Looking back on Sunday night, after Koji Uehara nailed down the Cubs' 7-6 victory and sweep of the Cards, the moment was largely lost. But it was impossible to miss when it happened.
Kyle Schwarber, a postseason hero in his first two seasons with the Cubs, was dropped to seventh in the batting order on Friday by Joe Maddon, who up until that point had certainly been patient. Schwarber had hit only eight home runs through May, not nearly enough to go with a .165 batting average and .286 on-base percentage.
Earlier last week, while the Cubs were on an 0-6 trip to Los Angeles and San Diego, Maddon had indicated that the left-handed-hitting Schwarber would essentially be a platoon player, sitting the bench against left-handers.