Is the NL Central Race in the Books?

The Brewers' biggest jump in the NL Central since the Cubs took over the division in late July has been 2 games. They could've easily been as close as a half game behind or in a virtual tie with Chicago had they swept the Rockies, Giants, and Dodgers during the road trip.

They did however win the Rockies and Dodger series 2 games out of 3; the first time the Dodgers have lost a series since early June. Going into a six game home stand, the Brewers face the Cardinals, Nationals, and Reds, one being a possible opponent if the Crew gets to October. But after Craig Counsell had to go to his bullpen early due to throwing errors and a catching error by Manny Pina, everything started falling apart. With the bases loaded and only one out, pitcher Matt Garza caught and bobbled a ball, then threw it to Manny Pina who dropped it; scoring the Cardinals' first run. The Brewers might as well have given up at that point thanks to some RBI's and below subpar pitching.

As for the Cubs? Well they're sitting sweet on top of the summit as they beat the Pirates twice and are looking to sweep them today. So as we wind down the season going into September, pennant races are heating up. But have the Cubs and Brewers done enough to secure the division? Not exactly.

Milwaukee's elimination number is 28 games so they are still well into this NL Central race. An NLDS trip for both clubs will be determined by not only power hitting and scoring, but also by playing each other. And, when it's all set and done, the team who wins both series (or sweeps both series) will move on to the NLDS. And speaking of series, these two clubs meet in the second weekend in September for a three game series... in CHICAGO. Now there are only 7 meetings between the Cubs and Brewers before season's end, which is double the amount of games the Brewers are currently behind the Cubs by. Take out your calculator and divide that by two and you should get 3.5, their largest deficit since after the All Star Break.

Now if you got something completely different or if you just think that the Cubs are going to beat the living crap out of the Brewers, then I suggest you should sell your college degree from Harvard (or whatever university) to Ebay.

But in all seriousness, the Brewers are most definitely still in this race. Just get a win from the Cardinals and a loss to the Cubs and they're right back to where they were at 2.5 games going into the Nationals series. Sweep that series and whooptie doo! For the first time since July 27, the Brewers have a divisional lead.

If you think the Cubs are going to win the NL Central by 10 games or more, think again. These division rivals have hated each other for years and for the next seven games ( 3 @ Chicago and 4 @ Milwaukee), it'll be time to show the baseball world who has the power to rule NL Central.

"Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do ya say? The Cubs aren't gonna win the Central today,

2 teams, 7 games, 1 division crown.