CHICAGO -- There was no rush to celebrate on the mound. No dramatic walk-off moment to send the Wrigley faithful into a clinching frenzy. The players didnt even stick around to see if they would end the night as division champions or have to come back to cut that final 1 off the magic number themselves Friday afternoon.Sure, its anticlimactic to back into the playoffs, but when you do it on Sept. 15 -- or is it 16 -- it hardly takes away from the sentiment. The Chicago Cubs lost their clinching game to the Milwaukee Brewers?5-4 on Thursday night, but when the St. Louis Cardinals fell in San Francisco later in the evening the Cubs could still call themselves NL Central champions.It was only a couple of days ago, while the Cubs were in the midst of taking two of three from those Cardinals, that outfielder Dexter Fowler declared it was inevitable his team would clinch soon enough.It was an easy statement to make considering its September and the Cubs held a 17-game lead at the time, but he could have made the same declaration on Aug. 15, July 7 or even all the way back on June 1. The Cubs first division title since 2008 was months in the making and has felt inevitable since their incredible 25-6 start.Its a lot different scenario than last year, pitcher Jake Arrieta said Thursday. Not knowing where we were playing [in October]. Trying to catch the Cardinals. They had a lead and held onto it. Knowing where were going to go [this year] and having a brief period of off time to prepare, it just gives us a lot of options.Last year the Cubs made the postseason quite easily but fought hard to capture the division, eventually failing by three games to St. Louis. That push took its toll as Arrieta, the eventual Cy Young winner, hit a wall by the time the Cubs got to the NLCS. He wasnt the only one as manager Joe Maddon exacted all he could out of his young team -- but this year things can be different.Overall ... treat it like a spring training, Maddon said regarding the rest of the regular season. The kind of work you do before the game and the lineups. Make it more spring training-like.To truly understand how this season came about, and where it goes from here, we need to go back to the end of last year and the beginning of this one.The Cubs were just figuring out who they could be in the second half of 2015 and rode a wave of youthful talent all the way to the NLCS. Those four games -- all losses to the New York Mets?-- did nothing to diminish the excitement created by the previous months. Remember, the youngest team in the league had won its final eight regular-season games, shut out Pittsburgh in the wild-card game and steamrollered the Cardinals in the divisional round. Bowing out quietly to the Mets wasnt viewed as the end of anything, just the beginning.Fast forward to this spring. A short offseason brought one of the more memorable quotes from reigning Rookie of the Year -- and current MVP candidate --?Kris Bryant. He was asked how he viewed 2016 coming off of 2015.Its just a continuation, Bryant said back in February. With a three-month break. Thats what it feels like in here. Were just going to pick up where we left off but hopefully play a little longer this year.Picking up where they left off is exactly what the Cubs did, partly because of Bryants mindset and partly because Maddon made sure of it. With offseason expectations through the roof, he took advantage of it all instead of running away. He instructed his team to embrace the target and in doing so the players were locked in by the time April arrived.This teams greatest moments came early when other teams -- including contending ones -- were still feeling their way. Meanwhile, the Cubs were firing on all cylinders right from Game 1, a 9-0 drubbing of the Los Angeles Angels.Even then there was a feeling it could be a special season as Angel Stadium was full of Cubs fans. That scene would play out over and over again on the road as chants of M-V-P were directed toward Kris Bryant at Dodger Stadium, and Ryan Braun was booed at his home park in Milwaukee. Those are only two examples of when the Cubs had an extremely vocal crowd cheering for them on the road.The fans have been incredible, Fowler said. All year long, wherever we go. Ive never seen anything like it.Even well before clinching late Thursday, players were thinking about a longer postseason run then they had the year before. The Cubs have followed the path of many teams before them. First came learning how to win, then actually doing it and now comes finishing the job. Even though Maddon often reminds people he doesnt have fully developed players at many key positions, the Cubs simply dont have a glaring weakness this year. All areas of their game are better than last season.As a team, it was our first goal, but the focus of this group has been far beyond that, Cy Young candidate Kyle Hendricks said. We know where we have to go, so its a small stepping stone.That has been the theme since returning to the playoffs became a sure thing -- so basically since spring training. As far as the Cubs are concerned, Thursday was just the beginning of whats to come.They might have backed into the title but in reality they took it from day one. 