six games to them in September, including the excruciating Labor Day loss at Miller Park when Bryant unsuccessfully tried to pull off a 5-3 double play on a Yelich grounder as the winning run scored from third. If the Cubs and Brewers do play a tiebreaker game Monday, that Brewers comeback victory will be a big reason why. When I asked him Saturday morning, Bryant wasn’t sure he would watch the Brewers game that night. “I might be more compelled to watch because it puts us in a better position (if they lose),” he said. “But I don’t know. It kind of puts you in a weird mindset as a baseball player that you hardly ever find yourself in. “So why go there?” -- Chicago Tribune Column: Suspense surrounding Game No. 162 perfect symmetry for the most imperfect of seasons By David Haugh Confusion covered Ben Zobrist’s face as he sought clarity from reporters about all the scenarios still facing the Cubs, which range from clinching the National League Central to choking away the division title. “That’s why I asked the question,” Zobrist said with a smile Saturday after Cubs lost 2-1 to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. “There’s pressure in this game and you have to enjoy it.” That parroted the familiar message Zobrist says Cubs manager Joe Maddon delivered Thursday at his annual pre-playoff meeting pushed up to reflect the urgency: Don’t let the pressure exceed the pleasure. While players did what they could to follow Maddon’s advice, fans dealt with another anemic offensive effort one day after the Cubs scored eight runs.

And so the Cubs regular season comes down to Sunday, suspense still surrounding the 162nd game on the schedule, providing perfect symmetry for an imperfect season and preparing everyone who lives and dies with the so-called best team in the National League for the worst-case scenario. What frustration for those who allow the Cubs winning or losing to dictate their daily moods but what fun for those who win and lose, if you believe Maddon. “It’s a blast,” Maddon said. “That was part of my spiel with the boys. Since the time you were in Little League, these are the situations you always want to be in. So why would you choose to not enjoy that and create an ominous situation? I want them to embrace it and enjoy it.” That was easier said than done for a subdued crowd of 40,784 who saved the biggest cheers for Nick the ball boy, whose hustling entertained the home fans more than the Cubs hitting. Bears weather hurt the Cubs too as brisk winds blowing in from right field on a 59-degree afternoon that felt chillier kept at least three hard-hit balls from going as far as they might have under milder conditions. That takes nothing away from the mastery finely mustachioed Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas showed. “You have to admire his mustache as much as anything,” Cubs counterpart Cole Hamels said postgame. You have to respect the way Mikolas made hitters feel like pulling their hair out after his league-best third victory over the Cubs this season. Mikolas efficiently worked through the batting order as if he had early dinner reservations at Chicago Cut, requiring only 99 pitches to give up five singles and an unearned run over eight innings. At the end a rugged regular-season journey, a tough Miles was the last thing the Cubs wanted. “He has had a great season and we saw why,” Zobrist said of the right-hander who improved to 18-4. This would be a bad time to remind you that the Cardinals signed Mikolas to a two-year, $15.5 million contract last December two days before the Cubs agreed to a three-year, $38 million deal with fellow free-agent starter Tyler Chatwood. If Cardinals second baseman Yairo Munoz had not dropped a flyball trying to make an over-the-shoulder-catch, the Cubs would have been shut out. Hamels deserved better, giving up only three singles over seven innings, but it has been that kind of year at Clark and Addison where the unexpected has intersected too often with the expected. If the inevitability of the postseason looms for the Cubs, a fear of finality hovers too. During this unprecedented run of four straight playoff appearances that spoiled the fan base, the Cubs relied heavily on a productive young nucleus of position players, a healthy intellectual marriage between Maddon and the front office and the feeling that the best was yet to come. All of a sudden, finding people around Wrigleyville who still feel that way poses a challenge. Missing Bryant for almost half the season because of injuries and later losing Addison Russell, once a cornerstone, to allegations of domestic abuse should remind the Cubs how quickly future plans change in pro sports. No matter how October unfolds, the Cubs will head into the offseason more concerned about their core of position players than they were mid-summer. That doesn’t mean the Cubs should prepare to write blank checks to either high-priced free agent available, outfielder Bryce Harper or infielder Manny Machado — a wiser $300 million investment. That means Cubs President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer need to keep an open mind and engage in an open discussion about restoring some certainty to an everyday lineup full of guys who look as mentally and physically tired as they sound.

Coping with 30 games scheduled over 30 days wasn’t the toughest thing to overcome in September, when the Cubs saw a comfortable five-game division lead Sept. 3 diminish to the point that suspense exists on the final day of the regular season. The Cubs also lost two closers, finally shutting down Brandon Morrow because of injury and going without Pedro Strop after he pulled a hamstring running to first after Maddon let him bat for reasons difficult to defend. They welcomed back Bryant after a long absence because of an injured shoulder only to see him miss a few more games after getting hit in the hand by a pitch. They endured the Major League Baseball investigation into the troubling allegations of domestic abuse shortstop Addison Russell’s former live leveled against him, a process that could result in the player now on paid administrative leave becoming an ex-Cub. An update on Russell’s status could come Sunday, before the most important game of the season. “Like any other day,” Maddon said of Game No. 162. Except it isn’t for a Cubs team that suddenly doesn’t know what’s next. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs lose to Cardinals 2-1, fall into first-place tie and set up pressure-packed Sunday By Mark Gonzales Cole Hamels found solace after the Cubs missed a chance Saturday take care of their own business. “We do have next week that we’re be playing for,” said Hamels, mindful that the Cubs have assured themselves of playing through at least Tuesday. “You just want it to be more of a five-game series and not a one-and-done in that crazy wild-card game. “It’s exciting in itself, but there’s more content when you know you won the division and have those five games.” The Cubs (94-67) put themselves in a virtual must-win mode Sunday after falling 2-1 to the Cardinals on Saturday at Wrigley Field, hours before the Brewers (94-67) beat the Tigers 6-5 to move into a tie for first place in the National League Central entering the final game of the season. Should the Cubs and Brewers finished tied, a tiebreaker would be played Monday at Wrigley Field to determine the Natonal League Central champion and a two-day break. The loser would host the wild-card game Tuesday for the right to advance to the NL Division Series starting Thursday. “I would just like to continue to have the best record in the league after (Sunday),” manager Joe Maddon said after 18-game winner Miles Mikolas limited his team to one unearned run on five singles in eight innings. The Cardinals were eliminated from wild-card contention when the Dodgers defeated the Giants 10-6 in San Francisco. The Cardinals will miss their third straight postseason for the first time since 1997-99. Mikolas became only the third pitcher since 1908 to post a road record of 10-0 or better — joining Greg Maddux (13-0 in 1995 with the Braves) and Jimmy Key (10-0 in 1994 with the Blue Jays). “There’s nothing to lament with our guys,” Maddon said. “They have been playing hard for a long period of time. Our route has been different than everyone else. We’ll come back ready to play Sunday and see where it falls.”

