And just like that, the 2008 regular season comes to a close.  CC Sabathia finally was able to beat the Cubs, although Lou hardly trotted out his best players today.  What's more, Sabathia pitched again on short rest and went the distance - 122 pitches and 7 strikeouts to notch another big win.  With all due respect to Webb, maybe the Brewers lefty should get some votes for the Cy Young.

The Cubs were offensively quiet today; in fact, Theriot and Ramirez accounted for all their hits.  The Cubs pitching was pretty effective - Angel Guzman rediscovered some of that God-given talent and struck out 4 Brewers in 2 innings of work, before turning it over to an assorted cast of characters.  Gaudin, Cotts, Hart, Marshall, Wuertz, and Howry, proceeded to get some work, and ironically it was only the guys up for post season roster consideration who looked bad.

I'm sure some Cub fans are a little frustrated that the team couldn't hold onto their thin lead and force Milwaukee into a one-game with the Mets, but this was clearly not today's objective.  Lou Piniella was looking to get all of his relievers a little work.  In the process, he discovered something we've known for quite a while - the only time Bob Howry doesn't let a hit drop onto the playing field is when it cannot be contained by the park.  Unfortunately, that's often.  In the 8th inning, Howry managed to secure 2 outs before giving up the game-changing homer, but even the second out of the inning was one that almost escaped the ballpark.  This takes us to ...

Series Recap

Well, I was hoping for a sweep, but upon reflection it would have required a minor miracle.  But chin up, Cub fans.  The Brewers look far from invincible.  To get to the post season, they have loaded up their workhorse ace and probably sooner rather than later, he's going to wear out.  And while Bob Howry has to be the most concerning post season selection I've seen since Lou penciled in Jason Marquis, the are unlikely to use him in a tight spot.  We might see Howry come in if they are leading by 8 or losing by 8, but I doubt he'll be pitching in a close situation.  Let's keep that in mind.

Bring on the Dodgers

Now that Milwaukee has clinched, the Dodgers are lined up to play the Cubs.  This is the first post season in a long, long while in which all New York teams will be watching from home, which is rare and makes things more interesting, at least for me.  This will also be a particularly interesting NLDS because, while the Cubs have beaten the Dodgers in the season series, it was mostly in low-scoring games and without the presence of Manny Ramirez.  Back in June and July, 1460's Jon Miller and I went back and forth on this a lot - the Dodgers were a little concerning.  But now that September is finally ending, I say bring 'em on.  If the Cubs can't beat the weakest team to make the playoffs, then they don't deserve to beat anybody else.

I'm going to start on a Post Season Scouting Report, which I will publish at some point tomorrow.  In the meantime, let's give Milwaukee their moment, but let's not forget something - we owned them all year long, and we'll own them in the NLCS if we have to.

It's really next to impossible to compare teams in different eras, so maybe these really aren't "the best in our life-times" as I have so brazenly declared.  But in terms of wins, the '08 Cubs have now won more games than any Cubs team since 1945 with their 97th tonight.  They have also dealt a blow to the Brewers that can best be described as the punch that comes before the knockout.  They just put one on Milwaukee's chin; the Brewers have crossed their eyes, and one massive roundhouse shot to the temple will be all she wrote for the Milwaukee season ... assuming the Mets win tomorrow.

Pity Ben Sheets.  He tried.  He was chased early in the 3rd, after having given up 4 runs on 53 pitches.  He then sounded like a total idiot in the post game, saying "That's all I had.  I got a broke arm, I got a broke arm. It's not really broke, but it's all I had for the year. Things definitely don't look like they’re on my side."

Although Sheets was chased early, the Cubs still toyed with Milwaukee, keeping it close.  In the 7th and 8th innings, the Brewers threatened and even managed to come within a run after Jason Marquis's relief pitching post season audition.  de Suck managed to get the first out in the 8th against the first batter he faced, and he then proceeded to walk Russell Branyan, he surrendered an RBI single to Craig Counsell, and he then hit Ryan Braun.  Lou then called the bullpen, and spoke briefly to Neal Cotts about coming into the game.  Cotts yelled "you need me!" into the phone, trotted out to the mound, and gave up an RBI single to Prince Fielder.  With his formerly comfortable lead evaporated, Lou turned to Michael Wuertz who managed to force two fielders' choices and escaped the inning.

