I’ve been worried about the Pirates all season long as a threat to the Cubs playoff chances.  However, the Cubs managed to sweep all three games at Wrigley a couple of weeks ago, and the Pirates fell to over 10 games back.  Down but not out, they rebounded to take the first two games from the Cubs in Pittsburgh, and started to make a dent in that lead.  The Brewers were unable to take advantage, losing ground to the Cardinals, as the Central Division pennant race began to tighten.

The Cubs responded with two straight victories to tie the series with the Pirates, an accomplishment that I consider pivotal.  As a result, the Pirates are back to a double digit deficit in the standings, and St. Louis and Milwaukee remain five games behind the division leading Cubs.  The Brewers come to Wrigley for a key series this weekend, starting with the first ever regular season Friday night game in Wrigley Field history.  Lights were not installed at Wrigley until 1988 and since then the city council has banned the Cubs from hosting Friday and Saturday night games.   Last year’s World Series game 3 was exempt from council rules, and did not lead to a positive outcome for the team.  The Cubs hard-fought victory last night in Pittsburgh, coupled with a Brewers day of rest, could have taken away the home field advantage.  Thanks to this one-time exception, the Cubs will get a little extra time to rest before tackling the second-place Brew Crew.  This could be the biggest series in baseball so far this year, as the Cubs have a chance to push the Brewers back to as many as eight games out of first.  John Lackey gets the start for the Cubs against Jimmy Nelson.  “Friday Night Lights!”

I would settle for two out of three victories against the Brewers, since all the Cubs need to do is continue to tie or sweep each series to remain in control.  The Brewers were reportedly upset at the decision to move the game, feeling that it took away some of their advantage in being well rested.  The Brewers will feel they have something to prove, considering they are coming off a disappointing three straight loss performance against the last place Reds.  They had been on a roll, winning series against some of the top teams in baseball, including the Dodgers and Nationals.  Although the Cubs did not dominate in the Pirates series, they did what they needed to do – just don’t lose a series.  They are 14 games over .500 with 22 games remaining on the schedule.  The Brewers will get one more crack at them in a few more weeks, but the Cubs can be in the driver’s seat with one more victory tonight.  May the lights be with us!  Go Cubs.