The Cubs will rely on left-hander Mike Montgomery, who allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings in a loss to the Pirates on Tuesday. Because the Cubs are assured of no worse than playing in Tuesday’s wild-card game, Maddon isn’t inclined to make several of his starting pitchers available to relieve. “The biggest thing there is if you were to get in a bad situation, to not utilize the guys that you really would need on the next day,” Maddon said. “That would be the best way to describe it. “If it’s all systems go, then it’s all systems go.” The Cardinals will start rookie Jack Flaherty, who has allowed one run while striking out 16 in 10 innings against the Cubs this season. But Flaherty, 22, has thrown 148 1/3 innings (plus 31 2/3 in Triple A), so his work Sunday may be limited. Many of the Cubs played in the 2016 World Series, in which they rallied from a 3-1 deficit to capture the franchise’s first title since 1908. Hamels, who has pitched in seven postseasons with the Phillies and Rangers and earned 2008 World Series most valuable player honors, didn’t lose his sense of humor despite taking the loss even though he allowed only two runs (one earned) on three hits in seven innings. “You have to admire his mustache more than anything,” Hamels said. “He definitely has me beat.” A catcher’s interference call on Victor Caratini set up the Cardinals’ tying run in the fourth, but Hamels took responsibility for hitting Harrison Bader on an 0-2 pitch and walking Jairo Munoz to start the fifth to set up Matt Carpenter for a tie-breaking single. “We know we’ve obviously advanced, but there’s a way we want to advance (to the NLDS),” Hamels said. “And it’s kind of keeping our head on right and keeping us focused. And knowing that these are the moments we train for.” Winning the NL Central title outright Sunday would provide relief to a Cubs team that has held at least a share of first place since July 13, completed a stretch of 30 consecutive days with a scheduled game that concluded Sept. 19 and coped with the loss of Addison Russell, who was placed on administrative leave Sept. 21 while he undergoes a Major League Baseball investigation for domestic abuse after his former wife made allegations against him. “If we’ve proved anything the last 1½ months to ourselves, it’s that no matter how hard our situation is compared to everyone else’s, we’re going to keep playing hard and having each other’s back and stay focused all the way through,” Hamels said. -- Chicago Tribune Kris Bryant healthy enough that postseason rest may be unnecessary By Mark Gonzales Kris Bryant’s health has improved to the point the Cubs’ slugger might not need any extra days of rest if the Cubs reach the National League Division Series.

“If he’s well, he’s playing,” manager Joe Maddon said of Bryant, who missed nearly eight weeks with left shoulder inflammation but slugged a 448-foot home run Friday and has played left field and third base without any issues. “It clarifies everything,” Maddon added. Bryant’s health and versatility may allow the Cubs to carry one more extra pitcher than they normally would on a postseason roster, or create a spot for speedy Terrance Gore, who has been successful on all six stolen base attempts since being promoted Sept. 1 from Triple-A Iowa. Rookie David Bote has filled in adequately at third while Bryant was sidelined or playing left. Bote also can move to second in the latter innings in place of Daniel Murphy, but Ben Zobrist has been finishing games there recently. Shortstop Addison Russell’s administrative leave expires Sunday, but it’s possible it can be extended while Major League Baseball continues its investigation of allegations of domestic abuse his former wife has made. Javier Baez is expected to remain at short, where Bote also can spell in the event of an emergency. Extra innings: Daniel Murphy extended his hitting streak to nine games — his longest since joining the Cubs on Aug. 22. … The Cardinals improved to 10-8 against the Cubs, clinching a winning record against them for the first time since 2015 (11-8). -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs' Daniel Murphy reflects fondly on David Wright's career By Mark Gonzales A spinal injury caused David Wright to miss all of the 2017 season and play only 76 games over the last four seasons with the Mets, but Cubs second baseman Daniel Murphy stressed that Wright’s greatness shouldn’t be overlooked. “I’d prefer to look at how great he was when he was on the field,” Murphy said of Wright, a seven-time All-Star third baseman with the Mets who will retire. “He was great.” Murphy relished his seven seasons as a teammate of Wright, 35, for more than just his seven-time National League All-Star seasons. “David has had a huge impact on my life,” said Murphy, who played with Wright with the Mets from 2008-09 and 2011-15. “I think to just to say my career would diminish the impact he’s had on my life. He’s a great teammate, an unbelievable friend. “We’re still in contact. He’s taught me so much about baseball and what it looks lie to be accountable. He’s a humble man in this industry.” --

Chicago Tribune Column: Baseball's awards season arrives with the usual suspects and a few surprises By Paul Sullivan With the 2018 season coming to a close Sunday, here are some picks for the major award categories, some minor award categories and some awards categories I just made up for the heck of it: AL MVP Mookie Betts, Red Sox: Finishing strong with 12 hits in 18 at-bats over last four games entering the weekend, and leading majors in average (.346), slugging percentage (.643) and extra-base hits (84) and tied for first in runs (126). Hard to overlook teammate J.D. Martinez, and the eternal light of being Mike Trout, but Betts has been in charge from Day One. AL Cy Young Blake Snell, Rays: While BBWAA rules preclude me from revealing my pick in this category, Snell enters his last start on Saturday as the favorite over Corey Kluber, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander, whose then-fiancee, Kate Upton, ripped into BBWAA voters in 2016 for not giving it to her future husband. Snell will wind up with fewer innings pitched than any starter who has won a Cy, but these are strange times we live in. Sale probably had it locked up until a late-season arm injury lost him votes. Last year he had it before a late-season slump. AL rookie of year Miguel Andujar, Yankees: Shohei Ohtani could pull off an upset because he’s a great hitter and was a strong starter until being shut down from pitching duties early on. But Andjuar passed teammate and All-Star Gleybar Torres in the second half and hasn’t done anything since to lose it. AL manager of year Bob Melvin, A’s: Still not sure how the A’s went into the weekend with close to a .700 winning percentage since June 27 (62-27) because they’re the team from the land of misfit toys. How can you not give it to Bob Melvin? NL MVP Christian Yelich, Brewers: It looked like Javier Baez was in the driver’s seat until September, when Yelich made his push. Now some believe it will be a Yelich landslide. It makes you wonder how the 2017 Marlins were so bad with Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna in the same outfield. NL Cy Young Jacob deGrom, Mets: Old conventional wisdom: No starter with 10 victories can win a Cy Young Award. New conventional wisdom: Any pitcher with a 1.70 ERA is a lock to win a Cy. NL rookie of year Juan Soto, Nationals: It’s a dead heat between Soto and Ronald Acuna of the Braves. Soto had a .921 OPS entering Friday, and Acuna’s was .920. Acuna had more home runs (26 to 21), but Soto had more

