Helena's bats simply couldn't get it done against Idaho Falls' pitching. They only had one extra-base hit all night and were limited to five hits total, two of them by catcher Michael Turay.

The Chukars struck early. In the fourth inning, Barrett Astin gave up a three-run homer with two outs; the batters on base reached via a throwing error and a walk. Astin's escape kit was working in all innings save that one, and that was enough to lose the game.

This was the final minor league game in all of baseball this season and thus this is the final real minor league column of 2013. We'll be back the week of October 8th for the Arizona Fall League season and for the winter ball season. (if there is winter ball this season involving affiliated players)

Helena Brewers (Rookie) 1-2
Lost 7-0 vs Idaho Falls Chukars (KCR) (box / pbp)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

The Brewers executed a perfect squeeze bunt for the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning of their 4-3 win over the Cubs Tuesday night. It was the second straight night the Brewers had put together a successful squeeze. I wondered, "Why can't the Cubs do this?" I mean, the Cubs have an entire bunting tournament in spring training. Yes, I know, that's more a team-building exercise than actually practicing bunting. Still...

Sigh. Maybe next spring the Cubs will actually practice bunting situations instead of doing rah-rah team-building. Here's something about the Brewers' squeeze that puzzled me: the play was executed with one out. Checking the boxscore, I noticed Justin Grimm was credited with ⅔ of an inning. How could that be? When the run crosses the plate, the game should be over, right?

I watched the replay, painful as that was. Grimm actually threw the ball to Anthony Rizzo after the winning run had scored! What was the point of that? It had the effect of making the run unearned, because that "out" would have been the third out had Grimm not made a throwing error on a previous bunt attempt in the inning.

(Seriously, I'd like to know from people with scoring/rules experience: Isn't the game over immediately once the run scores? That out shouldn't have been recorded, should it?)

The Cubs had earlier overcome a 1-0 deficit primarily on the strength of a home run by Welington Castillo in the seventh inning. Castillo has had an excellent second half and is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. Over his last seven games he's 9-for-26 (.346/.393/.846) with four home runs and only two strikeouts.

Unfortunately, Jeff Samardzija, who had thrown six very good innings, couldn't stand the prosperity. He coughed the lead right back in the bottom of the seventh, giving up a two-run homer to Carlos Gomez, his 20th (a career high). And why did Shark do that? A clue can be found here:

Manager Dale Sveum, who argued with pitcher Edwin Jackson after pulling him after four innings, confirmed that Samardzija and [David] Bell, the Cubs’ third base coach, were "screaming a bit on our strategy."

In this case, it was the positioning of first baseman Anthony Rizzo in which Norichika Aoki hit a triple past him in the sixth inning. Samardzija went on to finish the inning to surpass the 200-inning mark without allowing Aoki to score but was still angry at Bell for the positioning of Rizzo.

Well then. We've seen this from Shark before, where something happens that throws him off his rhythm and his pitching immediately suffers. I certainly won't criticize Samardzija for being competitive -- you don't get to this level of professional sports without that -- but anyone who has such a disagreement has to, I mean has to, have the internal fortitude to immediately put it aside and calm down and perform. Shark doesn't seem to have the ability to do that and that might be one of the things preventing him from taking his game to the next level.

Beyond that, the Cubs' problem was the usual one, not generating enough offense. Besides Castillo's two hits and homer, the entire rest of the team had just five hits Tuesday night, and overall was 1-for-9 with RISP. Same old, same old.

The two teams will go at it again tonight. For some reason, I've decided to head up to Milwaukee to take it in. Perhaps the Cubs' play will be better, but I expect little. Chris Rusin will face Tyler Thornburg.

Some things to read while pondering the contact play.

This morning's Mug is a little late partially because I was at last night's game with my wife. When the Brewers had two on with none out in the ninth, I turned to her and said, "The Brewers are two bunts away from winning this game." Apparently Jack Moore had the same thought.

After Scooter Gennett bunted the runners over to second and third (reaching on an error) and Caleb Gindl popped out, Logan Schafer dropped down the squeeze and the Brewers emerged with a 4-3 walkoff win. Eric has the full recap, if you missed it. Jordan Schelling tweeted out a great AP photo of Jeff Bianchi scoring the game-winning run.

