The Cubs have one distinct advantage over the Brewers down the stretch

As the Chicago Cubs lick their wounds from a frustrating series with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team holds the advantages of the schedule as the race to win the National League Central heads into the final weeks of 2025.

After their five-game series at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs took three of the games, Milwaukee still holds a seven-game lead in the division. While this seems fairly steep with only 33 games left in the season, the Cubs could gain ground thanks to their schedule. In the eight series after the final game against Milwaukee, Chicago plays 24 games against teams that have records below the .500 mark. These teams include the Los Angeles Angels, the Atlanta Braves (two series), the San Francisco Giants, the Colorado Rockies, the Washington Nationals, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cubs have the opportunity to make hay during this stretch and close the gap against the Brewers. Meanwhile, have to play first-place teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, the Philadelphia Phillies, and Wild Card teams like the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals (six games), and the Cincinnati Reds. The final division standings could get very close, and the Cubs also hold the slight advantage of a 7-6 edge in the season series. This could come into play if both teams finish with the same record, where the Cubs would be awarded the division under the current rules instead of a 163rd game being held to break the tie like in the past.

Can the Cubs edge out the division, but the wild card is far likelier

Even with the schedule on their side, it will be difficult to overcome the seven-game lead in just over a month of games. It's possible, but the Cubs are likely vying for a spot in the Wild Card race, where they are comfortably situated at the top of right now.

The Cubs just need to turn their offense around, get the middle of their lineup humming again, and overcome this prolonged offensive slump that contributed to the Brewers' surge in the division. Getting back to the fundamentals and leaving the embarrassment of the handling of Kyle Tucker's finger injury in the past will be key. Tucker launched his first home run since July 19 in Friday's victory over the Angels, which is hopefully a sign of him finding his power stroke again.