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Nobody in the Cubs clubhouse thinks much about the National League's race for the card, a byproduct of first place since August 1st and the best league record.
In addition, it is not in the nature of this team to look in the rearview mirror.
But with the Brewers climbing in the Central Division and the only Cardinals behind them, it would be foolish to ignore the possibility that the Cubs have to do it if they do not start to retire.
So who pays attention to the joker?
"You see it," Anthony Rizzo said Wednesday afternoon as the United States opened the spotlight on the TVs of the visiting clubs. "There is tennis here, which is crazy because there is usually an MLB network on every TV. You see it. It is impossible to avoid all the coverage. The Brewers are ahead (in the wild-card race), but there are like nine teams in this race. I know the Brewers and Cardinals play baseball well. It will be a fun ending. It's exciting, and as a baseball fan, that's what you should want. "
The best way for the Cubs to avoid the bottling of wild-card contenders was to save the series finale at Miller Park, giving them a four-game lead with 23 players to play. They did just that Wednesday night, shooting over the 6-4 Brewers before 37,427 at Miller Park.
This was an important victory for the Cubs, who may have created widespread panic if they had been swept away.
"It was like a playoff match," said Javier Baez. "Losing this series yesterday and coming back to play hard again to get this win is huge, because in our division, it's very close."
After losing 11-1 on Tuesday, this match was as close to a game as the Cubs have played this season. Daniel Murphy escaped Jhoulys Chacin to start a four-run run and give Quintana some leeway.
After Murphy's shot in the center left, Baez did what Baez did best: create havoc and enter the opponent's head. Strangely, he managed to do it Wednesday while remaining motionless.
After Baez singled out, Chacin made two shots on first base, despite Baez standing on the bag and not moving an inch in either case.
"They know I want to run, and just before Rice got on the plate, I looked at the catcher and he was not giving signs, so I knew (throwing) was coming back," Baez said. "Then, after the first, I looked at him again and he seemed to be giving signs, but I saw him (to be) so wrong about it, so I'm just stay here."
Then, when Rizzo took the center, Baez never stopped driving second, forcing Lorenzo Cain to make a gap of more than three points, allowing Baez to return home without play.
"They know I'm not afraid to take another bag, so when I accelerate like that, it makes them hurry," Baez said.
"We've already seen it," said manager Joe Maddon. "Who is he? It makes things happen on the basics. He is fearless. "
Orlando Arcia sent Rizzo to third place and the Cubs added two more points to Ben Zobrist's RBI double and shot by Willson Contreras.
Quintana had a hairy trough in the fourth inning, but managed to allow only one run while failing three runners. He finished 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a 6-2 lead. Quintana has now dropped two or fewer races in his last four starts, giving the Cubs four consistent starts for the race.
Kyle Schwarber told Maddon that he had his back tight before taking sixth place, but he then hit a huge Schwarbomb before coming out of the match. He's on a daily basis, said Maddon.
The Brewers came together twice on a two-run home run by Curtis Granderson in the seventh end, but Pedro Strop survived a frightening ninth minute, blocking two riders by eliminating Granderson.
"It's a tough game, but it will not be the last difficult part we will continue," said Rizzo. "The light is at the end of the tunnel until one day has passed a few days after our return home. We play well at home and we are pretty much all the rest of the way, with a trip to the Arizona desert. "
Not looking back is the best advice anyone can give the Cubs at this stage.
Twitter @PWSullivan
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