Unrecognizable Cubs beat Brewers 6-3 for 5th straight win -- and 11th of 12

Right-hander Dan Haren thinks he remembers the Cubs from early June when he beat them in Miami as a member of the Marlins starting rotation.

Then again, it’s hard for him to be sure. Maybe if he rubs his eyes and looks again.

“I see a complete difference,” said Haren, who, in his second start from being traded to the Cubs, pitched into the sixth Tuesday night to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 at Wrigley Field.

“They were a really aggressive team. But I thought there were guys with more holes.”

On a night the Cubs rode their warming-trend lineup to another victory, Haren singled out leadoff man Dexter Fowler (two walks and a sacrifice fly Tuesday) as a guy with better at-bats. And, of course, he never saw Kyle Schwarber that day in Miami.

Whatever it is, the Cubs are making it work like they could only imagine back in June – winning Tuesday for fifth straight time and the 11th in 12 games.

“it doesn’t really matter as long as we’re winning,” said hot-hitting Anthony Rizzo, who reached base four times and drove in two runs. “We just want to keep finding ways to win.”

The Cubs moved to 2 ½ games back of Pittsburgh – a loser in St. Louis – for the top wild-card position in the National League.

“You’ve got to catch them before you catch the next team,” manager Joe Maddon said.

The Cubs pushed their record to a season-high 15 games over .500, a benchmark Maddon has talked about.

“The next goal is 20,” he said.

And the Cubs suddenly are on a 92-win pace, needing only a 27-24 finish to reach 90.

When asked about where a turning point this season might have been, Maddon started making car-engine noises.

“It was like my old ’65 Plymouth that Uncle Chuck used to drive all the time,” Maddon said. “It just didn’t want to turn over. And then eventually it turns over, and all of a sudden guys start feeling a little bit better.”