Safely entrenched into the top spot in the National League, the Chicago Cubs are merely playing out the season as they wait to find out who their first round playoff opponent will be when the postseason begins next week.

That opponent will be whichever team wins the National League wild card game, and the race to be involved in that contest has boiled down to three teams: the New York Mets, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Francisco Giants.

With that in mind, we will be keeping tabs on the race throughout the final week of the regular season as the three teams vie for two spots and an opportunity to play the top-seeded Cubs at Wrigley Field beginning on Oct. 7.

Where Things Stand:

The Mets are currently in the driver’s seat in the race, with their magic number to clinch a berth in the wild card game currently sitting at just two. Their magic number to clinch home-field advantage in the game is also sitting at two, as they hold the tiebreaker over the Giants for that opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Giants sit a game ahead of the Cardinals for the second wild card spot after a wild Thursday night in baseball. The Giants did beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 to finish off the series, but they didn’t get a chance to gain on the Cardinals as St. Louis won on a controversial ground-rule double against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium.

What’s Next:

All three teams enter the final weekend of the season with a real opportunity to make the postseason, but the Mets are in the driver’s seat. Just one win would guarantee them at least a tie for a wild card game berth, and they’re facing the lowly Philadelphia Phillies in a three game set at Citizen’s Bank Field.

If the Mets clinch a playoff berth and home-field advantage, the question would then turn to whether or not they should start Noah Syndergaard on Sunday, or if they should hold him for the wild card game Wednesday. That decision could hold ramifications for the Cubs, who would likely rather have Syndergaard pitch in the wild card game and rule himself out until at least Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals will welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to Busch Stadium for the final series of the regular season. Carlos Martinez will take the hill for St. Louis as they try to make up ground in the wild card race, as they trail the Giants by one game and are desperately trying to get into the postseason to set up a potential rematch with the Cubs in the NLDS.

As for the Giants, they will take their one game lead over the Cardinals into a season-ending series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have already wrapped up the NL West title, but they still have something to play for, as they’re trying to win home-field advantage for their first round series against the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals do have a two-game lead in that race, but if the Dodgers can tie things up, they hold the tiebreaker thanks to a 5-1 season series victory over Washington.

Back to the wild card race, there is a real possibility of a tie between the Cardinals and Giants in the race for the second spot. If the two teams end up tied, they will play a one-game playoff to determine the second wild card game team, and that contest would take place in St. Louis early next week.