While the squeeze play paid off last night, the much-maligned contact play did not. Norichika Aoki tripled to lead off the seventh but was later thrown out trying to score on Jonathan Lucroy's weak grounder, and Lucroy added insult to injury by getting thrown out trying to take second on the play. After the game Ron Roenicke was asked about the strategic decision to run on contact, and here's what he said:

"It's not good," said Roenicke, asked about the team's success rate running on contact. "We're not running it right. The whole purpose of the contact play is, if the ball is hit right at somebody, you stop short of the catcher and you stay in a rundown, and that [batter] ends up at second base. So the disadvantage is you're not on third, but you're still in scoring position."

So, based on my understanding, the point of the contact play is to score on balls hit through the infield, where just about any baserunner would score without the head start, but also to trade a runner on third for a runner on second if the ball is hit at someone. I still cannot fathom why this is a good idea.

The Brewers tied the game in the seventh inning last night on Carlos Gomez's 20th home run of the season, making him the sixth Brewer center fielder in franchise history to reach that mark (h/t @AdamMcCalvy). The Brewers have now had at least one 20 homer hitter in every full major league season since 1985.

Other notes from the field:

• Despite the fact that the game-winning run had already scored, Cubs reliever Justin Grimm threw over to first base to retire Logan Schafer on his squeeze bunt. Because Schafer would have been the third out if there hadn't been an error in the inning, the run in the ninth counts as unearned. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy)
• For the second straight day there was a visible argument in the Cubs dugout, this one between starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija and coach David Bell.
• The Brewers have now beaten the Cubs 12 times in 17 tries this season (h/t @Haudricourt).
• The Polish won the sausage race.

The series continues tonight when Tyler Thornburg takes on Chris Rusin at 7:10, and Eric Single has the MLB.com preview. David Temple of FanGraphs notes that there may not be much on the line tonight, but at least Thornburg and Rusin are both fast workers.

Meanwhile, today's most newsworthy event is probably happening off the field. Adam McCalvy reports via Twitter that the Brewers' baseball operations department has a meeting scheduled for today to dissect the 2013 roster and discuss what went wrong this season. I'm assuming someone will discover a bookkeeping error that led to Yuniesky Betancourt remaining on the roster all season and correct the mistake.

Johnny Hellweg is one of the players that will probably generate some conversation today. J.P. Breen of Disciples of Uecker suggests moving him to the bullpen next season until he proves he can be consistent enough to succeed as a starter.

Most of these guys will probably generate some conversation too: Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has five player-related opinions to share on the Brewers going forward.

I've already mentioned Carlos Gomez's home run from last night, but he also played his usual, phenomenal, level of defense. Jonathan Bernhardt of Sports on Earth listed him as a dark horse candidate for NL MVP, but said "since the Brewers are a last place team, Gomez isn't going to be winning any awards this year." Sadly, I suspect similar logic is going to lead to Andrew McCutchen edging Gomez out for a Gold Glove.

In the minors:

• The Helena Brewers came up a game short of a Pioneer League championship, falling 7-0 to Idaho Falls in a decisive game three last night. morineko has the recap, if you missed it.
• Jimmy Nelson was on the Helena Brewers' 2010 championship team and reflected on the experience.
• That wraps up the 2013 minor league season, but the Arizona Fall League's opening day is October 8, less than a month away.

If you'd like more Brewer coverage but you're sick of reading, my weekly appearance on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton has been archived and can be heard at this link. We spent three segments this week talking about Brewer rookies, their roles going forward and Ron Roenicke.

Around baseball:

Astros: Placed catcher Jason Castro on the DL with knee soreness.
Blue Jays: Placed pitcher Brett Cecil (elbow discomfort) and third baseman Edwin Encarnacion (wrist surgery) on the DL.

Let's go around the NL Central:

• The Cardinals jumped back into first place with an 11-4 rout of the Rockies last night. Cardinals 1-3 hitters Matt Carpenter, Jon Jay and Matt Holliday combined for ten hits, six runs and five RBI in the game.
• The Pirates fell a game behind after a 5-2 loss to the Padres, their second in as many days. San Diego second baseman Jedd Gyorko had three hits to go with his funny name.
• The Reds scored four runs in the first inning and cruised to a 10-0 win over the Astros. Mike Leake pitched eight shutout innings for the victory.
• The Brewers, of course, beat the Cubs 4-3.

You can read more about those games and all of last night's action in Noah's Wednesday edition of Around the Bases at SBNation.com.

Here are today's updated standings and probables:

He's not a former Brewer, but minor league manager Mike Jirschele is a Clintonville, Wisconsin native and last night his Omaha Storm Chasers won the AAA Championship (h/t @TimberRattlers). Congratulations to him.

