Aside from owning MLB's best record in light of yet another comeback win Thursday night, the Cubs also own baseball's best run differential. At +88, they lead the pack, by a mile. A country mile. A mile and two-thirds! (The Phillies are second at +56; the White Sox pace the AL at +39).

Also, while baseball's Old Common Wisdom holds that a team's record in close games is very telling—it supposedly reflects a club's ability to execute the fundamentals, proves its adroitness at "small ball," demonstrates the manager's strategic skills, blah, blah, blah—others have argued convincingly that it's in the not-so-close games that a team's superiority (or inferiority) is able to truly manifest itself.

In games this season decided by 3 or more runs, the Cardinals are 15-11. The Astros are 14-11.

The Cubs are 20-5.