Chicago Cubs: Breaking down potential playoff opponents

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Oct 5, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Postseason base during game three of the 2014 ALDS baseball playoff game between the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

With playoff odds in the high-90s, the Chicago Cubs appear poised to break their postseason drought this season. With that in mind, we take a look at potential postseason match-ups.

After taking a Labor Day showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, the Cubs will enter action Tuesday just two games out of the top wild card spot in the National League, with an outside shot at the division.

Just who the Cubs will face off against remains to be seen. The general consensus is Chicago and the Pittsburgh Pirates will be the two wild card teams in the National League, but with the Washington Nationals soaring and a heated battle in the East, a lot can change in the final month of the regular season.

Will we see Jake Arrieta and Gerrit Cole decide their respective club’s postseason fates or are there unforeseen changes coming to the National League playoff picture?

Either way, here are some potential playoff opponents for Joe Maddon‘s Chicago Cubs.

Next: New York Mets

Sep 7, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets second baseman

Kelly Johnson

(55) high fives teammates after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets

One of the last remaining division races in the game is in the National League East includes the preseason-favorite Washington Nationals and the Mets, who haven’t reached the postseason in nearly 10 years.

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Obviously, what makes New York so dangerous is their young starting rotation that features the likes of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. The former has been surrounded by drama surrounding his recently-announced 180-inning limit that is still being worked out, but the talent in this staff is not debatable.

For years, it seems, the Mets have needed to make legitimate deadline moves – and this year, they finally did it, adding Yoenis Cespedes, among others, to the mix.

That has proven to be a game-changer for the team’s offense, which has seen its slash-line go from .233/.298/.363 in the first-half to .266/.335/.453 post-All-Star Break. In August, the Mets’ team OPS was above .800 – the first time this season they’d even eclipsed a mark higher than .671.

With a potent offense that includes Cespedes and a recently-returned David Wright, the Mets are a legitimate threat come October. For now, though, they have to survive a late-season push by the Nats if they want to reach the postseason.

Next: Washington Nationals

Aug 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder

Bryce Harper

(34) bats against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Nationals

For Washington, the 2015 campaign has been largely forgettable.

Widely considered a frontrunner to win the World Series before the season started, Washington has underperformed for most of the year, battling injuries and other issues that put them in their current predicament.

Entering a series with the Mets Monday, Washington had won five-straight, sitting just four back of New York in the division. With the wild card a long-shot (they’re 7-1/2 back of Chicago), chasing down the Mets seems to be the Nats’ only chance.

If the Nationals fail to pull off a comeback in the NL East, Matt Williams will, in all likelihood, be looking for a new job come the Winter Meetings.

Bryce Harper is going to win the NL MVP, barring something crazy – making him one of the youngest ever to take home the honors. However, apart from Harper and corner infielder Ryan Zimmerman, who has been white-hot lately, the offense hasn’t been as potent as hoped.

Zim has driven in two dozen runs and hit seven home runs over the course of the past two weeks, posting a 1.263 OPS in the process. For those of you who don’t follow Washington, he hit those seven in 12 games – in his other 82 games, he knocked just nine.

The pitching staff, which was supposed to carry this team to a title, has been a complete train wreck. Every time you turn around, Stephen Strasburg is battling another ailment, Doug Fister has a 4.74 FIP just one year after finishing eighth in Cy Young voting and Max Scherzer has looked increasingly human of-late.

If the offense keeps firing on all cylinders and the front-end of the rotation can get back on-track, it may not only save the team’s postseason chances, but also manager Matt Williams’ job.

Next: St. Louis Cardinals

Aug 31, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher

Yadier Molina

(4) is congratulated by starting pitcher

John Lackey

(41) after scoring during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Cardinals

Mike Matheny‘s ball club has seen it all this season, namely injuries to key pieces, including both position players and pitchers. And, despite it all, this team just keeps on plugging away.

St. Louis will enter play on Tuesday with a six-game edge over Pittsburgh and an eight-game lead over Chicago in the division. The starting rotation has looked shockingly hittable of-late, which could be a concern moving forward – but, for now, there’s no reason to question the Cardinals’ legitimacy.

Stephen Piscotty has been one of the game’s best rookies since he was called up, batting .333/.365/.526 in 42 games with the Redbirds and now that Randal Grichuk is back in the swing of things, those two represent a very intimidating young punch.

Combine them with a rotation that features Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez and Jaime Garcia and you immediately understand how they’ve managed to perform so well this season.

If you get things to the ninth, Trevor Rosenthal is ready to shut the door. The young right-hander is enjoying one of the best seasons ever for a St. Louis reliever and may very well break 50 saves for the first time in his career.

Make no mistake. The Cubs-Cardinals rivalry is alive and well – perhaps more so than at any point since the late 1990s. If Chicago wants October glory, they’ll have to push past a talented Cardinals club.

Next: Los Angeles Dodgers

Jun 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher

Clayton Kershaw

(right) and

Zack Greinke

in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers

See those gentlemen pictured above?

They are exactly why no one wants to face the Dodgers in a playoff series.

A combined 27-9 with a 1.88 earned run average, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw are, besides Jake Arrieta, the two clear-cut front-runners for the National League Cy Young Award – and with good reason.

If the season ended today, Greinke’s 1.59 ERA would rank in the top 50 on the all-time single-season leaderboard; not bad for a guy who will likely exercise his opt-out clause this offseason and test free agency.

Joc Pedersen has faded badly down the stretch, while Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner and Andre Ethier have all performed consistently. That being said, this offense lacks some of the big-name pop that other teams on this list feature.

Ready to prove doubters wrong, Donnie Baseball and his crew are still a dangerous team; and with a one-two punch like Greinke and Kershaw headlining the rotation, they pose a very big threat to a young Cubs’ offense.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates

Sep 6, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) celebrates after hitting a one run single off of St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher John Lackey (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Pirates

Remember the days when the Pirates struggled to hit .500 and a raucous celebration ensued when that happened?

Yeah, those days are gone.

Clint Hurdle‘s club no longer cares about .500. They don’t care about getting a wild card spot. They care about one thing: winning a championship.

This season, Gerrit Cole has been the biggest story in Pittsburgh, finally stepping up and emerging as the staff ace in the Steel City. Some are already imagining what a one-game showdown between Cole and Arrieta could look like, but the details of that possibility are still very much up-in-the-air.

Offensively, Andrew McCutchen is once again having an MVP-caliber season, while young keys including Starling Marte and Jung-ho Kang have emerged as major factors for the Bucs’ push for October.

Behind Cole, Francisco Liriano is the most potent arm in that rotation, but left-hander J.A. Happ has been absolutely stellar since joining Pittsburgh. A.J. Burnett is set to return soon, giving the Pirates a very solid rotation.

Chicago will face the Pirates seven more times before the season ends, so fans will get to know this club intimately before any potential Wild Card action in early October.

Next: Late additions will push Chicago into the postseason

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