The Cubs came into this week with a simple hope: seven games against the Brewers over a two-week stretch might finally shake up the National League Central race. If that didn’t happen, they could at least lean on the fact that they were still holding the top wild card spot in the National League.
Two games into the four-game set with Milwaukee, neither comfort is fully intact. Chicago is still eight games behind the Brewers in the division, and the bigger swing has come in the wild card standings.
Entering play on Wednesday, the Phillies have climbed into first place in that race. At 79-60, they’re now one game ahead of the Cubs.
That matters because first place in the wild card isn’t just a small edge. It decides who gets to open a three-game playoff series at home. Right now, the Cubs would be headed to Citizens Bank Park instead of hosting at Wrigley Field, and that is not the kind of October path they want to be staring at.
Chicago does at least have some breathing room below it. The Cubs are still five games clear of the San Diego Padres, who would be the final National League team in the field.
For the Cubs, the focus has to be straightforward: get back to the top wild card spot. That’s where the real difference lies, because the current setup would send the winner of the Phillies-Cubs series to face the Brewers in the NLDS. The matchups matter here, and Chicago’s best-case lane still appears to be Milwaukee, assuming the bullpen gets sorted out.
The alternative is less appealing. If the Cubs wind up in the second wild card spot, the Dodgers could be waiting in the NLDS, and that’s a tougher assignment on paper.
Los Angeles may have looked stuck in neutral for stretches this summer, but Tuesday brought the returns of Will Smith and Dalton Rushing. Their rotation has already welcomed back Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
That’s not the version of the Dodgers the Cubs want looming after a series with Philadelphia.
None of this turns Milwaukee into an easy draw. But since the trade deadline, there has been enough to suggest the Brewers wouldn’t be an overwhelming playoff obstacle for the Cubs this time around. The bigger issue is simple: if Chicago doesn’t reclaim the top wild card spot from Philadelphia, the whole conversation changes.
In Other News...
Cubs Bullpen Suddenly Faces A Brutal Ninth Inning Problem
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It is a frustrating turn for a pitcher who had already dealt with the same problem in 2024 and had recently been trying to work his way back through rehab. For a Cubs team that could have used every healthy arm down the stretch, Browns setback leaves one more hole to fill and one more reminder of how quickly pitching depth can disappear. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Close The Book On A Once Promising Hometown First Rounder
Ed Howards Cubs journey has reached an abrupt end. The Chicago first-round pick from 2020 was released by the organization in August 2025, closing the book on a player the franchise once believed could grow into a homegrown answer in the middle infield.
Howards path never fully recovered after the major hip injury he suffered in 2022, which led to surgery and a long rehab process. He tried to fight his way back into form, but the combination of limited playing time and uneven performance left the Cubs with a difficult decision on a once-promising local talent. [Read more 🡒]