Cubs get closer to title with win over Brewers
The Cubs are so close to a division title that even old-school manager Lou Piniella is beginning to talk about what it would mean to clinch this week at Wrigley Field.
"It would be nice for our fans, No. 1, and for our team," said Piniella, who has preached all season not to look ahead. "It gives us a chance to relax a little more."
The Cubs reduced their magic number to 4 Tuesday night with their 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and CC Sabathia. Two more victories over the Brewers and the Cubs can celebrate their second straight NL Central title on Thursday afternoon in front of their rabid fans.
"We can smell it, but we know we still have our work cut out for us," Reed Johnson said.
"You see the finish line, that's for sure," Piniella said. "It's been a long season and we're at the point now where we can sprint right to the wire. It's there for us."
The Cubs would like nothing more than to head to New York on Monday to start a four-game series with the Mets minus the pressure of having to be fighting for their own playoff lives - even if the Mets still will be battling for the NL East title.
"If we were lucky enough to get it done this homestand, it would be in our best interest to go into that Mets series and just relax and play - but to play to win out of respect for the game," Mark DeRosa said.
The Cubs hit Sabathia hard early, handing the Milwaukee ace his first National League loss after 9 wins.
"I think we have to feel very special because everybody knows who CC is and what he has done in the National League," Alfonso Soriano said.
The Cubs scored once in the first on doubles by Soriano and Derrek Lee. It became 3-0 in the third on singles by Ryan Theriot and Lee, followed by Aramis Ramirez's line 2-run double into the left-field corner.
Soriano's line drive home run to left in the seventh off Sabathia made it 4-2, and the Cubs got a big insurance run in the eighth on pinch hitter Henry Blanco's RBI single.
Prince Fielder hit 2 home runs for the Brewers but struck out looking at a wicked Kerry Wood slider in the ninth inning with the tying run at third.
"I don't think anybody could have hit that pitch, not after four (fastballs) at 97," Lee said.
"I think I kind of got away with one there," Wood said. "It looked like a pretty good pitch to hit, but he was geared up for fastballs. It was kind of a slurvy-slider, but I'll take it."
Wood saved Ryan Dempster's career-high 16th victory. Dempster didn't have his best stuff, throwing 114 pitches in 6 innings, but he struck out nine and got some nice help with diving catches from DeRosa in right and Johnson in center.
The Brewers not only dropped 9 games behind the Cubs, they fell out of the NL wild-card lead, a half-game behind the Mets, with their 12th loss in 15 games this month.
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