This morning's edition of Today In Brewer History marks the 33rd anniversary of Cecil Cooper becoming the first Brewer ever to collect 200 hits in a season. Here are today's other bits of history:

• Plunk Everyone notes that today is 2009-10 Brewer Jody Gerut's 36th birthday, and his 15 HBP are the fourth most ever for a player born on September 18.
• Today also would have been 1972 Brewer Ken Brett's 65th birthday, and his 23 career plunkings are the fourth most ever for a pitcher born on this day.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take this call.

Drink up.

At 67-83, the 2013 Brewers have now clinched a tie for the 34th best record in franchise history. The 1975, 2001 and 2003 teams all finished with 68 wins.

The first shot at win #68 will come at 7:10 tonight with Tyler Thornburg (2.18 ERA, 3.40 FIP) on the mound for his sixth start. Thornburg pitched his fifth quality start in as many tries on Thursday, holding the Cardinals to two runs on three hits over six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches in that game.

Given the fact that Yovani Gallardo, Kyle Lohse, Marco Estrada and Wily Peralta all project to return as members of the 2014 rotation, Thornburg is probably the leading candidate in the race to fill the last available projected spot in next year's starting staff. The Brewers could certainly do worse than a guy carrying a 2.66 ERA over eight career starts with 33 strikeouts in 44 innings.

Thornburg pitched against the Cubs in a doubleheader on July 30, working six shutout innings in a game the Brewers went on to win 3-2. No current Cubs have faced him ten times or more.

He'll face rookie lefty Chris Rusin (2.85 ERA, 4.27 FIP), who has also made the most of a limited opportunity this season. Rusin was a tough luck loser against the Pirates on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings with no walks and two strikeouts. He needed just 79 pitches to record 21 outs in the game.

Rusin was a fourth round pick in the 2009 draft and has a career 3.72 ERA over 105 minor league appearances despite not throwing all that hard: His fastball sits around 88 and he'll compliment it with a fair number of cutters and changeups. He won't get many strikeouts (just 4.8 per nine innings this season), so he relies pretty heavily on his defense.

Rusin struggled against the Brewers back on September 6, allowing two runs on seven hits over just 3.2 innings with two walks and a strikeout. Aramis Ramirez homered off him in that game. No current Brewers have faced him ten times or more.

Tonight's lineup is as follows:

Norichika Aoki RF
Jean Segura SS
Jonathan Lucroy C
Aramis Ramirez 3B
Carlos Gomez CF
Khris Davis LF
Sean Halton 1B
Scooter Gennett 2B
Tyler Thornburg P

And in the bullpen:

• Brandon Kintzler pitched one inning (16 pitches) last night, and also pitched on Monday.
• Jim Henderson pitched one inning (16 pitches) last night.
• Rob Wooten pitched one inning (15 pitches) on Monday.
• Michael Gonzalez pitched .2 innings (13 pitches) on Monday.
• Donovan Hand pitched .1 innings (four pitches) on Monday.
• Michael Blazek, Alfredo Figaro, Jimmy Nelson and Burke Badenhop last pitched on Saturday.
• Tom Gorzelanny is hoping to pitch again before the end of the season but is still bothered by shoulder soreness.

The forecast for tonight calls for a game-time temperature in the low 70's, and the Miller Park Roof Hotline says the roof is expected to be open. Assuming that's the case, expect the wind to be blowing from right to left.

Wednesday's game threads are all in this StoryStream.

Cubs lineup:

xxxx

Insert your choice of "other split-squad" joke here.

Brewers lineup:

xxxx

Today's Starting Pitchers

Chris Rusin Cubs vs. Tyler Thornburg Brewers vs. Mil -- vs. Cubs

Today's game is on CSN Chicago.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. The usual caution is advised.

Here's the scoop on game threads for 2013. You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStream™, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.

In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.

You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in this StoryStream™. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.

MILWAUKEE -- About the time you're reading this, I should be arriving at Miller Park for my final Cubs road game of the year.

Why am I doing this? I like road trips, and it should be interesting to see Miller Park as empty as I ever have seen it. I should note that the Cubs are 5-20 since the beginning of 2011 at Miller Park, and I have not seen them win there since this game more than three years ago. It would be nice to end that drought.

Cubs lineup:

Castro SS, Valbuena 3B, Rizzo 1B, Navarro C, Schierholtz RF, Sweeney CF, Bogusevic LF, Barney 2B, Rusin P

Insert your choice of "other split-squad" joke here.