RBIs (66-61). It’s really a toss-up, but Acuna was the top prospect and Soto basically came out of the blue. Advantage, Soto. NL manager of year Craig Counsell, Brewers: The Braves’ Brian Snitzker probably will get it for winning the NL East and engineering a significant turnaround. But Counsell has done wonders in Milwaukee, and the Brewers were neck-and-neck with the much-hyped Cubs all season. Comeback player of year Ben Zobrist, Cubs: Who else? Zobrist was in the batting race until the final week, and seems ageless. Former Cub of year Edwin Jackson, A’s: Started out the season at Triple-A Syracuse, but after being picked up by the A’s, E-Jax’s ERA of 3.18 in his first 16 starts entering this week was the fourth-lowest in the American League. The ultimate survivor, Jackson is on his 13th team in 16 seasons, tying Octavio Dotel’s major-league record for teams played for in a career. Former White Sox of year Chris Sale, Red Sox: While battling arm soreness, he went 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA in a nine-start stretch before a subpar start against the Orioles last week. Still the best pitcher in the league when healthy, and with Yoan Moncada strikeout-prone and Michael Kopech’s elbow reconstruction surgery putting him out until 2020, the Red Sox so far have gotten the best of this vaunted trade. Free agent find of year Miles Mikolas, Cardinals: The Cubs signed Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood for a small fortune. The Cardinals signed a failed major leaguer that spent the previous three years in Japan. But Mikolas has 18 victories after beating the Cubs Saturday, and led the league with an .818 winning percentage. Free agent flop of year Yu Darvish, Cubs: Signed to a six-year, $126 million deal despite his World Series disaster with the Dodgers, he suffered through a poor start and was sidelined with an elbow injury after only eight starts. With a $25 million salary in 2018 and only 40 innings pitched, Darvish made more than $208,000 for every out he recorded. Executive of year David Stearns, Brewers: Changed the perception of the Brewers franchise on Jan. 25 when he acquired Yelich and signed Lorenzo Cain on the same day, The two new stars led the Brewers into the final weekend fighting with the Cubs for the NL Central and best record in the National League. Outside-the-box thinkers of year Rays: Tampa Bay popularized the concept of the “opener,” using relievers to start games and replacing them after an inning or so. They entered the final weekend with an American League-best 3.62 ERA in the first inning and were 45-37 with traditional starters and 43-34 otherwise. “We've been waiting 15

years to do it,” principal owner Stuart Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times on opening day. Manager Kevin Cash was mocked by some, but he pulled it off. Trend of year Strikeouts: The all-time strikeout record was set for the 11th straight season, and for the first time there will be more strikeouts than hits in a season. The total was 40,313 strikeouts going into the final weekend, breaking last year’s mark of 40,104. Joe DiMaggio’s career high for strikeouts in one season was 39, set during his rookie campaign in 1936. As of Friday, 378 players had 39 or more strikeouts. Quote of year Trevor Bauer, Indians: “On the field, off the field, the history of baseball is one of the things that make it so cool. The rise of the splitter, or the cutter that takes over for 10 years and then it gets cycled out and replaced with something else. A long time ago we had spitballs phased out. It’s all part of the drama that builds up over the course of a game, the course of a season, the course of decades. Longtime baseball fans enjoy looking back on those eras. You had the steroid era when home runs were on a big rise. Now strikeouts are on a big rise and hits are down. Player issues with the market, free agency and all that different stuff … I think it’s cool to look back at those times in the past and see the ebb and flow of baseball. I’m sure this time will be one of those as well. We’ll look back and say ‘That was an interesting time in baseball.’” Dumb quote of year Commissioner Rob Manfred on Mike Trout: “Mike’s a great, great player and really nice person, but he has made certain decisions about what he wants to do and what he doesn’t want to do, and how he wants to spend his free time to how he doesn’t want to spend his free time. That’s up to him. If he wants to engage and be more active in that area, I think we could help him make his brand really, really big. But he has to make a decision that he’s prepared to engage.” Tony Clark race to the bottom award Players union chief Tony Clark coined the term while decrying the proliferation of rebuilding teams: “This year a significant number of teams are engaged in a race to the bottom. This conduct is a fundamental breach of the trust between a team and its fans and threatens the very integrity of the game.” As it turned out, the Orioles wound up on the bottom with 112 losses entering final weekend, despite signing Alex Cobb to a four-year, $60 million deal. Accidental tankers. Mascot of year Philly Phanatic: A Phillies fan was injured when the Phanatics’ hot dog cannon sent a flying frankfurter into her face. Fortunately, the good-humored Phillies fan, Kathy McVay, didn’t get upset or threaten to sue, saying: “It gives people a good laugh. And if that makes somebody chuckle, then that’s fine.” The Phanatic recovered from the traumatic experience and lived to love his hot dog gun again. Three up Mookie Betts: Red Sox outfielder putting an exclamation point on his MVP candidacy with major-league .375 average in September, with .474 on-base percentage. Jacob deGrom: Mets ace finished with sensational 1.70 ERA, which could be enough for NL Cy Young despite having only 10 victories under his belt.

