One mission accomplished - three more to go.
Gibsons Ryan Dempster and the Chicago Cubs are heading back to the post season after the Cubs clinched their second straight National League Central division championship with a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday.
On Sunday, Dempster took to the mound pitching five effective innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out one as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 5-1. Dempster improved his record to 17-6 on the season and is slated for his last start tonight (Friday) against Milwaukee before the post-season starts with the divisional playoffs on Oct. 1.
Chicago locked up home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs with a 8-5 win over the New York Mets on Monday. The Cubs, after Monday, had a record of 95-60, the best in the National League.
With just under a week to go in the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies held a two-game lead over the Mets for the East division, and the Los Angeles Dodgers held a three-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the West division. The Mets held the wild card lead by just one game over the Milwaukee Brewers. If those scenarios stay the same after the regular season wraps up on Sunday, the Cubs would play the Mets in the opening round of the playoffs, and the Phillies would host the Dodgers.