Brewers lineup:

Aoki RF, Segura SS, Lucroy C, Ramirez 3B, Gomez CF, Davis LF, Halton 1B, Gennett 2B, Thornburg P

Today's Starting Pitchers

Chris Rusin Cubs vs. Tyler Thornburg Brewers vs. Mil -- vs. Cubs

Chris Rusin has been quite solid since his recall after the Scott Feldman trade, although his previous outing this year against the Brewers (September 6 at Wrigley Field) was one of his worst of the year. He rebounded from that one with a very good start against the Pirates. Rusin has definitely placed himself in the conversation for the 2014 rotation; he's put together five starts of six or more innings in the 10 that he had a chance to do that (he was not expected to go that long in his first start after his recall).

Tyler Thornburg threw six scoreless innings against the Cubs July 30 at Wrigley Field and since being returned to the Brewers rotation this month, has had two very good starts against contending teams (Pirates and Cardinals). We are probably doomed, considering the lack of offense already demonstrated in this series.

Today's game is on CSN Chicago.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. The usual caution is advised.

Here's the scoop on game threads for 2013. You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStream™, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.

In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.

You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in this StoryStream™. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.

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On this day in 1962 the Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Braves 4-0 at County Stadium. The Braves had five hits in the game but none of them came from Hank Aaron, who went 0-for-4 to snap a 24-game home hitting streak. It was the longest streak in County Stadium's 46 years as a major league ballpark.

Aaron's streak started on July 26 of that year, when he went 2-for-4 with a home run in the final game of a home series against the Mets. All told the streak lasted 54 days, and Aaron hit .371/.456/.663 in his home ballpark over that time.

The 24-game County Stadium streak was later matched by Paul Molitor in 1987, but will never be exceeded. Here are the top five streaks:

With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Nashville Sound Robinzon Diaz, who turns 30.
• 1999 Brewer Jim Abbott, who turns 46.
• Isaiah Clark, the Brewers' first round pick (#18 overall) in the 1984 draft. He turns 48 and we covered his birthday in this space last year.
• 1973 Brewer Chris Short, who would have turned 76.

Today is also the 31st anniversary of Gorman Thomas homering twice in the same inning as the Brewers beat the Yankees 14-1 in 1982. We covered that event in this space two years ago.

Theo, Theo, more Theo.

From Comcast SportsNet

• Dale Sveum sees Starlin Castro taking big steps forward.
• And Edwin Jackson has no problem with the manager, even after being pulled just four innings into a start against the Brewers.
• Theo Epstein doesn't expect the Cubs to be big players in free agency.
• Is Dale Sveum on the hot seat?

From Cubs Den

• Much of the Cubs' progress at the major league level can be seen on defense.
• There's a lot of intrigue on the Cubs' Instructional League roster.
• It might be time to reassess the Matt Garza trades.
• Thoughts on Theo, Sveum, spending, trading, and shortstops.

• Mariano Duncan acknowledges TANG, but he thinks Javier Baez will be something special.
• (Video) Dale Sveum talks about his future with the team.
• (Video) Jeff Samardzija talks about his spat with coach David Bell.

From the Chicago Sun-Times

• (Video) Edwin Jackson talks about his "altercation" with Dale Sveum.
• This seems like overly reading the tea leaves to me, but Gordo is convinced the Cubs are bracing for another 90+ loss season next year.

From the Daily Herald

• The Cubs think they should have three gold glove winners. Of course, every team thinks they have four or five all-stars in mid-July, too.
  

Today's food for thought

• My wife sent this to me to check out. It is art, made through data.
  

W: Tyler Thornburg (3-1)
L: Chris Rusin (2-5)

HR: Sean Halton (4, grand slam), Khris Davis (10)

MVP: Sean Halton (+.217 WPA)
LVP: Carlos Gomez (-.030)

Win Expectancy Graph
Box Score

Tyler Thornburg and Sean Halton may not have been on the team when the Brewers had a winning month in April, but they're a big part of the reason the Brewers are 9-7 in September.

Thornburg was excellent Wednesday night, shutting out the Cubs for six innings and allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out four. He's now thrown six quality starts in six tries this season, and has a 1.25 ERA in those games.

The Brewers got him plenty of support, putting up five runs in the first inning. Sean Halton had the big blow: A grand slam to right that more or less decided the game early. Khris Davis also homered later in the game and went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.

This series wraps up with a 1:10 matinee on Thursday. Kyle Lohse will take on Jake Arrieta.

It is September and the Milwaukee Brewers are 20 games out of first place. That makes it easy to ignore what's going on in Milwaukee, but fantasy owners and general baseball fans should keep this name in mind as we move towards 2014: right-handed pitcher Jimmy Nelson.

