The Cubs dropped the first game, scoring their lone run on an Ian Happ homer and letting six shutout innings from Hendricks turn into a 5-1 loss when things fell apart in the 7th. Now, they face elimination in this best of 3 Wild Card Round. They'll send their best starting pitcher and NL Cy Young contender Yu Darvish to keep the Cubs' season alive.
The bizarre 2020 regular season has come to an end with the Cubs in first place in the central and four (!) NL Central teams making the sweet-sixteen style postseason. As the three-seed, the Cubs get to take on Marlins. A 3-game series unfolding without a day off will decide which team advances to the next round. Get ready for yet more strangeness from baseball in 2020!
The Cubs close out the 2020 regular season sleeping in their own beds but hosted by their South Side rivals, the White Sox. The Cubs enter the series 2.5 games up. The Cardinals have 6 games remaining to the Cubs' 3. The Cubs' magic number stands at 3 games as of my writing this. See below for the daily match-ups.
The Cubs lost a tight game (and solid performance from Hendricks) last night, but they remain 3.5 ahead of the Cardinals. There are only 4 games left for the offense to build any confidence going into the postseason. They'll have a chance to even the series this afternoon in Pittsburgh.
The Cubs clinched a playoff spot despite the loss last night. Clinching the division and sorting out their offense remain on the to-do list, and they've got five games left in which to scratch off those tasks. Two games remain in Pittsburgh and the series stands 1-1.
With last night's shutout victory, the Cubs (32-22) are now 4.5 games ahead of the virtually tied Cardinals and Reds. They'll call up Jose Quintana for his first start (and third appearance) of 2020. Meanwhile, Bryant is out with an oblique injury and Rex Brothers is sent down to make room for Quintana. 6 total games remain and the Cubs' magic number stands at 4 (because the Cards have 9 games left).
The Cubs dropped the last two Wrigley games for the 2020 series and their offense remained in what feels like a season-long slump. Their lead over the Cardinals stands a 3.5 with 7 Cubs games remaining. They'll defend their lead on the road beginning with a 4-game series against the distant last-place team in the NL Central.
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