en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Chicago Cubs News https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/news #kap and Gordon are BACK with a NEW edition of the podcast! The #chicagocubs just got swept by the #brewers, and lost all the games in horrendous fashion. He... Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:15:50 GMT The REKAP® https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57893770 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57893770 false false The last 15 games matter for the Cubs. How did they get here? What are the keys to going 9-6 to finish with 90 wins? Plus: Cubs/Pirates preview, Justin Steel... Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:10:20 GMT Locked On Cubs https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57893682 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57893682 false false Cubs pitchers Justin Steele and Shelby Miller continued their Minor League rehab assignments with Triple-A Iowa on Thursday as they work their way back to the Major League club after being sidelined with elbow injuries. Each appeared in Iowa’s 9-1 loss to to Toledo at Principal Park. Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:10:51 GMT Manny Randhawa https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892894 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892894 false false We’ll start with South Bend tonight. South Bend Cubs The South Bend Cubs were hijacked by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 3-1. The River Bandits win the best-of-three Division Series 2 games to 0 and advance to the Midwest League Championship Series. South Bend season ends now. Nazier Mulé started and took the loss, […] Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:20:15 GMT Josh Timmers https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892663 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892663 false false In 2026, the Cubs' starters have been a major storyline. While the bullpen's struggle is the biggest issue, the rotation has been concerning. The pitching struggles have severely impacted the team in the second half of the season. When looking at the playoff picture, their lead has diminished, and both San Diego and Arizona are … Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:56:25 GMT Tyler Courtney https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892189 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892189 false false As the regular season winds down, almost half the league is focused on the upcoming offseason. One of the first major decisions teams which need to make is whether to issue any of their free agents a qualifying offer. That needs to happen within five days of the end of the World Series. The qualifying […] Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:30:39 GMT Anthony Franco https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892021 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57892021 false false As the regular season enters its final weeks, the Chicago Cubs are still waiting on potential pitching reinforcements. Here's the latest on Edward Cabrera, Just Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:10:53 GMT Zoe Grossman https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57891888 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57891888 false false Craig Counsell is once again drawing scrutiny from Chicago Cubs fans as the team flirts with a September collapse. Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:01:59 GMT Jordan Campbell https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57891310 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57891310 false false PCA has achieved a milestone that hasn't been reached in over two decades. Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:09:19 GMT Vanessa Serrao, Mark Johns, Jeff Kloster https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57893109 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57893109 false false Matt Shaw hasn’t played a huge role for the Cubs this season. But October could present the perfect opportunity for him to become a difference-maker. Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:04:14 GMT Sam Caulder https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57891332 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57891332 false false Kind of seems like the 2026 Chicago Cubs bullpen was doomed from the very start of free agency. Jed Hoyer and the Cubs uncharacteristically jumped the reliever market and signed Phil Maton to a two-year contract in November. Well, his first year with the Cubs has been a total disaster and it only seems fitting […] Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:33:43 GMT Aldo Soto https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57890414 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57890414 false false The Cubs' magic number after getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers paints a picture of a team losing ground in the NL Wild Card race. Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:32:03 GMT Jordan Campbell https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57890387 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57890387 false false The Chicago Bears are just a few days away from their Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Nicholas Moreano spoke one-on-one with defensive tackle K... Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:07:23 GMT The REKAP® https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57890094 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57890094 false false CUBS PLAYOFF ODDS — After their win over the Cardinals on Friday, August 14, the Chicago Cubs (72-51) were a season-high 21 games over .500 and only 3.0 games out of first place in the NL Central. That’s when we were riding highest, thinking the Cubs had a shot to overtake the Brewers in the division (and then some) … plus, Ben Brown was close to returning, and we were still pre-Dansby Swanson injury and Daniel Palencia/Jacob Webb collapse. On that day, the Cubs were also 7.0 games up in the NL Wild Card race, with a +6.0 game lead for the first Wild Card slot (and, thus, home-field advantage in Round 1). Since then, however, the Cubs have gone 9-15, including three straight losses against the Brewers this week, bringing them back down to just 15-games over .500. They are also now 1.0 game behind the Phillies for the top Wild Card slot and just +3.0 games up from missing out on the postseason altogether. Yikes. That’s a bona fide collapse. But that brings me to the more specific question of the post: How badly have the Cubs actually screwed up their chances of making the postseason? Well, let’s take a look! Fortunately, it’s not quite as bad as you’re probably imagining. Cubs Playoff Odds On August 14, the Cubs’ chances of making the postseason sat at 99.2%, in no small part because their division odds sat all the way up at 27.8%! Today, their odds of winning the NL Central have dropped to a full zero percent (rounding down), but no surprises there. Their odds of clinching a Wild Card slot, however, are still at a lofty 96.4% . National League WC Standings: Phillies: 82-65 (+3.5) Cubs: 81-66 (+2.5) Padres: 78-68 (–) Diamondbacks: (0.5 GB) The fifth team in this race, the Pirates, are five games back, giving them just a 1.5% chance to turn the tide before the end of the season. I bring that up for two reasons: (1) to point out that this is basically a four-team race for just three spots and (2) the Cubs hold the tie-breaker over all three of those teams. Cubs head-to-head record vs WC Opponents: Cubs vs Phillies: 6-1 Cubs vs Padres: 5-1 Cubs vs D-Backs: 4-2 So the small field of realistic challengers, few remaining games (15), and tie-breaking edge over all three give the Cubs a real leg up (hence the odds). But there’s more to it than that. For one, the Phillies still have nine extremely tough games remaining against the Braves, Brewers, and Rays. For another, the Diamondbacks and Padres have three head-to-head matchups remaining, which lowers the ceiling (at least slightly) of both teams going on absurd runs to end the year. The Cubs still have six tough games left themselves (three against the Braves and three more against the Red Sox), but the schedule and current record of all four teams also favors them making the playoffs one way or another. Indeed, on the Cubs’ playoff odds, parking them at 97.4%. If the Cubs go just a hair under .500 the rest of the way (7-8), they’d finish with a final record of 88-84. In that scenario, the Diamondbacks would need to go 11-4 against the Rangers, Marlins, Yankees, Rockies, and Padres to pass and boot them. And that’s assuming no further collapses from the Phillies or Padres. Of course, making the playoffs isn’t the only thing left to fight for. The Cubs should desperately want to earn home-field advantage for that short three-game series. And for that, they still need to tie the Phillies by the end of the year (again, the Cubs hold the tiebreaker). Even if you aren’t a big believer in home-field advantage on the field (Cubs are .569 at home, .533 on the road this season), there’s still a short-term financial advantage to hosting extra playoff games. Should that mean the difference in how much the Cubs spend this offseason? No. Will it? Yes, almost certainly. The difference is as much as $10 million. Now, there’s more to it than either of those points, too. If the final standings go Cubs-Phillies-Padres/D-Backs, the Cubs will host the Phillies with a chance to advance to the Brewers, while one of those latter two teams will face the Braves with a chance to advance to the Dodgers. If the Cubs finish second, they’ll be on the same side of the bracket, but playing in Philadelphia. If they finish third, they will get the Braves and Dodgers. It’s a little easier to understand visually: Now, there’s an argument to be made that facing the Braves in round one (on the road as the lowest seed) and the Dodgers in round two is preferable even to home-field advantage against the Phillies with a chance to get the Brewers in Milwaukee. But I don’t think that’s really even worth considering. You’re playing with fire if that’s your actual goal. But it’s good to note that if things go sideways (but not all the way), there’s a small silver lining. Bottom line here? The Cubs are still in the driver’s seat in terms of the 2026 MLB Playoffs, but not for home-field advantage. For that, they’ll have to at least tie the Phillies by the end of the season, which means they’ll have to beat t... Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:54:41 GMT Michael Cerami https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57889896 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/articles/57889896 false false