David Stearns: Brewers GM has strong shot at being named MLB executive of the year. Adding Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain turned Brew Crew into NL power. Three down Kris Bryant: Entered weekend with 34.5 percent strikeout rate since returning from left shoulder injury in September, fifth worst among qualified hitters. Lucas Giolito: In his first full season, White Sox starter had a 6.13 ERA, worst among all qualified pitchers. Bobby Evans: First of the failing general managers to be fired after Giants flop. Added oldsters Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen to an already aging team. The list The A’s may seem like they are perpetually in rebuild mode, but the AL wild-card team will be making its 27th postseason appearance this year, fourth most of all franchises in MLB history. All-time postseason appearances: Team appearances Yankees 54 Dodgers 31 Cardinals 28 A’s 27 Fact check In Thursday’s game at Oakland, Angels catcher Francisco Arcia became the first player in MLB history to catch, pitch and homer in the same game. Arcia caught the first seven innings, pitched the eighth and ninth innings and homered in the ninth. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' reliever Pedro Strop aiming for NLDS return By Mark Gonzales Cubs reliever Pedro Strop envisions a return by the first round of the playoffs as a victory, based on the initial prognosis of his left hamstring strain. “When you get an injury that’s supposed to heal in five to six weeks, and two weeks you’re already throwing, I expect to feel it a little bit,” Strop said Saturday before performing jogging drills. “But it was nothing major, not like I was going to reinjure it. I knew I was going to hurt at some point.” If the Cubs clinch the National League Central title, that would allow Strop more time to rehab his leg with the possibility of being ready for the NL Division Series, which starts Thursday. Strop all but ruled out pitching in Sunday’s regular season finale.

“I think we already test (the leg) twice on the mound, and it went well,” said Strop, who experienced minor discomfort when finishing his delivery. “Now we’ll take the next step, running and make sure if I get in the game, I’ll at least get to cover first (base), which I think I’ll be able to.” Strop injured his leg Sept. 13 while running to first base, but he has continued to keep his arm in shape by throwing. “That’s been the most important thing, that I’ve been able to throw,” said Strop, who has a 2.20 ERA in 60 appearances. “That’s been the most important thing. My arm is in shape. That will make the process quicker.” Manager Joe Maddon said they could set up a simulated game for Strop if the Cubs don’t open the playoffs until Thursday. That would allow all parties ample time to assess Strop’s health and see if he’s healthy enough to be on the postseason roster. But Strop won’t immediately regain the bulk of save duties he inherited before hurting his leg. “I like what we’re doing now, having this (late-inning) options,” Maddon said. -- Chicago Sun-Times Jon Lester on all the Cubs’ uncertainty into final day: ‘Just deal with it’ By Gordon Wittenmyer Jon Lester has been in the middle of these down-to-the-final-game scenarios before. So if anybody’s preparing for the possibility of taking the mound Tuesday in a wild-card game instead of a division series opener Thursday, it’s Lester, right? “No,” Lester said as he pulled on his coat to head out of the Cubs clubhouse after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Cardinals. Game 162 of the regular season Sunday – with Mike Montgomery starting against Cards rookie Jack Flaherty – is enough for Lester to consider, regardless of all the October implications for what might follow. “That’s all we can control,” he said. The Cubs’ ace is expected to open Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Thursday if the Cubs survive the charging Brewers to win the National League Central. He’s ready to react to whatever might be asked of him after the dust settles Sunday. “All our guys are,” said Lester, who would be on his natural fifth day for a start Tuesday. “We all know the situation. But at the same time you can’t worry about it. “Whatever situation arises tomorrow we’ll figure it out and then deal with the consequences from there.”

That could mean anything from returning to the ballpark Monday for a division-title tiebreaker to resting up for a playoff opener Thursday. This is the third time for Lester that the final day of the season arrived with so much significance. In 2011 with the late-fading Red Sox, he started the season finale, handed off a 3-2 lead to the bullpen and watched as the Orioles came back in the ninth to eliminate the Sox. In 2014 after a trade from Boston to Oakland, the A’s qualified for the second wild-card berth on the final day of the season, putting Lester on the mound for the wild-card game in Kansas City. He handed off a lead in the eighth, before another elimination loss. “It’s different,” Lester said of the drama and fallout of final-day uncertainty. “It’s something you have to deal with. But if we take care of our business, we don’t need to worry about other teams and what they’re doing.” The Cubs are assured playoff baseball regardless of Sunday’s outcome. And the division title remains in their control – even if it means playing back-to-back days against the Cards and Brewers. “If that’s the hand we’re dealt, that’s the hand we’re dealt,” Lester said. “Just deal with it.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Pedro Strop targets NLDS opener for return from hamstring injury By David Just Cubs reliever Pedro Strop said Saturday he’s unlikely to pitch in a game until the postseason begins. But the Cubs’ de facto closer since July said earlier in the week that he expected to return quickly to form even without a regular-season tuneup. Besides, he seemed sure that the Cubs’ next game after Sunday’s season finale won’t involve a Monday tiebreaker or Tuesday wild-card game – both of which remained in play as he spoke. “Thursday,” Strop said, smiling, of a potential National League Division Series opener. “Don’t tell me about Tuesday. We’re looking for the ‘A’ plan.” Strop has thrown off a mound twice since suffering a left hamstring injury on Sept. 13. He said he has been able to keep his arm fresh during his recovery and planned to play catch and jog before Saturday’s game against the Cardinals. Strop is 11 for 13 in save chances since Brandon Morrow went on the disabled list in July with a season-ending elbow injury. Manager Joe Maddon said he would continue to use a rotation of relievers to finish out games and won’t designate a formal closer even after Strop returns. “I really like what we’re doing having all these different options late,” Maddon said. “I definitely would not just say he’s the closer. He’s just part of the back end of the bullpen.”

Jesse Chavez has two saves in September and has allowed only two runs in 12 2/3 innings. Jorge De La Rosa also has a save in September and allowed two runs in 10 innings. “All these different guys getting the work they’ve done to this point, they feel pretty good about themselves,” Maddon said. “It really presents a wide open method with the bullpen.” -- Chicago Sun-Times ‘Weirdest thing in baseball’? Cubs brace for wild finish to division race By David Just The Cubs will play a decisive game Sunday at Wrigley Field and hope to avoid doing the same Monday and Tuesday. They left the ballpark Saturday afternoon a half game ahead of the Brewers in the National League Central after falling 2-1 to the Cardinals – who kept their own slim playoff hopes alive, pending the outcome of the Dodgers-Giants game. Depending on the outcome of games Saturday night and Sunday, the Cubs could win the NL Central outright, be forced into a tiebreaker Monday or finish in second place and settle for a wild card. “We all obviously know the situation,” said presumptive Game 1 playoff starter Jon Lester, who would pitch on his natural fifth day on Tuesday if tapped for a wild-card game. “At the same time, you can’t worry about it. We’ve got to worry about tomorrow now.” Here’s how it could all shake out: If the Cubs win Sunday and Brewers lose, the Cubs will win the National League Central title outright for the third straight year. They’d head straight to Thursday’s National League Division Series and face the winner of the NL wild card game between the Brewers and Rockies or Dodgers. A Cubs loss Sunday coupled with a Brewers win would make the Brewers the NL Central champs for the first time since 2011. The Cubs would then head to a wild card game Tuesday against the Dodgers, Rockies or Cardinals. “The crazy thing is I heard that two teams could celebrate tomorrow [at Wrigley],” Cubs starter Cole Hamels (4-3) said. “That’d be the weirdest thing in baseball.” If the Cubs and Brewers finish the regular season tied, they’d play a tiebreaker game Monday at Wrigley. The Cubs earned home-field advantage thanks to their 11-8 regular season record against the Brewers. Jose Quintana, the likely tiebreaker starter, is 4-1 against Milwaukee this year with a 2.17 ERA. The winner of a tiebreaker game would win the NL Central title and move on to Thursday’s NLDS. The loser would host Tuesday’s wild card game. The Cubs have had the best record in the league since Aug. 1 and would have home-field advantage in the playoffs if they can hang onto the division title. “We would just like to continue to have the best record in the league after tomorrow,” manager Joe Maddon said. “There’s nothing to lament with our guys. They’ve been playing very hard for a long

