On paper, the Cubs had every reason to beat the Diamondbacks yesterday in the Sunday night game. For what?
First, because the Chicago club had lost its last four matches. In the midst of a playoff race, that’s not exactly ideal.
But also because the Cubs, on Thursday, were off in Arizona while the DBacks returned from New York. The Cubs, during the series, had their three best starters, unlike the DBacks.
But never mind, after dropping the first two games of the series against Arizona, the Cubs lost again 6-2 last night. This completed the sweep for Arizona.
This was an important series for the standings as seeing the Diamondbacks sweep their Chicago rivals gave them a competitive advantage in the standings.
They are now in second place in the race for the best runner-up, half a match ahead of the Chicago club.
We know that places in the series are limited. The Braves and Dodgers are guaranteed to participate and the Cubs’ loss helps the Brewers win their division.
And since the Phillies are relatively well on their way to making the playoffs, there are two spots (barring a disaster) for five clubs fighting.
The DBacks and Marlins had a bayage against the Cubs and Braves (still), but the other clubs had their ups and downs.
This is not ideal.
Remember that in the other league, the Orioles and the Rays are now in the playoffs. The Orioles are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016… and the club’s CEO thanked his predecessor. #Class
The race is also close in the American. Every victory is important.
The Blue Jays swept the Red Sox, which helps a little, but let’s say seeing the Rangers lose their series against Cleveland – by sweep – also helped greatly.
And what about the Mariners, who have lost 11 of their last 17 games and will face the Rangers seven times between now and the end of the season?
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