Despite a dominant first-half surge, Chicago faces a grueling path with the league’s third-toughest remaining schedule against elite division rivals and powerhouse contenders.
The Chicago Cubs put together a successful first half.
Given all the pitcher injuries the Cubs have dealt with to begin the season, it’s almost a miracle that they sit 12 games above .500 at the All-Star break. Their current .563 win percentage is the fourth-best in the National League.
The North Siders are in a good spot at this point in the season. They currently own the top Wild Card spot in the National League and are slowly closing the gap in the NL Central standings. Chicago now sits only five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place.
But the Cubs will have their work cut out for them in the second half.
They have the third-hardest strength of schedule remaining the rest of the way. Their remaining opponents have a combined .521 win percentage. Only the New York Mets (.539) and Cincinnati Reds (.528) have a tougher schedule in the second half.
Chicago will no doubt have to play its best baseball down the stretch. This team will have key series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Brewers (twice), St. Louis Cardinals (twice), Atlanta Braves, and Miami Marlins.
Even some of their series against “easy” opponents won’t be a cakewalk. They’ll play three games against a Red Sox team that is trending up, play three games against a Tigers team that has played much better baseball recently, and have a three-game series against a Nationals team that has a top offense.
The Cubs will also face the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Diamondbacks in different series over the next 2 ½ months. These are all tough opponents for the North Siders.
The Cubs will ease into their tough second-half schedule with a matchup against the Minnesota Twins that begins on Friday. They’ll then host the Tigers for a three-game set at Wrigley Field before the hard part of their schedule happens.
After playing the Twins and Tigers in the first two series after the All-Star break, Chicago will play three games against the Pirates (50-47), four games against the Cardinals (50-45), three games against the Yankees (54-42), and three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers (61-36). The average win percentage of those teams is a whopping .558.
It's clear that the North Siders have one of the toughest remaining schedules in baseball. If they play like they have been lately, though, this team will be just fine. Chicago won 15 of its last 21 games heading into the All-Star break.
