The Rundown: Cubs Getting Closer to Wild Card Clincher, AFL Rosters Announced, Mets’ Tailspin Continues

“It doesn’t matter to me; chasing the clouds away.” – Tuesday Afternoon by The Moody Blues

The Cubs won and the Brewers, Padres, Mets, and Giants all lost, so we are one game closer to playoff baseball at Wrigley Field. Chicago has a four-game lead on San Diego for the top Wild Card spot, and its magic number to clinch a postseason berth is eight. It’s always nice when that combination of wins and losses reaches single digits. Even the most pessimistic of Cubs fans can exhale just a little after last night’s 3-2 win over the Braves.

The Cubs are off today and I’ll be travelling (driving) tomorrow and Monday, so I’m not going to dive too deep into the swamp this morning. The Rays are coming to Wrigley Field for a weekend series after they play the White Sox at The Rate today. The Brewers are hosting the Cardinals, the Giants are taking on the Dodgers in San Francisco, and the Mets welcome the Rangers to the Big Apple.

If you’re hoping the Cubs can tighten the screws on the Brew Crew this weekend, use better judgment. The Cardinals have reached the point where they’ve cashed out and are phoning it in. St. Louis has lost three straight and looks pulseless on the field. Yes, the Cards are Milwaukee’s most-hated rival, but that’s not enough to bring back the dead. The two teams will face each other six times in the next two weeks.

See all y’all on Tuesday. If everything goes right, Chicago’s magic number could be down to one or two by the time I return. That’d be real nice. Home-field advantage in Round 1 would be even better.

Cubs News & Notes

• Speed kills, and the Cubs are a much better team when they are stealing bases.
• Clinching the top Wild Card spot is imperative, especially if the Cubs host the Padres in the first round. San Diego is 35-40 on the road compared to 44-27 at home.
• Timely hitting and Chicago’s bullpen were the determining factors in beating Chris Sale and the Braves on Wednesday.
• Ethan Roberts was demoted yesterday when the Cubs activated starter Jameson Taillon.
• The Cubs might end up looking like geniuses because they refused to trade Jaxon Wiggins at the deadline.
• The Arizona Fall League finalized its rosters today, and the Cubs are sending Thomas Mangus, Luis Martinez-Gomez, Koen Moreno, Mathew Peters, JP Wheat, Owen Ayers, and Cole Mathis to play for the Mesa Solar Sox.

Ball Four

It looks like Al Capone, a notorious White Sox fan, is staring down Rogers Hornsby or Charlie Grimm.

Today In 1931: Notorious gangster Al Capone and his son attend the annual "Chicago City Series" game between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park! #MLB #Baseball #Mafia #Mobster #History pic.twitter.com/vCWJ4BhMVC

— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) September 9, 2025

Central Intelligence

• Milwaukee (89-58): The Brewers could be the first team to clinch, but they’ve won just two games in their last five postseason appearances. You can only get so far on Midwestern pluck, thrift, and guile. Milwaukee is also coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers. They’ll need to rediscover the magic of July and August to successfully navigate September and October.
• Chicago (83-63): The Cubs swiped six bases in their three games against the Braves, regularly testing rookie catcher Drake Baldwin. Two of their three steals on Wednesday scored. Expect that to continue against the Rays, who rank 27th in preventing stolen bases. Chicago’s magic number to clinch the top seed in the Wild Card round is now 13.
• Cincinnati (74-72): The Reds, Mets, and Giants are essentially jockeying for the final postseason berth. This year’s tiebreaker rules favor Cincinnati if the three teams finish with identical records.
• St. Louis (72-75): The Cardinals may decide to keep manager Oliver Marmol despite an impending rebuild. One factor working in his favor is that some veterans, particularly Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, prefer to remain in St. Louis next season.
• Pittsburgh (64-82): Pirates fans believe Braxton Ashcraft deserves more love from sportswriters in this year’s Rookie of the Year voting.

Wild Pitch

“Breathe deep, fill up with relief. Don’t go mad. Don’t go mad.” – Jack Ass Ginger by Poi Dog Pondering

• Los Angeles (82-64): Andrew Heaney struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced in Oklahoma City after Dodgers pitching coaches tinkered with his delivery.
• San Diego (79-67): Manny Machado got a little testy when a reporter asked about the Padres’ inability to hit for power this season.
• New York (76-70): The Mets have the fourth-worst record in baseball since June 13, and were just outscored 21-5 by the Phillies in a three-game sweep. Their lead over the Reds for the final Wild Card spot based on current tiebreaker rules is also down to one game.
• San Francisco (74-72): The Giants need a lot of help, but haven’t given up on the playoffs just yet.

How About That!

The Brewers have little to show for trading Josh Hader to the Padres in 2022.

Kyle Schwarber has 16 games left to set a team record for most home runs in a season. Ryan Howard hit 58 for the Phillies in 2006, and the ex-Cub trails him by eight.

Nick Pivetta is making a strong bid to start Game 1 of the Wild Card series.

Adrian Houser and Tristan Gray are doing their best to keep the Rays in the playoff hunt.

The Braves and Orioles are two teams determined to get back into contention in 2026.

Nobody has thrown a no-hitter in 2025, and this season could end without a 100-win team.

The Mesa Solar Sox are the only team in the Arizona Fall League without a top-100 prospect on their roster.

Extra Innings

It looks like Carson Kelly is hoping to make this a September to remember.

Carson Kelly crushes this one and ties the ballgame! pic.twitter.com/LgrpUYfvT2

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 11, 2025

Apropos of Nothing

I know First Responders’ Day is celebrated in late October, but I can’t help but think we should honor those men and women today.

They Said It

• “I think the bullpen goes first today. One baserunner — that’s 15 hitters and 14 outs. Just a heck of a job by everybody.” – Craig Counsell
• “Over the course of a long year, things like that are going to happen. We’ve got a tight group here. We really rely on each other, and I think it’s something that’s one of our strengths.” – Kelly

Thursday Walk-Up Song

That time Todd Rundgren turned polka into rock and roll and Milwaukeeans went wild. That it’s the Brewers’ theme song when they win makes it even worse.