Phew.  Sounds like a lot of excitement.  Fortunately, the 9th was boring.  Kerry Wood came into the game but left his leopard-print tights back in the clubhouse for a boring 1-2-3 end to an otherwise thrilling game.  Granted, it was a non-save situation thanks to Kosuke Fukudome, who hit his 10th homer of the year in the top of the 9th, but that doesn't matter.  The point is that the Cubs won.

Now, our friend and team manager Lou Piniella knows the importance of the next step.  He knows that, between the Mets and the Brewers, CC Sabathia is perhaps as equally dangerous as Johan Santana in a short series.  But Lou must also surely know that Santana could pitch no more than twice in a 5 game set, compared to facing Sabathia perhaps as often as 3 times in a 7 gamer.  What's more, Lou recognizes that the Mets are the walking wounded, while the Brewers are comparatively intact. For all of those reasons, Lou probably realizes it might benefit the Cubs to play the Mets in Round 1 and leave it up to the Dodgers and Phillies to fight it out for who they'd play in Round 2.  That's why Lou will be turning to the Ice Man, The Clutch Captain, to beat Sabathia tomorrow in order to give the Mets their shot of clinching the Wild Card.  That's right, Lou Piniella is calling upon ... Angel Guzman for the final start of the year?!

What.  The.  Huh???!

Well, you never know.  Guzman has not been nearly as effective since the doctors sliced all that God-given speed and movement from his shoulder and elbow, but the Cubs have shown a disposition to beat Sabathia.  Maybe Milwaukee will collapse and it won't matter that Guzman is only able to last 3 innings himself.  Maybe the Mets will win and it'll go to a 1 game playoff regardless of what the Brewers do.  Maybe a playoff would be the best thing, because it weakens the winner - whomever it is - for the NLDS.

Maybe - and this is perhaps the most likely scenario - Lou Piniella realizes it doesn't matter.  He's not afraid of the other teams in the NL.  He knows that he has the most complete, the most competent, the most decisively built team in all of baseball.  He is not afraid to play the Brewers in the NLCS, he's not afraid to play the Mets in the NLDS, and he'd rather rest up to win on Wednesday, rather than worry about winning a fairly pointless game on Sunday.

So, Angel Guzman, go get 'em.  And to all the Cubs who will actually be playing on the post season roster, go get 'em ... on Wednesday.

Milwaukee got off to a great start last night, winning a game they could not afford to lose.  And while Cub fans have to be mildly concerned with the hemorrhaging by the bullpen, we just need to remember one extremely important detail - the guy who turned it into a route for Milwaukee was Chad Gaudin.  If he's going to the playoffs, it will only be because he's bought a ticket.  Lou Piniella probably can't get him out of the clubhouse fast enough right now.  In fact, Gaudin has fallen so far so fast that he's actually turned Bob Howry - Bob F****ng Howry! - into a viable post season option.

Also used last night in the pen were Jeff Smardzija and Carlos Marmol - leaving Kerry Wood to fend for himself all alone tomorrow night when the Cubs are in a perilous close-and-late situation.

Offensively, while the Cubs were unable to strike, they did threaten a lot.  The team accounted for 9 hits and 2 walks, including 3 from Mike Fontenot.  Who ever thought that Lil' Babe Ruth would earn himself a playoff starting gig?  Fontenot has his batting average up to .303 on the season.

Other big hitters last night - Jim Edmonds, who smacked his 20th homerun last night, and Ryan Theriot both accounted for 2 of the team's hits.  The big point of concern happened in the middle innings when Geovany Soto hurt his hand fouling off a pitch.  Soto - who I'm on the brink of nicknaming Hedwig, but I won't explain why - has had a sore hand at various points in the season, but he said after the game that he will be fine and not even being struck by a hail of bullets would keep him out of the playoffs.

By the way, Dempster wound up throwing exactly 80 pitches and lasting 5 innings.  While he did not walk away with win #18, he was able to lower his seasonal ERA to 2.96.

