The Chicago Cubs have a direct route into the postseason Tuesday night. Beat the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, and Chicago will secure a National League wild card berth with five games still remaining.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. Eastern. The Cubs enter at 87 wins and 69 losses, tied with the San Diego Padres for the top wild card position and one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. Miami arrives at 76 wins and 80 losses after being swept by San Diego.
A chance to clinch at home
Chicago reduced its magic number with a 9 to 1 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. Pete Crow Armstrong hit his 45th home run and became the first center fielder in major league history to record at least 40 home runs, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases in one season. Seiya Suzuki and Michael Conforto also homered as the Cubs finished the road series with momentum.
Now the setting shifts to Wrigley Field, where Chicago is 45 and 33 this season. A win would remove any remaining uncertainty about reaching October. An Arizona loss would also clinch a place for the Cubs, but winning would let Chicago settle the issue without relying on another result.
The race does not end with qualification. Chicago and San Diego are level for the top wild card position, which carries home field advantage in the opening playoff series. The Cubs own the relevant tiebreakers against both San Diego and Philadelphia, making every remaining win valuable as the three clubs sort out the final seeding.
The lineup must adjust without Bregman
Chicago will enter the final week without Alex Bregman after he sustained facial fractures when a foul ball struck him in the on deck circle Sunday. Bregman does not require surgery and remains hopeful he can return during the postseason, but his absence removes an important veteran bat from the immediate clinching push.
The Cubs still have several ways to pressure Miami. Crow Armstrong is coming off one of the strongest games of his historic season, Suzuki has reached 25 home runs, and Chicago has scored 835 runs, one of the best totals in the National League.
Miami will start right hander Janson Junk, who enters with six wins, nine losses and a 4.50 earned run average. Chicago had not announced its starter as of publication. The Cubs won two of three games when the teams met in Miami earlier this month.
The broader objective is clear. Clinching tonight would allow Chicago to focus the rest of the week on earning home field advantage and preparing its pitching for October. It would also give Wrigley Field its first celebration of this postseason run.
*Featured image: A night game at Wrigley Field. Photo by redlegsfan21, licensed under CC BY SA 2.0 through Wikimedia Commons.*