Nelson pitched college baseball at the University of Alabama. He struggled with command issues as a freshman (6.26 ERA, 37/29 K/BB in 42 innings), but improved as a sophomore (4.54 ERA, 39/20 K/BB in 38 innings) used mainly as a reliever both seasons. He moved to the rotation for his junior year in 2010 and improved significantly, posting a 4.01 ERA with a 98/33 K/BB in 110 innings. There was some question on his long-term role, but his stuff was strong and he was drafted in the second round.

Assigned to Low-A Wisconsin in the Midwest League for 2011, Nelson posted a somewhat disappointing 4.38 ERA due to command troubles, though he pitched 146 innings with a 120/65 K/BB. Moved up to High-A Brevard County in the Florida State League for 2012, he showed better control, posting a 77/25 K/BB in 81 innings with a 2.21 ERA. Promoted to Double-A Huntsville in July, he had some adaptation issues but held his own overall, posting a 3.91 ERA with a 42/37 K/BB in 46 innings.

Nelson returned to Huntsville for 2013 and improved a great deal, with a 72/15 K/BB in 69 innings. This got him an invite to the MLB All Star Futures Game, as well as a promotion to Triple-A Nashville. He ran up a 3.67 ERA in 83 innings for the Sounds, with a 91/50 K/BB and 74 hits allowed. He's thrown three scoreless innings so far in the majors.

Born June 5, 1989, Nelson is a big guy at 6-5, 245. He had problems keeping his mechanics in gear early in his career, but has made a lot of progress making his delivery more consistent, enhancing his command and control. He has needed time to make adjustments at each level: the general pattern is a spike in his walk rate when he is promoted, but it comes back down again as he gets used to the competition.

His stuff is certainly good enough: he can hit 94-96 with his four-seam fastball, 90-93 with nasty sinking action when he goes with two seams. Even when his command is off, he keeps the ball down and gives up very few home runs; walks are his weakness, not gopher balls. His slider is very good, and he's improved his change-up from quite weak to at least workable and sometimes better than average.

Nelson eats innings and has a workhorse body. He still had some occasional mechanical issues in Triple-A, but PCL sources were impressed with his stuff and he is certainly ahead of where he was two years ago in the Midwest League. Although he hasn't been spectacular, his development has been steady and consistent.

Assuming that health problems don't crop up and he continues to progress with his command, Nelson has the ability to become a mid-rotation starter. Don't expect Nelson to dominate immediately, but given a proper chance to adjust, he should be valuable. I think his profile is similar to fellow Milwaukee Brewer Wily Peralta. Peralta hasn't been great this year, but he's flashed ability and clearly has the potential to get a lot better. Nelson should be similar.

MILWAUKEE -- I made the trip up I-94 to Miller Park Wednesday night for a baseball game.

I wish the Cubs had, too.

Oh, wait. Yes, baseball players dressed in Cubs uniforms -- blue alt jerseys, gray "trousers" (as Pat Hughes charmingly puts it), blue caps, blue shoes -- did make appearances on the field at Miller Park, but you could hardly call what they did "playing baseball."

After the Brewers had scored one run off Chris Rusin in the first inning on an Aramis Ramirez single and then loaded the bases with Brewers rookie Sean Halton due up, I said to the friends I had traveled north with, "This game is about to be over."

I wish I hadn't been right; unfortunately, I was, as Halton lofted a 3-2 sinker high into right field; it landed over the wall, just beyond the reach of Nate Schierholtz for a grand slam and a 5-0 Milwaukee lead. I was reminded of a similar play, four years ago, when Reed Johnson stole a potential slam from Prince Fielder in a Cubs win.

Johnson and Fielder are both long gone from their National League Central days, both headed to the playoffs this year while the Cubs and Brewers play out the string. Milwaukee's doing a better job on that string than the Cubs are; this game was their fourth straight win and sixth in their last seven, while it was the Cubs' fourth consecutive defeat. The "tragic number" of Cubs losses combined with Brewers wins that will clinch last place in the N.L. Central for the Cubs is now six.

You might be wondering why I'm not writing more about the actual game; truth be told, it really was pretty much over after Halton's slam. The Cubs had just four hits; the offensive "stars" of the game were Ryan Sweeney, who singled and doubled, and Luis Valbuena, who walked twice. Yes, that's what we are reduced to, "celebrating" a two-walk game. The pair of walks moved Valbuena into a tie for 25th place in the National League in that category. Hooray.

