As we head down the final 5 games of the season, here is what the Cubs, and their competitors for playoff positioning are facing.
In a season of frustrating moments, last night may have taken the cake. So many chances to win wasted, and it will really hurt if that is the game that prevents the Cubs from hosting the Wild Card series at Wrigley.
Current Wild Card Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Magic # | Elim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubs | 87 | 69 | – | 1 | – |
| Phillies | 87 | 69 | – | 2 | – |
| Padres | 86 | 70 | – | 2 | – |
| Diamondbacks | 82 | 74 | 4 | – | 2 |
| Team | Proj W | Proj L | ROS W% | SoS | Make Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubs | 89.7 | 72.3 | .534 | .512 | 99.9% |
| Phillies | 89.5 | 72.5 | .496 | .540 | 99.2% |
| Padres | 89.3 | 72.7 | .453 | .560 | 93.5% |
| Diamondbacks | 85.8 | 76.2 | .557 | .477 | 7.4% |
Tiebreakers:
Cubs over Padres
Cubs over Phillies
Cubs over Diamondbacks
Phillies over Padres
Diamondbacks over Phillies
Padres / Diamondbacks TBD (5-5 with 3 games left)
Cubs schedule
Vs Marlins (2)
Opponent something to play for: No
Possible pitching matchups:
9/23 – Gausman vs Gusto
9/24 – TBD (Holmes) vs Phillips
Notes: Both bullpens got used up in game 1 of this series, so it will be interesting to see how they are used in game 2.
At Red Sox (3)
Opponent something to play for: No (locked into 5th spot in AL)
Possible pitching matchups:
9/25 – TBD (Boyd) vs TBD (Bello)
9/26 – TBD (Peterson) vs TBD (Sandoval)
9/27 – TBD vs TBD
Notes: With a Nor’easter scheduled to hit Boston over the weekend, we might see a double-header on Friday or Saturday or perhaps the series will be moved.
Phillies Schedule
Vs Brewers (2)
Opponent something to play for: Yes (1st seed in NL)
Possible Pitching Matchups:
9/23 – Nola vs Henderson
9/24 – TBD vs TBD
Notes: The Brewers don’t seem too intent on locking up the top seed, as they pitched Colton Gordon for 5 innings yesterday. The Dodgers are now 1 game back (although Milwaukee has the tiebreaker).
At Rays (3)
Opponent something to play for: No
Possible Pitching Matchups
9/25 – TBD (Sanchez) vs TBD
9/26 – TBD vs TBD
9/27 – TBD vs TBD
Notes: if the Phillies need game 2 and/or 3 of this series, they might have to use Wheeler, but I’m sure they do not want to. If Sanchez is needed for the first game of this series, he would probably go in game 2 of the Wild Card. The Rays should have the AL East wrapped up, so they will probably pitch players from the back end of their rotation.
Padres Schedule
At Dodgers (2)
Opponent something to play for: Yes (1st seed in NL)
Possible Pitching Matchups:
9/23 -Ray vs Yamamoto
9/24 -Pivetta vs Glasnow
Notes: The Dodgers shut the Padres out in a bullpen game, and now have Yamamoto and Glasnow lined up for the next two. Fangraphs has now moved the Phillies ahead of the Padres in likelihood to get the top Wild Card spot.
Vs Diamondbacks (3)
Opponent something to play for: Maybe
Possible Pitching Matchups
9/25 – TBD (Mize) vs TBD (Pfaadt)
9/26 – TBD (Buehler) vs TBD (Burnes)
9/27 – TBD vs TBD
Notes: The DBacks stayed alive with a win over the Rockies, but could still be eliminated before this series begins.
Diamondbacks Schedule
At Rockies (2)
Opponent something to play for: Not even close
Possible Pitching Matchups:
9/23 – Kelly vs Adams
9/24 – Rodriguez vs TBD
Notes: The Diamondbacks did what they needed to do, winning game 1 of the Series.
At Padres (3)
Opponent something to play for: Yes
Possible Pitching Matchups:
9/25 – TBD (Pfaadt) vs TBD (Mize)
9/26 – TBD (Burnes) vs TBD (Buehler)
9/27 – TBD vs TBD
Notes: It would be cool if the DBacks had something to play for here.
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