Cubs' schedule gives them opportunity to gain ground on Brewers

The Chicago Cubs currently find themselves 3.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, but the upcoming schedule for both clubs could potentially give them a chance to make up some serious ground.

The Cubs are currently tied with the Cincinnati Reds for second place in the Central Division, with a record of 61-57 with 44 games to go in the regular season.

They are also one game behind the Miami Marlins for the third and final wild card spot in the National League, though they trail the top-seeded Philadelphia Phillies by just 3.5 games in that hunt.

With that in mind, the Cubs’ upcoming schedule is going to prove critical in their efforts to gain ground on the Brewers.

Here’s what the remainder of August looks like for the Cubs:

 Aug. 15-16: vs. White Sox

Aug. 18-20: vs. Royals

Aug. 21-23: at Tigers

Aug. 24-27: at Pirates

Aug. 28-30: vs. Brewers

And here is the remainder of August’s schedule for the Brewers:

Aug. 15-17: at Dodgers

Aug. 18-20: at Texas

Aug. 22-23: vs. Twins

Aug. 25-27: vs. Padres

Aug. 28-30: at Cubs

None of the Cubs’ next four opponents in their next 12 games are currently in the playoff hunt, and the final series of the month will be against the Brewers at Wrigley Field. The Cubs currently own a 32-28 record at the Friendly Confines.

By comparison, the Brewers are facing a road trip where they will have to face the NL West-leading Dodgers and the AL West-leading Rangers before they head home for a two-game series against the AL Central-leading Twins.

Their lone breather is a three-game home series against the struggling Padres before a trip down the interstate to face the Cubs in Chicago.

For the sake of comparison, the Reds have series coming up against the Blue Jays, Angels, Diamondbacks, and Giants, all of whom are still very much in the playoff hunt.

Seeing this laid out, the Cubs have a real opportunity to gain ground, and they’ll need to take advantage as their September schedule ratchets up in difficulty. The Cubs have multiple series with the Diamondbacks in the month of September, and they’ll also have a series against the Giants at Wrigley Field.

To cap it off, their final two series of the season are on the road against the Atlanta Braves, owners of the best record in baseball, and the Brewers up at American Family Field.  

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