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CHICAGO (AP) — with a shot at the NL Central championship.Whether they take it outright Xander Bogaerts Jersey , blow their big opportunity or have to play a tiebreaker remains unclear.So much uncertainty for a team hoping for another long postseason.The Cubs wasted a solid performance by Cole Hamels in a 2-1 loss to Miles Mikolas and the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, making for a muddled NL playoff picture.Hamels and company dropped into a tie with Milwaukee for the division lead when the Brewers rallied for a 6-5 victory over Detroit.The Cardinals kept alive their chance for a wild card, but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-6 victory at San Francisco.The Cubs have locked up a playoff spot, but that’s all they know at this point.“It’s a special moment to be able to see that type of intensity that comes with meaningful games and that sort of playoff atmosphere,” Hamels said before Milwaukee’s victory. “It’s a little bit better when you win. … (To win the World Series), you’re gonna have to play some really tough teams at some tough moments, high intensity, high stakes.”The Cubs would have wrapped up their third straight division championship with a victory and a loss by the Brewers to Detroit on Saturday night. Chicago and Milwaukee would meet in a tiebreaker at Wrigley Field on Monday if they wind up with identical records, with the loser then playing in a wild-card game at home on Tuesday.“There’s nothing to lament with our guys,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team led the division by five games on Sept. 2. “They’ve been playing very well for a long period of time. Our route’s been a little different than everybody else. We’ll come back ready to play (Sunday) and see how it all falls.”Mikolas (18-4) allowed one unearned run and five hits in his fifth straight win. He struck out six, walked none and improved to 10-0 in 16 road starts.“Credit to him, he shows up prepared http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-joe-kelly-jersey , is even keeled and goes out there and executes and pitches,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Just a fantastic job today.”Carlos Martinez worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save in five chances.Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong each had RBI singles. Carpenter also scored a run. And the Cardinals got back to winning after matching a season high with four straight losses.“We did everything we could today,” Mikolas said.Hamels (4-3) was a tough-luck loser, dropping his third straight start after going 4-0 in his first nine outings following a trade from Texas. The left-hander gave up two runs, one earned, and three hits in seven innings. He struck out eight , walked two and hit two batters.Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Daniel Murphy hit fly balls to the warning track. But the Cubs got shut out the rest of the way after taking a 1-0 lead in the first.GRABBING THE LEADBen Zobrist singled and scored when second baseman Yairo Munoz let Javier Baez’s pop fly deflect off his glove as he tried to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch in shallow right field.It was the Cardinals’ major league-leading 132nd error.Carpenter played a role in both runs as St. Louis scored in the fourth and fifth to go up 2-1.He reached on interference by catcher Victor Caratini and scored on DeJong’s single in the fourth. Harrison Bader got hit by a pitch leading off the fifth and scored on a single by Carpenter, who got thrown out by Caratini trying to take second on the play.DOMINATINGMikolas’ 18 wins are the most by a Cardinals pitcher since Adam Wainwright’s 20 in 2014. … Hamels has a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts for Chicago.TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: RHP Bud Norris (tight left hamstring) was unavailable, Shildt said. Norris faced two batters in the seventh inning Friday before leaving the game.Cubs: RHP Pedro Strop (strained left hamstring) said he does not expect to pitch again until the playoffs. Injured running to first on a double-play grounder at Washington on Sept. 13, he still experiences some discomfort on the landing throwing off the mound. “I expect to feel it a little bit,” Strop said. “But it was nothing major, nothing like I reinjured it. I knew it was gonna hurt at some point. I’m not afraid of it.”UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (8-8 Blake Swihart Jersey , 3.16 ERA) pitches in the regular-season finale on Sunday. He is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in his past five starts.Cubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (5-6, 3.99 ERA) tries to close out the regular season on a winning note after getting tagged for five runs in four innings in a loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesThe Milwaukee Brewers forced a deciding game in the 2018 NLCS with a 7-2victory Friday night over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 at Miller Park in Milwaukee.Jesus Aguilar, Mike Moustakas and Erik Kratz delivered run-scoring hits as part of the Brewers' four-run first inning after David Freese had crushed a leadoff home run for the Dodgers.L.A. threatened a comeback in the fifth when it brought the tying run to the plate, but Corey Knebel came out of the bullpen to secure two key outs and preserve the lead, which Milwaukee never relinquished.Brewers' Depth Will Continue To Prove VitalAlthough much attention was given to the dominance of Brew Crew outfielder Christian Yelich during the second half of the season鈥攁nd rightfully so鈥攖he team's ability to get contributions from anywhere in the order was also crucial to edging the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.It's a theme that's carried into the club's postseason run and was on full display Friday, as the Brewers got key hits from Aguilar, Moustakas and Kratz. Their hits in the first inning immediately changed the outlook of the game after Los Angeles had grabbed the early lead.MLB MLBFive hits, FOUR runs.The Crew come out SWINGING. #NLCS WrKiDNh7GgIf playoff trends hold, the Dodgers aren't going to give Yelich or Ryan Braun much to hit in Game 7. They have combined for seven walks in the series, as L.A. has been content to force them to chase outside the zone or accept the base on balls to make Milwaukee's other hitters drive in runs.The same could be said on the pitching side. Knebel was one of six Brewers relievers to appear in at least 49 games during the regular season, and only one of them had an ERA above 4.00 (Taylor Williams). Having so many reliable options out of the bullpen takes away a lot of pressure, especially in a Game 7."Our depth is what's been valuable," managerCraig Counselltold reportersbefore the playoffs. "And we feel like it's helped us and allowed us [to win games] http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-rick-porcello-jersey , and there's been nights where that doesn't happen."Another strong showing from that unheralded group of secondary contributors Saturday night would likely push Milwaukee into the World Series. Dodgers Must End Power OutageFreese's homer to open Game 6 was just the Dodgers' third of the NLCS. The lack of long balls for an offense with so much pop is a main reason the series is going the distance.Los Angeles ranked second in the majors and first in the National League with 235 home runs during the regular season. The club added eight more during its NLDS destruction of the Atlanta Braves, with six different players going yard in the four-game series.If the Dodgers are going to turn the tide back in their favor for Game 7, it's probably going to take a sudden return to form in the power department.While the onus is mostly on Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger to put their game-changing power on display, the Dodgers featured 10 different players with at least 13 homers during the regular season. So there's enough pop throughout the lineup to make serious noise.Milwaukee's Home-Field Advantage Makes It Game 7 FavoriteThe Brewers have benefited from playing at Miller Park all year.Their 51 home wins during the regular season were tied with the Cubs' for the most in the National League. They went 2-0 in Milwaukee in their sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the Division Series and are now 2-1 in their friendly confines against the Dodgers in the NLCS.Milwaukee Brewers BrewersHome field advantage is real and its spectacular. #OurCrewOurOctober pTQ6nCdyupTypically, home-field advantage isn't a major deal in baseball. Teams playing in their own park win 54 percent of the games in both the regular season and the playoffs, the lowest figures in the four major North American sports, per theAction Network.In a series that's so tightly contested, however, either side will be looking for every small edge it can get. For the Brewers, playing at home has provided a legitimate edge all year.They'll hope that remains true in Game 7 to punch their World Series ticket. What's Next?Game 7 is set for Saturday night at Miller Park with first pitch scheduled for 8:09 p.m. ET. The pivotal clash will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.