Come To Think of It: Cubs' Schedule Going Forward Not As Easy As It Looks

Well, if you can't beat winning teams, at least beat up on the sub-.500 teams. While that's not necessarily a recipe for success in the playoffs, it just may be a path to get there.

Cubs Schedule

It is with this thought in mind that I look at the remaining Cubs schedule and notice that, of the 47 games left, 28 are against opponents with losing records, only 12 are against teams with winning records, and seven are against a team right at .500.

As the Cubs have shown in their current series against the woeful Pirates, that is a good thing. Actually, they have shown this all season, as they haven't taken a series against a team with a winning record since April.

Again, this wouldn't be my idea of a winning strategy, but it is what it is, I guess.

But (and this is a big but—no jokes about my weight, please) not all is rosy with the remaining schedule.

First, they do have a rough four-game series in LA against the Dodgers starting Aug. 20. Of course, there are three games left with the Cardinals, and they are in St. Louis.

Further, they face the Giants, who are right in the thick of the wild card race, in San Francisco, for a four-game set starting Sept. 24.

Additionally, the Cubs have almost as many games left on the road as they do at home. This is a concern because the Cubs are currently eight games under .500 on the road.

Among the contending teams, only the Giants are worse away from home.

And, to be fair, the games against the Brewers may be added to the list of teams with a winning record, as they sit right at .500 on the season and could well be over that mark when the Cubs play them.

Not only will they be a tough opponent, especially on the road, but don't you think they would love to play spoilers if they can't get in themselves?

Perhaps even more importantly, the injury-riddled Cubs only have two more days off in the schedule.

Cardinals Schedule

Comparing the number of days off on the Cubs' schedule with the Cardinals', and one can see that St. Louis has more rest, with five days off before the end of the regular season.

Speaking of the Redbirds, a closer examination of their schedule reveals that 20 of their remaining 44 games are against teams with a losing record. They have nine left against the Brewers, so that number may change based on how Milwaukee performs going forward.

Yet, despite having more games against winning teams than the Cubs do, they have the pleasure of facing the Nationals, Reds, Pirates, and Padres 14 times.

Twenty-two of the remaining Cards games are on the road. But the Cardinals actually have a winning record away from home, unlike the Cubs.

And, don't forget, the Cards bolstered their team with recent acquisitions such as Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday, who is playing very well for them right now.

Wild Card

If we're thinking wild card, the Giants have 46 games left. Twenty-four of them are on the road, where the Giants have struggled. 

The Giants have 20 games left with winning teams, and three vs. the Brewers.

Meanwhile, the Marlins also have 46 games remaining, and 25 are against losing teams.

The Fish do have six left against the Phillies, including their final three at Philadelphia. They also have more games on the road than the Cubs, Cards or Giants. Unlike the Cubs and Giants, Miami does have a winning road record, however.

Of the Braves 46 remaining games, 26 are against losing teams, concluding with four games at home against the Nationals.

Colorado has 45 games left, and 22 are against teams with losing records (they also have three vs. the Brewers).

(Both the Braves and Rockies have records on the road that almost equal their home records, so that part of the equation shouldn't matter as much for them.)

Conclusion

Recognizing this, the Cubs' schedule doesn't appear to be quite as easy as the media seems to imply. Additionally, the wild card probably won't come from the Central Division, at least based on how things look today.

Therefore, the Cubs likely need to beat out the Cardinals if they're going to three-peat to the playoffs. It won't be easy, but then, let's remember the immortal words of Teddy Roosevelt:

"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty... I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well."

Let's hope the Cubs lead their remaining playoff lives well, come to think of it.