Milwaukee surged to a franchise-record 14 straight wins, riding Andrew Vaughn’s hot bat after his midseason move and Christian Yelich’s steady power to push their division lead forward. Vaughn has been a revelation since the swap for Aaron Civale, tearing the cover off the ball and driving in runs at an eye-opening pace, while Yelich provides the dependable ballast the lineup has needed. The Brewers’ streak reshapes the playoff landscape, complicating Milwaukee’s rivals’ paths and giving fantasy managers a clearer path to upside in their lineups.

Cuts to Chicago reveal a Cubs club trying to thread the needle in a crowded NL wild-card race. Counsell’s Wisconsin quips aside, the Cubs face a five-game set at Wrigley as they scramble for home-field advantage in a three- or five-game playoff format. The wild-card seed discussion centers on seeds 3–6, with home games still meaningful but not overwhelming in the three-game format. The nostalgia of 1987—13 in a row, then 12 straight losses—hangs over both teams, underscoring how swiftly fortunes flip and how a single stretch can tilt the odds in October.