Page 29 - Patrick Wisdom News Today

SEATTLE -- Bruce Bochy had a bottle of bubbly in his hand as he watched the celebration of a turnaround that very few expected in his first season in charge in Texas.

Notes: Left-hander Jordan Wicks had a rare short start in his final game of the regular season.

The Chicago Cubs seemed to be on their way to a playoff spot after a summertime surge moved them into contention. Yan Gomes hit a grand slam, but the Cubs were knocked out of the playoff picture during a 10-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night. “We just got cold,” Gomes said.

As the Chicago Cubs prepared to hit entering the top of the eighth inning Saturday night, a smattering of cheers among the 42,652 fans spread through American Family Field. The Miami Marlins had just closed out a win in Pittsburgh, triggering the applause from Milwaukee Brewers fans who saw the final score pop up on the left-field out-of-town scoreboard.

The Brewers will play their final regular season game on Sunday.

The Cubs brought out the big bats Saturday, but their playoff dreams ended.

The one that ultimately didn’t matter.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

Another night, another agonizingly close loss for the Chicago Cubs — and this one pushed them to the brink of playoff elimination. The Cubs rallied from a three-run deficit to force extra innings, only to lose 4-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Carlos Santana's run-scoring double in the 10th inning Friday night. Chicago fell 1 1/2 games behind Miami, which beat Pittsburgh, for the NL's third and final wild-card spot.

The Cubs are 1 1⁄2 games back of the Marlins in the wild card standings with an elimination number of one.