Cubs

Cubs Opponent Watch: Teams Hold Steady With Wins

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 New York Mets and San Francisco Giants went into Tuesday’s action in the top two wild card spots in the National League, and that’s where they continued to be after both clubs won their games.

The Mets rebounded after a Monday loss in Miami with a flurry of offense, scoring 12 runs to give Noah Syndergaard an easy day at the office in a 12-1 victory over the Marlins. Meanwhile, the Giants also took care of business in blowout fashion on Tuesday, beating the Colorado Rockies 12-3 at AT&T Park.

The St. Louis Cardinals needed to win to keep pace with the two teams, and that’s exactly what they did in a 12-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds that saw Aledmys Diaz blast a grand slam just days after travelling to Florida to comfort the family of close friend Jose Fernandez, who was killed in a boating accident over the weekend.

With those results, the Mets remain a half-game ahead of the Giants in the wild card race, with the Cardinals trailing San Francisco by a game for the second spot.

What’s Next:

All three teams will be in action again on Wednesday night as the race to the end of the season continues. The Mets will take on the Marlins in Miami, with Seth Lugo taking the hill against Jose Urena as the team looks to take one step closer to securing a playoff spot.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals will send Mike Leake to the hill against the Reds, with Anthony DeSclafani opposing him. Finally the Giants will play their second game in a three-game set against the Rockies, with Jeff Samardzija looking to show that he’s ready for a big-time stage as he battles Tyler Chatwood in the Bay Area.

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