MLB Playoff Picture: 3 things to know from Thursday

Every night we look around the league and identify three things you need to know about the playoff races. Here's what happened Thursday:

Cubs keep winning

After an impressive month of August which included 22 wins, the most in franchise history since 1945, the Chicago Cubs continued their winning ways on day one of September, coming from behind to defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 thanks to some clutch heroics from Addison Russell, and five scoreless innings from their bullpen. Chicago continues to dominate baseball, earning their 86th victory of the season, which moved them 15 1/2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.

deGrom-inating no more

Thursday's contest against the Miami Marlins was another rocky outing for New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who has looked nothing like his normal self over his last three starts, allowing a combined 16 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings, while showing decreased velocity. He left his outing against Miami signalling for a trainer as he departed for the team's clubhouse, which is not a good sign for the contending Mets, who are already without Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Jon Niese.

Giants continue to falter

After losing to the Cubs on Thursday, the Giants recorded their 28th loss since after the All-Star break, and although they're gripping onto a wild-card spot in the NL, they're going to have to do something to fix what's going on in the Bay Area. Perhaps a more favorable upcoming schedule will be the solution to their second-half struggles. After a three-game set with the juggernaut Cubs comes to an end, the Giants will be graced with nine straight against the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres.

If the playoffs started today: