Chicago Cubs NL Central Title Hopes Take Big Hit

Friday night couldn’t have gone much worse for the Chicago Cubs when it came to their waning hopes of catching the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.

The Cubs fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-4, in spite of a late comeback that saw them score four runs in the final inning. That, combined with Milwaukee’s win over Washington, 5-3, pushed the Cubs 5.5 games back in the division and trimmed the Brewers’ magic number to clinch the division to 10. That number is the combination of Brewers wins and Cubs losses.

With just 14 games left, it will take a significant winning streak for the Cubs to catch the Brewers.

As for the Wild Card race, chaos reigns.

The Cubs lost a game in the Wild Card race but remained 1.5 games ahead of the rest of the field for the second Wild Card berth. Meanwhile, Arizona and Cincinnati are tied for the final berth, while Miami and San Francisco are within one game of the final berth.

Below is an update on the race, with the current standings, magic numbers to clinch the NL Central and a Wild Card berth, along with the remaining schedules for the teams that are still in the race.

The NL Central Race as of Sept. 16

Friday’s Results

Arizona 6, Chicago Cubs 4

Milwaukee 5, Washington 3

Milwaukee (83-64): — (Magic Number to clinch NL Central: 10)

Chicago Cubs (78-70): 5.5 GB

What’s Left?

Milwaukee (15): Saturday-Sunday: vs. Washington (2); Sept. 18-21: at St. Louis (4); Sept. 22-24: at Miami (3); Sept. 26-28: vs. St. Louis (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: vs. Chicago Cubs (3)

Chicago Cubs (14): Saturday-Sunday: at Arizona (2); Sept. 19-21: vs. Pittsburgh (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Colorado (3); Sept. 26-28: at Atlanta (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Milwaukee (3)

The NL Wild Card Race as of Sept. 16

Friday’s Results

Philadelphia 5, St. Louis 4

Arizona 6, Chicago Cubs 4

Cincinnati 5, New York Mets 3

Miami 9, Atlanta 3

Colorado 3, San Francisco 2

(Top three teams clinch Wild Card berths)

Philadelphia (80-67): +4.0 Games (Magic Number to clinch: 11)

Chicago Cubs (78-70): +1.5 Games (Magic Number to clinch: 13)

Arizona (77-72): — (Magic Number to clinch: 14)

Cincinnati (77-72): — (Magic Number to clinch: 14)

Miami (76-72): — 0.5 GB

San Francisco (75-72): — 1.0 GB

What’s Left?

Philadelphia (15): Saturday-Sunday: at St. Louis (2); Sept. 18-20: at Atlanta (3); Sept. 21-24: vs. New York Mets (4); Sept. 26-28: vs. Pittsburgh (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at New York Mets (3)

Chicago Cubs (14): Saturday-Sunday: at Arizona (2); Sept. 19-21: vs. Pittsburgh (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Colorado (3); Sept. 26-28: at Atlanta (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Milwaukee (3)

Arizona (13): Saturday-Sunday: vs. Chicago Cubs (2); Sept. 19-20: vs. San Francisco (2); Sept. 22-24: at New York Yankees (3); Sept. 25-27: at Chicago White Sox (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: vs. Houston (3)

Cincinnati (13): Saturday-Sunday: at New York Mets (2); Sept. 18-20: vs. Minnesota (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Pittsburgh (3); Sept. 26-27: at Cleveland (2); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at St. Louis (3)

Miami (14): Saturday-Sunday: vs. Atlanta (2); Sept. 18-20: vs. New York Mets (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Milwaukee (3); Sept. 26-28: at New York Mets (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Pittsburgh (3)

San Francisco (14): Saturday-Sunday: at Colorado (3); Sept. 19-20: at Arizona (2); Sept. 21-24: at Los Angeles Dodgers (4); Sept. 25-27: vs. San Diego (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (3)