The Cubs got another blunt reminder in Milwaukee on Monday, and it came in the same familiar form: a late lead disappeared, and the Brewers walked away with the kind of win that keeps showing the gap between these two teams.
That gap matters because the National League Central race is basically done. Chicago enters Tuesday eight games behind Milwaukee, so the bigger fight now is in the NL Wild Card picture, where every result is starting to carry real weight.
For the Cubs, the sting isn’t just the loss itself. It’s what it did to the standings.
Philadelphia beat Atlanta by one run, and that pushed the Phillies a half-game ahead of Chicago for the top Wild Card spot. That’s a big deal because it would send a Cubs-Phillies Wild Card series to Philadelphia rather than Chicago.
There is at least one edge Chicago can still lean on. If the Cubs finish tied with the Phillies for that top Wild Card position, they hold the tiebreaker. They also own the tiebreaker against the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Arizona entering the day as the third Wild Card team in the National League.
The schedule ahead makes the next stretch tricky for Chicago. After the final two games against Milwaukee, the Cubs go into series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves. They’ve split their first ten games with Pittsburgh this season, and Atlanta currently sits as the third-best team in the National League.
Philadelphia’s path looks different. The Phillies have the Houston Astros this week, then a weekend series with the Braves, and the Washington Nationals next week.
In Other News...
Former Cubs Arm Just Became A Bullpen Option Chicago Can't Ignore
Nick Madrigals move to Tampa Bay was the headline transaction, but it was the corresponding roster shuffle that could end up mattering more for the Cubs. The Rays needed infield depth after losing shortstop Taylor Walls, so they selected Madrigals contract from Triple-A and opened a 40-man spot by designating reliever Hunter Bigge for assignment.
Bigges path since leaving the Cubs has been bumpy, with injuries and a rough season clouding his value, but Chicagos bullpen situation makes him hard to ignore now. If the Cubs are looking for a low-cost arm with familiarity and some upside to sort through, Bigge suddenly sits in the kind of roster limbo that can invite a claim, especially with other clubs watching for relief help too. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Suddenly Have A Bigger October Reinforcements Story To Watch
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Dansby Swanson has moved to higher-velocity batting practice, Justin Steele logged a successful second rehab start in Triple-A, and Shelby Miller has now pitched on consecutive days in his rehab work. None of that guarantees the timing the Cubs would prefer, but it does give them a real chance to get healthier at the exact point the roster will matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Suddenly Have A DH Opening BJ Murray Can Seize
BJ Murrays late-season call-up gave the Cubs a closer look at a player they may need to evaluate differently this winter. The 26-year-old rookie has been mentioned as a possible long-term fit at designated hitter, and with some of the current options either leaving or heading toward free agency, the door appears open for him to earn a real look in spring training.
The opportunity is real, but so is the work still ahead. Murrays brief major league showing has not given the Cubs much to hang their plans on yet, which means the next stretch matters a lot if he wants to turn a September promotion into something more permanent. For a club searching for stability in the DH spot, his name is suddenly in the mix, but he still has to prove he belongs there. [Read more 🡒]