period of time. Our route has been a little bit different than everybody else. We’ll come back ready to play tomorrow and see how it falls.” The Cubs claimed a gift of a run in the first inning when Cardinals second baseman Yairo Munoz dropped a two-out pop fly in shallow right field, allowing Ben Zobrist to score. St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas only allowed one other Cubs baserunner to even reach second base. Mikolas allowed five hits and one unearned run in eight innings – his 20th quality start of the season. He walked none and struck out six. Hamels was perfect through three innings before leadoff batter Matt Carpenter reached on catcher’s interference in the fourth. He scored on Paul DeJong’s single. Hamels hit Harrison Bader with an 0-2 pitch the following inning, and the leadoff baserunner again came around to score. The game featured a playoff atmosphere and plenty of noise in front of a crowd of 40,784. The Cubs can expect that for all their remaining games – however many that ends up being. “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.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs, Brewers take regular season to a final day that might not be so final By Rick Morrissey That’s how it’s going to be? Yeah, that’s how it’s going to be. Of course that’s how it’s going to be. What, you thought there was going to be a tidy resolution for the Cubs on Saturday? That they might have had the National League Central title tucked in their pockets by the end of the day? Sorry, no. This regular season will go into its final day carrying real meaning, thanks to the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. It has been headed that way for the better part of two weeks for a lot of reasons, none bigger than this one: Because it’s supposed to. Just because. The Cubs will face the Cardinals on Sunday in a Game 162 that matters, just as the Brewers will play one that matters against the Tigers. If the Cubs and Brewers are tied for the NL Central lead after Sunday, they’d play an extra game Monday at Wrigley to decide the division champion. The winner would get home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. The loser would play in the wild-card game Tuesday. Clarity is for true believers and window washers. The Cubs might be the Best Team with the Haziest Postseason Forecast in History. That’s a category, right? Who and when are nice questions, but the pertinent one is what the Cubs will do once the playoffs start. If anyone knows, please contact me.

I see a team that can beat any NL club in the postseason. I also see a team that wasn’t very convincing in the second half. I see a team with a ton of playoff experience. I also see a team that isn’t as good as recent Cubs postseason versions have been. I see a team with strong starting pitching heading into October. I see a team with big questions in the bullpen and, unless something has changed, that’s a problem in the postseason. I see a team that might have the ability to flip a switch when it matters. I also see a team that has trouble scoring runs consistently. Do you feel my conflict? The team that had the best record in the NL for much of the season doesn’t feel like the best at anything right now. The red-hot Brewers do, unless it’s the red-hot Rockies. But you never know, which should be the Cubs’ slogan heading into the playoffs. You never know – they might pull something out of their caps. Two things are sure: They have made the postseason four straight years, the first time in team history. Of those four years and four teams, this one has the oddest vibe to it heading into the playoffs. “It’s a blast, absolutely,’’ Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the down-to-the-last-day uncertainty. “That was part of my spiel with the boys (Friday). Since the time you were in Little League, and maybe before that, these were the situations you always want to be in. So why would you choose to not enjoy that or create an ominous situation that subtracts the joy? “… It is fun, and normally, it should bring out the best in our guys.’’ It has been a long, sometimes bumpy season. Injuries took a toll. Two huge signings, pitchers Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood, were huge disappointments. There was the 30-games-in-30-days stretch that the team endured. Domestic-violence allegations against shortstop Addison Russell re-emerged this month, leading to Major League Baseball placing him on administrative leave. And, yet, here the Cubs are, ready for something, anything. And here we are, wondering exactly what that something, anything is. Cole Hamels was very good Saturday, giving up three hits and one earned run in seven innings. He, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks will get most of the starter innings in the postseason, if there is an extended postseason. Cubs closer Pedro Strop said he’s recovered enough from a hamstring injury to be ready for the playoffs. File that under, “That Would Be Good.’’ And those three straight NL Championship Series appearances figure to help.

“There’s a lot of guys with playoff experience,’’ Hamels said. “You have a lot of guys in that lineup with a lot of experience. You kind of look at each other. You know that you don’t have to be the hero. Everybody just plays their part. If something doesn’t happen, you can pick up your teammate. “Nobody’s pressing, and that’s the great thing to see because we have the talent, we have the desire and we’re there to pick each other up and not try to overdo it.’’ The temperature was 59 at game time Saturday. There was a bite to the air. We’re well acquainted now with the feeling that comes with that crispness. It feels like October baseball. How much we’ll see of October baseball remains the question. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cardinals send NL Central race into final-day drama with 2-1 win over Cubs By Gordon Wittenmyer Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas didn’t allow an earned run in eight dominant innings to beat the Cubs 2-1 Saturday in the season’s penultimate game to keep their playoff hopes alive for at least a few hours — and send the NL Central title race down to a final-day decision. The Cubs opened the day with a one-game lead in the division over second-place Milwaukee — who went into their night game Saturday with a chance to forge a first-place tie with a victory over the long-eliminated Detroit Tigers. The Cubs have held a division lead since winning on Aug. 1. Mikolas (18-4), a free agent last winter who also was pursued by the Cubs, surrendered an unearned run in the first inning before shutting down the Cubs on four hits the rest of the way. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Paul DeJong singled home Matt Carpenter from second to tie the game in the fourth. The Cardinals scored the go-ahead run an inning later after Cubs starter Cole Hamels opened the inning by hitting Harrison Bader with a pitch and walking Yairo Munoz. One out later, Carpenter singled home Bader. Hamels (4-3) pitched seven strong innings, allowing just three hits and two walks (with eight strikeouts) in the loss. Hamels improved his ERA to 2.36 in 12 starts with the Cubs since being acquired in July from Texas. -- Daily Herald Cubs' Strop aims to pitch in postseason By Bruce Miles