The Cubs' bullpen did all right; Alberto Cabrera surrendered a run in a sloppily-pitched fifth inning, but after that, Hector Rondon, Chang-Yong Lim and Blake Parker set down the last nine Brewers in order. Both teams appeared to be going through the motions at that point; there was little energy in a Miller Park that was far different than the scene of most Cubs/Brewers games there since the park opened in 2001.

The crowd scene was far different than most recent Cubs/Brewers games in Milwaukee. There were a considerable number of no-shows from the announced 24,632; perhaps 16,000 were in the house, and unlike most past Cubs/Brewers games I have attended there, there were very few Cubs fans to be seen, I'd estimate no more than 10 percent of the house. The "highlight" of the night, such as it was, was the cup the concession stand served with my souvenir drink; it featured the Seattle Pilots logo, commemorating... I guess the 43rd anniversary of the Pilots' move to Milwaukee? Nice souvenir, though. Overall, the fans who did show up were pretty quiet after Halton's slam and many of them left by the eighth inning to beat the mostly-nonexistent traffic.

And I swear, the Miller Park video board put the same picture up for Logan Watkins and Brian Bogusevic.

I will give credit to Tyler Thornburg, the Brewers rookie righthander who had a miserable Triple-A season but who has thrown quite well since his promotion to the major leagues. Granted that the Cubs are not an offensive juggernaut, but Thornburg also shut down the Pirates and Cardinals recently. The Brewers might just have a keeper.

The Cubs, meanwhile, have... 10 games remaining this season. Following Thursday afternoon's series and road trip finale in Milwaukee, all the rest of the games are against teams headed (or likely headed) to the playoffs. It's conceivable that the Cubs might not win another game this season, and also quite likely that the Braves could clinch the National League East at Wrigley Field. Their magic number is 2, and they're off today. In fact, it's possible the Cubs might have to watch all three teams they play after Thursday clinch a playoff spot or division title against them.

Charming, no? Today's game preview will post at 11:30 a.m. CT.

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Why couldn't the Cubs have played this game Wednesday night? I know, I know, they just don't want me to see anything nice in person.

The Cubs avoided a sweep by defeating the Brewers 5-1 on Jake Arrieta's best start yet as a Cub. Arrieta went seven innings, allowing only three hits, striking out five and was touched for just one run, Carlos Gomez's solo shot in the seventh inning. He threw 65 strikes in 88 pitches, an excellent ratio; command has been one of his biggest issues. More of the same next time, please, Jake.

Before that, the Cubs had also taken out the long-ball bats; Luis Valbuena gave the team a 1-0 lead in the first inning and Nate Schierholtz extended his own career high with his 21st in the third. Arrieta himself drove in a run with a nicely-placed bunt. Brian Bogusevic added yet another homer in the ninth; that gives the Cubs 167 home runs this year, just five short of the league leaders (the Braves).

So the Cubs finish their season against Milwaukee with six wins and 13 losses, and went 4-7 on the road trip. Arrieta made a strong case with his solid outing for a spot in the 2014 rotation. If only he could have this kind of start every time out. After Dale Sveum said he'd get Pedro Strop some closing opportunities through the end of the year to see how he did in that role, today... Strop pitched in the eighth again. (Facepalm.) Instead, Kevin Gregg finished up uneventfully in what would have been a save situation if not for Bogusevic's homer.

Finally, Logan Watkins got his first start in more than a month, and went 3-for-4. Josh had the best comment about this (sent before the fourth at-bat):

Sveum gives Watkins a start and he goes 3 for 3. Who could have predicted that? Who thinks he'll be back on the bench tomorrow? #everyone

— Josh Timmers (@Cubsminorswrap) September 19, 2013

But that's not what you all want to talk about, is it?

This is what you want to talk about:

#Cubs Baez won't play in AFL

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) September 19, 2013

#Cubs GM Hoyer says Baez "emotionally and physically drained" after long season. Agreed best to rest

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) September 19, 2013

This seems odd to me; almost all of the players in the Arizona Fall League have been through long seasons, and it's not like the AFL lasts forever -- six weeks' worth of games, and players don't necessarily play every day. It would have been nice to get Baez some reps at second base before spring training begins. Nevertheless, a winter off isn't the worst thing for a young player like this. No replacement has yet been named, but there is some speculation on who might take Baez's place:

No Fall League for #Cubs Javier Baez. Jed Hoyer says he's emotionally and physically drained. Possible Almora takes full-time AFL spot

— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) September 19, 2013

More than Baez, Albert Almora could actually use the playing time, as he missed quite a bit of 2013 with injuries and played in just 61 games with 272 plate appearances, not quite half a year's play.

