Chicago Cubs playing flat as their division lead shrinks to a half-game

With everything to lose, the Chicago Cubs kicked off their final homestand of the year with back-to-back lackluster showing, prompting panic in fans everywhere.

After 6-1 series-opening loss on Monday night, we’d all hoped the Chicago Cubs moved on and would show up Tuesday ready to get back on track. Instead, they looked uninspired and unmotivated in a 5-0 shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With the loss, Chicago’s lead in the National League Central shrank to just one-half game, after Milwaukee put a thumping on the St. Louis Cardinals. The magic number to clinch the division remains at five, but the number needed to clinch a postseason spot fell to one. Both the Cubs and Brewers enter…