Pedro Strop on Saturday ruled out pitching in the final regular-season game of the season, saying that he is shooting for the postseason. Strop has been out for just over two weeks with a strained left hamstring, an injury he picked up running the bases in Washington. "We already tested it twice on the mound, and it went well," he said. "Now we'll make the next step, which is running and make sure that if I get into the game, I'll be able to at least cover first, which I think I'll be able to. We're going to just test it today and see from there." Strop said he didn't want to think about the possibility of the Cubs playing Tuesday in the wild-card game. Instead he was focused on the division series. "Thursday," he said. "Don't talk about Tuesday. We're looking for the A Plan." While the hamstring has been healing, Strop has been able to keep his right arm active. "The most important thing is that I've been able to throw," he said. "My arm is in shape, so I don't have to go through that. That's what is going to make the process quicker. Good thing I was able to throw." Strop had been the Cubs' de facto closer since Brandon Morrow went on the disabled list in July. Much respect given: Joe Maddon said he has high regard for the Milwaukee Brewers, who are battling the Cubs for the top spot in the National League Central. "I like a lot of their players, using the word 'character' meaning they have character," he said. "They're kind of interesting. The addition of (Mike) Moustakas, I thought that was a great move on their part, too. I've liked this group for a couple of years now. The have a nice group that provides a lot of good energy." Going the extra Miles: Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas earned his 18th victory of the season by beating the Cubs 2-1. That's the most wins by a Cardinals pitcher since Adam Wainwright had 20 in 2014. The Cardinals were trying to stave off elimination in the wild-card race and were hoping for the Giants to beat the Dodgers so they could stay alive. "We did everything we could today," Mikolas said. "I know a few guys on the Giants, maybe send them some text messages, pump them up, get them ready for the game and maybe go grab dinner and a beer and see how that game shakes out. I knew we had to win so my role is just to keep that game close as long as I could, and things worked out real well for us." -- Daily Herald Cubs' magic number still 2! Cardinals' Mikolas outduels Hamels By Bruce Miles There's an agony about pennant-race baseball, but it's a delicious agony. The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals served up heaping helpings of that delicious agony on an autumn Saturday that felt like October at Wrigley Field.

The Cardinals' Miles Mikolas -- a Cy Young Award candidate -- outdueled the Cubs' Cole Hamels as St. Louis walked away with a 2-1 victory. Mikolas was pitching to keep the Cardinals' slim postseason chances alive while experienced hand Hamels was pitching to keep the Cubs atop the National League Central. When the game ended, the Cubs' magic number to clinch the division remained at 2 and stayed there after the second-place Milwaukee Brewers beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5 later in the evening. Are we having fun yet? "Yeah, it's a blast," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team is 94-67 and heading to its fourth straight postseason. "Actually, that was part of my spiel with the boys (earlier in the week). Since the time you were in Little League and maybe the time before that, these are the situations you always want to be in. So why would you choose not to enjoy that or create an ominous situation that subtracts the joy? "And I did repeat, 'Don't permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.' It's true. I want them to embrace it and enjoy it. That's going to be our best performance if we're able to do that. It is fun. Normally, it should bring out the best in our guys, I think." Hamels is a former World Series MVP with the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. He's been a godsend to the Cubs' staff since they obtained him from Texas in a July trade. Against the Cardinals, he worked 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned, as his Cubs record fell to 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA. He is embracing playoff-race baseball again. "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," he said. "It's a little better when you win. You're playing hard. If the ultimate goal is winning a World Series, it's not going to be easy. You're going to have to play some really tough teams at some tough moments, high intensity, high stakes. That's the reason the team that wins the World Series deserves it, because they're the ones that got through all the trials and the tough breaks." The Cubs scored an unearned run against Mikolas in the bottom of the first. The Cardinals tied it in the fourth, when Matt Carpenter reached on catcher's interference by Victor Caratini and eventually scored on Paul DeJong's single. Hamels plunked Harrison Bader with a pitch to start the fifth, and Bader came home on Carpenter's single. The Cubs managed 5 hits against Mikolas, who improved to 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA by working 8 innings. Cubs batters did hit some balls hard, but a cool breeze blowing in held them up. Ben Zobrist had 1 of those hits, and he scored the team's only run. "We're thinking about all these games like they're playoff games," said Zobrist, MVP of the 2016 World Series with the Cubs. "We just keep focusing and staying in the moment and believing that it's going to work out for us.

"You know what? There's pressure in this game, and at some level, you have to really enjoy it. You can't try to avoid it. Sure, we like the situations. That's what we're made for. That's what athletes love. It's exciting. You keep everybody interested, and that's what we're excited about tomorrow. We're excited that we have a chance to do some special things in the next few weeks." The Cubs have had the best record in the National League for much of the year. Now, they face the possibility of finishing with the best record and earning a ticket to the division series. They also could play a one-game play-in Monday against the Brewers, and if they were to lose that, they'd have to play in the wild-card game. "Just like to continue to have the best record in the league after tomorrow," Maddon said. "Again, there's nothing to lament with our guys. 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 tomorrow and see how it all falls." -- Daily Herald Rozner: Pleasure? Pressure? Lots of both for Cubs right now By Barry Rozner That's 161 down, one to play. Or maybe two. The angry within the flock will be upset that it's come to this, that the Cubs have been pushed to the absolute limit by their neighbors to the north, have seen a big lead in the NL Central evaporate over a single month. But the more reasonable will see a wounded and exhausted team playing at far less than full strength, somehow patching it together and reaching for a finish line that has appeared so far in the distance over the last two weeks. That seems a more appropriate response, an appreciation for the character of a group that could have crumbled under the weight of expectations, could have tripped while stumbling and been passed easily by the sprinting Brewers. That's rather impressive, when you consider the realities, the ability to adapt and overcome, to scratch out victories that are not as visually pleasing as they have so consistently been over the last four years. There have been too many games over the last month that looked just like Saturday's, a terrific outing from the starter, some less than perfect defense and virtually no offense. And while the Cubs lost 2-1 Wrigley Field Saturday in a spiffy 2:25, they have been on the right end of a dozen games just like it that they probably should have lost in precisely this fashion. Sure, the Cards' Miles Mikolas (18-4) was brilliant, just a hair better than Cole Hamels (1 earned run in 7 innings), but the Cubs were once again stuck trying to hit home runs into a fierce wind, when a couple timely gappers would have served them nicely.