The Cubs tee off on - er, square off with the fragile - uhm, invincible Ben Sheets today in an early game.  If they want to deny the Brewers a trip to the playoffs, it's a game the Cubs really can't afford to lose.

In what could be great news for the Cubs or a Willis moment for the Brewers, Ben Sheets will be pitching tomorrow for the Crew.

ESPN is reporting that Sheets threw 20 pitches in a side session yesterday, and while his sore elbow would require a "minor miracle" to be healed enough for him to pitch again, he will try to do just that.

It's an interesting scenario.  If I was a Brewers fan, I would be dead set opposed to it.  Actually, I'd take the same perspective if I was Sheets's agent.  The Brewers ace may be available via free agency this off season, and considering that he's arguably missed 30+ starts over the last 4 seasons due to arm issues, he may be damaging his free agency value by risking further devestation to it tomorrow.  I guess he just wants to get into the playoffs that badly, as if whichever team he signs with next year won't be likely to get him there.

Regardless, it's a bold move, and I'll make a bold prediction: if he returns and, on grit, guile, and, erm, something else that starts with the letter "g," he dominates the Cubs and delivers a victory, then the Brewers will momentum their way to a Sunday win as well, and a playoff appearance.  But if he comes in, tosses 2 innings, leaves the Brewers with a 5 run deficit, and enters the off season as a free agent in need of arm repair, then he will have to strongly be considered for the Idiot Sportsman of the Year Award, which I just invented.

Kind of makes you wish they'd go back to a 154 game schedule, doesn't it?

The Cubs have played 158 so far, they will play no more than 161, but at this stage everything has been decided for them.  Chicago has accomplished the best record in the NL, they've brutally beaten up on most of the teams who they might play in the post season, and we now sit anxiously, waiting for the playoffs to begin.  It sure beats sitting anxiously, waiting to find out if our team will make the playoffs at all.

Much earlier this season, I lamented the stress that Cub fans endure.  They never make it easy, I said.  Just once, I wish they would.  And although the Cubs have given us 62 losses, some of which left us feeling as though we'd been blasted in the face with duck shot, although Chicago has endured a handful of losing streaks that scared the crap out of us, they did exactly what I hoped would happen.  The Cubs clinched with ease.  And now here I am, stomach battling back the butterfly hoards, lamenting with great impatience the long wait for the playoffs to start.  Hey, I'll take it!

Actually, this is the fun part.  I doubt that Cub fans hate them the way some of us hate the Cardinals, White Sox, or Mets, but the Brewers are not on our list of favorites, either.  Milwaukee is a young team with dangerous players.  They went out and traded for the single-best pitcher on the market.  They cut their worst relief pitcher, they fired their incompetent manager, and they've still been eating the Cubs smoke-trail all season long.  If we don't hate them, their fans must hate the Cubs by now.  And for that reason alone, I hope the Cubs throttle them this weekend.  Deal the death blow.  Let's take a look at how it breaks down:

Lineup Stuff

I usually would jump straight to the pitching match-ups, but lineups are actually a topic of discussion right now, more than ever.  Brewer fans are upset because the Cubs did not put forth their All Star lineup in New York, allowing the Mets to split the series and keeping them tied for the Wild Card.  Actually, Brewer fans should be ecstatic - as I pointed out before, the Cubs basically trotted out the American Legion Softball Team and still the Mets barely managed to win 2.  That doesn't bode well for New York.

However, to add injury to insult, Lou has said that he will be using his regulars more often this series.  He denied that it was some grand conspiracy to keep Milwaukee out of the playoffs, but as he said that, Lou was winking, nodding, and making bizarre sexual gestures while also flashing a thumbs up.  (This would lead me to think more that he was going senile, rather than to think that there in fact is a conspiracy).  The reason Lou will be using all his starters in as many as 2 of the 3 games this weekend is because he needs to keep them warm for the playoffs, and there will be a 2 day layoff between the last game of the season and the first game of the NLDS.  Makes sense to me.

