The Cubs took the first of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. It was a bit more adventurous than most games where a team jumps out to a 7-0 lead have any right to be, but that’s how it goes when your offense is ranked first in baseball while your pitching is ranked 30th [VIDEO].
The Cubs will obviously take wins however they can come by them, but it was a good reminder that nothing is guaranteed heading into
the final 11 games of the season.
As of this morning the Cubs have a 99.1 percent chance to make the playoffs. That isn’t the 100 percent chance the Brewers, Dodgers and Braves have of making the Postseason, but it is the fourth best odds to play meaningful baseball in October. The Cubs are followed by the Phillies at 95.2 percent, the Padres at 77.4 percent and the Diamondbacks at 28.3 percent.
But while playing in the Wild Card round seems like a lock absent a historic collapse, the Cubs are only half a game ahead of the Phillies in the race to host the Wild Card Series. The Cubs will enter play on Tuesday with a 84-67 record compared to the Phillies’ 83-67 mark.
Both teams have a challenging route ahead of them as they finish out the 2026 campaign. The Cubs have two more games against the Braves at Wrigley, a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati, then the final homestand against the Marlins before wrapping up the season against the Red Sox in Boston. That’s five games against teams with a 100 percent chance to make the Postseason and six games against teams who would love nothing more than to spoil the Cubs season.
Meanwhile, the Phillies open a two-game series against the Nationals today before heading to Queens for four games against the Mets, and then six games against division leaders as they welcome the Brewers and then the Rays to Citizens Bank Park for three games apiece to end the season.
It should be an interesting wrap-up to the season, with both the Cubs and Phillies needing to win to gain home field advantage in the Wild Card round. Additionally, while the Phillies schedule is tougher on paper, the Brewers and Rays might have both clinched their positions, including home field and/or byes by the time they get to Philadelphia whereas the Cubs might be facing a Red Sox team who needs to win to secure their playoff position (the Red Sox are likely locked into being a road team during the Wild Card round but are just five games back of the Yankees for home field advantage in the Wild Card round).
The bottom line is that even with most of the National League playoff field set, there’s still a lot to play for in the final 11 games of the season. With any luck the Cubs offense can put up enough runs to secure home field advantage in the Wild Card round.
