Welcome to Cubs Playoff Watch, your daily look at the Chicago Cubs as they continue to push toward their first division title since the 2008 season.

Cubs’ Magic Number: 31

Every day, we’ll provide an update on the Cubs’ magic number to clinch the Central Division title. A magic number represents the number of Cubs wins and St. Louis Cardinals losses needed for Chicago to clinch the title.

The Cubs made another step forward in their quest to win the division on Wednesday night as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 at Wrigley Field. The win is the third straight for the Cubs and their 14th in their last 16 games, giving them a 12 and a half game lead in the Central Division.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals also won, beating the Houston Astros 8-2 at Minute Maid Park. The win is St. Louis’ fourth straight, and also puts them a game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the race for the second wild card spot in the National League. The Cardinals are also two games behind the San Francisco Giants for the top wild card spot, which would give them home-field advantage in the one-game playoff at the end of the regular season.

Magic Number to Clinch Home-Field: 35

The Cubs are also well positioned to clinch home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs (they won’t be able to clinch home-field in the World Series, as the American League won the All-Star Game in July), as they are currently six games ahead of the Washington Nationals in that race.

Home-field could be a huge asset for the Cubs, as they have the best home record in all of baseball. They are a staggering 44-19 at the Friendly Confines this season.

The Colorado Rockies did the Cubs a favor in that department on Wednesday afternoon, beating the Nationals 12-10 in a slugfest at Coors Field.

What’s Next:

The Cubs will wrap up their series with the Brewers on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, with Jake Arrieta taking the mound for the north siders.

In the Central Division race, the Cardinals have the day off, as do the Pirates. The Pirates are currently 13 and a half games out of first place, and just a game behind the Cardinals for the second National League wild card spot.

In the race for home-field advantage, the Nationals will head back east to take on the lowly Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on Thursday, starting a four-game series.