Pitching Match-Ups:

Friday, Sept 26th, 7PM Central - Ryan Dempster (17-6, 2.99 ERA) vs. Jeff Suppan (10-10, 5.06 ERA)

Dempster will be going for win #18 in an epic battle with a guy who wouldn't even beat Jason Marquis for a spot in the Cubs rotation.  Actually, two things may be working against Dempster tonight.  First, if most of the Cubs regulars will get any time off this series, it'll be in this game.  Lou will likely start everybody for the last 2.  Second, Lou has said that the Cubs starters will be limited to 75-80 pitches, and while Clownsevelt has been effective, he hasn't ever been economical.  He may not get past the 5th inning.

Saturday, Sept 27th, 2:55PM Central - Ted Lilly (16-9, 4.17 ERA) vs. Dave Bush (9-10, 4.25 ERA)

Lilly's ERA is not much better than Bush's, but Ted has a much better record and I'd much sooner trust our left handed starter in the playoffs.  Considering the end-of-the-season pitching match-ups, this might very well be a must-win for the Cubs if they are looking to keep Milwaukee out of the playoffs.

Sunday, Sept 28th, 1:05PM Central - Jason Marquis (11-9, 4.43 ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (16-10, 2.80 ERA)

Jason Marquis finds himself in a rare situation.  What if, on Sunday, the Brewers need to win to get into the playoffs?  What if Marquis out-duels Sabathia, denying Milwaukee a trip to the playoffs?  What if, immediately after that, flames shoot out of my ass?  It's about as likely!

In all seriousness, Marquis is the one Cub starter who shouldn't be on a pitch count, because he's the one Cubs starter who won't be starting games in the NLDS.  Sabathia has not had the best of luck against the Cubs, he's thrown an epic amount of innings this season, and and fatigue has to be settling in.  Who knows, maybe the Wild Card will be determined before Sunday, but maybe it won't.  It could be the biggest game of Marquis' season.

Predictions: A little while back, I predicted that the Cubs would win 99 games this season.  It could happen, but it's going to be an uphill battle for them.  If Chicago takes 2 of 3, then chances are Milwaukee won't be making any trips in October.  Even if the Cubs take 1 of 3, then Chicago will have their highest wins total since 1945.  And we all know what happened in 1945 - the war ended and everybody was very happy, except the Germans. And wasn't Milwaukee originally a German settlement?  Serendipity, my friends.  Serendipity.

Ho-ly cow!

This was a game with a little bit of everything.  Cubs starting pitcher Rich Harden had no-hit (but unfortunately, not no-walk) stuff.  Jim Edmonds demonstrated that even if there's not a whole lot of gas left in the tank, it's still possible to go a while on fumes.  Geovany Soto has already accomplished enough to win the Rookie of the Year Award - and today, he cemented the growing evidence that he's the best catcher in the game.  Kerry Wood donned his leopard-print leotard and went back up on the wire again.  And Derrek Lee thrilled us by taking it all home in the 12th.

First, Rich Harden.  Considering the leeway that the home plate ump was giving Milwaukee pitchers, either Harden wasn't getting the same shake or he was really wild.  Either way, Chicago Cubs Ace 2.0 Rich Harden only managed to go 5 innings.  The Brewers couldn't hit the guy very well - they only got 1 - but he walked 6 of them while also striking out 7.  Whatever the reason for his lack of control, he left with a 1 run lead (thanks for the solo homeruns, Jim Edmonds and Aramis Ramirez), but Cubs rookie reliever Jeff Samardzija got beaten like a drum in the 6th after Mark DeRosa made a fielding error.  The Brewers notched 3 straight singles, Samardz walked 2 in the inning (3 if you count Prince, who they put on intentionally), and it looked as though the Cubs were not going to cut their magic number down on this day.

The Brewers tacked on an insurance run in the 9th off of Neal "The Luster's Off" Cotts, and it would have been 2 runs but Alfonso Soriano racked up his 10th assist of the season by gunning out J.J. Hardy.  Insert link to timely "I love Alfonso Soriano" article here.

Then - then! - in the bottom of the 9th, with our hope extinguished like a candle's flame in the wind, with 2 outs in the fricking inning Jim Edmonds singled in Aramis Ramirez, Mark DeRosa reached also via a single, and Geovany Soto hit what we will refer to as an Epic Home Run.

