Well, that was one way to close out your season series against your division-leading rival. Yikes. The Chicago Cubs were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers this week, which essentially clinched the NL Central for Milwaukee, now up 10 games over the Cubs. Craig Counsell is searching for answers in the bullpen, and with 15 games left to go in the regular season, the Cubs find themselves in an extremely uncomfortable spot, now getting dangerously close to missing the playoffs altogether after getting swept by the Brewers.
On Aug. 18, Alex Bregman hit a walk-off single to beat the White Sox, putting the Cubs 21 games above .500. At the time, the Cubs were the top Wild Card team in the National League with a five-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and a six-game cushion over the San Diego Padres. In the three weeks since, the Cubs have gone 7-13 and are now looking up at the Phillies for the No. 1 Wild Card seed.
As things stand today, the Cubs would have to play a best-of-three Wild Card Series in Philadelphia. However, thanks to their recent skid, the Cubs are now trying to hold on to a playoff spot, as the Padres are only 2.5 games behind Chicago, while the Arizona Diamondbacks are also in the mix, trailing the Cubs by three games for the second Wild Card spot.
NL Wild Card Standings (9/9)
Phillies: 82-64 (+4)
Cubs: 81-66 (+2.5)
Padres: 78-68
Diamondbacks: 78-69 (0.5 GB)
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The Cubs have one advantage in the Wild Card standings: the head-to-head tiebreaker over the three teams they’re battling for playoff positioning. So, in terms of catching the Phillies, if they end up with the same record, then the Cubs will end up hosting the Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field. If the Cubs continue to hang around the second or third Wild Card spot, then a tie would give them the edge over either NL West team.
The Phillies and Padres have 16 games left, while the Cubs and Diamondbacks have 15 left to play in the regular season. According to Tankathon, the Cubs have the ninth-hardest remaining schedule, while the Phillies have the fourth-hardest. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks and Padres are at 20th and 21st.
Remaining Schedules
Cubs: 3 vs. Pirates, 3 vs. Braves, 3 at Reds, 3 vs. Marlins, 3 at Red Sox
Phillies: 1 vs. Astros, 3 at Braves, 2 vs. Nationals, 4 at Mets, 3 vs. Brewers, 3 vs. Rays
Padres: 3 at Giants, 4 at Rockies, 3 vs. Marlins, 3 at Dodgers, 3 vs. Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks: 3 vs. Rangers, 3 vs. Marlins, 3 vs. Yankees, 3 at Rockies, 3 at Padres
By the way, as much as we’re focusing on the Phillies as the current top seed in the Wild Card standings, they do still have a shot at winning the NL East, as they enter Thursday trailing the Atlanta Braves by three games.
Back to the Cubs, though: this is an unfortunate position to be in after it appeared as though they had a legit chance to catch the Brewers less than a month ago. Now? They’re just trying to survive September with a playoff spot.
