You could see a sense of urgency while watching the Cubs on Friday. Manager Joe Maddon benched well-paid shortstop Starlin Castro and went with rookie Addison Russell, and it paid off defensively. Maddon turned to his closer in the eighth and got huge outs against the heart of the Giants order, and Hector Rondon still had enough left in the tank to finish off a 7-3 win.
The Cubs are treating August like October, and for the Giants, this month now has an October feel to it, too. They're facing all contenders the rest of the month, starting with these Cubs and continuing all the way through a series in Los Angeles that takes them into September.