Meanwhile, Baez (and pitcher Kyle Hendricks) will be honored as the organization's Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, before Saturday's game at Wrigley Field against the Braves.

One last note from Thursday's game:

Castillo out of game with right knee soreness. #Cubs

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) September 19, 2013

That isn't good, but with just nine games left, it doesn't sound too serious, and if Welington Castillo is shut down as a precaution and doesn't play again, he'll have finished the year strong and should be primed for an excellent 2014.

The rest of the season should be quite interesting as the Cubs will be able to "participate" in playoff races, after a fashion; all nine remaining games are against contending teams. It's very likely the Cubs will have to watch the Braves clinch the National League East at Wrigley Field this weekend. The last team other than the Cubs to clinch a playoff spot at Wrigley was the Cardinals in 2005, and here's what happened that night:

... there was a memorable game on Thursday, September 15, a night game where the Cardinals anticipated clinching a tie for the division title (which, essentially, was an outright clinching because had the Astros tied them, St. Louis would have been the division winner). The Cubs trailed 6-0 going into the bottom of the ninth. Derrek Lee led off the inning with a home run, and then it started to rain. The rain got harder as an out, a single and another out were registered; then Neifi Perez walked. It was pouring when Henry Blanco hit a foul popup that should have been the last out, but Yadier Molina dropped it for an error, after which Blanco hit an infield single, loading the bases.

With Jose Macias due up and the rain now coming down in sheets, the umpires halted play. An hour later the game was called and the Cardinals had to celebrate in their clubhouse, instead of on the field.

Not that I'm looking for rain -- though storms are in Friday's forecast -- but maybe the Cubs can figure out a way to win and deny the Braves an on-field celebration this weekend. Scott Baker will face former Cub Paul Maholm Friday afternoon.

W: Jake Arrieta (4-4)
L: Kyle Lohse (10-10)

HR: Carlos Gomez (21), Luis Valbuena (12), Nate Schierholtz (21), Brian Bogusevic (6)

MVP: Sean Halton (+.045 WPA)
LVP: Scooter Gennett (-.087 WPA)

win expectancy graph | box score

I think I knew where this game was going when I saw Luis Valbuena hit a solo home run in the first inning. I really knew where it was going when the Brewers failed to get on base against Jake Arrieta, and when they did, 1/3 of it was a Gomez home run. (Jeff Bianchi also hit a double.) Lohse really couldn't locate anything today and ran up the pitch count and gave up too many fly balls, but there's not much he could have done to prevent the Brewers from losing.

Donovan Hand is making me sad with the home runs. The home run, by Brian Bogusevic, was a work of awesomeness off the bottom of the scoreboard, one I would have enjoyed if it had been hit in any other circumstance but by an NL Central player against the Brewers. It also makes me realize that a pitcher with an Obligatory Home Run problem, like Hand and Oakland's A.J. Griffin, works a heck of a lot better as a starter than as a reliever.

Good things: Sean Halton's pinch-hit double (more starts for Halton, please! I realize today was Day Game Lineup, but he should be All the Days Lineup;) the continued existence of Carlos Gomez, both offensively and defensively. I know everyone loves when Gomez robs home runs, but seeing some of Gomez's normal outfield plays today made me realize just how valuable his everyday defense is. Or I'm comparing him to Alex Presley, whom I saw a lot of last week because I attended three Twins games in a row. I saw a better CF than that for Oakland--Coco Crisp--but Crisp still isn't as good as Gomez.

Earlier today the Brewersclaimed pitcher Josh Ravin off waivers from the Reds, and tonight we have a corresponding move: Catcher Blake Lalli has been designated for assignment. (h/t @ChrisCotillo via MLBTR)

Lalli turned 30 in May and was a Brewer briefly earlier this season, going 3-for-24 with a couple of RBI in 16 games. He played five games at first base for the Brewers but was primarily a catcher in Nashville, where he batted .282/.334/.447 over 311 plate appearances. This was the eighth professional season for the former undrafted free agent.

It was pretty telling when the Brewers elected not to make Lalli a September callup to serve as a third catcher. If he clears waivers the Brewers can outright him to the minors or he can elect to become a free agent. Even if he accepts an outright assignment he'll be a minor league free agent after the season.

The Brewers' 40-man roster currently contains 46 players, with four on the 60-day DL and two more on the restricted list.

Some things to read while stating the obvious.

The Brewers' Thursday woes continued yesterday as they lost 5-1, missing an opportunity for their first-ever four-game sweep of the Cubs. morineko has the recap, if you missed it.

