Great way to start the 2nd half of the season off. Cubs beat the Pirates 4-3 and everyone else in the division lost. Cubs are now 48-43 and 1.5 games ahead of the 47-45 Brewers.
I am going to start calling the NL Central 'the black and blue division' . These teams are talented and just beat up on each other.
Kris Bryant has had a great bounce back season after injuring his shoulder last season. He now has 18 HR's after he hit 1 last night and is batting .297. Craig Kimbrel saved another game last night as well. He was a great pickup by Theo. Winning the division would be a hell of way to end the decade. As of now the Cubs have the 2nd most total wins over the last 5 seasons (2015-2019) only behind the Dodgers. Cubs also won the WS in 2016. It would be nice if they won the NL Central for the 3rd time in the last 5 seasons. The Cubs won the NL Central in 2016, 2017, and hopefully win it in 2019. Getting that 2nd or 3rd seed is critical in the NL because you avoid the Dodgers until the NLCS.
If the Cubs make the playoffs this season, they will join only the Dodgers and Cards to do so 5 seasons in a row this decade. Cubs would've done it from 2015-2019, Cards did it from 2011-2015, Dodgers have done it from 2013-2018 which is 6 in a row. Dodgers will make it 7 in a row in 2019. That is elite company.