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The Chicago Cubs have earned a place in the MLB playoffs in 2018, but they still have a lot to do in the last four games of the regular season. The defending champions of NL Central are trying to repeat as division winners and avoid playing in the knockout card game.
The Milwaukee Brewers made sure the Cubs were not able to get closer to October baseball. They cleared a six-game deficit since Aug. 28, shooting in a half-game from Chicago.
A trip directly to the NLCS is not the only thing at stake for both teams. The winner of NL Central will almost certainly win the advantage of the field throughout the playoffs of the National League. The Atlanta Braves earned the title of NL East, and they Three fewer wins than Chicago and Milwaukee. The Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers are both four games behind the Cubs and Brewers in the winning column as they battle in NL's West.
Chicago struggled in September playing baseball at .500 in its last 18 games. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 innings on Wednesday to maintain their lead over the division. Milwaukee is on a four-game winning streak. The Brewers eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals from the NL Central race with a hat-trick of divisional rivals.
The momentum could be with the Brewers, who went 19-7 after the Cubs by six games last month. Chicago, however, still controls its fate with the opportunity to take a one-game lead when it hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Milwaukee certainly has an easier program to finish the season. They will host the Detroit Tigers, who are far from the playoff race with nothing on the line. Chicago will host St. Louis for three games. The Cardinals are one game away from second place.
Kyle Hendricks, Cole Hamels and Mike Montgomery are ready to play in Chicago's last three games. If Chicago and Milwaukee finish tied, they will face Monday with the division on the line.
The Cubs have won NL Central in each of the past two seasons. They have reached the NLDS in each of the last three years.
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