The Chicago Cubs have some hope in the National League Wild Card. After a brutal start to the season, they have hit their stride and the fans are beginning to believe after Sunday's results. The Cubs swept the Nationals and Nick Castellanos hit a walk-off single to beat the Atlanta Braves. Even with the Mets between them, their fans have taken to social media to celebrate the Braves loss.
@BleacherNation, a fan-run blog, posted on Sunday night, “Cubs legend, Nick Castellanos! #BravesLose”
They then posted the standings, which show just a three-game deficit in the NL Wild Card standings for the Cubs.
Ladies and gentlemen, We have ourselves a race.
Fangraphs says that the Cubs have just a 6.7% chance of making the playoffs, almost all of which comes from the Wild Card. The Brewers are on the precipice of clinching the division, leaving them only one path in. They are 9-1 in their last ten games and have won their last seven. With another series against the Pirates coming up, they can make another dent in the deficit.
The Mets have a home series against the Boston Red Sox and the Braves are home for the Rockies, so another sweep might be needed for the Cubs to keep pace. What must they do to catch the Mets and Braves and make a surprising run to the playoffs this season?
Cubs' chances of making the playoffs
The Cubs have been the hottest team in the league since August 16, with an 11-3 record to pick up 1.5 games on the Braves and Mets. While the chances are still slim that they finish off the comeback, their schedule down the stretch will help them. After the Pirates, they host the Yankees and head to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers. After that, it softens up.
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While they do play two of the best teams in the league in a row, the remainder of their schedule is not scary. They have ten consecutive games against the Rockies, Athletics, and Nationals where they could make up some serious ground. After a matchup with the Phillies, they finish with the Reds, who will be eliminated by then.
Before focusing on the Braves, the Cubs must overtake the Mets. New York has two series against the Phillies and three games remaining against Atlanta. They finish up with the Brewers who, while they are a good team, might have the Central locked up by then. They have no games against each other and the Mets won the season series so they cannot end in a tie, as the Mets would take the spot.
This hot stretch for the Cubs has been thanks to rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong. The center fielder went 0-14 in his limited action last year and went back to the minors. He came up this year and immediately made an impact, as he is hitting .237 with 37 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 98 games. A spark plug player like Crow-Armstrong can change the outlook for the Cubs this season. The team must get more electrifying play out of him down the stretch to make their unlikely playoff run.
