Chicago Cubs Magic Number Watch: Beating the Cardinals is Twice as Nice, Magic Number Now 3
As a Cubs fan, anytime the Cubs beat the Cardinals it’s a damn good day. But it’s not often when beating the Cardinals is twice as nice as it normally is. Think double scoop of ice cream, or two extra days off work instead of one. This is exactly how Cubs’ fans feel today, after Kyle Hendricks absolutely dominated the Cardinals last night on the way to a Cubs’ 4-1 win. That win counted for 2 games getting chipped off the ole’ magic number.
The Cubs magic number now stands at 3.
That means that any combination of Cubs wins and Cardinals losses that totals three will allow the Cubs to clinch the National League Central for the first time since 2008. The Cubs play St. Louis today at 7:15 PM CT and again on Wednesday at 12:45 PM CT. A win in those two games and the Cubs will be your National League Division Champions and fans all over the country will be dancing in the streets.
Here’s a look at the National League Central standings.
| Central | W | L | PCT | GB | E# | WCGB | L10 | STRK |
| Chi Cubs | 92 | 51 | .643 | – | – | – | 6-4 | W2 |
| St. Louis | 75 | 68 | .524 | 17.0 | 3 | 0.5 | 5-5 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh | 69 | 73 | .486 | 22.5 | E | 6.0 | 2-8 | L4 |
| Milwaukee | 64 | 80 | .444 | 28.5 | E | 12.0 | 6-4 | L1 |
| Cincinnati | 61 | 82 | .427 | 31.0 | E | 14.5 | 5-5 | W4 |
Yep, there it is, in black and white in the column labeled E#, that beautiful little 3.
In the race for the best record in the National League, the Cubs still lead the Washington Nationals (86-58) by 6.5 games. The Nationals have been playing some great baseball lately, having won four in a row and seven of their last ten games.
It’s going to be interesting to see what type of lineup Joe throws at the Cardinals tonight, if he uses a bunch of reserves or decides to throw out the regular starters in an attempt to put an end to the division race as soon as possible. For me, I’m torn. I mean, the thought of winning the division at Busch Stadium does see delightful and kind of a ‘take that…we are the champs now’ kind of moment. Although, the thought of clinching at home just seems so much more right.
Either way, it’s going to be fun. For me, it’s a question of will I be boarding a plane tomorrow morning to St. Louis or will I be heading to Chicago on Thursday. One thing is for certain, we will be celebrating the Cubs as National League Central Champions very soon.