Latest Loss Drops Cubs Postseason Odds Below 50%

Following Wednesday’s shutout loss (box score) to the San Diego Padres, the Chicago Cubs’ odds to play in the postseason now stand at 40.5% according to Baseball Reference. The most likely postseason scenario now shows the top seeds as the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, with the other division winners being the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins. The predicted Wild Card teams are the Milwaukee Brewers (fuck the Brewers) and Washington Nationals in the NL and the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL.

The IRL standings show the Cubs at 4.0 games behind the first place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central Division and 0.5 games behind Milwaukee for the second Wild Card spot. The Cubs are therefore very much still in the mix for postseason play. However, their underwhelming performance of late is not giving fans much encouragement that they will see October.

There are no games against the Crew remaining on the schedule. However, the Cubs will play their other division rivals for the rest of the season, with six games against the Pirates, three games against the Reds and seven games against the Cardinals. A poor showing against these divisional opponents will sink the Cubs’ chances of contending for another World Series title.

If the Cubs are unable to put together a stretch run to October, look for changes to the roster as well as the team leadership on the field and in the front office during the offseason (as I discussed in a post for Cubs Insider).

Featured Image: Kent Weakley / Shutterstock.com