Cubs magic number drops to 11 after Tuesday night

The Cubs are officially scoreboard watching. In fact, they have been for some time now. With each passing day they get closer to officially joining the playoffs.

After winning the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader and the Giants losing in 10 innings, the Cubs magic number is down to 11.

Any combination of Cubs wins and Giants losses that add up to 11 will guarantee the Cubs a Wild Card spot. That means the Cubs could clinch a playoff spot by Tuesday of next week.

Statistically, the Cubs missing the playoffs would take a collapse of catastrophic proportions. Similarly, climbing out of the Wild Card game and catching the Cardinals is a near impossibility.

The Cubs’ main focus at this point in the season should be to catch the Pirates and secure home field in the one-game playoff matchup.