hours Monday Dave Winfield Jersey , the Chicago Cubs went from being tied for the best record in the National League to finding themselves playing for their baseball lives on Tuesday.Despite that, however, they are just glad to still be alive.The Cubs will look to extend their season on Tuesday when they host the NL Wild Card Game against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Chicago (95-68) missed on a chance to host the NLD when they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Monday in the one-game tiebreaker for the Central Division title.Article continues below ...Instead, they will host the Rockies (91-72), who dropped a 5-2 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Monday’s other divisional tiebreaker. With the loss, the Rockies will fly cross-country to face the Cubs for the right to play the Brewers, who will host the NLDS starting Thursday.The loser of Tuesday’s game will see their season end. The Cubs and Rockies split their six games this season, the last of which was played at the beginning of May. Each team scored 33 runs over the six games.“It’s the seventh game of the World Series right out of the chute,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after his team managed just three hits Monday.Maddon added: “There’s no lamenting; there’s no crying. There’s none of that.”Ace Jon Lester will start for the Cubs. Lester (18-6, 3.32 ERA) has been on a roll of late and has won his past three starts and four of his five outings in September. Lester hasn’t allowed an earned run in two of his previous two starts but is 1-3 with a 2.25 ERA in five career starts against Colorado. Maddon said Monday that if needed, starter Cole Hamels could be available out of the bullpen if it meant allowing the Cubs to live to see another day.“We’ve got a lot of playoff experience in this locker room and I think that’s kind of what we have to pull on Jack Morris Jersey ,” Hamels said Monday. “There’s a lot of teams that are at home right now and I think they would love that one more opportunity to play a meaningful game. That’s what we have to look at.”Like the Cubs, the Rockies struggled to find their offense in Monday’s loss. Colorado was no-hit for 5 2/3 innings and finished with just four hits before finally scoring a pair of runs in the ninth inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story.Now, the Rockies will face a do-or-die scenario.Kyle Freeland (17-7, 2.85) will start on three days’ rest for Colorado and has not lost since Aug. 1. Freeland is 5-0 in September and is 9-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 14 starts since the All-Star break. Freeland is 0-2 in a pair of career starts against the Cubs with a 4.15 ERA.“I’m looking forward to the battle in Chicago,” Freeland said, according to the Denver Post. “I’ve done everything I could to get my arm feeling good from my last start and it feels good right now. I’m ready to go and I’m not to worry about being on short rest.”Like the Cubs, the Rockies feel they have their best option on the mound.“He’s been our best guy. It seems like every time he’s out there, we’re winning, we have a chance to win, or we do win,” outfielder Charlie Blackmon told the Post. Injuries aplenty http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-curtis-granderson-jersey , relievers getting roughed up and the Norfolk shuttle getting warm. In other news: the O’s are back in court against their beltway rivals."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Commentary & AnalysisOrioles ProspectsOrioles Game RecapsOrioles News and RumorsCamdencastBird DroppingsWednesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles pitching staff is in tattersNew,1026commentsInjuries aplenty, relievers getting roughed up and the Norfolk shuttle getting warm. In other news: the O’s are back in court against their beltway rivals.EDTShareTweetShareShareWednesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles pitching staff is in tattersEvan Habeeb-USA TODAY SportsGood morning, Birdland!There were legitimate concerns about the Orioles pitching situation all off-season, and many of those concerns are coming to fruition in the season’s first month. A few members of the bullpen that were expected to hold significant roles this season, are continuing to struggle. Richard Bleier and Miguel Castro both got roughed up again against the Athletics on Tuesday night. They each now have season ERA’s north of 11.On top of that, Alex Cobb and Nate Karns are headed to the IL. Cobb has made just one start so far, but he looked pretty darn good. Karns has made a few appearances and has allowed just one run to this point. Those two will be replaced, for the moment, by Evan Phillips and Josh Rogers.This feels like it could begin the never-ending shuttle between Norfolk and Baltimore in order to plug holes in the pitching staff throughout the season. Phillips threw three innings on Tuesday. Could he be optioned to bring up yet another fresh arm? Rogers is expected to backup Dan Straily today and could be counted on for multiple innings as well. That may mean he gets sent back down after just one appearance.It was inevitable that this was going to happen at some point in the summer. I was just hoping it would be a little while longer before we needed to get the revolving door of relievers going.Links & NotesOrioles Place Alex Cobb On Injured List - MLB Trade RumorsThis is not what the O’s needed right now. Luckily, both injuries sound rather minor. Neither player is expected to stay on the IL for longer than the minimum 10 days.Bad luck and one bad pitch doom Means in 13-2 loss (updated) - School of RochAll of the quotes you can handle! Brandon Hyde compliments John Means on his first career start and explains the pitching moves he has made following the injuries to Karns and Cobb. Plus Aaron Loup Jersey , Means reflects on a rough and slightly unlucky outing.MASN feud continues as Nationals and O’s battle over new lawsuit = Washington PostThis will never end. It will be death, taxes and the O’s and Nats fighting in court. I’m not smart enough to understand the entire situation between the two clubs, but it sure seems like MLB and the Nationals don’t seem too interested in maintaining the deal that was agreed to when the Washington franchise relocated from Montreal.Davis can’t hit, but the O’s have little choice but to keep playing him - Washington PostThis is a nice look at everything that goes into a contract going so sour for a big league team. There has been talk about the O’s recouping money via insurance or doing literally anything else to avoid paying out every single dollar they agreed to pay Chris Davis. In short: they really can’t unless something wild happens. Orioles birthdays and historyIs it your birthday? Happy birthday!Former outfielder and dugout cheerleader of the 2013 Orioles, Chris Dickerson, turns 37 today. Relief pitcher Alberto Reyes, a member of the 1999 and 2000 Birds, is 49. Mike Devereaux, the longtime centerfielder in Baltimore from 1989 through 1994 and then again in 1996, celebrates his 56th birthday. Utilityman Lee Lacy, who played a role for the Birds in the mid-80’s Matt Adams Jersey , is turning 71. And finally, 1959-1964 right-handed pitcher Wes Stock is 85 years old.2013 - The Orioles are a part of history! They play a game against the Red Sox in front of 30,862 fans at Fenway Park, ending the Red Sox streak of 820 consecutive sell-outs. This streak had begun on May 15, 2003 and included both regular season and postseason games.2014 - More history! The O’s are beaten 12-4 in their home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. Southpaw Mark Buehrle starts for the Jays and gets the win, the 200th of his career.