It was a nightmare weekend for the Cubs in many ways.
The Cubs were swept by Arizona as Sunday’s 6-2 loss brought a changing of the guard in the NL playoff race. They also lost an important reliever when Michael Fulmer landed on the IL with a recurrence of his forearm injury.
With 5 straight losses, the Cubs – who had a secure hold on the second NL Wild Card spot at the beginning of the week – are now out of the playoffs. They sit a half game behind the Diamondbacks and are tied with the Marlins for the final wild card spot, but Miami holds the tiebreaker.
The Cubs are also 3.5 games behind the Phillies for the first wild card spot, but remain a half game ahead of the Reds.
The Cubs don’t hold the tiebreaker over the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Marlins or Reds, so they’ll have to finish better than at least two of those teams to punch a ticket to the postseason.
David Ross’ team had been on a roll for nearly two months before running into the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field last weekend. Arizona had won 3 of 4 in this series before the weekend in the desert.
Meanwhile, the Cubs also lost 2 of 3 against the Rockies in Colorado.
This is the first time the Cubs have lost 3 consecutive series from May 8-17.
The Cubs remain 6.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the division with just 12 games left in the season.
Entering play on Sunday, the Cubs had a 67% chance of making the playoffs. They now boast a 54% chance according to ESPN.
The Cubs will have Monday off before kicking off a homestand against a pair of rebuilding teams (Pirates, Rockies). They then hit the road to face Atlanta and Milwaukee to close out the regular season.
