The Chicago Cubs ended a five-game losing streak on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they'll hope to keep up those winning ways as the race remains as tight as ever.
The Cubs have two more games against Pittsburgh before opening a three-game set with the Colorado Rockies on Friday afternoon, but they'll also be keeping an eye on other games throughout Major League Baseball.
The Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks were already in action Wednesday prior to the Cubs' game, and their results will have impacts on the North Siders.
Here are the current wild card standings, as of 5 p.m. Wednesday:
Phillies: 83-69
Diamondbacks: 80-72
Cubs: 79-72
Marlins: 79-73 (0.5 GB)
Reds: 79-75 (1.5 GB)
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Giants: 76-75 (3 GB)
Wednesday’s Results:
As of 5 p.m. when this story was published, the Giants were losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks, which would put them 3.5 games back of the final wild card spot. The Diamondbacks would then be one game ahead of the Cubs in the race for the second wild card spot, and also own a tiebreaker over Chicago thanks to their 6-1 record against the Cubs during the regular season.
Elsewhere, the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves in extra innings to potentially put themselves one step closer to clinching a playoff berth, while the Reds lost to the Minnesota Twins.
The Marlins will play the New York Mets at 5:40 p.m., while the Cubs will tangle with the Pirates at 6:40 p.m. at Wrigley Field.
The Weekend Ahead:
The Cubs will wrap up their home schedule with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies beginning on Friday. They will finish off their series with Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
The Marlins will take on the Brewers in a three-game series in South Florida beginning on Friday night. They are off on Thursday.
The Reds will welcome the Pirates to Great American Ballpark for a three-game series beginning Friday, and will have an off-day Thursday.
The Phillies will open a four-game home series against the Mets on Thursday.
The Diamondbacks will embark on an East Coast swing, taking on the New York Yankees in the Bronx. They will have an off-day to travel east on Thursday.
The Giants will travel to Los Angeles for a series with the Dodgers beginning on Thursday.
