Chicago Cubs

Cubs Playoff Opponent Watch: Mets Can Clinch With Win Saturday

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. [[393634811, C]]

Where Things Stand:

The Mets moved one step closer to nailing down the top wild card spot in the National League with a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The win guarantees the Mets no worse than a tie with the Cardinals in the race, and it also means that if they win one more game they will guarantee themselves a spot in Wednesday’s wild card game.

Meanwhile the Giants beat the Dodgers 9-3 at AT&T Park behind a solid effort from Madison Bumgarner on the mound. He gave up three earned runs in the game, and Brandon Belt smashed a three-run home run as the Giants maintained a one-game lead over the Cardinals for the second wild card spot.

The Cardinals did keep pace with the Giants in the race as they shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-0 at Busch Stadium. Jedd Gyorko, Brandon Moss, and Matt Holliday blasted home runs for the Cardinals, who remain one game behind the Giants with two games left to go in the regular season.

What’s Next:

All three teams will play afternoon matinees on Saturday, with the Mets getting things kicked off when they battle the Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love. Bartolo Colon will take the hill against Phil Klein, and if the Mets win they will guarantee themselves a playoff spot.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals will play the Pirates in the second game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium, with Michael Wacha making the start. The Cardinals do not have their own destiny in their hands, so they’re going to need to win and get some help if they’re going to catch the Giants in the standings on Saturday.

Those Giants will be in action against the Dodgers, and they’ll be facing a very tough opponent as they’ll be squaring off against Clayton Kershaw in the middle game of their series. The Giants will counter with Albert Suarez, and if they are victorious in the game they will clinch no worse than a tie for the second wild card spot.

If the Giants and Cardinals end up tied in the standings at the end of the season, the two teams will play in a one-game playoff at Busch Stadium next week to determine which one of them would play the Mets in the wild card contest.

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