Wow.

The Cubs haven’t been in first place this late in the season since … 1989. While the Cubs’ aces did what they were supposed to do, the Astros seem to be falling apart, losing four in a row.

Admittedly, the Cards and Giants are much tougher competition than the Pirates and Reds, but still … it seemed at one point that the Astros would never lose again.

But I’m a greedy sort. I’d love for them to lose one more time to the Giants before feasting on the Brewers. A loss is a loss is a loss, yes, but being able to fully take advantage of that loss would be sweet.

Which is why it’s a shame that Shawn “L” Estes is pitching tomorrow. Hopefully the Cubs can pull it out somehow. I expect this to be Estes’s last outing of the year (saving mop-up duty), and I sincerely hope it’s his best — which would still be mediocre, but nonetheless …

The Trib’s Paul Sullivan reported an amusing anecdote the other day:

Jim Hendry’s eyes were trained on a computer screen Sunday in the visiting clubhouse manager’s office at PNC Park, watching a Web site that was providing pitch-by-pitch details of the bottom of the ninth inning of the Houston-St. Louis game.

Welcome to modern scoreboard watching, where every megabyte counts.

After a scrawl appeared that Houston’s Jeff Bagwell had walked with a man on and one out, the nervous Cubs general manager asked pitcher Shawn Estes to take his seat, trying to change his luck with Jeff Kent at the plate.

“Kent’s due for a double play,” Estes said.

But Hendry couldn’t wait for the result of Kent’s at-bat, which came on a short delay. He grabbed his cell phone and connected with Cubs scouting director John Stockstill, who was at Busch Stadium.

“Double play!” Hendry screamed after Stockstill relayed the update of Kent’s at-bat.

“I called it!” Estes said as the two gathered their belongings and headed for the team bus, safe in the knowledge that the Cubs had pulled within a half-game of Houston in the NL Central.

The sad thing is, this was Estes’s most effective performance of the year. I think he should be the Cubs’ designated scoreboard watcher.

And finally, here’s a great shot of the play at first base that wound up being the only hit off Kerry Wood last night.

Pena was safe all right. And he hustled. Season’s over and the future looks bleek for the Reds. But Pena hustled on that play to break up the no-hitter, to get on base, to impress somebody. That’s a ballplayer. That’s the game.