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"We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Joe Flacco Womens Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Steve Atwater Jersey . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos.BALTIMORE -- Not so long ago, the Padres were scuffling for victories no matter the opponent. Now a scrappy roster minus high-profile names is finding ways to win even against one of the American Leagues best. Alexi Amarista homered and doubled twice and the San Diego Padres matched their season-high with 17 hits, beating the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 Wednesday for a two-game sweep. Everth Cabrera had four hits and a walk, and Jedd Gyorko had three singles for the Padres, who are 13-6 after a 5-15 start. John Baker hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the second against Freddy Garcia (0-2), and Kyle Blanks hit a solo homer in a two-run fourth as San Diego took a 4-1 lead. "Weve been playing well the last three weeks," said Padres manager Bud Black, whose club rallied after losing three straight at Tampa Bay. "Things have turned in a good way. We had a tough series down in Tampa. I liked the way the guys responded today. It was outstanding. We got to their starter. We kept the pressure on, got a lot of base hits." Every starter had at least one hit for the Padres, including Amarista, who entered the game batting .233 in 73 at-bats. Slotted eighth in the lineup between Blanks and Baker, the lefty-swinging outfielder went the opposite way for a two-run homer off Tommy Hunter in the seventh. "Every time you have an opportunity to get in there and produce, you have to take advantage of that so you can have some more opportunities to help the team," Amarista said through a translator. J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles off Jason Marquis (5-2), who won his fourth straight start. Manny Machado had four hits. In getting swept for the first time this season, the Orioles allowed a season-high 17 hits. Marquis allowed two runs, seven hits and four walks in five-plus innings. He has a 2.45 ERA in his last four starts. Garcia gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2-3 innings, his shortest outing in three starts for the Orioles. "Not quite as crisp," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We just didnt pitch well today. What did we give up, like 17 hits? It wasnt just Freddy. They had some good fortune, too, but they hit aa lot of balls hard too.dddddddddddd They came in here and swung the bats well." Baltimore loaded the bases in the first before Wieters hit an inning-ending groundout. The sinkerball-throwing Marquis also escaped damage in the second and fifth by inducing double-play grounders. "Some days youre not going to feel as good as others, but at the end of the day you have to make pitches in big situations," Marquis said. "I dont want to keep putting myself in those situations, but if you do, got to find a way." Dale Thayer relieved Marquis with two on in the sixth and retired three in a row. Bakers second-inning single was one of three straight two-out hits. The fourth inning included Blanks homer, Amaristas second double of the game and Will Venables RBI double off T.J. McFarland. "Baker, Amarista, Blanks get in the lineup, those guys want to be a part of the contribution," Black said. "Today they were." Machado has at least three hits in four of his last five games and is batting .560 (14 of 25) in that span. The Orioles finished the first quarter of the season with a 23-17 record, not that Showalter is interested in such road markers. "This is an impossible game to be perfect at," Showalter said. "Im not going to get too reflective at the . thats for the Preakness or whatever it is, where they go a quarter-mile and all that other stuff." NOTES: The Padres have four series sweeps. ... After throwing 35 pitches on Wednesday, Orioles RHP Miguel Gonzalez (blister) is expected to pitch Friday either in a simulated game or in the minors. Placed on the 15-day DL on May 4, Gonzalez is 2-2 in six starts. ... Padres INF Logan Forsythe (right foot plantar fasciitis) is eligible to come off the 60-day DL on May 22, but will not begin baseball activities this week, Black said. ...Following an off day, the Orioles start a three-game series against Tampa Bay. Jason Hammel (5-1) is slated to start Fridays opener against Jeremy Hellickson (1-2). ... The Padres return home for four games against Washington. Edinson Volquez (3-3) starts for San Diego on Thursday against fellow RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-5). ' ' '