Kyle Lohse had a rough day yesterday, allowing three runs on seven hits and lasting just five innings. It was only the third time in his last 15 starts he's failed to record an out in the sixth inning. He also had some issues with home plate umpire Chad Fairchild, who reportedly told Martin Maldonado that Lohse's "grumpy face" was costing him some strike calls. Logan Schafer also had an argument with Fairchild at the end of the game. Keith Law called the dispute a "grumpshow."

The Brewers played yesterday's game without Jean Segura, who left Wednesday's game early with a hamstring strain and is day-to-day. The Brewers have said they're not going to rush their young shortstop back into action, so it seems likely he's played his final home game at Miller Park for 2013.

Other notes from the field:

• The Italian won the sausage race.

Let's wrap up the Cubs series with a look at this week's home runs, with help from Hit Tracker:

Gomez's pair of homers this week may have strengthened his case for team MVP. Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar considered the argument.

The Brewers' final homestand continues tonight when they host the Cardinals. Johnny Hellweg will take on Shelby Miller at 7:10, and Chad Thornburg has the MLB.com preview. If you're so inclined, Jeremy Blachman of FanGraphs recommends a Leinenkugels Oktoberfest or a White Russian to accompany this game.

The Brewers made a roster move yesterday, claiming pitcher Josh Ravin off waivers from the Reds. The 25-year-old righty has a career 5.30 ERA over eight seasons in the minors, but @AdamMcCalvy compared his stuff to Rangers closer Joe Nathan. Ravin, by the way, is on Twitter as @FreshSqueezed22. The Brewers designated Blake Lalli for assignment to clear a space for him on the 40-man roster.

So Ravin is likely to have a locker in Maryvale next spring, but will Corey Hart be there too? Hart made an appearance in Milwaukee yesterday and told reporters he'd be willing to accept a discount to re-sign with the Brewers as a free agent this winter. Hart has missed the entire season with knee issues but says his doctors have told him he'll be fine to play 5-6 more years. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy)

Howie Magner is on board the Hart bandwagon, as shown in our Tweet of the Day:

Have thought all along Hart would be back with #Brewers on incentive-laden short-term deal. Just seems to make sense for both sides.

— Howie Magner (@howiemag) September 19, 2013

Hart wasn't the only absent Brewer to make an appearance at Miller Park this week: Ryan Braun was also in town delivering lunch to employees at the AIDS Resource Center of Milwaukee and stopped by to visit his teammates. Old Time Family Baseball noted that Ron Roenicke said all the right things about Braun's visit.

Yesterday's game was played without Yuniesky Betancourt, which hopefully does not mean he's going to start at first base again tonight. Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball has a collection of reactions to Roenicke's quote on playing Yuni at first for his defense.

Looking ahead a couple of days, Wily Peralta is expected to take the mound for the Brewers' final home game on Sunday. Grading on the Curve ranked Peralta as the #101 prospect in all of baseball before the season, and has a look back at his 2013 campaign.

Jimmy Nelson will probably crack some prospect lists next year. He was Wednesday's Prospect of the Day at Minor League Ball.

Nelson and Peralta didn't make this list, but perhaps they should have: Brandon Berg of Chippewa.com has a discussion of young players who have made the Brewers worth watching down the stretch.

In the minors:

• Brewers Farm Report has an interview with 2013 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Tyler Wagner.
• The Brewer Nation has an interview with 2013 Brevard County Manatee Mitch Haniger.

Back in Milwaukee, Big League Stew noticed that the annual Racing Sausages motorcycle race was held on the warning track before Tuesday's game. Jess Lemont of The Brewers Bar responded by breaking out the xylophone.

Let's go around the NL Central:

• The Rockies needed 15 innings and 21 hits to do it, but they slowed down the Cardinals with a 7-6 win at Coors Field. Colorado outfielder Corey Dickerson hit a rare walkoff triple for the victory, and it was his second triple of the game. The Rockies also pulled off the hidden ball trick in the game.
• The Pirates closed the gap on first place with a 10-1 win over the Padres. Neil Walker had four hits for Pittsburgh, including a home run.
• The Cubs, as you likely know, beat the Brewers.
• The Reds were off Thursday.

You can read more about those games and all of last night's action in today's edition of Around the Bases on SBNation.com.

Here are today's updated standings and probables:

My breakfast is still sitting half uneaten on my desk this morning, and the next link is the reason why: Months after the initial report, the Athletics are continuing to deal with sewage issues at the Coliseum in Oakland.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to mark my calendar.

Drink up.