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CINCINNATI – The weeks the Cubs spent in last place to begin the season — because of a quirk of the schedule after they went 0-2 in the Tokyo Series — are now just a distant memory.
On Friday, the Cubs entered a three-game series against the Reds with a three-game cushion between themselves and the rest of the National League Central.
They’d spent 48 days in first place.
The Cardinals made a recent push, including a nine-game winning streak earlier this month, to move into second place.