The Wild Card Race

[Little Slide Rooter]

Im not all out conceeding the division here, but the Cards do have a very good team and a very easy schedule ahead of them. Both the Rockies and Giants, however do not have such easy schedules ahead of them. While they arent the only other teams in that race they are the top competiton. Of their ramaining schedules, not only do they play eachother 10 more times, but they also have:

 

Giants

Rockies 10 games

Dodgers-9 games

Phillies-3 games

Cubs-4 games

Mets-4 games(they could be good if healthy)

 

Rockies:

Giants-10 games

Dodgers-6 games

Cards-3 games

Marlins-3 games

Mets-3 games(again, if healthy)

 

Of course, the Marlins, Braves, Brewers, and Astros should still be considered when looking at the WC race, but as far asbthe top 3 teams in the race, we have the easiest road ahead, unless of course our players decide to keep dropping like mets. I mean flies.

[Fred Hornkohl]

Team             W       L       Pct      GB
San Francisco   61      50     0.550     ---
Colorado        61      50     0.550     ---
St. Louis       62      51     0.549     ---
CUBS            58      51     0.537     2.0
Florida         58      53     0.523     3.0
Atlanta         57      54     0.514     4.0
Milwaukee       55      56     0.495     6.0
Houston         55      56     0.495     6.0
NY Mets         51      59     0.464     9.5
Arizona         50      62     0.446    11.5
Cincinnati      48      62     0.436    12.5

[B-Diddy]

Those 10 games against eachother, as well as 6 and 9 respectively against the Dodgers are absolutely huge for us. Cubs need to salvage this trip, then get back on track at Wrigley. They have a great opportunity to blitz to the top of the Wild Card race.

[NCCubFan]

I'm not giving up on the division, but I'd gladly take the wild card. Wild card teams have won the World Series several times.

[illiniguy]

Keep close with the Cardinals and we will win the wild card.

[jiml60]

Keep close with the Cardinals and we will win the division in the last couple weeks of the season.

 

I agree.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The Marlins seem to have a fairly light schedule too.

 

Rockies-3 games

Cardinals-3 games

Phillies-6 games

Braves-10 games

 

they also have a bunch of games vs. the Mets which could be good or bad depending on what state the Mets are in at the time.

[gflore34]

I really don't believe the Wild Card is a concern because this team isn't making the playoffs period. It does to many things wrong, time and time again we've seen this team snatch a loss from the jaws of victory. It's very frustrating to watch the Cubs lose to teams that are less talented, but, unlike the Cubs, able to consistently execute baseball fundamentals. We saw it in action last Friday night, how many potential DP grounders did they screw up in the 3rd inning 2 or was it 3? Couple this with perhaps, two of the worst base runners in baseball - Theriot and Soriano (who is also the laziest player in baseball), a bullpen that can't throw strikes an extreme lack of hitting with RISP and you have a recipe for a non-playoff team.

[SouthSideRyan]

who is also the laziest player in baseball

 

Why try, he just counts his 138 million dollars all day while laughing maniacally in his swimming pool full of gold coins like a modern day Scrooge McDuck.

Edited August 10, 2009 by SouthSideRyan

[abuck1220]

Soriano (who is also the laziest player in baseball)

 

FINALLY someone has the balls to just come out and say it.

[Roast]

who is also the laziest player in baseball

 

Why try, he just counts his 138 million dollars all day while laughing maniacally in his swimming pool full of gold coins like a modern day Scrooge McDuck.

:-)) Great mental image.

[YearofDaCubs]

I sure as heck don't think we will take the division from the Cards. Their top 3 starters have been really good and now their offense is solid. The wild card is a possibility but the Rockies have been playing pretty well.

[Hawk4Hall]

It's going to be easier to win the division than the Wild Card.

 

Frankly, I don't see the Cubs doing either. They have not been consistent enough as a team to be a playoff team. Injuries, slumps, bad luck, Jim Hendry...you name it and it's happened this year.

 

Get ready for football boys and girls because the playoff streak is over I fear.

[Fro]

The problem is we have the West Coast roadtrip of doom coming up and the @ Mets roadtrip of doom.

 

Luckily we're only 3 games back in the L column, so things aren't quite as bad as they seem, but we need to get off the skids ASAP if we want to stay in this.

[MADD_DOG_31]

Actually our Sept/Oct schedule looks quite a bit easier than St. Louis

 

Our Sept/Oct Games vs. teams remotely in hunt

 

1 vs. White Sox

7 vs. Brewers (4 Home)

3 @ Cardinals

4 @ Giants

2 vs. Astros

 

Cards Sept/OCt

 

9 vs. Brewers (6 Home)

3 vs. Cubs

3 vs. Braves

3 vs. Marlins

3 @ Rockies

3 @ Astros

 

Part of that is also a 9 game road trip @Hou, Col, And Cin the last 2 weeks of the season before they finish with the Brewers for 3 at home.....The Cubs tough stretch is in the middle of the month with a 10 game trip @Stl, Mil, and SF but finish the season after that with 6 at home against Pit and AZ

 

If we can somehow salvage the rest of this month and get to within 2 or 3 out heading into September I like our chances