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CHICAGO – Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon often says a team has to go out and get what they want, because nothing will be done in baseball – no more than 162 games.
The Milwaukee Brewers took Maddon's advice into account, while two wins in the September series against their rivals brought them into a game of the National League lead.
Cubs hear steps.
"They certainly come for us," said Kyle Hendricks, Wednesday's losing pitcher. "We can feel it."
It was DJ LeMahieu's turn to play the role of hero as his two-run duel gave Colorado a huge win in the tight NL West match.
Facing 30 consecutive days at the stadium without interruption, the fatigue – and a team of Milwaukee that will not go away – tests the Chicago limits in September.
A revenge Dodgers-Astros? Sorry, but we can do better. From classics revisited to showdowns, we focus on the best and worst possibilities of the Fall 2018 Classic.
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Brewers associate a left strike with the plate and a generational southpaw on the mound. Relieve him Josh Hader faced 10 batters in both Milwaukee wins. He struck out nine and gave up a basic shot. In fact, according to Elias, dating back to his last three appearances, Hader is the fourth thrower of the past three seasons to score at least nine straight games. He was electric, sucking the life of the Cubs and the faithful of Wrigley Field.
"It is difficult because of the way it launches," said Javier Baez, claiming that it was obvious. "It's hard to catch up."
It does not help that the Cubs are about as tired as a team can be right now. After the 5-1 defeat on Wednesday night, they were packing for a night flight to Washington, where – in good weather – they will play a makeup match with the Nationals before returning to Chicago for a weekend against the Cincinnati . The Reds Then comes a fast two time zone trip west for three games against Arizona before another night flight and finally – after 30 consecutive days at the baseball stadium – a day off.
The stretching could be one of the reasons the Cubs do not score. Even the world hitter Daniel Murphy is in a crisis. He was 0-in-11 in the series against Milwaukee.
"I took my teeth," he says.
The same can be said for the offense as a whole, as well as for the Chicago bullpen. The hold that the Cubs had on the division gives the impression of disappearing. And the brewers are ready to pounce.
"The games have been tight, especially the games in Wrigley," said Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell on Wednesday. "For me, these are two good teams that face each other – that's what we expect."
At present, brewers have an advantage, especially in the form of Hader. A series of playoffs with five days off would give Counsell the chance to get the most out of the southpaw. If the Cubs and the Brewers meet in October, there could be a change of guard, just like in 2015, when the Cubs took what The cardinals of St. Louis had long possessed the supremacy of division.
"It's a very good team out there," Hendricks said. "They played with us last year and this one and they are our biggest rival for sure right now."
Here it is: the word "R". It's not so long ago, Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels said there was no rivalry because so many Cubs fans were invading Miller Park, offering visitors a distinct stage atmosphere. But a tight race on the finish could change the way everyone looks at the Brewers – if that has not happened yet.
"It was a big series," Hendricks said. "We played well, but they played better than us."
But before anyone else counts the Cubs, consider the culture that Theo Epstein and Maddon created. They mastered taking it one day and one game at a time. There is no better proof of this than the World Series 2016, in which the Cubs competed in three games against one before winning.
Or how about their year of hangover in 2017? Maddon & Co. survived the expected physical and mental disappointment by winning the world's first franchise series in 108 years, eventually pushing the right buttons for a third consecutive trip in the NL championship series. Can they rally in the midst of an arduous schedule?
"We are in the same place [mentally] we have always been, "said Hendricks. Maybe a bit tired, to be honest, but we're fine. We know where we are. We know where we want to go. "
The brewers too. They are no longer the small team that disappeared last September. They are as dangerous as anyone in the NL, including the team that is just a match in front of them in the standings. Maddon also hears these steps and asks her team to do more, especially in attack. The Cubs have only six points in this series.
"We have to get better," said Maddon. "There is no other way to see things, we need to re-love, as we did earlier this year. They do not admit it, but it's just a fact. "
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