But they've won enough -- just barely enough of those types of games, and 94 in all -- to get us here, to Game 162, with everything on the line on the final day of the season. With Game 163 feeling inevitable. "It's a special moment to be able to see the intensity that comes with meaningful games, but it's a little better when you win," said Hamels, who's pitched in 12 postseason series and started 16 playoff games, including three in the World Series. "You really appreciate what we have. "We will be playing next week, but we want it to be a five-game series and not the crazy wild card game that it is. So you're a little more content when you win the division." Mike Montgomery will be on the hill Sunday, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon won't be especially patient if his starter doesn't have it, not with the division title on the line. He won't, however, be burning all his starters. It's not Game 7 of the World Series and he may need starters for a tiebreaker Monday and a wild card game Tuesday. "The biggest thing there is if you got into a bad situation (Sunday), you don't utilize guys you might need the next day," Maddon said. "If it's all systems go, then it's all systems go." Kyle Hendricks pitched Friday, so he's unavailable Sunday. Jose Quintana would be on the normal four days' rest Monday. Jon Lester would be in line to pitch the wild card game Tuesday. And Hamels started Saturday. So … "On the Greatest Night in Baseball (to end the 2011 season), we started badly (in Tampa) against the Yankees," Maddon said. "I was holding the bullpen back (in anticipation of a tiebreaker), but all of a sudden we hit a couple home runs and now we're in the game and you switch your method and try to win the game that night. "So we'll see how it all breaks and go from there. But you have to be cognizant of the fact that you might need a starter for Monday or Tuesday." Whether they play a tiebreaker or a wild card game or -- best case -- clinch on Sunday and start the NLDS at home Thursday, the truth is they should be underdogs against any team they play moving forward, given the current construct of the lineup, half injured and the other half unable to produce. It's always better to be pitching than hitting this time of year, if you had to choose one or the other, but it would be more comfortable to have a little offense to help a stout pitching staff, and the Cubs' offense has come to a halt since teams decided they would not allow Javy Baez to beat them. Nevertheless, there are a couple dozen teams that would like to have the opportunity sitting in front of the Cubs right now. "It's a blast," Maddon said. "Since the time you're in Little League, these are the situations you always wanted to be in, so why would you choose to not enjoy that? Or create an ominous situation that subtracts the joy? "I did tell them again not to let the pressure exceed the pleasure. Embrace it. Enjoy it.

"Normally, it should bring out the best in our guys." We'll find out Sunday if that's still true. Or maybe Monday or Tuesday. Buckle up. -- The Athletic Why Cole Hamels believes the Cubs are prepared for chaos By Patrick Mooney Cole Hamels credited 18-game winner Miles Mikolas after losing a 2-1 pitchers’ duel against the St. Louis Cardinals: “You have to admire his mustache more than anything.” Cubs manager Joe Maddon planned his Saturday night around Uber Eats instead of watching the Milwaukee Brewers on TV. (Good thinking considering the Brewers beat Detroit.) Ben Zobrist said he didn’t know the tiebreaker/play-in scenarios and asked for an update when reporters crowded around his Wrigley Field locker. After 161 games, the Cubs still didn’t know who or when they will be playing in the postseason and they didn’t exactly sound worried about it. The chaos theory is still in motion, the National League Central race against the Brewers coming down to Game 162 and maybe beyond. But the Cubs aren’t going to suddenly change their identity in late September or panic about a team that’s already won 94 games and clinched a playoff spot for the fourth year in a row. “The ultimate goal of winning a World Series is not going to be easy,” Hamels said. “You’re going to have to play some really tough teams at some really tough moments, high-intensity, high-stakes. That’s the reason the team that wins the World Series deserves it, because they’re the ones that got through all the trials and the tough games and the tough breaks. “Tomorrow’s going to be pretty exciting.” There are so many variables that Maddon won’t treat Sunday afternoon like an elimination game when Mike Montgomery starts opposite Jack Flaherty (8-8, 3.16 ERA) and a St. Louis team that’s been eliminated from the playoff chase: “We’ll see how it all breaks and then you react from there.” The Cubs trusted Montgomery to get the last out of the 2016 World Series — but didn’t think enough of the lefty swingman to give him a spot in their opening day rotation — and he wound up saving the post-Yu Darvish pitching staff (3.68 ERA in 18 starts). Why the Cubs can feel prepared for all the contingencies — and confident about a long playoff run — begins with their starters. If necessary, on regular rest, at home, the Cubs could start José Quintana on Monday against the Brewers in Game 163 for the division title. If necessary, on regular rest, at home, the Cubs could start Jon Lester on Tuesday vs. TBD in the wild card game. Kyle Hendricks and Hamels could then be lined up for Games 1 and 2 in the next playoff round at Miller Park. Or maybe the Detroit Tigers play spoiler and steal a game from the Brewers on Sunday afternoon and do the Cubs a favor, making sure the NL’s road to the World Series runs through Wrigley Field.