Now, me, at this point, I'm not watching the game.  It's not that I had given up per se, it's just that it was dinner time, I was hungry, and so there was no game for me.  When, after dinner, I scampered to a TV and saw what was happening, I immediately got back into the game only to find ...

Kerry Wood, still doing his best Rod Beck, pitched 2 innings tonight.  The first inning was one of sheer dominance.  He faced 3 batters, he struck them all out, and deciding to let it ride, Lou sent him back out to pitch the 12th.  Woody proceeded to surrender a leadoff single, then a double, and only then did he buckle down and get 3 outs.

Look, I'm a huge Kerry Wood fan.  I also happen to be a fan of quiet 9th innings.  Maybe I jumped the gun a little in the shoutbox, when I essentially said "NO MORE WOOD!"  However, I am concerned, because a blown save 2 weeks from now could be season destroying.  Now, I'm not sure if it's simply been a long season and Wood is tired, or if perhaps he's seen a little too much inactivity as of late, but Lou needs to get a regimen going in which Kerry is pitching one inning every two days from here until October, no matter the situation.  Keep him fresh, keep him rested, and keep him loose.  If I see Wood throwing 2 innings again, or back-to-back games again, I'm going to find Lou and I will confiscate his sammich.

Anyway, Woody got out of it, amazingly, and in the bottom of the 12th the Cubs worked some more of that 2 out magic.  Darryl Ward drew a leadoff walk, Jason Marquis pinch ran, Reed Johnson bunted him to second, the Fonz was put on intentionally, and, after Ryan Theriot got the second out of the inning, Derrek Lee stepped up.

At this point, I was watching the game intently.  I called C. into the room, as she's a huge D.Lee fan, mostly because I knew what was about to happen.  When he singled in the winning run and was mobbed by his overjoyed teammates, I was the least surprised person you could've met.  The Cubs win, the magic number is reduced, it's time to finish this thing already.

Series Recap: It coulda been a sweep.  I'm not complaining, not one bit, but after the Cubs #3 pitcher beat the Brewers ace, and after the Brewers second ace left a game early yesterday, it became this team's series to lose.  Thankfully, they didn't.

The Cubs next host the Cardinals.  It will be the final series of the season at Wrigley Field.  St. Louis is playing the Reds tonight in order to get out of a 7 game losing streak, and whether they win or extend their losing streak, they will be coming to Chicago tomorrow a broken team.

This has been a very fulfilling season.  There have certainly been nervous moments, but they have been outweighed by the thrills.  I'm looking forward to a clinching victory as early as tomorrow.  It will happen soon, folks.  Very soon.

Current Record: 92-59
Position in the NL Central: 1st place, 9 games in front of Milwaukee and 12 ahead of Houston
Best Possible Record: 103-59
Worst Possible Record: 92-70
On Pace For: 99-63
Magic Number: 2, as powered by CubsMagicNumber.com

It was a perfect opportunity for the Cubs to bring their magic number to 2.  Ben Sheets, Brewers Ace 2.0 leaves the game - and possibly ends his season - in the 2nd inning.  This leaves the Cubs in the "competent" hands of a mediocre Brewers bullpen - 7 different Milwaukee relievers were used last night, and last I checked, they only have 2 or 3 good relievers on their team.

In other words, the Cubs should have demolished them, right?  Wrong.  Jason Marquis was on the hill.

For you new readers, Jason Marquis has a number of nicknames on this blog.  Mostly we just call him the Marquis de Suck, but another appropriate - if not less funny - nickname might be Hendry's Folly.  Although the Cubs already look built to compete again next season, Jim will have a few moves to make before '09 rolls around.  For example, will he roll the dice and bring back Dempster?  And if he brings back Dempster, will Samardzija get a shot at starting?  And if the Notre Dame phenom is going to get his shot, then who does he replace in the rotation?  The answer, obviously, is Jason Marquis, the weakest link.

