The Dodgers’ recent stumble has opened up a path the Cubs would happily take.
Los Angeles entered the season as the presumed World Series favorite for a third straight year, but a 3-8 stretch has changed the picture fast. The skid has dropped the Dodgers out of the National League’s top seed and left them two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. It also means they are no longer lined up for a bye, which could send them into an extra round in the Wild Card series.
For the Cubs, that matters. If they hold onto the top Wild Card spot, they would sit as the No. 4 seed, and the Dodgers - if they still win the NL West - would be positioned as the No. 3 seed. That setup would keep Chicago and Los Angeles apart until the NLCS.
Instead, the Dodgers would be thrown into the Wild Card mix against whoever claims the final playoff spot. Right now, that’s a three-team fight between the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies.
If you’re looking for the best possible matchup for everyone else, the Phillies make the most sense. They went 2-4 against the Dodgers in the regular season, and their pitching staff is built to force ground balls - a problem for a Dodgers team that leads the league in double plays hit into. Philadelphia also has the kind of star power and starting rotation that could make life difficult for the two-time reigning champions in October.
The Dodgers have already shown last year that the third seed doesn’t automatically stop them; they rolled past the Reds in the Wild Card Round on their way to another title. But a showdown with Christopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler would at least make the road much rougher this time.
If not, the Cubs will just have to hope the standings keep breaking their way.
In Other News...
Cade Horton Just Became A Bigger Cubs Concern Than Expected
Hunter Greenes latest setback is another reminder of how fragile pitcher plans can be, and it lands at a time when the Cubs are already tracking their own injury-recovery storyline with Cade Horton. Greene has been placed on the injured list, and the Reds now have to sort through the long road ahead without one of their most important arms. For Chicago, the parallel is hard to miss: once a young pitcher is in rehab mode, even the best-case calendar can start to look shaky fast.
Horton is still working his way back, and the Cubs have had to balance optimism with the reality that recovery timelines rarely behave exactly as projected. The hope is that he can rejoin the picture next summer, but there is still plenty between where he is now and any meaningful return to the mound. For a team that could use every bit of pitching depth it can get, the uncertainty around Horton is the kind that lingers far longer than the initial injury report. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Crow-Armstrongs Slump Has Cubs Fans Watching One Bigger Sign
Pete Crow-Armstrongs recent stretch has looked very different from the electric run he put together after the All-Star break, and the Cubs have had to ride it out while keeping the bigger picture in view. Over his last six games, the production has dipped and the strikeouts have climbed, but he has still managed to draw walks, which is part of why Chicago is willing to stay patient with a young hitter who had been one of its most dangerous bats for much of the second half.
The Cubs have even been using Crow-Armstrong at designated hitter lately, a sign they are trying to keep his bat in the lineup while giving him a bit of a reset. With the National League Central race still in play, his role matters beyond any short-term slump, especially after the kind of stretch he produced since the break. The question now is less about whether the Cubs trust him and more about how quickly he can get back to the form that made him such a difference-maker. [Read more 🡒]
Edward Cabrera's Return Leaves Cubs With A Rotation Decision
Edward Cabrera is set to come off the injured list and take the mound Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, giving the Cubs a timely boost as they sort through the back end of their pitching plan. His return adds another healthy arm to a staff that has been juggling rotation depth, and it comes at a moment when every start matters in the push ahead.
The next step is less clear, because Cabreras activation forces the Cubs to make a roster call and they have not finalized the move yet. The club is also weighing whether to stretch into a six-man rotation over the coming weeks, a structure that could help manage workloads but would require some reshuffling before the schedule settles in. [Read more 🡒]