What a wasted weekend at Wrigley Field for the Washington Nationals, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning, scoring nine runs against Jon Lester, getting seven scoreless innings from Max Scherzer and still leaving Chicago with only one victory over the Cubs.



Winning two one-run games against a talented-but-flawed Nationals team desperately trying to make up ground in the playoff race again showed the reservoir of depth and confidence the Cubs have built up across three straight trips to the National League Championship Series. All those big moments are ingrained in a team that rarely beats itself or shows any sense of panic.



Players, executives and owners are ultimately judged by championships and the Cubs have talked openly about becoming an organization that’s much bigger than just ending the 108-year World Series drought. But going back to the playoffs year after year after year creates so much value in terms of confidence and culture. This dramatic...