Last night, Hendry's Folly* made it easy for the Brewers by allowing a 3-run first inning.  Admittedly, he buckled down after that and pitched into the 6th without allowing another run, but the damage was already done.  Marquis exited in the 6th, and In the 7th, his white flag replacement Angel Guzman saw fit to pitch in-game batting practice to Milwaukee.

(*still a year remaining on that albatross of a contract, hurray)

Even had the Cubs offense taken advantage of the early departure of Ben Sheets, it may have been a little much asking for them to overcome the 6 runs scored by the Brewers.  However, the only real offensive production they had last night came from an Aramis Ramirez solo shot in the 2nd, and a Ryan Theriot ground-out RBI in the 9th.  The Cubs offense only managed 6 hits and 3 walks, but they will face a depleted Brewers pitching staff tonight, led by Dave Bush.  Bush is 9-10 with a 4.24 ERA, and he is currently 0-2 with an 8.23 ERA against the Cubs this year.

I'm sure we will all look forward to the Cubs finishing this thing sooner rather than later.  The offense needs to come alive tonight, and with Bush pitching and the Milwaukee pen worn out, it could get real ugly real fast.

Tonight was the death blow.  If the Cubs win tomorrow, it's the cheap shot.

It actually wasn't easy.  In fact, it was rather dramatic.  Sure, the Cubs started off by doing what they do best - pummeling an otherwise unbeatable CC Sabathia - but then they finished the game off by doing that other thing they do best - getting past by the skin of their flippin' teeth.

First and foremost, the lineup did what it was supposed to do.  Hitters 1-4 were responsible for 8 of the team's 11 hits.  Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, they all drove in runs.  In fact, at one point the Cubs were up on the "Unbeatable" C.C. Sabathia by a score of 3-0, right up until Prince Fielder decided to lunch... er, launch a two-run homer into the bleachers.

But then, when all hope was lost, Alfonso Soriano stepped up and hit his own dinger, giving the Cubs a comfortable 2-run lead.  Which was promptly ... well, squashed by Prince Fielder, who, uh, sat on a Carlos Marmol heater and knocked it into the bleachers.  And yet, again, dissatisfied with a mere 1-run lead, Hank White made a pinch hit appearance in the bottom of the 8th and gave the Cubs a huge insurance run.

Naturally, the 9th inning was as dramatic as you'd expect it to be.  Kerry Wood continues to scare the crap out of skittish Cub fans everywhere.  After striking out the leadoff hitter, Wood surrendered a single to pinch hitter Mike Lamb, before getting out number 2, only for Ray Durham - of all jabrones! - to hit a run-scoring double.  Wood then gave up an infield single to Ryan Braun before turning things back over to the 3-4, 2 homer, 3 RBI Prince Fielder.

As Wood reached back and heaved pitch after pitch, eventually reaching a ... well, full count on the fat man, I could only imagine Cub fans everywhere yelling the following:

I was on IM with Jason at the time, saying "huh, full count?  Wood should toss him a sick breaking pitch because, worst case scenario, he walks him and faces a less-dangerous hitter."  Wood then tossed a sick breaking pitch and struck Fielder out to end the game.  Yep.  Sometimes I'm very good at pretending that I know what I'm talking about.

Real credit has to go to Ryan Dempster.  Clownsevelt has been putting in a year-long effort to prove that he's ace material.  On this Cubs team, he remains the 3rd option for any playoff series, but tonight he proved to me that he could out-duel anybody else's #1 guy.

The magic number is now down to 4.  The Cubs are on a 5 game winning streak.  The Brewers are down for the count.  There's two weeks left of baseball before it gets really exciting.  This is what we've been waiting for, folks.  I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying it.

According to ESPN and MLB and Pat Hughes, Ned Yost has been fired.  You know you're an amazingly crappy manager when you get fired with your team tied for a playoff spot.  Still, I'll miss Yost and his amazing stretch-run fades.  The Cubs tried to give the Brewers the division, but they politely refused and it cost Yost a job.

Dale Sveum takes over. Sveum is considered on of the worst third base coaches in history, so...good move?

Rumor has it that Ned Yost has been let go by the Brewers.  This is heartbreaking, because Yost in the dugout was a decisive advantage for the Cubs.

We'll post a link to the story once it's been verified by the mass media.