It sure would help if Kyle Hendricks keeps pitching like this. They’ll take a few more big home runs from Kris Bryant http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , too.Hendricks went eight innings in another strong start, Bryant connected and the Cubs moved closer to the division title while dealing another hit to St. Louis’ playoff hopes, beating the Cardinals 8-4 on Friday.“This is what you look for,” Hendricks said. “These are the games you want to play in, games that have meaning like this. That’s why we play the game. Hopefully, we’ve got a lot of these left.”The Cubs came into the final weekend of the regular season with a franchise-record fourth straight trip to the postseason assured and their third division title in a row in sight. They remained one game ahead of Milwaukee, which beat Detroit 6-5 on Friday night.The Cubs can clinch the NL Central on Saturday — and home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs — with a win and a Brewers loss.St. Louis matched a season high with its fourth straight loss, after being swept by Milwaukee this week. The Cardinals trail Los Angeles by two games for the second NL wild card after the Dodgers won 3-1 in San Francisco late Friday night.With two games remaining, one more St. Louis loss or Los Angeles win would eliminate the Cardinals from postseason contention.“Clearly the back is completely against the wall,” manager Mike Shildt said.Hendricks (14-11) gave up two runs and seven hits . The right-hander is 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA in his past seven outings and has thrown a career-high 199 innings.“He’s pitched with his best stuff since I’ve known him,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “There’s not many strikeouts, not a lot of swing-and-misses. But the velocity on the fastball, he’s back to the weaker contact in general. He looks strong. … I just see a stronger version of Kyle.”Bryant made it 3-0 with a long solo drive to center against Adam Wainwright in the fourth.That gave the 2016 NL MVP just two homers in 27 games and 13 total in a season marked by injuries. Bryant missed the previous two games because of a bruised left wrist after getting hit by a pitch and was on the disabled list two times this year because of left shoulder inflammation.Daniel Murphy had two hits, two runs and an RBI. He singled and scored in a two-run first, doubled and came around in the fifth, and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.Anthony Rizzo had an RBI single and sacrifice fly.Albert Almora drove in two with a single against Dominic Leone to cap a three-run eighth, making it 8-2, and the Cubs won their third in a row after losing four of six.“We’ve been here before,” Bryant said http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , referring to three straight appearances in the NLCS and a World Series championship in 2016 that ended a drought dating to 1908. “We’ve been under pressure situations. I think we know how to handle it.”Wainwright (2-4) is now 11-3 lifetime at Wrigley Field. He lasted five innings, allowing four runs and five hits, in what could be his final start for the Cardinals. Though he didn’t sound like a player ready to walk away, the three-time All-Star has an expiring contract and was on the disabled list three times this season because of hamstring and elbow injuries.“If you had asked me that question about two months ago, I would have already checked out on you,” Wainwright said. “But the way I’m feeling right now, if that is my last start, it would be kind of hard to walk away knowing the way I’m feeling right now.”TRAINER’S ROOMCubs: Manager Joe Maddon said he wasn’t sure if reliever Pedro Strop (strained left hamstring) will pitch this weekend. The right-hander still feels some discomfort on the landing throwing off the mound. Strop has been sidelined since Sept. 13, when he was hurt running to first on a double-play grounder at Washington. … The Cubs activated C Bobby Wilson, who was acquired Aug. 30 from Minnesota on Friday. The Twins placed him on the 10-day disabled list Aug. 24 because of a sprained right ankle.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (17-4, 2.94 ERA) looks to win his fifth straight start, after holding San Francisco to two runs and two hits in seven innings on Sunday.Cubs: LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 2.47) tries to shake off back-to-back losses after going 4-0 in his first nine starts for Chicago following a trade from Texas. He homered against Pittsburgh on Monday but got outpitched by Jameson Taillon. Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesThe Boston Red Sox will learn their World Series opponent when the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers settle the score in Saturday's winner-take-all Game 7.After ousting the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, Boston booted the defending champion Houston Astros in a five-game American League Championship Series.The newly minted AL champs will host whichever teamcaptures the National League pennant.Neither of those challengers will seem overly daunting to the Red Sox after conquering teams who each notched at least 100 wins to get to the World Series.However, Boston will either encounter a deep Dodgers squad led by Clayton Kershaw and Manny Machado or a mighty Brewers bullpen. The team will also have to tinker their lineup at least twice with J.D. Martinez unable to serve as the designated hitter under NL rules.TheRed Sox made it this far without their three elite pitchers consistently performing to their lofty standards, but that must change to bring another banner to Boston.2018 MLB World Series ScheduleGame 1 - Brewers/Dodgers at Red Sox: Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 8:09 p.m. ETGame 2 - Brewers/Dodgers at Red Sox: Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 8:09 p.m. ETGame 3 - Red Sox at Brewers/Dodgers: Friday, Oct. 26at 8:09 p.m. ETGame 4 - Red Sox atBrewers/Dodgers: Saturday Willie McCovey Jersey , Oct. 27at 8:09 p.m. ET*Game 5 - Red Sox atBrewers/Dodgers: Sunday, Oct. 28at 8:15 p.m. ET*Game 6 -Brewers/Dodgersat Red Sox: Tuesday, Oct. 29at 8:09 p.m. ET*Game 7 -Brewers/Dodgersat Red Sox: Wednesday, Oct. 30at 8:09 p.m. ET*= if necessaryAll games will be televised on Fox and available to stream live on Fox Live TV Burning Question: Can Boston Trust Its Star Pitchers?Craig Kimbrel has walked a tightrope throughout the postseason.Elsa/Getty ImagesHeading into the postseason, those who picked against the 108-win Red Sox鈥攖his writer included鈥攚ondered whether the bullpen could build a sturdy bridge to Craig Kimbrel. The middle relievers have succeeded with flying colors; Joe Kelly, Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes and 31-year-old rookie Ryan Brasier have allowed two combined runs in 21.2 combined postseason frames.They instead have held their breath watching Kimbrel, who has ceded five runs in as many nerve-wracking outings. He has issued six walks and a handful of warning-trackfly balls鈥攏ot to mention Alex Bregman's screeching line drive saved by a diving Andrew Benintendi for Game 4's final out鈥攖hat nearly cost Boston in the win column.Per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo, Kimbrel apologized to Boston fans after narrowly escaping another jam in Thursday's series-clinching Game 5:Chris Cotillo ChrisCotilloCraig Kimbrels message to New Englanders: quot;I鈥檓 sorry that I gave quite a few of you heart attacks the last few days. Let鈥檚 hope in the World Series I can make them nice and clean.quot; #RedSoxThat's the unpredictability of postseasonbaseball. Kimbrel boasts a career 1.91 ERA with the lowest fielding independent pitching (1.96 FIP) of any qualified reliever in major league history, according to FanGraphs.Brasier, who has fortified their late innings with seven shutout frames, was pitching in Japan last year.Perhaps it's unfair to expect positive regression to the mean from Boston's relief ace without anticipating everyone else to fall the other way. It won't matter if the other guys squander leads before he emerges, but Kimbrel won't preserve his October Houdini act unless he makes amends with the strike zone.The Red Sox, of course, must also worry about recording outs before turning to the bullpen. They received a scare when Chris Sale, their scheduled Game 5 starter, was hospitalized with a stomach illness earlier in the week.It is not supposed to impede his World Series availability. In a WEEI radio appearance (h/t NBC Sports Boston), manager Alex Cora said the star southpaw will start Tuesday's Game 1 at Fenway Park."Yes, Chris Sale is our No. 1 starter. Most likely David [Price] will be Game 2 Mel Ott Jersey ," Cora said. "鈥?We'll figure it out. We'll talk about it as a group, but Chris is ready for Game 1. We'll decide about Game 2, 3, and 4. Let's enjoy this one."Sale, however, also did not pitch to his elite expectations before the health scare. He issued four free passes in as many innings against the Astros. After seemingly squashing a velocity concern in the previous round, his fastball speed again tumbled:Sarah Langs SlangsOnSportsChris Sale average four-seam fastball velocity in 2018:Before being on DL: 95.4 MPHSeptember: 93.0 MPHALDS: 94.6 MPHALCS Game 1: 92.0 MPHWhile he remains effective at 92-93 miles per hour, those lost ticks at least give the opposition a puncher's chance:Devan Fink DevanFinkChris Sale during 2018 regular season...When FB velocity averaged at least 94 MPH:1.83 ERA, 39.8 K%, 5.9 BB%When FB velocity averaged less than 94 MPH:3.30 ERA, 36.7 K%, 3.1 BB%Average FB velocity last night: 92.0 MPHAt least Price enters the Fall Classic on a brighter note. The 33-year-old exorcized his playoff demons by stockpiling nine strikeouts in six scoreless frames in a series-clinching win over Houston.He had surrendered seven runs and six walks in 6.1 innings versus the Yankees and Astros r to Thursday's gem.An adjustment fueled his success. According to Brooks Baseball, the lefty threw more changeups (40) than he had in any start this year. He induced 12 whiffsand no hits against the pitch he tweaked the previous day, as noted by Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein.Price can forever erase the unflattering October reputation by harnessing that changeup at least one more night. Alongside Sale and Kimbrel, the big-name trio presents the key to Boston celebrating its fourth championship in 15 years.