Despite being on the fringe of doing so for the past couple of weeks, the Chicago Cubs have yet to clinch a spot in the MLB playoffs.
After a tough 8-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday evening, all three NL teams in a Wild Card spot (Cubs, Padres, Phillies) carry the same record (87-70) with five games left to play in the regular season.
For the Chicago Cubs, they still have a really good chance to make the playoffs, but earning the top NL Wild Card spot is a different argument.
Let’s get into what the Cubs need to do to earn a playoff spot, and what their magic number is.
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Cubs Magic Number Remains 1
The Chicago Cubs’ magic number remains the same as when they opened up this current series with the Miami Marlins.
If the Cubs win just one game over the final five games, they will clinch a playoff spot.
The Cubs can also get some help if they don’t win by the Arizona Diamondbacks dropping one of their upcoming games.
FanSided.com’s Christopher Kline noted how the math works on the magic number:
“Here’s how the math works out: 6 – (74-69) = 1. Since the Cubs hold the tiebreaker over Arizona, we needn’t include the “+1,” which is meant to rule out a mathematical tie. So, with the Cubs five games ahead of the Diamondbacks in the NL Standings, a single Cubs win or Diamondbacks loss will secure a postseason spot for the Northsiders.”
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Chicago Cubs On Verge of MLB Playoff Berth
In case you missed it, the Cubs lost 8-2 in 12 innings on Tuesday evening, but luckily Chicago still has two games remaining in its series with the Marlins this week.
Chicago’s last series of the season will come on the road against the Boston Red Sox.
So, as long as the Cubbies win one of their final five games, they will head back to the MLB playoffs.
As for how the top NL Wild Card seeding will play out, well, the Phillies are currently playing the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Padres are taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the final seeding will likely be decided over the weekend.
The top seed in the NL Wild Card is uber important because it means hosting a three-game series (all at home), which I’m sure the Cubs would enjoy doing so in front of a packed-out Wrigley Field at the end of September.
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