MLB Standings: Cubs hoping for a miracle entering the final weeks of the season

Taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road is great, but unless the Chicago Cubs take advantage of a weak schedule over the final two-plus weeks and start piling up some sweeps, the math just isn't math-ing for Craig Counsell's team.

Friday starts a 10-game stretch against the Rockies, Athletics and Nationals that, in all honesty, the Cubs probably need to win eight of to keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive. And, let's be clear, both Oakland and Washington have a lot of young talent ready to play spoiler to teams down the stretch.

Shockingly, the A's are above .500 in the second half at 27-22 and will avoid 100 losses for the first time since 2021. Washington, meanwhile, has assembled a group of very talented young players, including Dylan Crews, James Wood and CJ Abrams, which has made them potential Juan Soto suitors this winter.

Cubs really need a miracle to punch a ticket to the MLB postseason

Regardless, the Cubs need to win - and win a lot - if they're going to pull off a miracle. And even then, it might not be enough. They're chasing both the Braves and Mets for the final wild-card spot in the NL, so it'll take both of those teams simultaneously going into a nosedive and Chicago going on a heater to even make this possible.

The far likelier scenario? Chicago finishes a distant second to the Brewers in the NL Central, closes out the year with 83-85 wins and watches with the rest of us as postseason play kicks off in early October. Sound familiar? It should because it almost identically mirrors the end result from 2023.

There's no clear end in sight for this storyline, either. With ominous rumblings coming from the front office before the offseason even begins, we could be looking at a very similar Cubs team in 2025. What is it they call doing the same thing and expecting wildly different results? Oh, right. Insanity.