ed American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6)

CHICAGO -- Wrigley Field was dark and empty when a loud cheer reverberated throughout the neighborhood surrounding the iconic ballpark.While the Chicago Cubs decided to delay their party, their long-downtrodden fans were ready to celebrate.Chicago wasted its first chance to clinch the NL Central title when pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett delivered a tiebreaking, two-run double in the seventh inning Thursday night, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-4 victory. But St. Louis 6-2 loss at San Francisco completed the Cubs season-long dominance of the division.It appeared manager Joe Maddon and his players were long gone when the West Coast game wrapped up. But the final out in San Francisco touched off a celebration in Chicago that included honking horns and chanting in the streets.This is just the first step, Maddon said before the Cardinals lost. I mean, we have much larger baseball fish to fry in our skillet.The Cubs (93-53) were hoping to begin a 10-game homestand with a boozy celebration of their first division title since 2008. But Keon Broxton homered and Orlando Arcia drove in two runs for Milwaukee, making Chicago wait a little while longer.Now the party shifts to Friday, right after the Cubs afternoon start against the Brewers. It might be a bit anticlimactic for Maddon and Co., but they took all the drama out of the division race long ago.Led by a stellar pitching staff and MVP contenders Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago got off to a sizzling 25-6 start. After stumbling into the All-Star break, the Cubs pulled away with a 22-6 August that turned the NL Central race into a mere formality.But the division title is not how this group of Cubs will be judged, not this year. After running roughshod over the rest of the majors for most of the season, they are trying to end the franchises famous championship drought that goes all the way back to when the Cubs beat the Tigers in the 1908 World Series.Weve got a lot ahead of us. We really do, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said before the loss to Milwaukee. It kind of all boils down to how you perform in October.Its only the fourth time the Cubs have reached the postseason in consecutive seasons. They got in as a wild card last year and made it to the NL Championship Series before they were swept by the New York Mets.The offseason additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward only added to the anticipation for the Cubs loyal fan base, and they have delivered up until this point. But many of those same fans also were around for the last division title, when the 2008 Cubs won 97 games and then were swept by the Dodgers in the division series.Theres no team Id rather be going into October with, Epstein said. But there are never favorites in October the same way there are in the regular season.Jorge Soler hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who had won three of four. Mike Montgomery pitched six solid innings and helped himself with a tying single in the fourth for his first career hit.Justin Grimm (1-1) replaced Montgomery in the seventh, and the Brewers put runners on first and third with one out. Gennett, batting for Jimmy Nelson (8-14), blooped an 0-2 curveball into the corner in left for a 5-3 Milwaukee lead.I was just trying to put the ball in play, Gennett said. Hes a guy who throws a lot of curveballs so its important not to get too big or try to do too much. Its really just, get a good pitch to hit and put it in play.The Cubs got one back on Heywards RBI double in the eighth, but Tyler Thornburg threw a called third strike past pinch-hitter Willson Contreras with runners at the corners to end the inning.Thornburg also worked the ninth for his 10th save in 15 chances.It was just a flat-out good ballgame, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. Obviously, with where theyre at, there was great energy in the park tonight.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: RHP Michael Blazek (right forearm strain) threw a simulated game. Counsell would like to get Blazek into some games before the end of the season, but said theres no rush. The goal with Mike is just to go into the offseason healthy, Counsell said.Cubs: RHP Pedro Strop, who tweaked his right groin while working his way back from arthroscopic left knee surgery, threw a bullpen and said it went well. Hes getting close, Maddon said. Its not far off.UP NEXTMaddon likely will rest several regulars when the series resumes Friday afternoon. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 3.35 ERA) is scheduled to face Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (8-11, 4.53).---Follow Jay Cohen at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Nike Air Max 270 Günstig Kaufen . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Sale Nike Air Max 270 Schweiz . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. http://www.airmax270online.ch/ . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Nike Air Max Schweiz .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Air Max 270 Schweiz Sale . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. A sublime 243-ball 130 from Alastair Cook - his 30th Test ton - helped England claim a moral victory by drawing the first Test against India in Rajkot on Sunday.Cook managed just 21 in the first innings but he made amends in the second innings as England looked to stretch their 49-run lead quickly. The left-hander joined forces with debutant, Haseeb Hameed, who had outpaced him on the fourth day.The duo added a 180-run opening stand that saw the visitors stretch their lead to 229 before Hameed finally departed after amassing a classy 82 from 177 balls, which is the highest score for an England teenager. The partnership is the second-most by any opening pair in their teams second innings of a Test in India.Indias spinners and R Ashwin in particular stifled Englands attacking intentions by extracting extra turn from an aging Rajkot surface. Ashwin conceded just 31 runs in 13.3 overs that he bowled. He succeeded in prolonging Englands decision to declare as they pushed to stretch their lead to the 300-run mark.Joe Root was the second England batsman to fall, before Ashwin claimed Cook in the 74th over. England, at that stage, had stretched the lead to 309. Cook had hit 13 fours in his ton, which is his fifth Test hundred in India, the most by a visiting batsman. He went past Everton Weekes, Clive Lloyd and Hashim Amla who made four centuries each in the country. He also betterred Jacques Kallis eight centuries to register most hundreds by a visiting batsman in Asia.ddddddddddddIn the process he also became the fourth overseas player to score 1000 runs in India.Indias batsmen had 49 overs on the final day to negotiate and they struggled from the onset after losing opener Gautam Gambhir for a duck in the second over. First-innings centurions, Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, added 47 runs for the second wicket but they too failed to finish the job. India lost the duo six-overs apart and Ajinkya Rahane soon after. It took a 47-run stand between Ashwin and Virat Kohli to bail their side out of trouble. Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja eventually negotiated the final ten overs that completed the draw.Really tough five days, good toss to win. In India if you score 530, youre always in the game. Good cricket wicket, Cook said. Relentless with the ball, we didnt let India score too quickly. To keep them to 480, we did well. The way Has (Hameed) played was brilliant. Wanted to make them score something they couldnt get. Flat for the first three days, and then turned more and more. He (Hameed) looked the real deal in the first innings, we certainly found a batsman there, he certainly looks a good un. Adil stepped up another level. ' ' '