The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds Saturday, and could clinch a playoff spot as soon as Sunday afternoon.
The Cubs are still in the top wild card spot in the National League after a 5-2 win over the Reds at Great American Ballpark Saturday, and though they would need a bit of help, they could still punch a postseason ticket for the second consecutive season on Sunday.
Here’s where things stand entering play Sunday.
National League Wild Card Standings:
Chicago Cubs 86-69
San Diego Padres 86-69
Philadelphia Phillies 85-70
Arizona Diamondbacks 81-74
What is the Cubs’ magic number?
After their win on Saturday against the Reds, the Cubs’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot has dropped to just two, meaning they can clinch a playoff spot as soon as Sunday.
How the Cubs can clinch a playoff spot Sunday
Since the Cubs won their season series against the Diamondbacks, they would get into the playoffs over Arizona if the two teams were to finish the regular season with identical records.
With that being the case, if the Cubs can beat the Reds on Sunday, and if the Diamondbacks lose to the New York Yankees in Phoenix, then the Cubs would be headed back to the playoffs.
What’s left to play for
The Cubs are still involved in a dogfight with the Padres and the Phillies for the top wild card spot in the National League, which would allow them to host the best-of-three Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field.
As things stand, the Cubs are tied with the Padres for that spot, with the Phillies one game behind. The Cubs hold tiebreakers over both the Padres and Phillies, so if they were to finish the regular season tied with either team, they would get the home-field advantage.
If the season were to end today, the Cubs would host the Padres at Wrigley in a rematch of last year’s Wild Card Series, while the Phillies would travel to Atlanta to play the Braves.
The winner of the Padres-Cubs series would then face the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series, and the winner of the Phillies-Braves series would draw the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
The road ahead for the Cubs
After the Cubs finish their series with the Reds, they will head home for a three-game series against the Miami Marlins before finishing the regular season against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
The Padres will finish a series with those Marlins on Sunday before hitting the road for a three-game series against the Dodgers, who have already clinched the National League West title. They then finish their regular season with three home games against the Diamondbacks.
The Phillies have a tough homestand to finish the season, with three games against the National League Central-champion Brewers and three games against the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
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