The Chicago Cubs are on one of their hottest streaks of the season, having won five straight games and seven of their last eight.
During their recent winning streak, the Cubs have allowed just three runs in five games, outscoring their opponents 31-3. That streak includes a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, who have the best record in the American League, and victories over the Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cubs’ run differential is now nearly even, and they are slowly gaining ground in the National League Central and Wild Card races.
Heading into Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, the Cubs are eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the division and three games behind the Cardinals and New York Mets in the race for the third wild-card spot in the National League.
But how close are they to getting back into the playoff race?
According to FanGraphs, the Cubs’ chances of making the playoffs were just 4.9% on July 3. On that date, the Cubs lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, dropping their record to 39-48 on the season. They had just a 1% chance of winning the division and were 13 games behind the Brewers.
After Friday’s win over the Cardinals, the Cubs’ playoff chances have increased to 14.5 percent. Their main chance of making the playoffs is the wild card, with a 9.3 percent chance of clinching one of the three spots, and they have a 5.2 percent chance of winning the Central Division.
The Cubs will look to gain ground on the Cardinals in the wild-card hunt on Saturday, with the two teams set to face off in a doubleheader at Busch Stadium. Hayden Wesneski will pitch the opener at 1:15 p.m., and Javier Assad, fresh off the injured list, will pitch the 7:15 p.m.
The Cubs will then conclude the first half of their season on Sunday by sending Jameson Taillon to the mound against the Cardinals.
