Chicago Cubs: Now’s the time for a big move in NL Central Division

The Chicago Cubs could start to blow open the National League Central in the next week-plus, with just a little help from the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Chicago Cubs have been winning and that’s what’s most important if you are looking at the standings in the National League Central.  As the Milwaukee Brewers come to Wrigley for this weekend’s series, it’s easy to see how the next 10 days can really propel the Cubs well into first place in the central division.

The first thing that’s got to happen is that the Philadelphia Phillies need to continue crushing their competition. At the end of the Cubs’ next 10-day run they will face the Phillies themselves, but hopefully will have put up enough wins that even a sweep wouldn’t Philly won’t hurt. Of course, we want Gabe Kapler’s club to top everyone else in the next 10 days and their last 7-3 record in their last 10 contests shows they’re ready to do just that.

In the next 10 days, the Cubs battle the Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, with the latter two of those series on the road. Chicago could run the table and win all nine games but realistically I would expect them to maybe lose two games at the most. This still fares very well for their record. Let’s take a look at how the Cubs begin to separate themselves from the pack.

Chicago Cubs: Let’s start with the Brewers

Milwaukee comes into Wrigley with just a 7-8 record on the road, a bonus for the Cubs. After the Brewers leave Chicago, they stay on the road and head to Philadelphia for a four-game series.  If the Cubs can take two of the three games from the Brewers, the red hot Phillies could deliver a crushing blow to Milwaukee. The Brewers could very well find themselves with six losses in the next seven days.

Right now the Brewers are in second place and just one game behind the Cubs. Over the next seven days, if the Brewers get swept by Philadelphia and the Cubs can win two of three, Milwaukee might find themselves in the back of the pack with the Cincinnati Reds.

Here’s the nail in the coffin for the Brewers: after the Phillies, the Brewers play three games against the second-place Atlanta Braves, two games against the Cincinnati Reds and then another three games against Bryce Harper and the Phils. That club could conceivably pick up six wins in 10 days against the Brewers – a welcome thought for Cubs fans.

After the home series against the Brewers, our lovable North Siders head to Skyline Chili land for a three-game series against the Reds.

Chicago Cubs: Here’s a Capitol idea: sweep the Washington Nationals

After three games on the road against the Reds and a team supply of antacid for the chili, the Chicago Cubs land in the Capitol to take on the Washington Nationals.

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Our founding fathers might be ashamed of their team as the Nats currently sit in fourth place in the NL East and seven games back from first place. In their last 10 games, they are 2-8 and at home, they have been particularly vulnerable at 7-11.

The Nats shouldn’t pose as big of a threat to the Cubs as they did last year, where they took four of seven games played.

This season the Cubs bats and bullpen should be able to put away the Nats much more decisively.

If the St. Louis Cardinals still bother you even after the whooping put on by the Cubs at home, then it’s time to stop worrying as the Cardinals will face the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers in the next 10 days.

St. Louis is 4-6 in their last 10 games and two games under .500 away from Busch Stadium. Considering both the Braves and the Rangers games will be on the road, you can expect the Redbirds to, at best, split the next 10 games (5-5). Those five added losses could also add separation between them and the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs are coming into a really weak part of the schedule over the next 10 days. If manager Joe Maddon can navigate the waters carefully, Chicago may just find themselves six or more games ahead in their division – a notable early season cushion.