Chicago Cubs: Postseason odds have skyrocketed since early May

Man, what a difference a month makes. On May 1, according to Fangraphs, the Chicago Cubs were staring at an 11.6 percent chance to make the postseason and 7.1 percent odds of winning the National League Central.

Entering the series opener in San Francisco Thursday night, Chicago carries a much-improved 48.1 percent chance of returning to October this fall and 36.8 percent odds of winning the division, second only to the St. Louis Cardinals – by a slim margin (just two percent), at that.

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After closing the book on an impressive month of May that saw the Cubs go 19-8, we all looked at what lie ahead in June with some trepidation. But David Ross’ club made quick work of the San Diego Padres to open play this month, sweeping this week’s three-game set at the Friendly Confines and making in nine wins in their last 10 ballgames.

“I think we’re pretty damn good, yeah. I do,” Ross told MLB.com after Chicago completed the sweep. “The guys in that room believe in themselves. They believe in each other. You see it on a daily basis. We’ve got some really good players — a lot of hardware that floats around that room.”

I mean, you can’t argue with the talent on this roster. Kris Bryant is a former NL MVP looking like a guy ready to win another one, Javier Baez is back to being El Mago as fan attendance continues to climb at Wrigley and the bullpen has been nothing short of historic this year.

Chicago Cubs looking for yet another postseason appearance in 2021

While the Cubs didn’t turn into the dynasty we all dreamed of following their World Series championship back in 2016, there’s no debating the fact that it’s still been one of the most fruitful eras in franchise history.

Since 2015, the Chicago Cubs won a championship (that alone would make the last half-decade among the best any of us can remember), reached three NLCS, won a trio of NL Central crowns and finished above .500 every single year. But with Bryant, Baez and Anthony Rizzo – among a plethora of others – set to hit free agency this winter, the idea of one more run is tantalizing.

There’s a long way to go. While guys like Adbert Alzolay are out there talking about being World Series contenders, veterans like Rizzo help balance out the clubhouse and keep everyone grounded, even with the Cubs walking all over the rest of the league right now.

“I don’t think we’ve really proven much. It’s June 2,” Rizzo said. “We’ve proven to each other how much fun we’re having and how good we are. But we’ve got four more months left. Stories were written about how good and bad people were this time last year after 60 games. But it’s 162.”

Right now, things are looking up. The Cubs are rolling, fans are back in the stands and all is right in the world. As Rizzo said, there’s a long ways to get before we reach the finish line. But the last month has made October baseball at the Confines seem like a real possibility – something we couldn’t say even just a month ago