Cubs earn big win vs. Bucs as division-leading Brewers' streak ends

CHICAGO -- The Cubs had been waiting weeks for the Brewers to lose a ballgame. In fact, the last time Milwaukee slipped was back on July 30, when Chicago picked up a win over the Brewers in the teams’ final game of the month at American Family Field.

On Sunday afternoon, the Cubs pulled off a 4-3 victory over the Pirates and finally -- finally -- the Brewers saw their franchise-record 14-game winning streak halted against the Reds in Cincinnati. It was such an incredible run that a reporter even asked Cubs manager Craig Counsell earlier this weekend if he could appreciate the great story happening up north.

“What’s so great about it?” Counsell said. “The job is to try to win the division -- that’s kind of the ultimate goal. From our perspective, yeah, they’re making that part of the goal really hard to get to.”

The Brewers’ run did a number on the Cubs’ odds of winning the National League Central, which now features an eight-game gap between Chicago (70-53) and its Milwaukee (78-45) rivals. Capturing the division crown was the goal going into this season for the Cubs, but recalibrating the sights to a playoff ticket via a Wild Card slot now looks like the realistic path.

Back on July 31, when both the Brewers and Cubs were idle, Milwaukee held just a one-game lead over Chicago. At that point, however, the North Siders still boasted better odds to win the division (53.4%) than the Brewers (45.9%), according to FanGraphs. Chicago’s chances of winning the Central are 7.3% after Sunday’s win.

Now, the Brewers are set to arrive at the Friendly Confines for five games in four days, beginning with a split twin bill against the Cubs on Monday. It is an opportunity for Chicago to cut back into the deficit created over the past several weeks.

“You have to do the little things right,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. “They’re a good team. They play fundamental baseball. They run the bases well. They play defense well. They pitch it. So for us, we have to go out and play our game and be really sound and fundamental and get the first one, first.”

The Brewers have dominated the conversation in the baseball world -- and rightfully so -- but the Cubs have tried to tune it out as much as possible.

“It’s been a big topic in baseball. They haven’t lost a game. That’s pretty good, huh?” Happ said. “I think everybody in baseball is aware of how well they're playing. It doesn't change what we do day in and day out. I think it’s been a bigger topic for everybody else than it has been for us. We’re worried about what’s going on in this clubhouse.”

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson admitted that it has been hard to completely ignore what has been going on with Milwaukee.

“It’s tough. It’s kind of in your face in a way,” Swanson said. “They’ve been doing, obviously, some pretty incredible things. … At the end of the day, in order for this team to get to where it wants to get to, we’ve got to consistently play better, we’ve got to consistently show up with a winning attitude and make things happen.”

After pulling off their first comeback win since July 2 with Saturday's victory over the Pirates, the Cubs countered a handful of Pittsburgh rallies to win the finale on Sunday. The decisive run was delivered in the eighth, when Swanson came through with a sacrifice fly that scored Carson Kelly from third.

Swanson also added an RBI double in the fifth, while Happ (RBI single) and Kelly (RBI single) also contributed in the win, which marked Chicago’s first back-to-back victories since July 30-Aug. 1.

The Cubs and Brewers have the doubleheader due to a June 18 rainout at Wrigley Field. At the time, the North Siders were in first place with a season-high 6 1/2-game lead over the Brewers. Milwaukee won when the series resumed on June 19 and has gone 39-10 since that point. The Cubs have posted a 25-25 record in the same stretch.

“We’re excited for the series,” Counsell said. “We’re getting to a point in the season where just the number of games left means the games are important. Wins are helpful.”

After Sunday’s win, Happ smiled when informed that the Brewers’ winning streak was over.

“They lost today?” he said. “That’s good.”