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Holy cow! The Cubs battered the Brewers 17-3 on Monday behind a quality start from Clay Holmes (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K) and a team record NINE home runs – three from Alex Bregman and one apiece from Tyrone Taylor, Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Matt Shaw, and Michael Conforto!

 

Bregman drove in four while Taylor and Conforto drove in three apiece.  The series continues tomorrow at the Friendly Confines.
 
Here's how the remainder of the season shapes up:

 

6 vs. 85-53 Milwaukee (3 home, 3 road)
6 vs. 69-69 Miami (3 + 3)
3 vs. 67-71 Pittsburgh (home)
3 vs. 82-56 Atlanta (home)

3 at 65-73 Cincinnati
3 at 75-63 Boston

The Cubs currently sit seven games back of Milwaukee in the NL Central and 1/2 game ahead of Philadelphia in the race for the top NL Wild Card berth and its benefit of home field for all NLWCS games.

 

Cubs wins and Brewers losses lower the CMN for the NL Central title. The formula is 163 minus Cubs wins minus Brewers losses. The tiebreaker is head-to-head record, and with six head-to-head games remaining, that's yet to be determined.

 

The Cubs Magic Number for a Wild Card berth is 18. 

 

Cubs wins and Arizona losses lower the CMN for an NL Wild Card berth. (It's Arizona since they're the best NL team not currently sitting in a Wild Card berth position.) The formula is 163 minus Cubs wins minus Diamondbacks losses minus one, since the Cubs hold the tiebreaker, a 4-2 head-to-head record with no head-to-head games remaining.

 

The Cubs Magic Number for the top WC seed – and home field for all NLWCS games – is 24.

 

Cubs wins and Phillies losses lower the CMN for the top NL Wild Card berth.  (It's Philadelphia since they're the next-best NL team in the Wild Card race.) The formula is 163 minus Cubs wins minus Phillies losses minus one, since the Cubs hold the tiebreaker, a 6-1 head-to-head record with no head-to-head games remaining.

 

138 games down, 24 to go.
 
Go Cubs go! 

 

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs