I went to sleep last night figuring the Brewers had won -- they were leading 4-2 going into the 9th -- only to wake up and discover, happily, that the Reds had won a game in their last at-bat for the second day in a row, beating Milwaukee 5-4, reducing the Cubs' magic number to 15 and making the Cubs' division lead 4.5 games going into the series with the Cardinals tonight.
Yes, the Cubs are cold, 1-5 in September so far. Guess what? So are the Brewers, at 2-6 this month.
One more note for this morning: I keep reading all over this site about who you'd want the Cubs to face in the postseason. Never mind that they have to get there first. Frankly, I don't care who they play -- while you've been debating Diamondbacks/Dodgers, the Phillies have sneaked to within three games of the Brewers for the wild card.
And the Phillies host the Brewers for a four-game series this weekend.
So, don't make too many plans. The cautionary tale is the 2006 Twins. For nearly four months the Tigers led the AL Central, heading for the best record in the league and home field throughout the playoffs. They lost their final five games and wound up as the wild card; the Twins finished first in the Central and drew Oakland in the first round, with home field.
The Twins got swept. Meanwhile, the Tigers won their Division Series with the Yankees and then, without home field as the wild card, swept the A's in the ALCS.
Just get in. Myownself, I'll be happy to see the Cubs in the playoffs two years in a row. Would I rather they had home field throughout? Of course. But wild cards have made the World Series each of the last six years and won it three times. Once you get into the postseason, it's a crapshoot.
Just keep winning and good things will follow.