Yes, the bullpens become more prominent in October, but you still need starting pitchers to keep you in games and survive the three or four playoff rounds that drain power relievers. “I feel like this team’s almost underrated,” Montgomery said. “Expectations are always really high — and we’ve had a lot of different injuries that we’ve had to deal with — but it just seems like the next guy is ready to step up. I definitely think we have the talent to make another run at it.” Since 2007, Hamels and/or Lester have pitched in the postseason in every year except for 2012, accounting for 37 starts and 246-plus innings. Both Hamels and Lester competed in the playoffs in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015 and 2016. Hamels earned World Series MVP honors with the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies while Lester has two World Series rings from the Boston Red Sox (2007 and 2013) and another from the 2016 Cubs. Hendricks helped anchor that championship team, winning the ERA title, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers the night the Cubs captured their first NL pennant in 71 years and then starting an epic World Series Game 7. Look at Quintana’s career numbers against the Brewers (6-2, 1.60 ERA in 10 starts) and how the Cubs split his first two playoff starts last year against Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. “There’s a lot of guys with playoff experience,” Hamels said. “You know that you don’t have to be the hero. Everybody just plays their part. If something doesn’t happen, you can pick up your teammate. In this clubhouse, nobody’s pressing. That’s the great thing to see, because we have the talent, we have the desire and we’re there to pick each other up and not overdo it.” Hamels has pitched so much better (2.36 ERA and eight quality starts in 12 outings) than the Cubs could have realistically hoped when they sprung him from the Texas Rangers before the July 31 trade deadline and sold it as a nothing-to-lose deal that bumped Tyler Chatwood from the rotation. Hamels lasted seven innings against the Cardinals and gave up two runs (one earned) that could be traced back to a catcher’s interference call in the fourth and a leadoff hit-by-pitch in the fifth, showing the margin for error the Cubs will be working with in October. “You really appreciate what we have and what we can go out and get,” Hamels said. “You just want it to be more of a five-game series than that one-and-done crazy wild-card game.” Like Maddon said during Thursday’s team meeting, the playoffs have already started. “It’s a blast, absolutely,” Maddon said. “Since the time you were in Little League, and maybe before that, these are the situations you always want to be in, so why would you choose to not enjoy that or create an ominous situation that subtracts the joy? It is fun and normally it should bring out the best in our guys.” -- The Athletic It’s baseball: A 162-game season comes down to one day for the Cubs By Sahadev Sharma As reporters approached Ben Zobrist’s locker after the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, the veteran wanted to know where the team stood before speaking. As these things tend to go, reporters spoke over each other and seemed to only confuse Zobrist further.

But, after Milwaukee’s 6-5 win over Detroit Saturday night, this is where things lie with one game remaining in the first 162 games of the season: the Cubs clinch the division with a win and a Brewers loss Sunday. The Brewers win the division with a win and a Cubs loss. If both teams end Sunday with identical records, Milwaukee travels 76 miles south to Wrigley Field for Game 163 to determine the division crown. The winner doesn’t play until Thursday and holds home-field advantage through the NLCS. The loser will host the wild-card game and have its postseason hopes come down to one game, where anything can happen. Those wild swings that determine a game come down to mere inches. A bounce one way or another, the direction and strength of the wind, can completely shift the outcome of a game. And those wild swings were in full view Saturday afternoon. With the wind blowing in at 7 mph at first pitch, the Cubs slugged a few balls that looked good off the bat, but fell harmlessly into defenders’ gloves as they died at the warning track. “On certain days, man,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We did hit some balls well that did not get far enough. (Miles) Mikolas was good, Cole (Hamels) was good, both sides pitched really well. We did hit some balls well, but just not enough to get into that basket. So there was some good at-bats in spite of the 2-1 score.” The Cubs’ at-bats have looked better over the last few days. But on Saturday, they couldn’t cash in on the few opportunities they had, and lost despite being gifted a run after a dropped Javier Báez popup led to Zobrist scoring from first in the first inning. Zobrist would rocket a line drive to first base that was caught and doubled Daniel Murphy off first in the third inning. Kris Bryant lined into a double play with two men on to end the fourth. Anthony Rizzo hit a ball that seemed destined for the seats with a man on in the sixth, but fell short of the basket for an out. This a batter after Zobrist had done the same on a ball drilled to left. Murphy would come up short on a deep drive to left in the eighth. They all struck the ball well, but had little to show for it. “The balls that we hit hard unfortunately were caught,” Hamels said. “We had a couple opportunities there. You kind of need some balls to drop in or get those line drives to get through to break through on a game like that against a pitcher like that.” Credit should go to Mikolas as well. After three mostly uninspiring years in San Diego, Mikolas spent three seasons honing his craft in Japan. He’s come back a better pitcher and just wrapped up a strong campaign with the Cardinals. His eight innings of one-run ball on Saturday pushed his innings total to 200 2/3 for the season and dropped his ERA to an impressive 2.83. While he’s not known as a strikeout pitcher (he had a mere 18.1 percent strikeout rate on the year), he walked zero batters and dropped his walk rate to 3.6 percent, best in baseball among eligible starters. “He’s had a great season,” Zobrist said. “He throws a lot of strikes, but he has a good curveball and mixes it up pretty well. He kept us off balance enough. The balls that we hit hard unfortunately were caught. We had a couple opportunities there. You kind of need some balls to drop in or get those line drives to get through to break through on a game like that against a pitcher like that.” But that is how it goes in baseball. You could list off all the things that have or haven’t gone a team’s way every season.

“That’s why there’s 162 games, because you’re going to see some crazy stuff,” Hamels said. “You definitely see games where guys are scoring runs because they’re not hitting the ball hard at all. And then you have teams that are hitting the ball hard and nothing to show. It’s just a game of inches.” It’s what makes this last weekend so stressful for fans. And why the playoffs can be such a crapshoot. A team plays six months of baseball to try and prove how good it is and position itself best for the postseason, and it all can be washed away by one bad hop or one ball that falls just short or just beyond the fence. On Friday night, the Brewers won on a home run ball that bounced off an outfielder’s glove, rolled atop the fence and then fell over it. On Saturday, the Cubs lost because they faced a great pitcher who limited their opportunities. And when they did find those opportunities, they seemed to find a glove. “That’s kind of the tough part of baseball,” Hamels said. “You’re gonna have days where you hit the ball hard and it’s right at people. As a pitcher, it’s kind of nice. But, being able to watch that as your teammates are grinding through at-bats, really hitting balls hard, unfortunately nothing to show for it, you just have to let them know, ‘Stay with it.’ It’s just not the day that those are going to fall in. Just keep being that positive foresight for tomorrow. If we’re able to hit balls like we did, we’re probably going to have a few hits that drop in and score a couple runs from it. That’s kind of the nature of baseball.” The Cubs believe they’ve proven their mettle over the course of the year. They weathered a tough stretch of showing up to the ballpark for 30 straight days. Through that all, they’ve held the best record in the National League, even when their play on the field didn’t quite have the feel of a team with that status. Now it all comes down to one day. “Would just like to continue to have the best record in the league after tomorrow,” Maddon said. “There’s nothing to lament with our guys. They’ve been playing very well for a long period of time. Our routes been a little different than everyone else. We’ll come back ready to play tomorrow and see how it all falls.” The bounces didn’t go the Cubs’ way Saturday, but they’re hoping it evens out over the next 24 hours. Otherwise, they may find themselves facing up to three “must-win” games in as many days. Games in which one critical moment could change the course of a season filled with ups and downs. A deep October run or an early exit could all come down to just one play that did or didn’t go the team’s way. As Rizzo so often plainly states: It’s baseball. --