Tony DeMarco

Minutes after rapping a ninth-inning, go-ahead double that keyed a series-opening victory, Derrek Lee was asked about the intensity and atmosphere in the current Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers showdown.

“I have to go back inside (the clubhouse) and check my calendar,’’ Lee said. “I have to make sure this is still July, and not October.’’

No, the National League Central race won’t be determined during this four-game midweek series. Neither will the NL wild card. A Cubs’ sweep — and they already have won the first two games matched against CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets — would alter the standings somewhat. But consider that the Brewers swept a four-game series from the St. Louis Cardinals last week, only to see the Cardinals back within a game in the standings entering Wednesday.

Still, there is no denying that this Cubs-Brewers matchup is one that really matters — being played nightly before full houses divided fairly evenly between their fans. (In fact, Miller Park has been sold out for a franchise-record nine consecutive games through Tuesday, and by the end of the season, the Brewers should break their single-season home attendance record.)

What we have here is a regional rivalry suddenly ramped up by the fact that these are the teams with the two best records in the National League. The two teams that have done the most in the trade market to improve their chances come October. The two teams that have led the way in the revival of the moribund NL Central, with 10 All-Stars between them.

In the series opener, you had Sabathia gunning for his fifth consecutive victory since moving from Cleveland to Milwaukee in arguably the biggest-impact deal of the pre-trade deadline period.

The last three of those victories were complete-game efforts, as the Brewers, apparently consigned to the fact they won’t be able to keep Sabathia out of free agency this winter, are intent on getting their money’s worth while they have him. Sabathia didn’t get that fifth victory, but would have left with a lead after seven innings (and 124 pitches, his high as a Brewer), if not for a throwing error by Rickie Weeks on a double-play turn.

Instead, that allowed the Cubs to tie the game, Lee put them ahead in the top of the ninth and Carlos Marmol saved it in place of Kerry Wood, whose finger blister has sent him to the disabled list once again.

But the Cubs’ bullpen hardly is in dire straights, as two significant additions have been made to counterbalance Wood’s loss. All the attention went to Rich Harden when the Cubs acquired him from the A’s earlier this month, but also included in the deal was valuable and underrated Chad Gaudin, a starter-turned-setup reliever.

Gaudin picked up decisions (two wins and a loss) in three consecutive games through Monday, and the Cubs turned to their farm system for the other impact newcomer — right-hander Jeff Samardzija.

The former Notre Dame wide receiver was a starter throughout his two-plus minor-league seasons, but quickly has adapted to the role of late-inning power pitcher, amping up his fastball velocity to the 96-98-mph range, and mixing in an effective split-finger pitch. He went two innings to record his first professional save on Sunday before mopping up after Carlos Zambrano’s dominating performance in Tuesday’s 7-1 Cubs win.

That game featured a matchup of starting pitchers — Zambrano and Sheets — who tossed two shutout innings apiece for the National League in the All-Star Game. And for five crisp innings, it was the pitchers duel you expected. And then came the top of the sixth, a nightmare for Sheets, who wasn’t helped by Ryan Braun’s overly aggressive misplay.

For the most part, Braun has taken to left field, and has recorded seven outfield assists. But on this play, he turned an RBI single into a two-run triple with a misguided dive on Kosuke Fukudome’s sinking liner, setting up an inning in which seven consecutive Cubs reached base.

That misplay and Weeks’ throwing error on Monday point to the Brewers’ occasional defensive struggles. Their bullpen also has its shaky moments, and in direct contrast to Lou Piniella’s positivism and calming influence that has toned down all the negative baggage from the Cubs’ past, Brewers manager Ned Yost is wound too tight and is too defensive with the media.

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But Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has given Yost the necessary pieces, and openly stated his team’s goal is the postseason, and the players responded by going 11-6 in the first 17 games after Sabathia’s arrival and prior to the start of the Cubs’ series.

The schedule also breaks favorably for the Brew Crew. Although they will play 17 of 27 on the road in August, the only two games against a team with a winning record will be at St. Louis. Then they will close with 16 of 26 at Miller Park in September, including a season-ending three-game series against Chicago.

The Cubs, meanwhile, also have nine games left with the Cardinals, who aren’t likely to fade from this picture, especially if Chris Carpenter, who makes his return on Wednesday, can make a significant contribution.

But for these four days in late-July, what we very well could be watching is a preview of the National League Championship Series.

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