It likely won’t be the National League Central title, but the Chicago Cubs are pointed toward a playoff berth and October baseball.

The Cubs faced the Colorado Rockies on Saturday and won, 4-3, after a long rain delay.

The Cubs are trying to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, when they won the NL Central title during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. That ended a run of five playoff berths in six seasons, which included the 2016 World Series title, the franchise’s first championship in more than a century.

To get to the postseason, the Cubs must clinch a playoff berth and that means tracking their magic number to clinch that berth.

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The Cubs’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth after Saturday’s action is 17. It was 19 going into the game. But the Cubs’ win over the Rockies, combined with the Reds’ loss to the Cardinals, dropped the number by two.

A team’s magic number represents the combination of wins needed by that team and losses by its closest competitor to clinch a playoff berth or division title. Every time a team wins, its magic number decreases by one. Similarly, every time that team’s closest competitor for the division (or Wild Card) loses, the magic number also decreases by one.

The Reds are the first team out of the wild card race, so Cincinnati’s loss helped Chicago’s ability to inch closer to a wild card berth.

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Earlier this season, the Cubs looked poised to win their first division championship since that 2020 season. But, since the All-Star break, as the Cubs struggled, their rival Milwaukee Brewers put together one of the hottest streaks by any team in the Majors this year and took a controlling lead in the division. After Saturday’s action, the Cubs were 6.5 games back.

There’s certainly a chance that the Cubs could catch the Brewers, but Chicago would have to catch fire like Milwaukee did earlier this month. For now, claiming the top wild card berth and a wild card series at home appears to be the Cubs’ most likely playoff outcome as the season approaches its final month.

Chicago Cubs Magic Number Watch

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Magic Number to Clinch Playoff Berth: 17

Chicago Cubs Games Remaining: 26

Chicago Cubs Remaining Schedule: Aug. 31: at Colorado; Sept. 1-3, vs. Atlanta; Sept. 5-7, vs. Washington; Sept. 8-10, at Atlanta; Sept. 12-14, vs. Tampa Bay; Sept. 15-17, at Pittsburgh; Sept. 18-21, at Cincinnati; Sept. 23-25 vs. New York Mets; Sept. 26-28, vs. St. Louis.

NL Wild Card Race (after Aug. 30)

Chicago Cubs: 78-58 (5.0 games ahead)

San Diego Padres: 76-60 (3.0 games ahead)

New York Mets: 73-63 (final berth)

Cincinnati Reds: 68-68 (5.0 games behind final berth)

NL Central Update

Milwaukee Brewers: 85-52

Chicago Cubs: 78-58 (6.5 games behind)

Brewers Magic Number to clinch NL Central: 20

Brewers Games Remaining: 25

Milwaukee Brewers Remaining Schedule: Aug. 31: at Toronto; Sept. 1, 3-4, vs. Philadelphia; Sept. 5-7, at Pittsburgh; Sept. 8-10, at Texas; Sept. 12-14, vs. St. Louis; Sept. 16-18, vs. Los Angeles Angels; Sept. 19-21, at St. Louis; Sept. 22-24 at San Diego; Sept. 26-28, vs. Cincinnati.

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