The Chicago Cubs have done a quality job of putting themselves in a good position entering the final week of the MLB regular season.
They technically haven’t clinched a playoff spot yet in the NL Wild Card standings, but they’re very close — and even once they do that, there’ll still be more to play for.
The Cubs are opening the final week of the regular season with a three-game series in Wrigley Field against the Miami Marlins.
They’ll then travel to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox in a three-game weekend set that could be impacted by bad weather in the Northeast.
Chicago still has a few different permutations for how the standings can look when all is said and done, so it’ll be up to the Cubs to take care of business as best they can.
Cubs Clinching Scenarios, Magic Number
The Chicago Cubs enter Tuesday night’s action with a magic number of 1.
That’s in relation to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs.
If the Cubs get one more win, or the Diamondbacks lose even once, then Chicago will have secured a playoff spot.
Arizona still has six more games, too, so the Cubs need just 1-of-12 results to go their way in the final week of the season to ensure they’re at least in the playoffs.
Even if that happens right away, though, don’t expect the Cubs to let up.
Why Cubs Want Top Wild Card Spot
The best of the three NL Wild Card teams gets an edge in the Wild Card Series.
That’s because they’re officially the National League’s 4-seed taking on the 5-seed, and with that comes home-field advantage.
The Cubs would much rather play at Wrigley Field if possible.
The other three teams that could still make the other Wild Card spots are the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and the longshot Diamondbacks.
The Cubs hold the tiebreakers in all three of those potential matchups, and they enter Tuesday tied with the Padres and ahead of the other two teams. That means the Cubs control their own fate here. If they put up better records the rest of the way than those teams, then the Wild Card Series is heading to Wrigley Field.
The key note is this: The Wild Card Series doesn’t change ballparks. All potential three games in the best-of-three are played in the home of the better seed. That’s why the Cubs would love to be atop the Wild Card standings.
How Cubs Clinch Playoff Berth This Week, and Why Wild Card Top Spot Matters