For long-suffering Cubs fans, there's one current goal that might be more satisfying than witnessing a season-high nine-game winning streak or pushing their record to 30 games above .500.
It's the chance to essentially shove the rival Cardinals from National League Central title contention when the two teams meet this weekend for a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
"These games are not life or death," catcher David Ross said Wednesday night before the Cubs relied on the pitching of Jason Hammel and enough timely hitting and defense to beat the Angels 3-1 for their ninth consecutive victory.
"You want to put (the Cardinals) in the rear view mirror if they're not already. You have a chance to bury a team. I don't know if they have hope. I don't know what they're thinking.
"My main thing is getting us to play the best baseball we can _ clean baseball, continue to do what we're doing _ and we'll be fine."
But the Cubs bullpen will be short-handed as Pedro Strop injured his left leg while attempting to field Yunel Escobar's infield hit. The reliever couldn't put weight on the leg as he needed assistance to leave the field.
The severity of Strop's injury wasn't known immediately. But it's likely to result in a bigger role for Carl Edwards Jr., who struck out Mike Trout, induced Albert Pujols to ground out to second and Andrelton Simmons to short and prevent the tying run from scoring in the eighth in relief of Strop and Travis Wood.
The Cubs already are without late-inning reliever Hector Rondon, whom they hope returns from a sore right triceps this weekend.
Thanks to Hammel, most of the bullpen was preserved as he pitched seven shutout innings in his first start since Aug. 2.
Hammel (12-5) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth when he induced opposing pitcher Ricky Nolasco to hit a tapper in front of the mound for the final out.
And Hammel helped his cause with a one-out single in the fifth. When he scored on Dexter Fowler's double, he had a two-run cushion.
Before the game, manager Joe Maddon declared first baseman Anthony Rizzo worthy of a National League Gold Glove award and marveled over his defense _ particularly utility player Javier Baez.
Baez didn't disappoint at third base as he dove to his left to field a tricky hop before throwing on his knees to retire Albert Pujols in the second.
"I love the Super U (utility) everything," Maddon said. "I just think that should be a position on the All-Star team."
Meanwhile, Fowler described the Cardinals' series as "huge."
"But we want to win all the games," Fowler said. "You try to clinch as quickly as possible and then sit down and take a deep breath and go at it from there."
The Cardinals will be without pitcher Michael Wacha, but Ross mentioned the Cubs were without Fowler when the Cardinals swept the Cubs in a three-game series June 20-22.
"We have new bullpen guys," Ross said. "We weren't the same team. I don't think they were. That's the thing about baseball, teams are going to change, and you'll go through some things. It's all about taking care of yourself and playing baseball against teams at the right time.
"They got us last time. We had played well against them until then. We have to get them again."
