The Cubs won four straight last week to move to a season-high 24 games over .500 and clinch a postseason berth, then they dropped four in a row to let the Reds back into the postseason mix. Now they have to face the team the Reds just passed — technically, since Cincy owns the tiebreaker — in the struggling Mets. Craig Counsell‘s team has looked content to merely tread water, which may not be enough against a desperate team.
It doesn’t help that the Brewers have turned on cruise control for the rest of the season, which means they don’t care to put up much of a fight against the Padres.