With the Cubs’ recent mini-slump, they have fallen into a tie with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top Wild Card spot, and their lead over the Diamondbacks for the final spot is 5.5 games.
The bad news is that the Cubs have a very difficult schedule the rest of the way, with a combined .513 winning percentage against:
- 3 vs Brewers
- 3 at Marlins
- 3 at Brewers
- 3 vs Pirates
- 3 vs Braves
- 3 at Reds
- 3 vs Marlins
- 3 at Red Sox
The good news is that the Phillies have an even tougher schedule, with a .521 winning percentage against:
- 2 at Diamondbacks
- 4 vs Braves
- 4 vs Astros
- 3 at Braves
- 2 at Nationals
- 3 at Mets
- 3 vs Brewers
- 3 vs Rays
And even if the Phillies were to sweep the Braves, that would put the Braves in danger of falling to 2nd in the East, and possibly behind the Cubs (who are 4 games back of them at the moment).
The Diamondbacks and Padres have slightly easier schedules, with a .495 and .486 winning percentage against respectively. But it would take a meltdown by the Cubs to fall below both of them in the standings, as evidenced by the 99.1% chance on Fangraphs for the Cubs to make the playoffs.
Winning the NL Central is still a pipe-dream, as the Cubs blew their chances after getting within 3 games of the lead. But they are still in great position for a spot in the playoffs.


Leave a comment