The Chicago Cubs had an opportunity to wrap up the National League Central crown on Thursday night, but it wasn't meant to be - at least not at first - as they fell to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 at Wrigley Field.

Even though the Cubs didn't win Thursday night, the San Francisco Giants did them a big favor. They beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 in a series-opening game at AT&T Park, extending their wild card lead and clinching the Central Division title for the Cubs in the process.

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Back at Wrigley Field, Montgomery held the Brewers scoreless in the top of the first. Nelson did the same to the Cubs, and the second inning was when it really started to heat up. 

After Montgomery retired the Brewers in the top of the frame, the Cubs got on the board in emphatic fashion. Addison Russell reached first base as Arcia and Perez both missed his pop-up hit. Jorge Soler stepped up to the plate and cranked a two-run homer into the bleachers to stake the Cubs to a 2-0 lead. [[393640331, C]]

The Cubs had an opportunity to add onto their lead in the third, but unfortunately squandered it. Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist both reached base with walks, but Addison Russell lined into a double play to end the threat.

After three scoreless innings, Montgomery lost his shutout when Keon Broxton launched a solo home run in the top of the 4th to cut the Cubs' lead to 2-1. 

Following Broxton's homer, the Brewers forced Cubs fans to put the champagne back on ice as they seized the lead. A two-run double by Orlando Arcia gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead and put the Cubs' division hopes on hold - but not for long.

After Jason Heyward socked a double and moved to third, Montgomery helped his own cause. The pitcher slapped an RBI single to drive Heyward in and tie up the game at 3-3 at the bottom of the fourth. 

The game remained tied until the 7th inning, and unfortunately it was Milwaukee that gained the upper hand. With Justin Grimm on the hill, Scooter Gennett smashed an RBI double to give the Brewers a 5-3 lead.

The Cubs got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, but things ended abruptly thanks to a tremendous defensive play by the Brewers. With Bryant on second base, Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado fired a perfect strike to second and picked off the Cubs' third baseman to end the inning and keep Milwaukee in front by two runs.

In the eighth inning, it appeared that the Cubs were going to escape without giving up any runs, but an Addison Russell throwing error kept the inning alive. Fortunately Ben Zobrist was there to save the day, making a diving catch to end the inning and keep the Cubs within two runs.

The Cubs' offense took advantage of Zobrist's defensive exploits in the bottom of the frame as they pulled within a run. Jason Heyward drilled an RBI double into the right field corner to score Zobrist, making it a 5-4 game.

Unfortunately, the Cubs weren't able to tie things up in that frame. With Heyward on third base following a wild pitch, Willson Contreras struck out looking on a sharp breaking ball, leaving the tying run 90 feet away and the Cubs still down by a run heading into the ninth inning.

The Cubs got the tying run to first base in the ninth when Anthony Rizzo drew a walk, but Ben Zobrist grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game and leave the Cubs just short of clinching on their own - but with an assist from the Giants, they prevailed as National League Central division champions (for the first time since 2008) nonetheless.