Cubs magic number in MLB playoffs – NBC Sports Chicago

The Chicago Cubs have only qualified for the playoffs once since 2018, but they hope to reverse that trend as the season winds down.

Currently, the Cubs are 78-69 on the season, and while they are 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, they control their own destiny in the wild-card race, with a 2.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds.

Here are the standings as we enter play on Friday:

Phillies – 79-67

Cubs – 78-69

Giants – 75-71

Diamondbacks – 76-72

Reds – 76-72

Marlins – 75-72 (0.5 GB)

So what is the “magic number” for the Cubs to reach the playoffs?

Simply put, the “magic number” states the number of wins a team needs, plus the number of losses to the opponent it is chasing in the standings, to clinch a playoff spot.

Applying the formula provided by MLB, the Cubs’ current magic number to clinch at least a wild-card berth currently stands at 13.

The Cubs should be sure to finish ahead of the Reds in the standings as well. Cincinnati will set up a tiebreaker over the Cubs at the end of the season, having won seven of the 13 games the two teams played during the regular season.

The Cubs will also lose a tiebreaker to the Phillies and Marlins, and must sweep the Diamondbacks on the road this weekend to avoid losing a tiebreaker as well. However, they do have a tiebreaker with the Giants.

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